When you first meet Bella S., you see the poise of a leader.  As vice president of the Wellness Club at Thomas Jefferson High School, she speaks with confidence and purpose. But not long ago, she was sitting silently in the back of the classroom. “I was really shy. I didn’t talk,” Bella said. “I was hiding in the back of the class because of everything I was going through.” That changed the moment Bella stepped into the Advancement Via Individual Determination classroom at Thomas Jefferson.  Moving between three different schools and balancing her home life could have easily sidelined…

Cesareo Martinez knew he wanted more than wins when he took the athletic coordinator role at Thomas C. Marsh Preparatory Academy. He wanted a family.  In his first year as Marsh’s athletic coordinator and soccer coach, that vision translated into back-to-back championships for the girls’ soccer team, while building a culture that draws in students and their parents. “They’re a sisterhood,” Martinez said. “It really takes a village, and I want my athletes to know they are family.” Martinez builds connections with his players through small traditions, from wearing a friendship bracelet made by his athletes—each contributing two charms—to organizing…

This school year marks a first in the history of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation: the launch of its powerlifting team. And helping write that first chapter are three freshmen girls. In a sport often seen as male-dominated, Taryn S., Justice M., and Alexis C. are helping define what this new program looks like from the very beginning. “I love it,” Taryn said. “Powerlifting was why I wanted to come to Roosevelt. I know I’m strong.” For Alexis, joining the team was about trying something new. A volleyball player, she uses powerlifting to cross-train and build strength that…

When you step into Lincoln High School and Humanities/Communications Magnet’s news studio, it doesn’t look like a typical classroom, but a professional broadcast station.  Cameras are set. The studio is illuminated by bright lights and the signature Lincoln logo. For Derrick Knighten, audio/video production and theatre arts director, the newly renovated space is a full circle moment. A proud 1998 Lincoln graduate, Knighten once sat in the same program when it was known as Radio/TV. Now called Digital Media Arts, the program has transformed alongside the industry itself. “At one time we were cutting everything on quarter-inch tape, and then…