Hyphen – Page 2

Column: Americans live in a state of propaganda

by Ayianna Maddox

Being a civilian in America can be exhausting — constant propaganda, death, and injustice. America is portrayed as a “haven” for all who enter. The “Pledge of Allegiance” is known as a symbol of integrity, loyalty, and respect for America. Still, the shimmering mirage of our Pledge is fading, revealing that the words and their meanings are untrue.

Throughout the U.S. at the beginning of the school day, students are expected to recite the Pledge of Allegiance with their heads held high, standing tall, and their right hands over their hearts. Then, we carry it with us throughout our lives, because we have been conditioned to do so from an early age. We know the words, but have we comprehended the meaning?

The first line states, “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.” As we recite this line, we are making a promise to ourselves and our country to uphold important documents, such as the Constitution.

The second line states, “…to the Republic for which it stands.” The Republic is a form of government where supreme power is held by the people and exercised through elected representatives, rather than by a hereditary ruler or dictator. However, currently in our country, our executive and judicial branches of government have forgotten this important detail. The people elected those in power, yes, but those in power are not listening to the people’s cries.

The third line states, “…one Nation under God, indivisible…” This could be interpreted as we’re all equal as a people beneath the “protection of God,” but how I wish in my core that this were true. If we’re all “One Nation under God, indivisible…” then why is oppression still active today despite our history?

The last line states, “…with liberty and justice for all.” Once an eternal promise, that line is now a plea for help. Inside the “land of the free,” the civilians of America are pleading for justice for their loved ones, a rescue through liberation. Citizens of a “justified nation” should not have to beg for something that should have been given beforehand; that’s not what was taught.

With the never ending unlawful acts of President Donald Trump and his administration, the number of nationwide protests against their policies increases.

According to The Guardian News, “There were more than 10,700 protests in 2025, a 133% increase from the 4,588 recorded in 2017, the first year of President Donald Trump’s first term.”

The significant leap in protest participation from 2017 to 2025 justifies America’s cries. The combined protests of 2017-2025 (15,288) are for different reasons, but they are all aimed at the same variables: justice, peace, and hope. The population affected by injustice and constant conflict is rallying together and using their voices to strive for a better outcome.

Recently and more frequently, ICE agents are wreaking havoc to no end – targeting and assaulting defenseless protesters, bystanders, and families. Not only that, but they are attacking schools. Women, men, and children are being taken away, harassed, and attacked with no explanation. No one is safe. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, ICE agents have not only terrorized but also killed people.

On Jan. 7, 2026, ICE agents stormed Roosevelt High, a school in Minneapolis. Reports from MPR News states, “Armed U.S. Border Patrol officers came on school property during dismissal Wednesday and began tackling people, handcuffed two staff members, and released chemical weapons on bystanders.” This incident occurred just a few hours after Renee Good was killed, approximately three miles away from Roosevelt High School.

Seventeen days later, on Jan. 24, 2026, ICE fatally shot an ICU nurse named Alex Pretti. The New York Times breaks down video footage from a witness at the scene.

The United States of America has become inverted: Rights are being constantly violated, humanity is a myth, and safety is no longer a luxury.

As a teenager in America, I’m watching the colors of my home turn red with bloodshed and the skies grow dark with despair, blocking the hopeful light.

People of America, we are our own light; bendable, but not breakable.

Source: New York Times, Jan. 25, 2026. Graphic by Ayianna Maddox.

25 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Science teacher Matthew Bramer reflects on the year that changed everything

by Kori Washington

Chemistry and physics teacher Matthew Bramer made a major life change when he left the tech world to become a teacher at Jeff High.

“My previous work was IT work, and it was fun, but it didn’t feel like it had a big impact,” said Bramer, who worked in technology at Mercer Transportation.

ICP teacher Matthew Bramer goes over student slides and corrects them to put it in a grade. Bramer is happy that the student had finished the work. ”I love being a teacher; I can show them a easy way to do things,” he said. Photo by Kayleen Alvarado.

After reflecting on his time in the tech industry, Bramer realized that while he enjoyed his work in IT, he didn’t feel like he had a deeper purpose. This made him want to change his career to something where he could positively impact others’ lives and make them feel like they have a purpose, too.

“I wanted to be a teacher so that I could impact the lives of the students,” said Bramer.

Although Bramer thought he would only impact the lives of students in class, he has also impacted them outside of the classroom as well.

“I like how he’s very patient with the students and also listens to my drama,” said freshman Ariana Smith.

“Patient” and “kindness” are some of the many words that students and staff would use to describe him.

“He’s kind. He definitely is one of the kindest people I’ve met. He doesn’t get stressed out by the situations that every day of teaching can give you. He’s able to keep it cool,” said science teacher James Huffman, who has been teaching for 10 years.

“He’s so enthusiastic and happy all the time. Oh, my gosh. Always has a smile so kind. It’s a really good guy,” said science teacher Hope Rector, who has been teaching for 19 years.

While Bramer is known for his kindness and patience, his first year of teaching has also come with challenges and rewarding moments.

“Classroom management has been pretty hard. And that’s just managing all of the personalities,” said Bramer.

But despite having a lot of personalities in one classroom, Bramer enjoys getting to know all the students and also getting to see them understand what he’s teaching.

“I think seeing the students get it and understand the curriculum was really nice, and it was also really nice to have a lot of students come up to my desk and hang.”

These rewarding moments are one of the many positives that keep Bramer motivated to keep teaching. But one of the most important aspects that has kept him moving forward is the help from his fellow staff members.

Graphic by Kori Washington.

“Ms. Rector and Mr. Huffman have been very helpful,” said Bramer.

Huffman and Ms. Rector’s advice have played a role in Bramer’s growth as a teacher since the start of the year.

“I think when you walk in, like as a teacher, and you have like over 30 kids staring at you, it’s overwhelming for sure. But I’ve seen him grow in his confidence,” said Rector.

“He’s gone from being nervous to and kind of using me and Miss Rector and other teachers that are veteran teachers as helpers; he’s almost doing most of it on his own. He’s asking us for some, like help every once in a while, but he has gotten to the point where he’s creating things and sending them to us,” said Huffman.

After experiencing the challenges of his first year and growing with the help of his mentors Bramer has learned valuable lessons he would like to share with otherothe first year teachers:

“I set aside time for grading, cause coming in, I was like, ‘yeah, I’m gonna grade.’ And then I actually have to grade. And it’s like, ‘oh my gosh.”

25 Feb 202625 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Track teams prepare to compete beginning next week

by Marcus Baker

Back again with another year of the Red Devil track team. It doesn’t begin with medals or crowds; it starts with sweat, sore legs, and a belief that this year will be different.

As JHS runners get back into their old routines, they have been having conditioning practice, such as weight lifting, practicing running on the track, jumping mats, pool workouts, and training their legs and form. They prepare before they head back to their actual practice, which began Feb. 9.

Head coach Sam Mull oversees boys’ and girls’ track team members as they stretch to prepare for practice. Track meets for both teams begin in early March. Photo by Marcus Baker.

They use “Sports You” as an app to communicate with their coaches and check for any information that is needed for their athletes.

There are five coaches on the track team. Sam Mull is the head coach. Klarissa Early is the new distance coach. Kim Zink is in charge of the throwers. Carlis Phillips is in charge of the sprinters. And Lucas Couron is the pole vault coach.

Mull’s goals for the season are to continue to grow and develop technical skill sets for his athletes and avoid injuries for their safety. He said his best way to handle a pressure situation is by setting rules and goals for each individual. The workouts vary in discipline, but they all follow the same basic outline, he said.

Early’s goals for this season are to help everyone become mentally tougher and more disciplined as the season goes on. She wants to learn how to use her strategies to help her long-distance athletes get better every day.

Each event group has at least one leader who guides their team: Long-distance group — senior Larry Lucio; girls’ long-distance group — Keira Jackson; sprinter group, senior Elijah Cheeks; girls’ sprinter group Emliy Perissi; and throwers’ group, junior Jomall Owens.

Athletic director A.J. Moye said he plans to help the team by “offering my presence” and being a “servant” for the coaching staff and athletes.

Lucio is most excited to run the 4x800m relay and the open 800m. He is preparing in the off-season by eating well and staying fit for when the season comes.

Lucio started running in middle school and did it for his friends, and when he moved to Indiana from Texas, he just naturally joined the team. He says motivated to keep going when practice gets hard by talking to his friends and teammates.

He doesn’t like to tell himself anything before the start of the race, like instantly, he likes to clear his head and focus on the race while trying to bring his heart rate down.

“Distance running isn’t a race to beat others, it’s about outlasting the voice in your head telling you to stop,” he said.

Jackson is excited to start the 1600s as a new event in her last year of high school. Jackson has been training extra hard with savory fitness and running on her own to prepare for track season. Her parents inspired her to keep pushing, so she doesn’t give up on herself.

Her goal is to “rock this 1600s because I will be good at it.” She said she always looks up at God, knowing that he puts her on this earth to run. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” said Jackson.

Head coach Sam Mull meets with boys’ and girls’ track team members at practice, explaining procedures for the day’s after-school practice. Photo by Marcus Baker.

Junior Jayden Kelly is excited to compete in the 110 mh and 300mh. After his short last season, he is looking to improve and progress to be able to compete and possibly win the state. He’s been preparing by lifting weights and staying in shape during off season while working on improving his hurdle form.

He ran track since elementary school, but the people who really inspired him are his coaches and teammates. His one goal is to compete at state. When practice gets hard, he reminds himself of his goals, and that will take a lot of work and dedication.

Perissi is most excited for the 100s this season. Last year in her sectionals, she false-started and had a terrible moment, but this year she’s ready to make a comeback and prove people wrong. She goes to the gym three times a week and works out to get stronger.

Nizaish Carr and Lyric Steele, a former old trackmate, gave her a perspective to stay motivated through last year. Her goal is to stay focused on her health and push through longer and have her body ready for the end of her track season.

Sophomore Samy Carrlio is most excited for the 400 dash, 4×4, and 800s. She has been preparing herself by eating and sleeping well. She goes to the gym three times a week and gotten mentally strong. Her friend Lila from 6th grade was inspired by her to join the team. She loves it since then. One of her biggest goals is to make it to state or at least get a sub-minute in her 400 dash. She always tells herself that god has a plan and believes in her.

As the Red Devil track team starts, they will develop their skills and improve their capability for the season.

“Every day brings a new challenge, and while we can’t always master those changes, we must have the will and desire to do our best and accept where we end up,” said Mull.

25 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Junior author Jeremy Baker publishes his own faith-based books

by Shelby Keesee

Recently, a book titled Living for God was published by JHS student author Jeremy Baker, a junior. The book’s inspiration came from Baker’s own reflection and experiences and discusses daily faith and intentional living.

Baker has published two books, A Heart for God and Living for God on Amazon. Both books provide guidance and acceptance through God. A Heart for God, Baker’s first book, originates from a time where Baker realized he wanted God to be part of his life. This experience later developed into the book’s cover and overall concept.

“I have experience in journaling a lot, especially about situations, struggles, lessons and conversations I had with God,” said Baker. “What started it all was I had an image in mind of a torch with a blazing flame; then I thought about a heart – my own heart, and it made me think about having a burning desire for God in your heart.”

A Heart for God rewarded Baker with personal growth, reflection, and an idea for Living for God, Baker’s recent book.

“From there, I started growing more and more, and there was a time when I was reflecting on what I’ve been doing and how much I changed, and how much I was wanting to live for God, which became the idea for my second book, Living for God,” he said.

Baker summarized both of his works, offering insight for anyone interested in his books”

A Heart for God

“A Heart for God is a guide for anyone who feels lost, feels emptiness in their heart, or is spiritually distant and wants something that’s real. This book guides the readers through recognizing the emptiness they have, to understanding purpose, overcoming struggles like temptations and distractions and builds a strong spiritual foundation.”

Living for God

“Living For God is a book that is like, shifting from that desire of the heart for God, to daily action and applying it once you have that heart for Him. The first book focuses on developing the heart; Living for God focuses on living it out.”

The two books contain progression, starting from transformation to applying faith and belief our daily lives.

Junior Jeremy Baker’s two self-published books, *A Heart for God* and *Living for God*. Photo by Shelby Keesee.

Baker said his favorite book was A Heart for God because it was the first book he published, and due to its topics of desire and faith.

Describing his first book as the start for everything, Baker said, “Before you can truly live intentionally or live for God, there has to be a genuine desire in your heart, [and] without that desire, it doesn’t last. It’s also my favorite because it represents the beginning of my journey, which without it I probably would’ve never made the second book, Living For God.”

An experience on the school bus opened a door for Baker to explore his own faith and eventually begin his writing journey.

“What inspired me to write my books started on the bus when school was over. I saw this one girl who was speaking about God and strong foundations; it deeply impacted me a lot and I felt so much peace in the area. It sparked a strong desire in me to pursue God intentionally.”

Baker said this strong desire led him to follow God, which allowed him to write about his experiences and gain another desire: impacting his readers.

“The impact I want to make with my books is helping (young/adults) people feel very purposeful and hopeful, and reminding them that they were placed here intentionally by God,” stated Baker. “I want the readers to recognize that God is present in every moment of their lives, whether they’re happy, angry, or going through something difficult. I want people to think more deeply about their actions, their motives, and the direction of their lives.”

Faith and purpose are both crucial to Baker because he believes in individuality and that each person has his or her own talents and purposes in life.

“This is important to me because I’ve seen how people, especially around my age, get distracted,” he said. “A lot of people live by only the moment without asking, ‘What can I do now that will matter in the future?’ I feel called to speak to my generation about faith in a way that encourages discipline and intentional living. I don’t want people to waste the gifts and the potential that God has given them.”

Both works are recommended by Baker if readers need faith, purpose and direction.

“I would recommend these books to anyone, young and older. Or if anyone feels maybe unsure about their direction in life, or feel distracted. I also want readers to know that faith is about being willing to seek, grow, and live intentionally.”

Canva’s beginner-like tools enabled Baker to design his book covers. Baker has experience in graphic design and recommends Adobe Illustrator for advanced designs.

Baker discovered the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing platform, which guided him to publishing his books online.

“I researched the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and watched tutorials on YouTube to understand each step on how I can get my book on Amazon,” said Baker. “I learned about formatting, trim sizes, and cover dimensions. At one point I was hiring someone through Fiverr to fix some errors with my book, but after looking into Amazon’s Cover Creator tool, I was able to fix the errors myself, which is how I was able to publish my second book.”

Not only is Baker a growing author, but he is working in the fashion industry.

“In addition to writing, I’m also at the moment working on a future clothing brand business, working in the fashion industry, which is a long term thing I am committed to doing.”

Additionally, he is committed to publishing a third book, which remains untitled for now, as he is in the “researching stages of working on a third book, taking time to study, reflect and gather everything I need before I fully jump into it.”

Baker said he wishes to reach readers from every religion and inform them about their worth.

“Even for those who may not believe, I do hope my books at least encourage them to recognize that their life has purpose, and that they were placed here for a reason.”

24 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Financial stress affects high school students

by Chloe Newton

For many high school students, the day doesn’t end with the last bell. After class, some head to part-time jobs, others to extracurriculars, and many try to balance both, often because of financial pressure. At Jeffersonville High School, students say that money plays a growing role in their daily decisions, from whether they can attend school events to how many hours they work each week.

“I started working to sell smoothies because I wanted to help pay for my own things,” junior Onesty Gipson said, “but once I started. I realized how hard it is to manage schoolwork and a job at the same time.”

According to students, common expenses include gas, clothing, food, phone bills, and saving for college. While some work to cover personal spending, others say their income contributes directly to household expenses.

Sophomore Shane Adkins works around 20 hours a week at a local department store. “I help pay for my clothes, phone bill, and sometimes groceries,” he said. “It’s stressful,l but it feels good paying for my own expenses.”

Teachers have noticed similar patterns as well. French teacher Dana Schenk said students who work longer hours sometimes struggle to keep up academically.

“They’re motivated and responsible, but there are only so many hours in a day.”

Not all students experience financial stress in the same way. Some students say they do not need to work and receive financial support from their families. Sophomore Vivianna Hill said money is not a major concern for her right now.

“I don’t have a job so I can focus more on school and clubs, but I know that’s not everyone’s situation.”

The difference in financial responsibility can affect social life as well. Several students said they skip outings or school events because of cost.

“Sometimes I just say I’m busy; it’s easier than explaining I can’t afford it,” said sophomore Monseratt Gonzalez.

Despite the challenges, some students say working has taught them important skills. Sophomore Lucy Roberts said managing her paycheck has helped her learn budgeting.

“It’s stressful, but it’s also made me more aware of how money works,” she said.

Schenk also encourages students feeling overwhelmed to seek support.

“Whether it’s adjusting work hours, accessing school resources, or just talking it through, students don’t have to handle financial stress alone,” she said.

As students juggle academics, work, and personal responsibilities, financial pressure remains a quiet but significant part of high school life, and it is something that will always affect students differently depending on their circumstances.

24 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Planning and support help JHS teens balance school with part-time jobs

by Breslyn Dozal

Balancing school and a job can be tough for students. It takes good time management to handle both without falling behind.

All students are different. Whether it’s studying or dressing a certain way, there’s one thing they all have in common. They need jobs! The real thing is, how do they maintain a job while being a student?

“I usually only work at least three days a week unless I pick up more shifts, but I try and get most of my school work done if I work that specific night. Sometimes I’ll plan out my week just so I know everything that I have going on,” said senior Kendall Curry, who works at 7brew Coffee.

When planning a routine, making sure students have everything sorted out is one of the hardest things. Many steps come when making a routine or schedule. The biggest thing teens can do is set a goal and have self motivation.

“I would say, my mindset helps me focus on what the next step is to the ending step,” said sophomore Marcus Baker, who works at Taco Bell.

Being a student athlete may also be a challenge when it comes to balancing work and school. On top of school work, students have practice and games which might make it hard to get to work on time or get there in general.

“Do school work quick, work the days I can, and practice when I can,” said sophomore Kaden Waters, who works at Culver’s

When asked, Baker said being considerate of the time given and managing time well helps him most when it comes to being a student athlete and balancing work.

Talking to coaches and employers about working around students’ schedules is the best way to form a good working relationship alongside school work. Most coaches find a way to plan important stuff around athletes’ schedules.

Another good way to plan is asking others in the same situation how they do things. What their strategies are and how they manage everything. How they keep up with school, work, and sometimes sports too.

“I keep up with my job by working no more than 30 hours and not working multiple days back to back,” said senior Maxwell Schoonover, who works at Kroger.

It’s also important for students to enjoy high school years. If students are always spending time doing work or sports and school, they’ll forget to have fun. Another thing is overwork. Working too much and not giving enough will make everything 10 times harder.

“It is important to work but it’s also important to have fun in high school and school is already like a job so it’s important to give yourself a rest,” said Schoonover

One thing that Jeffersonville High School offers is academic pathways. These pathways are mandatory but very useful. It helps students to take certain classes to be prepared for out of school work. It also offers real job sites during students senior and junior year. Helping them prep and know what you’re stepping into.

Another thing being offered is Prosser. Prosser is a real life learning experience. With work based teaching, Prosser helps students get the experience they need.

“One of the beautiful things now about high school education is because of the ways the pathways are able to work your senior year during the school day and that is a part of your academic portfolio. You can get a grade for it, you get release time from school. You can get school credit, earn money, get your job during the school day. And that’s a part of the state’s initiative on this work- based learning,” said Jeffersonville High School principal Pam Hall

Balancing work and school takes effort, but with good planning and support, students can succeed in both. It’s all about staying flexible and focused on their goals.

24 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Red Devils defeat Columbus East 77-52 on Saturday as cheerleaders celebrate Senior Night

All photos by Magdalene Conrad and Malachi Conrad. Click on the images below to view the gallery.

Junior Jacob Wilkerson tips off against Columbus East on Saturday. JHS won the Hoosier Hills Conference matchup 77-52. Photo by Magdalene Conrad.

23 Feb 202624 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Red Devils face off with Columbus East tomorrow night

20 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Students protest ICE during Friday’s homecoming game

by Areli Hernandez

While student walk-outs protesting ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have occurred at several local high schools and across Indiana recently, a small group of JHS students stood together to make their voices be heard at last Friday’s homecoming game to bring awareness to current events.

Students make their way down to the main gym while lifting their signs up high on Feb 13. Junior Tristan Cooley hopes his message brings awareness to many. “I want the audience to see that even people in cities like Jeffersonville — even high school students in the cities of Jeffersonville where there isn’t a large ICE presence — see this as an issue where the government needs to do something about it.” Photo by Areli Hernandez.

18 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Homecoming royalty crowned at Friday night’s JHS-Bedford game

All photos by Magdalene Conrad and Abygail Lawson. Click on each photo below to view the gallery.

Senior queen candidates Kaydee Merrifield, Kendall Curry, Riley Dobson, and Kyndal McCartin pose for a picture. Photo by Magdalene Conrad.

17 Feb 202618 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

JHS defeats Bedford North Lawrence 75-42 on Friday as Red Devils celebrate homecoming

Some students displayed signs protesting ICE during the game

All photos by Malachi Conrad and Abygail Lawson. Click on each image in the gallery below to view photographs.

Check back tomorrow for homecoming festivity photographs, including images of the crowning.

Senior Terrence Nord does his pregame introduction with junior Caleb Jones right before tip-off of Friday’s homecoming game against Bedford North Lawrence. The Red Devils won 75-42 and improved to 7-11 overall this season. Photo by Malachi Conrad.

17 Feb 202617 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen

Faculty, students believe AI, cell phone technology should support rather than distract from learning

by Liddia Waterbury

In today’s classrooms, phones and AI are powerful tools that can support learning. They can also be major distractions that pull students’ attention away.

Phones and AI in classrooms are changing how students learn and how teachers teach. Some people believe that they help with research and organization, while others worry they cause distractions. Teachers and students show different views on how these tools impact learning.

“Teachers are afraid of students getting lazy and say, ‘AI type me out a three-page paper,’ and they wouldn’t have actually done anything. Like, in college, if you have to turn in major research papers, professors can scan them into something to see if they’ve been copyrighted or already written. If it was already written somewhere else, you’d get kicked out of school for plagiarism or the use of AI,” said college and careers teacher John Moody.

Some teachers focus on the serious consequences of using AI improperly, while others are more concerned about how AI affects learning. Many teachers believe students rely on AI too much and are worried about how it changes the way students work, such as writing essays.

“The issues I see are that students tend to either try to get AI to write essays all for them, where they’re doing nothing and learning nothing. Or, they’ll write it, and then they’ll have AI just completely rewrite it for them to make it better. They don’t learn how to improve their writing themselves,” said English teacher Holden Henderson.

Even though teachers are concerned about students depending too much on AI, they believe that technology can still be useful. When used as a tool, it can help students understand and learn properly.

“For reading, if you don’t know what a word means or there’s something that doesn’t make sense, you can quickly look it up so you have more context to the story. For writing, I would use my phone for the same thing, like if I’m unsure how to spell a word, I’ll hop on my phone and try to look up an answer really quickly,” said Henderson.

In addition to phones being used as a tool, AI can be utilized in the same manner.

“In math, I would use AI as a fact checker. If you don’t have the answers to something, you would try to answer the mathematical problem yourself and then put it on AI to see if you got the answer right. And for English, I would use it as a guide to add to the information that I would already have,” said Moody.

Although teachers see AI as a helpful tool, other teachers worry that it can hurt students’ problem-solving skills.

“I know kids ask why we learn this, but I think math can teach how to solve problems, and once you get older, life gets hard, and learning how to struggle through problems and learning how to solve problems comes from math. AI changes that because they just want to get to the problem fast; they don’t want to struggle or challenge themselves,” said math teacher Alyssa Jones.

Technology affects students in more ways than just how they solve problems. It can also make it harder for students to stay focused and pay attention in class.

“Phones definitely affect focus for a lot of kids. Five minutes into class, they check out, and they just want to start scrolling immediately. Sometimes in life we’ve got to do boring things, but it’s really important to focus in class because if you don’t, you can become super behind, and then you’re not going to want to catch up,” said Jones.

Teachers say how phones hurt students’ focus in class. This problem is also noticed by other students. They see how phones easily distract them and their classmates from learning.

“My classmates like using phones in class. They sometimes get distracted because all they want to do is scroll on TikTok, listen to music, or just be on social media in general. They’re distracted because they prioritize their phones before school,” said freshman Kaden Eurton.

While some students see phones as a major distraction in class, others think they can help focus when used correctly.

“My phone can sometimes be distracting if I really have to focus on work, but when I use my AirPods to listen to music, it helps me focus better. I just sometimes use AI, like science, because I can use it as a base. Only if I really need help formatting my notes,” said freshman Aby Lawson.

While some students see AI as a helpful tool, teachers are more cautious and focused on its limits and downsides.

“AI is kind of the way of the future. The good things about it are that it will help you with some information. However, the downside is that it doesn’t always have a clear reasoning. It will only spit out the direct question without researching,” said Moody.

AI and phones are the future. They can help students during class, even though they might be distracting at times. Teachers believe that, if used in the right way, they can be a very beneficial tool, even when they don’t fully support these tools.

“I try to avoid AI for the most part, but I do try to suggest good ways to use it, like when we are doing a project, you could use AI to come up with topics to brainstorm, but it shouldn’t be used to generate actual content,” said Henderson. “Phones are so distracting because we are so used to checking them every time we get a notification. Using them for research, like looking up a word, checking if your grammar is correct on an essay, listening to music for focus, are really the only ways phones benefit students.”

11 Feb 202611 Feb 2026 by jhshyphen