LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — People often wonder what sort of steps it takes to get a job in the newsroom. Students at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School have a unique classroom opportunity to help answer these questions.
Cinematography media arts teacher Wendy Turner teaches students in multiple mediums of media. This includes the PLD Lamplighter, the school online newspaper; the Torch, a school podcast; and WPLD, the daily broadcast.
“She taught me how to interview,” said senior Amelia Polashek. “Obviously this is a digital arts and media class where we do student journalism. She pushes us all so hard to be our best, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Senior Alexander Staykov added, “she gives us a lot of freedom in how we run it, and obviously we can always come to her for help and she’s great for guidance, but she does also give us a great degree of freedom which I think makes the show really special.”
At the end of January, Turner was named the 2025 Kentucky Journalism Adviser of the year.
“Ms. Turner, she’s like my school mom” Polashek said. “When she got the award, I cried. I was so proud of her, and she deserves it so much.”
“The awards are nice,” Turner said. “It is nice to be recognized in anything that you do. But the best thing for me is having kids get excited about creating something. Getting excited about being able to compete at state and national levels.”
Turner has taught at Dunbar for 23 years, helping students find their voice – and a career – through media.
“It’s cool when kids are empowered to tell stories abut things they care about,” said Turner. “That’s always been my guiding force, student voice. Them being able to report on what’s happening with them as teenagers. That’s a perspective I think we don’t pay enough attention to. They have stories to tell as well.”
Turner’s Dunbar students are getting ready for an event coming up with the Student Television Network starting at the end of this month in Tampa, Florida. The students will go up in a competition against kids across the nation from Feb. 28 through March 4.
