Students and faculty wore their spookiest Halloween costumes last Friday, and Hyphen photographers and journalists captured some of the scary moments through portrait photography. Click on the images below to see photos in the gallery.
by Liam Turk-Gagel and William Hudgins
The 2025-2026 swim season is something to look forward to this school year, with newcomers like freshmen Christian Miller and Dash Leonard, along with returning faces like seniors Jaga Pagva and Addi Bingham.
The season for girls began Oct. 27 and ends Feb. 7. The season for boys begins Nov. 10 and ends on Feb. 21.
Who is a boys swimmer that fans should look out for?
“Jaga (Pagva) was really good last year, and his international experience in Mongolia is going to help him excel.” – Coach Michael Pepa
Who is a girls swimmer that fans should look out for?
“I’d say either Macyn (Jackson) or Litzy (Rubio). They’ve had a lot of improvement over the years, and I think they’ll definitely be ones to look out for.” – Coach Michael Pepa
Many swimmers believe that compared to last year to this upcoming season, the team is going to be much better.
How do you think the team will do in sectionals compared to last year?
“I think we’ll get better. I think we can get second or even first at sectional; sky’s the limit.” – Junior Isaac Ramirez
“I think we’ll do even better than last year; our freshman class will fill those gaps from last year’s seniors, alongside our talented drivers. It will definitely be the season to look out for the boys’ team.” – Senior Jaga Pagva
What is some advice that you’d give to the upcoming freshmen on the team?
“What you put into it, you get out of it.” -Junior Stella Siewert
“It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, but it comes with a lot of rewards.” – Coach Michael Pepa
by Hailey Craynon
In 10 years from now, everyone will be off doing their own thing. What are you going to do? What makes you want to do this? How committed are you? Where do you see yourself?
Freshman Kyra Gibson said, “I want to be a criminal investigator. I want to be a criminal investigator because I want to understand why criminals do the things they do, and I’m planning to achieve this by staying focused in school and graduating from a good college.”
Gibson has been passionate about being a criminal investigator since she was in sixth grade, as she found it exciting and interesting.
“I have always watched documentaries with my mom and tried to solve them, and it got me into criminal investigations.”
Some students are interested in nursing.
Freshman Makhia Hall said, “In 10 years, I see myself figuring out what college I want to go to so that I can study for a nursing degree, and I’ve always been good with kids and just people in general. I’m going to achieve this by getting good grades, making sure my GPA is high, and paying attention more in classes.”
Some think nursing is maybe too hard and they give up on a dream, but Hall said to “focus on the impact you will have on patients’ lives and never give up.”
And while some freshmen do not know exactly what they’d like to do in the future yet, they still plan to make the most of high school.
Freshman Serenity Dees said, “In 10 years, I would probably be either in or graduating college, hopefully with a job of some sort and living with a friend or on my own. To achieve that, I’ll need to keep my grades up and graduate from high school in the pathway I plan to pursue.”
Some people are uncertain what they want to do with their lives when they’re older, and that’s okay. They still plan to have a fun and sustainable life.
Freshman Tryston Looney said, “I see myself in 10 years in a nice house, and I’m planning to be a police officer because I have always wanted to be one. I plan to achieve this by saving up money and working hard. I want to do this so I can live a happy and decent life in the future.”
Some may have a dream and think it’s too hard, or that they will never make it, but “fight strong and never give up on your dreams,” said Looney.
No matter how challenging their dreams are, most freshmen plan to never give up on their dreams.
All photos by Malachi Conrad.
by Areli Hernandez Romero
The cast and crew of “Once Upon a Mattress” is excited to announce their grand opening night, which is Nov. 1. With the support of directors, cast, and crew members, they anticipate taking over the stage and bringing life to their roles.
Show dates are also performed Nov. 2, Nov. 3, Nov. 7, and Nov. 8.
All photos by Areli Hernandez Romero and Abygail Lawson.
by Ricky Cummins
If you are looking for an extreme haunted experience, the Haunted Hotel in Louisville pulls no punches.
The moment that hotel visitors arrive it is clear that you are in for a roller coaster ride of fright and fear. The actors have no beliefs in personal space or boundaries and they can and WILL touch, grab, throw, and pull you around as you move through the hotel. I got pinned up against a wall, pushed down, and pulled by the hair. This haunted house is not for the faint of heart.
From narrow corridors to open rooms, the Haunted Hotel has everything that you would look for in a haunted house. If it’s not the flashing lights, fog and chainsaws or the makeup, props and atmosphere, there will be something that would at least startle you.
The wait is the worst and best part. The long lines and loud surroundings can be a little much for younger or older people, or just people who are impatient. But my favorite part of the waiting line was Zizzle, an actor who engages and has fun with the people in line. He is well known for his “sparky” performance and his iconic yellow smiley mask.
When it comes to accommodation they could do a little bit better, but overall is still pretty good. If you don’t want to get thrown around or pushed, they will give you a glowstick to show to the actors or to wear so you don’t get the full ride of what’s to come. The actors will still touch you, though.
My overall verdict would be a 4.5/5 star review. The only reason I don’t give it a 5 is because they send in people too quickly. Multiple times my group had to stop and wait for the group in front of us to get ahead so we could go. Other than that, I had a great time. I would highly recommend it.
by Sophia Waldridge
During school every student struggles and worries, but when October comes around everyone gets a little more worried because of yearly PSAT or ASVAB. Teachers have to prepare, and the counselors have to make a list of where students are for testing rooms. This was the case last Wednesday when JHS administered the PSAT and ASVAB.
Sophomore Christine Ruiz said she is nervous about the SATS because she wants to do well so she can get college scholarship opportunities and make a living for herself once she graduates.
“I always want to do well on the yearly SATS because I want to get a good score, teachers always tell us that our scores don’t matter but I know when it comes to college if they see bad SAT scores they won’t want me.”
Ruiz said she always does the practice tests and studies all her notes before the day comes, she even quizzes herself.
English 9 teacher Eric Watson said that to prepare his students he has a list of things he needs to get done.
“To prepare the students, us teachers have a list of different assignments, slide shows, or talks that we can give to students so they at least understand the materials that are going to be on the PSAT.”
He said it stresses everyone out but that it’s a simple system JHS has to do, and the faster students get it done the faster they can get home early. Most underclassmen who tested last Wednesday could sign out early after the completion of all testing.
His advice to any students taking either the PSAT or ASVAB is that it is complicated and “I know this is real cliche advice” but do your best, study, and try not to worry.
Principles of Human Services teacher Kyle Keplinger is one of the teachers that had to sit in a testing room with students and he said that in order to do that there is a course teachers had to complete first.
To prepare students on his end he has to complete the course, share guidelines in class that will help students prepare, and get his log-in papers passed out.
“We have a training that us teachers have to do, all teachers do; as well as some onboarding stuff to make sure all information on the college board is correct so the test can go as smoothly as possible.”
All photos by Malachi Conrad, Magdalene Conrad, Kyra Gibson, and Sophia Goforth.
by Abigail Hall
Broadcasting teacher David Callan waves his hands animatedly as he explains the basics of editing.
“Drag and drop your video onto the timeline.”
While he appears normal or a generic teacher to a passerby, he has quite a history. Very few people know that he was a producer and executive director at WDRB before he came to Jeffersonville.
“I did audio, graphics, technical directing, directing, and eventually became the boss. So I did every job you can do in production,” he recalled.
However, he started out as a courier.
“I started off as the station runner. So back then, they had people who went to different TV stations, radio stations,” Callan said. “I went to the movie houses to get what they called movie trailers.”
He tells his students about his time in the production world very fondly, but everyone around him is grateful he made the switch to high school teaching.
Senior broadcasting student Alyssa Jendrick said that Callan has positively impacted her school experience in many ways.
“I’d describe him as a great guide to help others,” she began. “After understanding what you need, it’s nice to help others and even inspire them if they’re willing to dream big and open their minds.”
Other students often speak highly of Callan, stating how great a teacher and mentor he is. However, it’s not just students; his colleagues also admire him.
Colleague and fellow broadcasting teacher Fred Cowgill said, “He is a great broadcaster, enormously talented, but he’s a better man. He spews integrity, he works hard, he has incredible standards and none higher than for himself.”
Callan and Cowgill work hard together to make the class a fun and educational place for students to be. In the future, they hope to improve the quality of the program in many ways.
“I’m hoping I’ll have some time and I can get into Adobe certification,” Callan stated. “I’m going to put myself through it, so I understand what you need to do as a student.”
Besides editing, broadcasting students work on many other things. They are involved with producing livestreams of sports games that go on here at the high school.
“We’re trying to elevate the production level of the game,” he added. “I don’t expect you guys to be at the level that I had when I was working at DRB early on. These people, these were professionals who knew how to do the jobs. But what we want to do is we want to get in a learning step.”
Regardless of what he decides to teach, students know that they will enjoy it, just as much as they enjoy his mentorship and presence. He continues to help others in their learning and life experiences, always putting them first.
“Our goal, Mr. Cowgill’s and I, and our goal is to make you better people, to get you more informed as a citizen.”
by Jaxon Sturgeon
When Fred Cowgill walked into Jeffersonville High School, his first impression was simple: “A place that was very … what’s the expression? Best kept secret in America.”
Cowgill, who spent nearly five decades in TV and radio, including more than 30 years at WLKY, now leads the WJHI broadcasting program. But for him, the goal has never just been about producing future broadcasters.
“We’d love it to be in broadcasting, but we believe what we’re trying to accomplish and teach goes well beyond that,” Cowgill explained. “Better people. Better people to function in society, better prepared for whatever they decide to do with their lives.”
Cowgill always reminds students that the studio isn’t just about lights, cameras, and editing software. It’s about building real world skills, responsibility, problem-solving, and collaboration that last far beyond high school. “We tell them we’re TV dads, and they’re stuck with us for life now,” he said with a laugh.
To him, what makes WJHI stand out is the family atmosphere they’ve built. “We tell them this is a safe place. If they’ve got a problem, come,” Cowgill said. “We’d like to make this a better program, a better school, a better community, and it takes time.”
Cowgill said he’s always looked at his time at WJHI through a “five-year window.” He knows he won’t be teaching forever, but in that time, his mission is to build something lasting, an operation that runs smoothly long after he’s gone.
“The goal has always been five years, because I’m not a kid,” Cowgill said with a laugh. “But in that time, we can make this a turnkey operation where we hand off to the next people, and they have a framework for what we’re trying to accomplish.”
That plan, he feels, is already beginning to take shape. Year one, he admits, was “flying blind.” But now, in year two, the vision is sharper. With the help of teacher Dave Callan, the program is really finding its rhythm.
“We’re establishing year one, we were flying blind,” Cowgill said. “But year two, we’re laying a foundation. The culture’s better.”
Students say they’ve noticed that shift, too. Robert Tucker, a sophomore in the program, said Cowgill has a way of pushing them without ever making the work feel overwhelming. “He’s tough in the best way.”
Tucker said. “When you know his background in broadcasting, you want to kind of rise to his level. It makes you work harder, but it also makes you care more.”
For him, though, it’s not the big projects that matter most. It’s the little things he sees in the classroom. “I see kids do something cool that I didn’t expect, didn’t see coming. Makes my month,” he said.
Kaden Westbay, another student in the program, said that encouragement sticks with him. “The smallest compliment from him feels like a huge deal,” Westbay said. “Because when he says you did something right or good, you know it’s legit coming from a guy who’s been doing this for what 50 years?”
What ultimately sets the program apart, Cowgill believes, is its connection to the real world.
“My 50th anniversary in broadcasting is Sept. 1. Forty-eight and a half of those, give or take, were in TV and radio. We know what works. We know what’s going on in the business. We know what to teach,” he said.
Cowgill’s mission is clear: build broadcasters, yes, but more importantly, build better people.
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