The News Archive

From rural Kentucky to Wellesley College, Amanda Wahlstedt’s journey is proof that resilience and voice can shatter expectations. In this deeply personal reflection, she reclaims her story and urges others to speak up—even when it’s scary—to break cycles of silence and redefine what success looks like

One teacher’s belief—and a single piece of candy—sparked a transformation in a struggling child’s life. In this powerful story, Grace Raber shares how education, encouragement, and a stable environment helped her rise from poverty and neglect to become a top student and fierce advocate for Kentucky’s youth.

Every summer, millions of children quietly slip behind—not because they’re lazy, but because opportunity isn’t equally shared. “Summer slide” hits hardest for low-income students, widening achievement gaps that last a lifetime. This article shines a light on how those days away from school can determine a child’s future.

In a warehouse of wonders off Versailles Road, Newton’s Attic empowers Kentucky kids to turn imagination into innovation—whether it’s launching drones, building jet-powered bikes, or wiring pinball machines from scratch. With affordable summer camps and endless tools at their fingertips, students discover that success isn’t about grades—it’s about daring to build what others only dream.

Annie Stauffer recounts her unforgettable journey with the U.S. Youth Futsal National Team in Costa Rica, where stepping onto the court abroad became a powerful lesson in culture, confidence, and connection.

Dhiren Walkley, a senior at Fern Creek High, shares his journey from a refugee camp to Kentucky classrooms—opening up about language barriers, finding belonging, and the unwavering drive for a better future through education.

Logan Ziegler takes us inside the high-stakes world of college admissions, exposing how a single standardized test score can derail dreams, deepen inequality, and overshadow real student potential. His call? Rethink the score-first mentality—and let the full picture speak louder than a number.

Eighth grader Sadie Bograd highlights the deep funding disparities in Kentucky’s schools and urges reform to ensure every student—regardless of zip code—receives a fair and adequate education.

A former student reflects on how AP Literature teacher Mrs. Ayres transformed their view of reading, sparked confidence, and became a lifelong source of support through both academic and personal challenges.

Aly honors her AP Literature teacher, Mrs. Kirwan, whose wisdom, warmth, and whimsical approach—like assigning students tree identities—left a lasting imprint not only on her academics, but on how she experiences life itself.

Centre College’s Grissom Scholars reflect on life as first-generation students and honor the teachers who believed in them, challenged them, and helped shape their journeys toward success.

In a heartfelt tribute for Teacher Appreciation Week, writer Rainesford Stauffer reflects on how a teacher—despite deep ideological differences—inspired her to discover her voice, pursue literature, and embrace curiosity with conviction.

Mary Supeños, a Rwandan refugee and Fern Creek High senior, shares her journey through multiple countries and the challenges of being an immigrant student in the U.S.

Over the course of the past few months, the Student Voice Team has spoken with refugee and immigrant students to not only gain a better understanding of their personal experiences but also hear their take on our new administration and the worldwide refugee crisis.

I felt unwanted by my teachers, despite their efforts to remain unbiased.

Kentucky has been called out by the federal government for our widening racial gaps in student performance.

I don’t know what it’s like to be comfortable. I have never felt comfortable, never felt like I belonged. Never felt like I had a home. And that’s a really hard feeling to have. To acknowledge.

My school has begun the process of implementing standards-based grading, a strategy that seems to undermine the humane approach to my learning my teacher embodied that has worked so well for me.

The idea was that students can go back and fully relearn and reassess the material, even if they fail a test or get a high B.

Call your school boards, create a stir, let them know that students should not and cannot be hit simply for being late to class or speaking out.