Dear Indy,
How can an after-school club teach young people about self-reliance? Problem-solving? Even the Civil Rights Movement?
Sometimes, it starts with cookies.
Today we’re bringing you a story from Mirror Indy education reporter Carley Lanich.
Here’s how it begins:
Ishaluv Dotson wants to be a chef when she grows up. Or a pediatrician. Or maybe a firefighter or a police officer or a math teacher.
The Circle City Prep fifth grader is still figuring that part out, but she knows she likes cooking. She’s seen it up close in the restaurant where her father works and she’s tried her own recipes at home.
So, when Dotson found out about the culinary club at her northeastside school, she just knew she had to join.
“When me and my mom first heard about culinary (club), we were both like, ‘This is perfect,’” Dotson said, “Because I always ask, ‘Can we cook this? Can we cook that?’”
Read more here. (And don’t forget to save the cookie recipe.)
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In other news
- This week Senate Bill 202, which would regulate professor tenure, moved through the House. The controversial bill was designed to address the conservative perception that Indiana’s colleges are too liberal. Learn more here.
- Young people in Indiana are struggling with mental health. But some, like 28-year-old Ana Gomez, are doing everything they can to make sure we know: “It is OK to say ‘I’m not OK.’ It is OK to express your emotions. It is OK to be vulnerable — that’s the hardest.”
- Indy Documenters last week attended two school board meetings. In Warren Township, board members gave themselves a raise. In Pike Township, speakers raised concerns about the district’s English Language Learners program, which they described as a program that’s struggling.
What’s going on around the city
- Friday, March 1: The exhibit “Reimagining Community Through Art, ” at 1000 Words gallery, 3328 E. 10th St., will feature works by more than 40 Purdue Polytechnic High School students. It explores what their communities will look like — from busy streets to parks and city planning. From 6-9 p.m. Free.
- Friday, March 1: Opera singer Angela Brown, musician Joshua Thompson and historian Sampson Levingston will talk about jazz and the Indy Opera’s March 16 production of “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.” Come early to hear Thompson and Premium Blend set the stage: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Indianapolis Artsgarden, 110 W. Washington St. Free.
- Saturday, March. 2: Learn how to grow a successful herb garden just in time for spring. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are just some of the herbs that members of the Herb Society will share, along with some tricks of their trade: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Garfield Park Conservatory, 2517 Garfield Plaza Drive. $6.
— Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
Looking for other things to do? Check out Mirror Indy’s events calendar.
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What else we’re reading today
- Indiana Capital Chronicle: Indiana’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth has now taken effect. The ban was reinstated Tuesday by a federal appeals court.
- IndyStar: Who is responsible for the fate of the Blue Line and the accompanying $150 million in federal funding? For columnist James Briggs, he says it’s House Speaker Todd Huston. Briggs wrote: “Huston didn’t have a vote Tuesday, but, for all practical purposes, he had all the votes. The committee’s nine Republicans approved SB 52 with all the enthusiasm of hostages placating an off-screen captor. Their mouths said ‘yes,’ but their body language and tones said, ‘blech.’”
Arts and Culture
Close your eyes. What do you hear? Perhaps the swoosh of your hand against the fabric of your shirt or birds chirping outside, waking up as you read this newsletter.
Musician Clockwork Janz says that the days leading up to spring are a special time for aural experiences, and so they visited nine places to record what they heard.
From the ambience of a grocery store, to the point where the traffic of I-70 converges with the traffic of I-65, what you’ll hear in this story is a special kind of music — the music of our city. And it’s ever changing, just like the weather.
— Jennifer Delgadillo, arts and culture editor
Want to explore more of our city’s vibrancy? Find more arts and culture coverage here.
Reflections
Great news, everyone. The Avett Brothers, my all-time favorite band, announced a new album will be dropping this May.
Wanna get hyped with me? Their first single, “Love of a Girl,” is out now.
Ryan
P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at ryan.martin@mirrorindy.org. It helps us serve you better.
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