On Friday, 11/21/25, Brown School students gathered to celebrate the diverse population of our school. Students from all grade levels participated in the Parade of Nations, representing countries all over the world. Each representative was called by name, courtesy of announcer Mr. Jake Amettis, and waved their flag to raucous applause. Once all the participants were seated, teachers were presented with their awards. Ms. Sherri presented  The Global Classroom award to Ms. Cheri Graf, Mr. Andrew Boles, Ms. Stacy von Roenn, and  the Cultural Ambassador Award to Ms. Tara Davis. Several students were presented with awards as well, including high school students, a kindergarten student, and several middle school students.

Once all awards were given, classes were sent back so presenters could prepare for the Multicultural Fair. Moonbeams and Fireflies were allowed to explore first, immersing the Kindergarten classes in cultures around the world. These are accounts from the authors, who presented at the Fair:

Alix: I represented Ukraine at the Fair, which was a wonderful experience. Dr. Mary set up the whole event with student help, including Asha (11th grade), Millie (9th), and Petra (9th). I was able to wear something from my own culture, and connect with other students and staff by telling them about my family–something I don’t often get to do. I was grateful for food and water from Dr. Mary, because it was definitely an intensive speaking experience! Students really seemed interested in the information, and I felt really proud of my culture the whole day.

Mena: I represented Iraq, which was really cool! I loved introducing my culture to the elementary and kindergarten students. I also had an activity at my booth, coloring in stencils! It was so much fun helping the little kids and talking about my country of origin. For the Fair, I had to create a presentation, which gave me the opportunity to learn more about my country than I ever had before! I’m really thankful for the food and water generously provided by Dr. Mary and the PTA, since being at the Fair meant we missed lunch. I’m also thankful for the break we got, because while talking to the kids was fun it also got a little overwhelming at times. 

Countries represented:

• El Salvador

• Guyana and Barbados

• Philippines

• Bolivia

• Cherokee Nation

• South Korea

• India

• Cuba

• Mexico and El Salvador

• Turkey

• Russia

• China

• Colombia

• Pakistan

• Eritrea

• Ethiopia

• Japan

• Thailand

• Belgium and Hungary

• Puerto Rico

• Iran

• Iraq

• Egypt

• The Netherlands

• Ireland

• Morocco

• Nigeria

• Myanmar

• Kenya

• Namibia

• Venezuela

• Guatemala

• Vietnam

• Liberia

• Peru

• Fiji and Somalia

Clubs represented:

• ASL

• BSU

• ASA

• HSA

There are around two hundred and eighty high school students at the J. Graham Brown school, making up the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior grades. All of these students spend most of their day, five days a week, on the third floor of the Brown School building on South First street. They move from class to class, talking about whether it’s a Blue or Gold day and if they’ve started studying for their next test yet, noise filling the halls they walk through. The two floors below them are full of middle and elementary students, following different routines and talking to different teachers, but bearing the same title of “Brown School Student”. 

J. Graham Brown is the only traditional public school in the JCPS system that teaches grades K-12 and their title as a Magnet School also contributes to the distinctive feel of the school. High school students at Brown have an experience that is completely unique—there is truly nowhere else they could find a high school that would be the exact same as Brown.

“I like the community that Brown has to offer—I mean, one of the reasons I came here is because it’s such a small school…it’s not something that you can really get at another school, and I find that really intriguing,” says sophomore Kennedi West when asked about what she likes about the Brown School. Brown isn’t just different on paper—the students are experiencing how different it is every day. West is just one of the eight students I interviewed to get a look into the Brown high school experience—the other students spanning all four high school grades and with varied backgrounds when it comes to how long they’ve been at Brown. Cameron Sharpe, a senior who has been at Brown since sixth grade said, “You definitely find those people that you’re good with and you can be yourself with, and since everyone’s been together for so long it kind of just makes it easier.”

Junior Nathan Morton has been at Brown even longer than Sharpe, and he agrees that there’s something special about the Brown community. “I think that it’s a unique experience compared to other schools,” he said when asked about it. “I’ve been here since Kindergarten so I don’t really know exactly what it’s like at other schools, but I think that since we’re smaller I can interact a lot more with my teachers and have a lot more personal connections in school than I would at other schools.” Freshman Dolly Harland seemed to agree when asked about her experience at Brown and of high school so far, saying, “I’ve been here since 2nd grade and I’ve always felt pretty much at home. I like that I know everybody and what a unique experience that is. I feel like a ninth grader—I feel like a part of a group.”

Junior Lucy O’Brien also had some things to say about the uniqueness of Brown, saying, “I feel like when people talk about the traditional high school experience it’s all about football games and big schools and big classes and a lot of social events like Prom and Homecoming. But at Brown, since we’re a K-12 school, we really have a different day-to-day life than other high schoolers. I wouldn’t say we have the traditional glamorized high school experience, but I also wouldn’t say our experience is bad. I feel like high school should be about just making memories with your friends and the people around you and things like that.” Brown’s lack of a football team and its smaller size are often some of the first things brought up about it, and this fact was clear across all my interviews. As senior Evangeline Condra put it, “We don’t get football games, we don’t get Friday Night Lights, our homecoming is in February, and we’re a lot smaller.” She even went on to admit that sometimes she wishes Brown was more like a regular high school. There are downsides to being different that can’t be ignored. However, Condra didn’t seem to be too frustrated by those downsides, concluding that, “I guess the high school experience just means having fun, not wasting it…it’s always better with friends.” She seems to agree with O’Brien that the community students find at Brown is more important than any football team.

Another important aspect of the Brown community that was brought up in practically every interview is the teachers. When asked about her favorite part of school, Condra said, “I feel like I have a good connection with all my teachers.” Condra went on to explain her interest in history and the way the teachers at Brown have helped her learn more about it. “Shoutout to the Murph Dawg, shoutout Jake Amettis, and you know what, shout out Mr. Boles from 8th grade.” Fellow senior Sharpe brought up teacher Norah Wakefield and the way she supports her students, saying, “She has a fun little segment called Waking up with Wakefield every morning where we kind of just get to say good morning to everybody and hear what everyone’s looking forward to in the week.” Every teacher at Brown brings a different approach and perspective to the classroom, but the personal relationships formed between them and their students seem to be the same across the board.

There are, of course, downsides that come with any high school as well, and Brown is no different. Even just finding the energy to get up and head to school every morning can be difficult. West touched on this when asked about the hard parts of coming to school, explaining that, “I’m here for seven hours, and as someone who does a lot of extracurriculars, I’ll stay here until around 9:30 at night, and that’s very draining, especially because there’s still stuff I have to do at home.” High school isn’t just sports games and dances—there is plenty of work involved, in every class, every day. When questioned further about the amount of work she has, West talked about just how much she has to keep up with as a high schooler. “I mean, there’s just a lot, school wise, social wise, and honestly everything wise. Because, at the start of the school year, there’s just so much stuff—I mean, on the second day of school, we got a field trip form—like there are events happening left right and center and games that you have to go to and assignments and tests. It’s just a lot.” West’s fellow sophomore Kyle Tunstull said she has felt a change in her workload since entering high school, going on to say, “I definitely feel like it got harder. I think I still have the same amount of pressure, there’s just more work and things I have to do to go along with it.”

Quite a few of the other students I interviewed also mentioned this, talking about the pressure they put on themselves, in addition to the pressure school already brings. Brown has high standards, but the students’ standards for themselves are often higher. This is not always the case, though—Morton brought up the standardized tests high school students have to take and the way those affect them. “I think that a lot of [the standardized tests] are really put on the students,” he tried to explain, going on to say, “I know they specifically say they aren’t doing this, but I think that a lot of the time we just kind of become a test number to them as opposed to them focusing on actually interacting with us and helping us learn more stuff.” Tests like the ACT, PSAT, and SAT are taken by students starting even their freshman year, and the stress and pressure those tests bring is clear.

For all the stress it causes, though, how important is high school really? Whether they were a freshman just starting to make plans for their time in high school or a senior trying to make the most of the time they have left, all of the students I interviewed had thoughts on the importance of high school. It’s hard not to, with how much it is talked about in all forms of media. “I watched far too many movies growing up—I mean, still do—and watching those movies honestly kind of gives you an unrealistic idea of what it’s like to be in high school,” West said. What with the unrealisticness of those types of movies in general, combined with the unique experience at Brown, they truly did not provide an accurate depiction of the kind of high school West would experience. West went on to say, “Before going to high school I thought it was going to be so difficult, and that there would be so much drama and like parties or whatever. And it is kind of that, but in a completely different way. Now, I think the high school experience is kind of an entire transition from being a kid to trying to become an adult.”

Transitional certainly seems to be one of the most apt words to describe high school. Both of the seniors I interviewed brought up this aspect of high school, which is understandable, considering they are preparing to enter a very important transitional phase. “I guess it’s just kind of about figuring out who you are?” Sharpe said after being asked about what high school has meant to him. “I think it’s about really discovering who you want to be and what you’re interested in and what path you want to pursue.” Condra agreed with this sentiment, going on to say, “I mean, I was a different person in elementary and middle school, you know. I think high school is when you mature. I wouldn’t say you peak in high school—I mean, some people do—but I think for everyone else it’s really just maturing.”

There are plenty of other factors when it comes to the importance of high school, though. Morton touched on how he thinks high school is going to shape his life once he’s graduated, saying, “I think that it has made me discover a lot more subjects I’m interested in. I feel like if you asked me in middle school what I like would’ve had no clue what to say. I think that high school has definitely helped me hone in on what I like.” O’Brien also brought up what she considers high school’s later effects to be, explaining that, “For me it’s all very important because it’s gonna guide me to where I want to eventually go in life, hopefully. I feel like all the decisions I make in high school now can potentially help me in the future, whether it be what classes I’m taking, or what colleges I’m applying to, so I do think it’s very important.”

Sharpe focused more on the impact he thinks the social aspect of high school will have on his life, saying the community he has found over his time in high school is what stands out to him the most. “I feel like that’s most important cause in two years I’m not gonna remember who wrote the constitution or you know things like that, but I’ll have these people that I can fall back on when I need them the most,” he explained. Mia Regojo Vazquez is coming from a completely different place than Sharpe, as she is just starting her high school experience as a freshman and he is finishing up his, but she is definitely excited to find the community Sharpe talks about. “High school has always been something I’ve been looking forward to, and I really like the freedom we get, especially at Brown,” she explained. “I feel like the teachers and administration really trust us so that’s definitely something I’m really excited for.”

Whether they’ve been looking forward to high school for years now, or they’re starting the final lap of their high school experience, all eight of the students I interviewed are a part of the Brown High School community. At the end of the day, despite all of our differences, we're all in this together.

The Festival of Faiths in Louisville is an annual celebration hosted by the Center for Interfaith Relations, which promotes understanding across different religions and spiritual traditions across the world., and invites those to be more inclusive. This year's theme, “Sacred Belonging” explores finding your place in the world. The 4-day event includes musicians, poets, artists, and panelists- all aimed at introducing international ideas of religion and faith.

Arriving at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, I made my way into the theatre, and toward the left side of the audience, where the stage-crew just finished setting up the couch that the speakers would sit on. The seminar we attended was “The Beauty of Radical Inclusion”. M. Shadee Malaklou (Founder and Inaugural Director of the bell hooks centre at Berea College and panelist at the event), quoted bell hooks, “radical inclusion is “All of who I am, spiritual seeker, writer, critic, etc. was a seed planted in the soil of Kentucky” .

As the lights dimmed, two speakers walked out and stood at the podium. They introduced the meaning of radical inclusion, and put the audience's attention toward an offering bowl on the right side of the podium. They called for a moment of silence, and as they struck the bowl the audience was silenced. As I scoured the crowd, I saw a mix of people from all different areas and cultures, really a “melting pot” of humans. The gong of the bowl simmered down and the room was still silent, some people sat with their eyes closed, and others surveyed the audience like myself. A few coughs or sneezes were heard, followed by snickering from people in the crowd. After a few minutes of silence, the bowl was struck again and the speakers continued. 

The moderator of the event, Janan Sarwar, doctor and local public speaker, took the floor. She introduced the three main speakers of the event, and sat down on the couch next to the podium. 

The first of the three main speakers was Simran Jeet Singh. Singh is assistant professor of Interreligious Histories at Union Theological Seminary and author of the national bestseller, “The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life”. In his speech, Singh told about his experience as a high-schooler in San Antonio during 9/11. He recalled seeing the report of the suspected terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, and as stated by him in an interview with Harvard Divinity School, “It was a man who was wearing a turban, who had a beard, who had brown skin just like me. I knew in that moment that life would not be the same, and it wasn’t” (Kelly). Despite the racism he faced, Singh focused on Sikh teachings, which taught to find the good in every person and situation. 

The next speaker to talk was Matt Webber, Harvard graduate and author of the Christopher Award-winning book “Operating on Faith”, as well as “Fearing the Stigmata”. Webber started his speech by talking about his issues fitting in among the community at University of Virginia. When he started working, the only person he knew was President James Edward Ryan, and since he never attended school at UVA, he felt disconnected from the campus, and felt awkward (even sharing photos of him looking like a deer in headlights on campus). Webber said during COVID, he felt more out of place and disconnected than ever, so he started an initiative, and began working as the campus mascot for UVA, the Cavman. As said in an interview with UVA, “This experience as a very old and very tall Cavman performer in 2020-21 made me realize the power of symbols in service of the public good” (Hoxworth). Webber used the symbol of the mascot as a way to connect people during a time of helplessness. By visiting hospitals and nursing homes, participating in kid parades, and community picnics, Webber was able to unite people through the symbol of the Cavman, and ultimately helped himself realize the importance of community through kindness and empathy to others. 

The third and final speaker of the event was the founder and inaugural director of the bell hooks center at Berea College, M. Shadee Malaklou. Malaklou focused her speech on honoring the late Gloria Jean Watkins, who went under the pen name bell hooks. Hooks was an American Author, educator, and social critic, best known for her work regarding race, feminism, and class. According to Malaklou, who was a lifelong student of hooks, “[bell] was a great many things, but the way in which many remember her is as someone who could translate the feminist theory of the academy into the public interventions we needed in the moment.” Malaklou honors her legacy by propagating her teachings, as well as founding the bell hooks Center at Berea College in Kentucky, which now serves to inform and teach about the historically underrepresented people in history. Her reflection of hook’s legacy transitioned into her personal story about coming to Kentucky, where she felt a wave of connection to the state. In the interview with LPM,  “People in Appalachia understand the lie of a progress narrative that has only ever served to divide us… I can walk into the bagel shop [here in Appalachia] just like I'm being interviewed for CNN or in my muumuu or in my pajamas or in my hospital gown, and I am treated with the same dignity and respect” (Ayisha).

Leaving the auditorium, we followed a guide up to the fifth floor of the building, which has a balcony that overlooked the lobby, now more filled up since I entered. The guide led us into the top balcony of the biggest auditorium in the building, which gave an overlook onto a stage that was currently being cleaned. They sat us down with every other high school that had attended the field trip. Some students took this time to eat, and after they were done the guide, as well as the one of the Directors of the program began to talk. The directors asked questions about the panel, and asked students their thoughts and opinions.  A few students spoke up, talking about their positive experience with the panel, and how Signh’s story related to them, and how they felt targeted in their own life. For the majority of the discussion, positive comments were made regarding the event, and even afterward, leaving the Center for the Arts, I overheard a crowd of people discussing the importance of their messages, and how it affected them, in a positive way. I, myself, walked away with the difference in understanding inclusion, and how it can mean different things to different people. Some people may consider it to be showing empathy to others, while others feel it represents those not usually represented. In either view, radical inclusion is, in my opinion, a necessity to a successful and welcoming society.

Works Cited:

Hoxworth, Laura. “Class of 2025: Matt Weber.” Virginia.edu, 17 Apr. 2025, education.virginia.edu/news-stories/class-2025-matt-weber. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.

Jaffer, Ayisha. “Founder of Berea’s Bell Hooks Center M. Shadee Malaklou on Love, Justice, and Radical Inclusion.” Louisville Public Media, LPM - Louisville Public Media, 13 Nov. 2025, www.lpm.org/news/2025-11-13/founder-of-bereas-bell-hooks-center-m-shadee-

malaklou-on-love-justice-and-radical-inclusion. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.

Kelley, Sarah. “Fest Feature: Simran Jeet Sing Embraces Love in the Face of Hate - Center for Interfaith Relations.” Center for Interfaith Relations, 17 Oct. 2025, www.centerforinterfaithrelations.org/2025/10/17/fest-feature-simran-jeet-sing-embraces-love-in-the-face-of-hate/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.

A new law in schools in states like Kentucky, Texas, Florida, Utah, and more are experiencing “bell to bell” phone bans inside schools meaning students cannot have access to their cell phones until the school day is finished. This law was passed to provide students with better academic progress, communication skills, critical thinking, time management, creativity and curiosity, and many other skills needed for a successful year in school. But are there any downsides to the phone ban inside schools?

While many students would agree that there aren't many positives on the phone ban, there are a few. “At Ballard High School in Louisville, where just 31 percent of roughly 2,000 students meet state reading proficiency standards, 891 books were checked out in August, compared to 533 last year — an increase of 67 percent” (Miller). Ballard is not the only school that has seen a rise in student independent reading. “Students are also doing less scrolling and more page-turning at Pleasure Ridge Park High School, where voracious readers have already borrowed more than 1,200 books during the first 17 days of the school year” (Miller). In many schools in Kentucky the phone ban has made students more eager to read books, pay attention in class, and on school work. 

While students are reading more s because of the phone ban, there are also negatives. With the phone ban for JCPS, it also comes with the ban of many personal items such as smartwatches , wireless headphones, and personal computers. Many students are wondering about how they are going to capture moments and memories in school. As students, we want to capture what school was like, and nothing compares to the personalized photos we can take with our phones.. “"We always have our phones," said 17-year-old Sabrina Cruz. "Now it's like, we can't even have our phones, so like, can we even remember this moment, like, ten years from now?  Sometimes I wish I had my phone" (Dokoupil). Parents and guardians are also showing concerns about how to reach their kids in an emergency. Many schools are saying they will have it under control, but that is not easing many people's nerves. “My grandson had his in an active school shooting event. Being able to read his text was critical. They should have their phones. The relief we felt being able to communicate with him was incredibly important. We would have gone insane. Police were everywhere, information was so limited” (Eng). This communication is a factor that many guardians take into account. In the world today, anything can happen, and kids not having their phones are becoming a concern for many people if something were to happen during school hours. 

We conducted a survey asking students about their opinions on the phone ban. Here's our questions and the data we gathered.  (Please take our survey.) 

Students

• Do you feel less distracted in class?

• Is there an improvement in your grades?

• Do you feel more or less safe at school following the ban?

• How has the ban affected your stress levels and mental health?

• What is your general opinion on the phone ban? (Do you think phones should be banned in schools or not?  Why?)

• Do you think your classes as a whole are more engaged since the phone ban?

• How are your relationships with teachers since the ban?

• How are your relationships with friends and peers since the ban?

• What, if anything, has the phone ban hindered in your ability to be successful in school?

Teachers

• How has the ban changed your teaching methods?

• How was the teacher perspective incorporated into the development of the policy?

• What are the benefits and drawbacks of not being able to use phones for quick research, educational apps, or other in-class activities?

• How consistently is the school's cell phone policy enforced across all the classrooms and grade levels?

• How does the school support teachers when they enforce the policy, especially when students and parents complain?

• Following the ban are there any changes in the level of student engagement and participation during class?

• What is your opinion on the ban? (Do you think phones should be banned or not? Why?)

Based on the responses from our forms, teachers were in favor of the phone ban saying that it has a better influence on students and their lessons. They say students are more focused and "hands on” with activities. “It's made classroom management easier. The only way it's impacted my lessons is that I will not allow students to use their phones to communicate with their groups, set dates on their calendars, or conduct research” (Anonymous). Teachers have had a positive outcome from the ban on phones, but what do students have to say? Students say that they haven't felt a major change in classrooms and feel like they feel more distracted or the same prior to the phone ban, and that there isn't a major change in their grades. The phone ban has affected the mental health of students “Very much it’s [affected] the way I learn because I normally have my MacBook Air to use for school and it’s harder to use a Chromebook because I have adhd, and it’s annoying how the school bans websites that are useful and then websites that are even worse they don’t ban. It’s just so confusing. I also check the time with my Apple Watch and phone and my mom and parents like to check up on me and it’s just a whole thing that really stresses me out” (Anonymous). Students also say that they feel less safe in school based on the ban of phones or personal devices because of not being able to directly contact people in an emergency or in general. 

The phone ban through schools across the country was aimed to get students to focus and prevent bullying. Many people disagree with the ban while many are in favor of it. For academic strategies, communication skills, and many others, students can benefit from the phone ban while there are downsides to the ban. Students are able to use and learn self discipline when it comes to their behavior and academic success.