Behind the Curtain: The Ways the Stage Teaches

Jennifer Pacenza

Just as theater teaches us about ourselves and about the world we live in, local youth theater programs help students (of all ages) learn literacy, creativity, self-determination, critical-thinking skills, and empathy, writes Jennifer Pacenza. In her latest column for Limestone Post, she looks at how theater does much more than just entertain. Click here to read the full story.

December 18, 2018

Expanded HOPE: Juvenile Offenders Write Poetry to Cope with Incarceration

Ann Georgescu

In writer Ann Georgescu’s third article on HOPE, she looks at how one of the young women used poetry to get her through the long days of incarceration. HOPE is an IU mentorship program for youths in juvenile-detention facilities across Indiana with a mission to help break the school-to-prison pipeline for juvenile offenders. Click here to read the full story.

August 9, 2018

Photographer and activist Richard Ross will be in Bloomington for a two-day interdisciplinary arts program, showing his photography series Juveniles in Justice, conducting a workshop, and discussing how artists can create “in a time of rage,” among other events. | Photo courtesy of Richard Ross

Visiting Photographer Engaging Local Groups in Project ‘Juvenile in Justice’

Rachel Glago

Photographer and activist Richard Ross will be in Bloomington for a two-day interdisciplinary arts program, showing his work on juvenile justice and discussing how artists can create “in a time of rage,” among other events. One of his former assistants, Rachel Glago, writes about his work and how a dozen local groups are getting involved. Click here to read the full story.

March 29, 2018

A game with ancient origins, lacrosse is gaining momentum in Bloomington, as many parents consider it an alternative to more dangerous sports for youth. Bloomington has a number of options for youth lacrosse, including Bloomington South (pictured here), Bloomington North, Pride Girls' Lacrosse, and Bloomington Middle School Lacrosse. | Courtesy photo

The Resurgence of an Ancient Game — Lacrosse

Benjamin Beane

A game with ancient origins, lacrosse is gaining momentum in Bloomington, as many parents consider it an alternative to more dangerous sports for youth. But because it is not an IHSAA-sanctioned sport, parents and coaches must field the financial burdens. Writer Benjamin Beane takes a closer look at how some local teams are making it possible. Click here to read the full story.

February 27, 2018

My Dad Voice: Fly Away

Troy Maynard

In My Dad Voice, columnist Troy Maynard recounts college parties, hot rods, and the emotional hardship of raising a child only to hand them the keys and watch them leave. “Being a parent means preparing your kids as best you can,” Maynard writes, “then ultimately trusting them to fly on their own.” Click here for the full story.

February 8, 2018

Ghouls, Zombies, and Butchers at the Barn of Terror [photo gallery]

Adam Reynolds

Hiding in the wooded hills just north of town, off the old state highway, is a barn whose inhabitants have one goal — to scare the daylights out of you. Intrepid photographer Adam Reynolds captured some of the horrific ghouls that visitors will encounter at the Barn of Terror. Click here, if you dare.

October 19, 2017

Rise to Run is a new grassroots movement whose goal is to mobilize young progressive women to run for office. The Bloomington hub of the organization hosted its kickoff event in the Council Chambers of Bloomington's City Hall on September 17. | Limestone Post

Rise to Run Trains Young Women to Enter Politics

Allison Yates

Bloomington is one of four cities in the U.S. to launch Rise to Run, a new grassroots movement that encourages and trains high school- and college-aged women to run for office. Writer Allison Yates talks to local co-coordinators Regina Moore and Rachel Guglielmo about their program. Click here to read the full story.

September 19, 2017

Rahim AlHaj: Lotus Blossoms Visiting Artist [video]

TJ Jaeger, Dason Anderson

Grammy-nominated oud player Rahim AlHaj, an Iraqi political refugee since 1991, was invited by the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation to participate in the Lotus Blossoms outreach program in March. He performed at various Bloomington locations and also at Owen Valley High School in Spencer. Filmmaker TJ Jaeger recorded the trip.

April 27, 2017

(l-r) Theresa Ochoa and Sarah Swank present Lizzy Chandler her completion certificate officially inducting her as a HOPE mentor. | Photo by Ann Georgescu

More HOPE for Youth in School-to-Prison Pipeline

Ann Georgescu

HOPE, a program started by IU professor Theresa Ochoa, is designed to help youths in juvenile-detention facilities across Indiana. Anne Georgescu follows up her first article on HOPE, showing how the only mentorship program of its kind in the country continues to help break the school-to-prison pipeline for juvenile offenders. Click here to read the full story.

February 16, 2017

‘This Is Where’: 25 B-town Students Reflect on ‘Sense of Place’

Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship Students

Rachel Bahr assigned her high school English class at the Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship to take photos of places in Bloomington and write descriptions about their “sense of place.” The project, called “This Is Where,” shows how personal, poignant, and different each person’s sense of place can be. Click here to read the full story and see the students' photos.

October 25, 2016

Helping Offenders Prosper in Employment, or HOPE, mentors (l-r) Haley Clements, Jesse Cooperman, and Sarah Swank, are each paired with an incarcerated youth at the Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility, the only maximum-security facility for girls in Indiana. The program, developed by Indiana University Professor Theresa Ochoa, is designed to help the girls learn skills they’ll need to finish school or find a job after leaving the facility. | Photo by Ann Georgescu

Mentorship Program Tries to Break School-to-Prison Pipeline for Juvenile Girls

Ann Georgescu

IU Professor Theresa Ochoa developed HOPE, a mentorship program at the Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility, Indiana’s only maximum-security detention center for girls. Each juvenile is paired with a college student to learn skills she’ll need to finish school or find a job after she leaves the facility. Click here to read the full story.