by Haylee Hedrick

One of Jeff High’s biggest problem has nothing to do with grades or attendance — it’s about hunger.

Almost 60-percent of students in the Greater Clark County School district qualify for free or reduced lunch, with 55-percent of the JHS student body alone qualifying. In comparison, roughly 35-percent of students at Charlestown High School and nine-percent of students at Floyd Central qualify for the program.

To combat the growing food issues within the community, JHS applied for a grant for a food pantry during the 2014-15 school year. The school received $1,000 from the Community Foundation, and GenerationOn gave $250 to start up the collection of food.

Thanks to those donations, the JHS food pantry allows students to take a cinch bag home containing food for them and their families.

“Every student needs something to be successful, and this is what these students need,” assistant principal Marianne Fisher said.

However now, the food pantry isn’t stocked well enough, and is too low in funds to provide meals for all the students that it should benefit at JHS. This is a huge issue, according to Fisher, considering one-fourth of the school uses the pantry weekly, with students getting their main meal of their day from school.

That results in the weekends being a recurring struggle for families. Several families don’t even get to eat as a family, each individual eats whenever the opportunity presents itself.

‘We don’t really have any food in the house at all except a can of corn,” said an anonymous JHS student that uses the pantry. “Now we can have a real meal together as a family.”

Who this helps

There are a significant amount of students among the JHS student body that cannot rely on stocked cabinets or kitchens at home on a day-to-day basis, mostly due to homelife difficulties, financially or otherwise.

Inside the walls of JHS, there are all levels of poverty, ranging from homeless students, to students who have a home, but the family cannot afford enough food on the weekends for essential meals.

With the pantry, however, students can go home for a weekend and not have the worries of where their next meal might come from.

“I can’t thank (the pantry) enough for helping me out,” the anonymous student said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do while my dad was gone.”  

How to help stock the food pantry

The 45-percent of students at JHS that are not on free or reduced lunch can help the other half by bringing in items and food for their peers and classmates.

Non-perishable items that are lightweight and easy to put into cinch bags are needed. Pop-tarts, peanut butter sandwich crackers, mac n cheese and ramen noodles are items students usually enjoy receiving the most.

Canned goods and frozen items are not unacceptable, but are not preferred, due to storage limitations. The cans are too heavy to put in the cinch bags that are sent home with students, and the school has no way to keep the frozen items cold.

Currently, Key Club is the main JHS group that stocks the food pantry; however Fisher welcomes other groups to donate items they deem appropriate.

“Donating to the food pantry gets (students) needed service hours, plus you get to help support your fellow students, friends and peers,” Key Club president Caroline Elliott said. “You could be helping one of your best friends and you don’t even know it.”

If you are interested in donating, bring items to Dr. Fisher’s office (A137). She will also answer any questions regarding food pantry items, including inclusion in the program, at mfisher@gccschools.com.

Items you can bring in to help:

• Mac and cheese
• Sealed jelly packages
• Pasta (in box/plastic)
• Ramen noodles
• Poptarts
• Powdered milk
• Cereals (box, bag, or cup)
• Boxes of rice
• Boxes of cookies
• PB jars
• PB sandwich crackers
• Soups in plastic containers.
  

story by Greta Reel and Gabby Bishop

photo submitted by James Kimbell

Red Devil students have the opportunity to experience more of the world in high school than some have seen in their entire lives.

Foreign language teachers James Kimbell and Lisa Stumler are going to France, Switzerland and Germany in June 2018, while English teachers Stephanie Detzer and Anya Evinger are going to Italy over Spring Break this school year. Social Studies teacher Drew Davis is going to Japan in June 2018.

“The most beneficial educational thing is seeing that everything there is just as real, and just as big, as our world is to us,” says Kimbell, who is marking his third trip out of the country with students.

Students will have the opportunity to see many places on these trips, including the Eiffel Tower, Vatican City and the Imperial Palace.

“Broadening one’s outlook about the world and other cultures is incredibly important,” Detzer says.

Davis’ group will end up experiencing a lot of the traditional activities of Japanese culture.

“We will sit on the floor to eat and sleep, and hopefully we will get a Ryokan (Japanese traditional house) that has hot springs that are privately connected to your room,” Davis says.

Despite seeing all of the sights, students will amazed at all the cultural things they could never experience in America.

“When we look at a place in a book or even on a big screen, we are getting much less sensory input: it’s flat, it’s small, it’s lacking in smell and temperature and wind and sun,” Kimbell says. “But when you’re there, you’re inside of the place, and you can see it in a new way.”

 

Story by Tomi Clark

The Marshall Center — does that name ring a bell?

How about the cubic building that sits right outside of the media center? Is that more familiar?

Jeff High students and teachers are in the dark as to what that mysterious construction project outside the media center is, and why it’s necessary.

What we know…

As mentioned above, the imposing structure will eventually amount to be the Marshall Center, which will be used as a multipurpose room for a variety of diverse purposes.

According to a February article in The Evening News and Tribune, the idea of the Marshall Center has been in the works for years, and finally has come to pass. Greater Clark County School executives approved Koetter Construction’s $747,000 proposal to commence construction.

The renovation began at the end of the 2016-17 school year, and is expected to finish by December 2017. It will sit outside of the media center, and near the performing arts entrance.

Now with JHS’ newest building, if the theater department wanted to enact a small performance, or if a meeting needed a gathering point, the Marshall Center is the ideal space for both. It’s able to hold sumptuous banquets for sports teams and clubs, or serve as a location for conferences and presentations. If a school function needs a venue, the center would be the perfect answer.

“I’m crazy excited! I’m really excited that we’ll be able to put on plays on a thrust stage, and make it into a black box theater,” said JHS performing arts teacher KeNiesha Zell. “And we’ll be able to put on more plays throughout the year.”

The Marshall Foundation considerately donated one-third of the necessary funds to get the project up and off of the ground. The center itself is named after the foundation, and the foundation is dedicated to George Marshall, who contributed a great deal to this area.

Builders hopes the Marshall Center will become essential to Jeffersonville High School life. And as soon as it’s up and running, students and faculty might find themselves in it quite often.

https://spark.adobe.com/#design/page/cd4cd991-ced1-41e1-a7e2-d24b1045be40

Story by Carley Calabro

 

Leadership Southern Indiana was initially started 36 years ago with a leadership program for business leaders called Discover.

However, in 2015, LSI has created a program specifically for high school juniors titled Nexgen.

Nexgen is a five-day leadership program for high school juniors representing every high school in both Clark and Floyd County, as well as a school in Kentucky.

Nexgen LSI is a year-long program that starts with five days of students attending different businesses and companies. Each class is dedicated to one aspect of becoming a leader, as well as learning about the community.

“Nexgen was created in 2015 because LSI thought we would get our young leaders to learn more about our community while in high school,” said program coordinator Lisa Bottorff. “We were hopeful our youth would learn more about our community so they would realize how wonderful it is a so that they would want to live, work and play here after high school and/or college.”

While there, students learn about team building, diversity and financial literacy.  They tour various businesses and companies and learn about the economy and government. Along with the tours students will be given time to meet with business, community and government leaders.

In addition, students learn about the importance of philanthropy and choose a non-profit organization to give their time, talent and treasure to. To start the program off this year, First Savings Bank donated money to the charities students learned about.

For junior Ethan English, Nexgen has already taught him how to act in the real world.

“It has taught me to be a big time leader and philanthropist in the community,” English said. “I like the fact that we get to meet an abundance of unaccustomed young adults at contradistinctive schools around the area to come together and deposit time and money into southern Indiana.”

The Nexgen organization teaches students necessary aspects in order to become a successful leader. It not only helps young leaders today, but benefits more in the long run by giving life-long lessons for the future.

Story by Makiyah Owens & Braxton Troutman

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., Muhammad Ali was a professional boxer and civil rights activist. Born and raised in Louisville, Ky., Ali is known as one of the most influential and favored sports figure of the 20th century, and easily the most significant person from the Louisville Metropolitan area.

After attending Central High School, he went on to beat more champions and top contenders than any heavyweight boxing champion in history. Ali won medals, awards, and executed many selfless acts that made him such a significant person not only to the city of Louisville, but to the African American community nationwide.  

Bryson Tiller 

Bryson Tiller is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. Born and raised in Louisville, Ky., Tiller attended Iroquois High school before his career started in 2011. His big break came in 2014 when he gained recognition for his single “Don’t” from his album Trap Soul. The album was released in 2015, and climbed as high as No. 8 on the US Billboard 200.

The single “Don’t” reached No. 13 on the US Billboard Top 100, the highest a Louisville-based hip-hop artist has ever reached. In March of 2016, Tiller received the key to the city from Greg Fisher, and in the same year he received his first awards: Best New Artist and Best Male R&B/Pop Artist at the BET Awards.

Darrell Griffith 

Darrell Griffith was born and raised in Louisville, Ky., and is a graduate of Male High School. Griffith attended the University of Louisville, where he played basketball all four years at the university. While at Louisville, Griffith led the Cardinals to their first NCAA National Championship against the University of California Los Angeles in 1980.

Griffith went on to the NBA, where he was picked second overall in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Griffith played 10 season, all with the Jazz, averaging 16 points and three assists per game in his career. In 1997, Griffith started the Darrell Griffith Foundation to help give back to the community of Louisville. More recently in 2014, the Darrell Griffith Athletic Center was opened at the West End School as a gift to the community

Sadiqa Reynolds

Originally from The Bronx, Sadiqa Reynolds has found a home, and a remarkable career, in Louisville. Reynolds is the President and CEO of the Louisville Urban League, and former judge of the 30th Judicial Court. Reynolds is also the first African American woman to clerk in the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Reynolds has brought a positive and energetic attitude since taking over as President of the Louisville Urban League back in October. Reynolds has been recognized for her actions and been called a ¨Woman of Influence¨ by the city of Louisville, and a civil rights advocacy. Reynolds has also been a part of over six different boards and worked as a public servant and role model for most of her life. Reynolds is married to Keith Reynolds and has two daughters, Wynter and Sydney.

Dawne Gee

Dawne Gee was born in Louisville, and attended Pleasure Ridge Park High School. Gee attended the University of Louisville, where she maintained a Bachelor Arts degree in communications and biology. Gee has been a member of the Wave-3 news team since 1994. Before working at Wave, Gee worked in radio broadcasting at Cox Radio as an on-air personality for 17 years.

In 2009, Gee was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and on Nov. 25, suffered a stroke during a live broadcast. Miraculously, Gee recovered from both medical conditions and still continues to fulfill her role as a news anchor on Wave-3 News. Gee serves as an inspiration to the city of Louisville for her commitment to the media, and overcoming her medical issues .

Story by Tristan Jackson

Kenneth Groth, Brent Falkenstein, P.K. Falkenstein, Kasey Falkenstein and Kooper Falkenstein — the Falkenstein family has been churning out Jeff High basketball greats since the 1930’s.

Brent’s son, Bailey, is next in line.  

Bailey has been playing on the Varsity team since his freshman year. Now a junior, he is the team’s top scorer (18.9 points per game) and has solidified himself as a leader.

“There’s definitely some pressure there,” Falkenstein said about being a top scoring option for Jeff. “But I have to do it for my team.”

With guard/forward Michael Minton being Jeff’s lone starting senior this season, Falkenstein has stepped up and made strides in his own game. He has become a role model for underclassmen, who have also played a large role in the team’s success this year.

“It motivates you to want to elevate your game and get to the level he is at,” said sophomore Drew Taylor on playing with Falkenstein.

Since Falkenstein’s freshman year, the team has seen constant improvement. After a 2014-15 season that saw Jeff only managed an 8-14 record, new head coach Joe Luce was brought in to return JHS to its winning ways. Last season, the team posted a 19-13 record in Luce’s debut.

“Bailey has gotten to the point where not only is he a fantastic scorer and a go to guy for us,” Luce said. “He has learned to make others better around him, and I think that’s why we’ve been able to play better basketball.”

Along with the excellent skillset Falkenstein brings to the floor on a nightly basis, a winning mentality is something he prides himself on.

“I just want to be remembered as a great player who won. That’s really what I want to bring to Jeff — winning,” Falkenstein said.

In the hotbed of basketball talent in southern Indiana, Falkenstein says he is motivated by hearing what other players are doing on the court, and believing that he is just as good, if not better, than every opponent he faces.

A lack of confidence has never been an issue for Falkenstein, as he feels his work ethic has put him in position to not only be a leader on the basketball team, but to also headline a star-studded baseball team at Jeff.

“Bailey is always showing leadership by getting people focused, giving constructive criticism, and letting others know when he made a mistake,” said pitcher, and teammate, Gabe Bierman.

Falkenstein looks for both teams to have great seasons this year and next, and said his goal for the upcoming baseball season is to win a state championship.

Additionally, Falkenstein credits all athletes for finding the time to balance school and a sport. Although it’s difficult to put the work into two different sports, he says sports helped make him a better person and “the man (he is) today”.

As talented as he is on the court, it’s hard to imagine Falkenstein choosing another sport over basketball in the future, but it’s very possible.

Falkenstein is one of the team’s top baseball players, and he believes that he is talented enough to wind up playing professionally at some level.

While leaning towards baseball, where he has already received Division I offers from schools such as Indiana and Xavier, Falkenstein said this basketball season has opened up the possibility of playing basketball in college.

Whatever way he chooses, it’s likely his talents will carry with him to college, along with his work ethic and sense of leadership.

For the time being, Jeff fans will cheer on yet another Falkenstein from the stands as he carries on a legacy that has been over 80 years in the making. 

story by Jalin Ernest

With Valentine’s Day closely approaching (Feb. 14), many couples look to take the cheaper approach for a thoughtful gift. For some, less may mean more. But during this time of love and compassion, the thought is what counts the most.

• Great Escape Movie Theater (Clarksville, Ind.): At $11.50 per person for a regular 2D movie, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s the easiest. To cut costs and save money, get your candy from a store away from the theater. Make sure to choose your movie prior to your arrival because when you get there, choosing your movie may be harder than it seems.
• Steak and Shake (Clarksville, Ind.): This may be as close as it gets to cheap at a sit-down restaurant. Milkshakes are a little pricey, but very much worth it. With a menu of meals under $4, you may not beat it at any other restaurant.
• Eastern Lanes ( Clarksville, Ind.): Who doesn’t love bowling? It is an easy idea, maybe even a  last minute plan that can work for a lot of people. With a special on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am you can get shoes and a lane ( a maximum of 3 people ) for $11 per person.

Cheap Gifts:

• Flowers: What girl wouldn’t like flowers with a nice little message attached to them. You can get flowers from anywhere, Walgreens, Meijers, Krogers, probably even Rural King. If you need t just throw something together get you some flowers and a one dollar card and write a nice message and she will love it.
• Chocolate: Because … why not?
• Teddy Bear: Every girl needs someone to cuddle with when her boyfriend isn’t around. They come in many sizes and you can get them from Walgreens, CVS, and Meijer. Some of them may not be the cheapest but any girl would love to have them and would be thankful that you got them one.

story by Jalin Ernest

With Valentine’s Day closely approaching (Feb. 14), many couples look to take the cheaper approach for a thoughtful gift. For some, less may mean more. But during this time of love and compassion, the thought is what counts the most.

Great Escape Movie Theater (Clarksville, Ind.): At $11.50 per person for a regular 2D movie, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s the easiest. To cut costs and save money, get your candy from a store away from the theater. Make sure to choose your movie prior to your arrival because when you get there, choosing your movie may be harder than it seems.

Steak and Shake (Clarksville, Ind.): This may be as close as it gets to cheap at a sit-down restaurant. Milkshakes are a little pricey, but very much worth it. With a menu of meals under $4, you may not beat it at any other restaurant.

Eastern Lanes ( Clarksville, Ind.): Who doesn’t love bowling? It is an easy idea, maybe even a  last-minute plan that can work for a lot of people. With a special on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am you can get shoes and a lane ( a maximum of 3 people ) for $11 per person.

Cheap Gifts:

Flowers: What girl wouldn’t like flowers with a nice little message attached to them. You can get flowers from anywhere, Walgreens, Meijers, Krogers, maybe even Rural King. If you need to just throw something together get you some flowers and a one dollar card and write a nice message and she will love it.

Chocolate: This is more for the girls that need to get their significant other that just so happens to be a male. Guys already know that every girl loves chocolate, but if you are a girl and don’t know what to get your boyfriend just go with chocolate. You really can’t go wrong.

Teddy Bear:Every girl needs someone to cuddle with when her boyfriend isn’t around. They come in many sizes and you can get them from Walgreens, CVS, and Meijer. Some of them may not be the cheapest but any girl would love to have them and would be thankful that you got them one.

As drivers merge onto the newly-built I-265 highway and follow it south, a new landmark will peak its face around the bend of the road: the East End Bridge. The bridge connects Utica, Ind. to Louisville, Ky., and completes a shortcut to the eastern side of the city that once took 30-40 minutes to drive.

Now, the drive is merely 10-20 minutes, and lets drivers avoid the headaches of downtown traffic. More importantly, though, is that the bridge opens up a new side of Louisville some Jeff residents aren’t as familiar with, including an area of shops and restaurants waiting for Hoosiers to come and explore.

 

Construction of the Bridge

Construction time– Construction of the bridge began in June 2013, cutting into the $2.3 billion budget of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Project. After three-and-a-half years, the bridge’s opening ceremony took place on Dec. 18, 2016, officially marking the opening of the bridge to the public.

Labor– According to Union worker Donny Farish, the bridge was completed 100-percent by Union laborers. He credited the Union for the construction, saying wages would have been too low without it.

Tolls– If drivers choose to cross the East End Bridge, they might find themselves paying some money to do so. The tolls on the new East End Bridge cost $2 if drivers have a transponder in their car. If not, drivers can expect to pay $3 if the car has a registered license plate from Indiana or Kentucky. All other drivers will pay $4 to cross.

Finishing touches- As of print, the bridge has been opened for over a month. However one can still find construction crews around the bridge seven days a week. Farish says his crew has been working around the clock since Labor Day to finish minor construction on the bridge, as well as the walkway that accompanies it.

 

Things to do on the Kentucky side of the Bridge

The Paddock Shops- A shopping center right across the bridge is full of shops and restaurants that southern Indiana doesn’t have.

Clothing Shops: J.Crew , Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor and Talbot’s can be found in the Paddock Shopping Center.

Fan Outfitters is a clothing and apparel store for those UK fans and U of L fans looking for the best team gear.

Barnes and Noble can be found in the shopping center, providing customers with a wide variety of books and music to buy.

 

Blaze Pizza is a restaurant located within the Paddock that serves up some of the most delicious pizzas you’ll ever eat. For the picky eater, Blaze Pizza uses an interactive service format that allows guests to create custom-made pizzas at fast speeds – for only about $7 each.

Cabela’s- Similar to Bass Pro, Cabela’s is a superstore for quality hunting, fishing, camping, recreational shooting and outdoor gear at competitive prices. Cabela’s has a wider variety of hunting gear than Bass Pro, and just as competitive prices.

Things coming to Jeffersonville in the near future

While the bridge is beneficial for Hoosiers, some east-enders from Louisville will reap the benefits of the new structure, too.

A new retail center, located next to the round-abouts in Jeffersonville near River Ridge, is expected to be finished by 2020. This new retail center plans to have four hotels, a medical campus, restaurants, senior housing, a cinema,  bank and other retail.

This area is expected to have restaurants that are more family affordable, but no drive-thru services. The site is started with construction already, and hopes to have some shops opening by the end of this year.

“Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” — Martin Luther King.

After the new year has passed and the month of January is in full swing, attention often turns to Martin Luther King Day: a day that honors a man who valued justice and equality.

During his life, King showed humanity and leadership with all he had, and spoke about it to all who were willing to listen. To honor his holiday, Clark County students paid homage to Martin Luther King by submitting essay, poster or video projects to be in “The Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Contest.”

In the JHS contest, there was a three way tie for first place: freshmen Alayna Lacy,  freshman Lyndsey Vessels , and some students from Ms. Corcoran’s Impact class. Lacy and Vessels both entered in posters and Ms.Corcoran’s students made a video. In the county-wide contest, Vessels poster placed third.

“(I) read through his speech at least seven times, then I just started taking things from the speech and put it all on a poster board,” Vessels said.

The senior team of Jacqueline James and Emanda Gibson took home second place in the JHS contest.

Scholarships were also handed out to students. To earn the scholarship, students had to fill out an application, write an essay, have a certain amount of community service hours and have a good academic record.

The Martin Luther King Scholarship winners from JHS were seniors Lizzy Bishop and Lucy Sandavol.

There is a yearly breakfast put on by the King Holiday Committee to show admiration for Dr.King. This year the King Scholarship Breakfast host was Renaissance Academy.

“I’m very honored to be here,” Sandoval said. “There are so many people here to honor Martin Luther King.”

The chair of the King Holiday Committee, Janice Leavell, was very impressed with all the students’ work .

“People say that kids are our future, but these amazing kids are our now,” Leavell said. “He wanted all people to be equal. We honor him because we are the people.”

The contest and scholarship winners are invited to attend the breakfast, as well as school administrators all over Clark County.

“This is a wonderful community event to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.,” JHS principal Julie Straight said. “I’ve been able to attend for four years. The students are a big part of the event and live out the dream.”

Greater Clark County Schools Deputy Superintendent Travis Haire commented on the event saying that Martin Luther King’s dream is still living throughout the talented students artwork

“This special event is meant to celebrate Martin luther King jr Holiday and to honor students with showing great artwork and with awarding scholarships,” Haire said.  

MLK committee member Dawn Krabbe stated that the Martin Luther King Contest showcases the unique out-of-the-box creativity of the students.  

“It’s a wonderful event for the community to recognize a lot of students artistically and academically. Not all students are the same and it shows their different mediums in Clark County,” Krabbe said.

All involved spent the day basking in the inspiration  that was Dr. Martin Luther King and he will continue to be recognized for years to come as the expressive inspirational man that he was. Let’s all keep living out the dream of Dr. King.

 

“ If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. “ — Martin Luther King