Tag: Gabriella Kraft

Staff, students navigate expectations of new school year

by Gabriella Kraft

The new school year is always nerve-racking — new classes, new people, and new teachers. The readjustment period is always a struggle after coming back from two months of summer, and it’s been even more so with Indiana’s new phone ban.

But students and faculty persevere and get through by talking to new people, catching up on late work, or reading a book. 

Algebra II teacher Greg Bowen was a little intimidated at the beginning of the year, but he is slowly readjusting to all the changes. 

“I was a little nervous about how kids would adjust to the new cell phone policy, and they’ve adjusted really well, so yes, now I’m excited,” said Bowen.

The new cell phone policy had all the teachers on the edge of their seats, but students adjusted better than they thought. It’s a different kind of year for everybody, including senior Leighla Perry.

“This is my last year of high school, and although I’ll miss it because of my friends, I can’t be more excited about graduating,” said Perry.

Perry’s also been involved in the JHS community since junior year by being a part of NHS, Anchor Club, and cheerleading.

“I love being involved; it looks good on applications, and it’s nice just helping people and knowing I’m doing a good thing,” said Perry.

Juniors are getting older and racking up college credits and AP classes.

“The year has been pretty good; it’s mostly just me waiting for IUS to start. I expected more out of my classes, especially from my AP U.S. history class,” said junior Kahlani Hunt.

It seems like everybody’s year has been great so far, including sophomore Savannah Valois. 

“My favorite part of the school has been my math class; it’s been great. I thought it would be harder this year, so I wasn’t excited at first, but it’s been okay,” said Valois.

As one high schooler’s career ends, another begins. 

“The year has been good so far; I’ve found my classes easily; I thought it would be harder navigating,” said freshman Harmony Staton.

Life this school year, although different, has been going better than anybody expected, and JHS is excited for what is to come.

Algebra 2 teacher Greg Bowen gives instructions to his honors class about the daily PRIDE slides on August 11 during fourth-period hour. Photo by Gabrielle Watkins.
by jhshyphen

Column: America was built by immigrants

by Gabriella Kraft

America was built by immigrants. They have built it up from the ground, and then others decided that they had founded the land, even if Native Americans had been there years before them. They were colonizers who decided they could take what they wanted and have no repercussions.

“Nobody is illegal on stolen land.”

Graphic by Gabriella Kraft.

It’s becoming a common saying, sadly, to get people to understand that nobody is illegal here, and no one should be getting arrested and killed for their skin color or their accents. 

“Nobody is illegal on stolen land.” It is a way of telling most people who are in support of the current administration that nobody is after their jobs. Nobody wants to harm them. Nobody wants to take away their position in life. Just as they are trying to get by in life, so is everybody else. 

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “Since returning to office in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken major steps to reshape immigration policy and enforcement in pursuit of his campaign promise to execute ‘the largest domestic deportation operation’ in U.S. history. As part of this effort, his administration has carried out deportation flights, sometimes to third countries where migrants have no existing ties; ramped up nationwide immigration raids; and granted expanded or new powers to various federal, state, and local officials to enforce domestic immigration laws.” 

His whole point in doing this is to do what the rich politicians in the U.S. want right now. He is simply a poorly strung puppet who needs to be held accountable for the lives he has helped ruin and take.

More from Council of Foreign Relations: “In January 2026, the administration’s enforcement push reached a controversial new phase after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in separate incidents in Minneapolis.”

There have been more unaccounted-for deaths and families this administration has ripped apart. Is it so hard to let people live in peace? Most, if not all, of these people just wanted to be here and live their lives when it was ripped from them.

It has turned into such a serious cause that whole schools are having walkouts in support of stopping them, including Hoosier schools. 

According to WFYI in early February, “Hundreds of students across Indianapolis and in nearby suburbs walked out of class Monday, bundled in winter coats and carrying handmade signs to join a growing national movement of young people protesting federal immigration enforcement.”

Students have gone through the effort of skipping class, missing a test, and possibly getting arrested for a cause they believe in. Not only does this put pressure on the school system, but also on government officials.

Young adolescent teens understand what’s going on in the country better than most adults. We see what’s happening and want to help stop our country from turning into a warzone, simply because some people don’t like others’ ethnicities or accents.

The impact immigrants have had on America is incomparable; without them, our economy would plummet. 

As stated by the Migration Policy Institute,“Immigrants were involved in the development of 30 percent of patents in strategic industries in recent years, and more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants.”

Immigrants are embedded in all types of American culture and food. For example, according to the Food Timeline, nearly all of today’s popular American foods originated in other countries.

This country is so much more than different skin colors and different views, but we can only grow and build on what we have if it has a good foundation. What’s happening in the country right now is destroying that foundation as we know it. So I encourage you to do what you can to help the cause and fight for what’s right.

by jhshyphen

Review: ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ is a great, sad movie

by Gabriella Kraft

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a very emotionally intelligent movie. You need that emotional intelligence to fully understand the movie and grasp what’s happening as the movie gets more intense.

This film is a single movie with no sequel. It follows Charlie, played by Logan Lerman, who is going through a lot as a freshman, suddenly being befriended by two outgoing seniors, played by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, who begin teaching him what life is really about.

Director Stephen Chbosky has a habit of making emotionally intense movies; for example: Wonder, Nona, Dear Evan Hansen, Rent, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast. These are all very emotional, high-tension movies.

The film is set in a Pittsburgh suburb in Pennsylvania and cost $13 million. The musical score of the film goes perfectly with the movie; all the song choices fit very nicely. I liked how well they show Charlie’s anxiety, PTSD, and his slowly coming out of his shell and back into it. However, I disliked how they are seniors, and he’s a freshman; it feels like they are grooming him, especially in certain scenes.

It’s a very popular movie with a motion picture and sensitivity rating of PG-13. To showcase how popular it is, some reviews from Rotten Tomatoes say, “I think for the first film this guy who wrote the book and has adapted it for the screen has done a terrific job, and I really found these characters sympathetic.”

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a heavy, heavy book. It contains some of the hardest moments that teenagers face,” stated another critic. “I also think that there’s something so incredibly special about this book that every adult can understand.” 

There were some bad reviews, but “some” as in 2 or 3. There are a rare few who don’t like this movie, and I think it’s because they don’t fully understand it. They may have watched it too young, or they simply think it’s too heavy a topic to be in a movie. Either way, it’s a great movie to watch if you need a good cry or if you just need a really good sad movie.

Some of my favorite quotes from the movie are “We accept the love we think we deserve”, “Things change. Friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody”, “ And in that moment, I swear we were infinite”, and “I would die for you. But I won’t live for you” I feel like quotes really grasp what this movie is trying to convey and just how heartfelt it really is.

I watched this movie at a young age, when I couldn’t fully understand what was going on. But as I rewatch it when I’m older, I fully grasp what’s happening now. It’s such a good movie that I feel like everybody should watch it at least once in their life. It’s crazy what age can do to someone’s understanding of certain subjects.

Movie Review Chart 

Movie Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Writers: Stephen Chbosky

Rated: PG-13

My Grade: A

by jhshyphen

Column: Student athletes must live a well-balanced life

by Gabriella Kraft

Pressure can make or break a person.

A well-balanced lifestyle is hard enough as just a regular student. The added stress of being an athlete brings so much more pressure. 

When I first started two sports, I was on two teams for cheerleading, with practice every day except Fridays and Saturdays. And with basketball, I had practice scheduled right before it on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturday mornings. 

I felt like I was drowning trying to balance school work, sports, friends, and life. It felt impossible until I quit basketball. I felt like I was finally able to breathe. It didn’t make a major difference, but it was big enough that I could feel alive again. 

Without basketball, I was able to actually hang out with my friends outside of school, get my homework done at night, and I wasn’t stressing over little things. 

“A well-balanced life revolves around having a schedule while also giving ourselves time to breathe. If it’s all work and no play, the sport starts feeling like a job that’s holding us back from our full potential.” 

A well-balanced life revolves around having a schedule while also giving ourselves time to breathe. If it’s all work and no play, the sport starts feeling like a job that’s holding us back from our full potential. 

A better way to manage our time as a student-athlete involves prioritizing what is most important, learning to say “no,” setting realistic goals, and using downtime wisely.

It’s easy for athletes to over-commit, to push ourselves until we can’t push anymore, simply, because we feel obligated to be the best at everything — not because we are cocky, but because we want to push ourselves to be the best we can be. Most don’t feel that it’s possible if we aren’t pushing until we cannot anymore.

Sooner or later, our mental health declines. We aren’t the best at our sport, our grades fall, and we feel like we are alone. We feel that if we aren’t excelling in at least one or all aspects of our lives, we are failing.

Most people don’t even notice an athlete who’s spiraling out of control until we are completely pulled away and have distanced ourselves. We feel as if we are too far from saving.

Parents play an important role in a student-athlete’s life as well. Kids can only give as much as we get. When teens get a pushy parent who only yells and does not provide much support otherwise, they eventually just give up.

Athletes need all the support we can get, or we break under the pressure.

by jhshyphen

Faculty, students share their modern day heroes

by Gabriella Kraft

Everybody has a modern-day hero. Whether it be a family member, a famous artist, or a poet; they have one. For Spanish teacher Suzanne Padron, her modern-day hero is her daughter. 

“My daughter is the hardest-working person I know. She works harder every day to grow her career, of which she has two, and never fails to stand up for what’s right,” said Padron.

She first realized her daughter was her hero in 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests, because despite her not being in great physical condition, she kept going back to continue protesting.

“She continued to protest every day, even after she broke her foot, even after being hit with tear gas, even after being shot at with rubber bullets; she went back the next day to continue protesting,” Padron said.

Sophomore Kahlani Hunts modern-day hero, was very present in most of her childhood movies, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“He is in a lot of my childhood movies, and his songs just bring me a lot of nostalgic memories. I first discovered him when I was nine years old in Moana, that’s when I first realized he was my hero,” said Hunt.

“His songs bring feelings of joy because his songs remind me of happy childhood memories, and sadness because the lyrics in his songs are so heartfelt they bring me to tears,” said Hunt.

Biomedical teacher Charles ‘Brian’ Patton’s modern-day hero is a bit more personal — it’s his father.

“He is my hero because he is everything I would want to be as a man, father, teacher, and person. He’s been my hero for as long as I can remember,” said Patton

For sophomore Rachel Ledbetter, her modern-day hero is the very famous author Kristin Hannah.

“She’s my hero because her books touch on important topics people should be more informed about. I was first introduced to her when I read her book ‘The Great Alone’ last year. I also read her book ‘“’The Nightingale’, which brought me to tears,” said Ledbetter

Chemistry teacher James Huffman’s modern-day hero is the ex-football player Dan Marino, whom he grew up watching.

“He is my hero because I loved the Miami Dolphins growing up, and I always wanted to be a quarterback even though I was a running back. I remember first watching him when I was 5 or 6 ‘til the time I turned 18,” said Huffman. 

 Sophomore Alia Griffith’s modern-day hero is a little closer to home, as it is her mother.

“She teaches me to be the person I aspire to be in the future. She’s who I looked up to my whole life. And that hasn’t changed as I’ve gotten older,” said Griffith.

For English teacher David Kummer, his modern-day hero is Greta Thunberg.

“For her to speak out about what she cares about, and not just environmental stuff, but also the genocide in Palestine, even when she put herself in danger, made me admire her,” said Kummer.

He first heard about her when he was in college and she was in high school because it was at that point that she started getting popular for how outspoken she was.

“I heard about her through social media, specifically about her environmentalism, and I thought it was cool that a high schooler was so outspoken about that,” said Kummer.

Everybody’s modern-day hero is different. They all carry various emotions, different people, and different goals. Our hero reflects on who we are as a person.

by jhshyphen

Brian Patton’s classroom reveals the life of a caring teacher

by Gabriella Kraft

“The opportunity to show you guys healthcare isn’t this tiny bubble,” biomedical sciences teacher Charles “Brian” Patton said as he explained what got him into biomedical science.

Biomedical sciences teacher Brian Patton works in his classroom in front of his wall with messages from former students. Patton said the wall decorations are a result of thinking the walls were too bare, so “I allowed my students to leave a piece of themselves behind. It was done at the end of the year after everyone was done with testing.” Patton said student Keira Timberlake painted ducks along the wall and allowed students to decorate them any way they liked. Photo by Gabriella Kraft.

Someone who attends JHS might never come across Patton, but those who do have nothing but good things to say about him and his teaching.

“He has a very friendly, open relationship with his students,” said sophomore Jaylianah Burris. 

This is only his second year teaching, and he’s already made an impact on students’ lives. “This is my first teaching job; I worked in corporate healthcare for 16-17 years before this,” said Patton.

Many students describe Patton as a chill, laid-back teacher who cares, but can be serious when he needs to. 

“He lets us know he’s there,” said sophomore Jessalyn Stolte.

Students also talk about how he makes sure they understand everything without having to ask further questions. 

Stolte said, “He’s a great teacher; he explains everything perfectly.” 

Besides explaining everything perfectly, Patton sees a purpose in everything he does.

“Everything happens for a reason; something brought me to the position I am at now, and the position before this. I encourage you to learn everything you can, but I think you get what you put into this class.”

He makes sure to give his all, even on his bad days. 

“I think I have my days, because there are days when I could see the impact I could have, but then I doubt myself,” he said.

Despite the obvious doubts he has about himself, he ensures that all his students are comfortable.

“He treats us like our age, and he doesn’t coddle us. He makes sure not to treat us like children,” said Burris.

Patton is a very caring teacher who does what needs to be done for his students and their education. 

“I treat my students like my own kids. Respect goes both ways — you respect me, I respect you,” said Patton.

Regardless of whether they are new or old, all his students matter to him.

by jhshyphen