In August 2022, the Kentucky Student Voice Team brought 17 middle and high school students together for two days of building journalism skills and thinking about education justice. The Journalism Fellows, a group of students from across Kentucky, will spend the year honing journalism basics as they write commentaries and reported pieces on issues and solutions they see in their schools, communities and in Kentucky’s education system. Leading up to the launch, the Fellows sounded off on their hopes for The New Edu. Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. This is the first in a series we're titling Sound Off.
Not only do I hope that I'll be able to better educate myself on issues I don't know much about, I will be able to teach others about issues they may have never thought about. I'm so excited to share my perspective as an autistic teen in a world that knows little to nothing about autism and other neurodivergencies. If I am able to change even one person's perspective, my goal will be achieved. And if I am able to learn more about others and things that need to change in our school system, I'll be over the moon!
Willow, 9th grade, Tate’s Creek High School
I hope that going through the different articles and segments on the website, and even for the podcast, it provides insight for adults and even for other students that let them feel a part of something and even find new ideals that they then can become passionate about. I want [The New Edu] to be a community, like the community we have built working up to this point.
Embree, 8th grade, Leestown Middle School
I hope that we can discuss more positive things going on in schools, and I hope that if we do address problems, that we also find/address ways to change school environments in a positive way for students, so that they can have better learning experiences.
Austin, 9th grade, J Graham Brown School
