Celebrating Ambitious Minds
Local teens shaping our future
PHOTOS BY JORDAN RANDALL AND PROVIDED by LOCAL SCHOOLS
A crowded cafeteria and a casual lunch conversation was an unassuming place for big ideas to begin. In the Lakeland Highlands Middle School (LHMS) lunchroom, there were two drink selections: grab a paid water bottle or a pick between chocolate and 2% milk, which are both available as part of the free and reduced-price lunch program.
As incomplete as a cafeteria seems without cartons stamped by a cartoon cow, the classic milk choice isn’t a viable option for students like Kiana Imperial, who live with dairy allergies. Without anything to drink, her tray seemed a little empty as she sat beside her friend Julie Warren.
The then 6th-graders wondered how they could bring change to their lunchroom. They looked at the only milk alternative, and felt that bottled water shouldn’t come at a cost.
Soon, a passing thought evolved into something much greater. It was not long after that moment that they were discussing the same idea—this time in front of their principal Ave’ Wright-Gayner, then-Mayor Bill Mutz and Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) Superintendent Fred Heid.
Kiana and Julie had high hopes for this meeting, but the future that awaited them was even better than they could imagine.
The audience was surprised by how impressive their proposal was, especially coming from young teenagers. It was hard to believe that Kiana and Julie were only a year removed from elementary school. Their outline of the sanitation and nutrition benefits of accessible water made it clear that this idea would be more far-reaching than expected.
At the end of the presentation, Heid gave an alternate offer to plastic water bottles in the LHMS cafeteria. He suggested that the entire school district should have access to readily-available hydration, but instead through refillable water fountain stations.
The two girls saw the first of these fountains installed at LHMS during their eighth-grade year, and couldn’t grasp that it was a result of their initiative. “We did this in middle school,” Kiana exclaimed, “I wondered what the high school adventure would bring for us.”
Today, Kiana and Julie are juniors at George Jenkins High School. Now they enjoy the privilege of drinking fresh filtered water on a regular basis.
These fountains mean more to Kiana and Julie than a way to stay hydrated. It is a constant reminder that with determination, students are capable of achieving what they set their minds to.
“If somebody knows our story, then it could also impact them to make a change,” Julie stated.
The boldness that came from two sixth-grade girls encourages all young people to take the next step forward and pursue their ambition. Yet Kiana and Julie’s accomplishment is just one among many student successes in Polk County.
Achievement isn’t always a major change implemented throughout the school district. It’s sometimes the little wins that speak most to a student, like the ‘A’ grade for a semester that required an all-nighter to pull off, the personal best race time that took months to beat, or a speech that wasn’t as scary as it seemed it would be.
With each story that is told, though, it becomes increasingly obvious that students are capable of defying all odds. As they grow, they can bring themselves to new places that exceed even their own expectations.
A DISNEY DREAMER
When Polk State Collegiate High School student Alana Coombs found a letter addressed from Disney on her desk, she was overwhelmed by an array of emotions. It was a thrilling moment as she realized she had been accepted into the Disney Dreamers Academy. This four-day selective program invites 100 teens from around the nation to visit Orlando, providing career mentorship and an all-expenses-paid admission into the theme park.
As someone who aspires to be an attorney, she gained relevant skills such as leadership and problem-solving. Her learning experience in networking was especially rewarding. During the program, Alana was invited to contact the ESPN Vice President of Original Content and Business Affairs. This eventually presented an opportunity for her to connect with a California judge who could provide future career guidance.
For Alana, who had a lifelong love for Disney, the program was a dream come true. “I also get to be a part of Disney history after Disney’s done so much for my
life,” she beamed.
TEENS ON TRIAL
Countless hours spent in Ms. Branham’s classroom was put to the test in the court. Last year, the Lakeland Christian School mock trial team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to participate in the National Mock Trial Championship. Students from throughout the country and US territories competed, each impressively familiar with a fictitious civil case about a man falling off the roof of a building during a game show.
Throughout the competition, they took the role of either a plaintiff or defendant against another student team. Scored across several categories, only the team with the most points would earn first place. The Vikings knew that winning was not guaranteed. Instead, they promised themselves to have fun. As they eagerly awaited to hear the victor announced at the end of the competition, the students counted their friendship and the time shared together as a blessing.
They couldn’t ask for more. But to their surprise, they were declared as winners, returning the title to Florida for the first time since 1992. “We felt united more than we’d ever felt before,” remarked senior Zac Branham.
SHOWCASING SKILLS ON NATIONAL STAGE
The Sleepy Hill Middle School students watched in dismay as their catapult barely inched forward, refusing to accelerate. Though their invention did not perform as desired, the team still had a chance to thrive. The national SkillsUSA competition, an event that encourages students to grow their workplace expertise through technical challenges, bases its placing not only on the mechanics of the project but also the student presentation.
When the students stood before the judge panel, they admitted their engineering error yet spoke in confidence about the work they put in and the potential of their design. In 2018, Ms. Amy Hamilton began the first Florida SkillsUSA chapter. Since then, it has been her students who have made a name for the team nationally. Sleepy Hill Middle School placed first in the Additive Manufacturing competition for the third year in a row, and made the podium for the team challenge despite their engineering mistake.
“We thought we were behind, and yet we prevailed,” said team member Kylie Jirapolpaisan.
CELEBRATING OUR NATION THROUGH ART
As Harrison School for the Arts sophomore Caryss Silva stitched gold onto painted fabric, she took the place of a visionary American hero and the subject of her artwork: Betsy Ross, the designer of the first U.S. flag. The annual Congressional Art Competition selects one student piece from the FL-18 House of Representatives district to display in the U.S. Capitol for a year.
For 2026, the “Happy 250th Birthday, America” theme was an unmistakable choice. Caryss knew the flag represented the identity of the country better than any other symbol, so she wanted to credit the woman behind it. Her work, “Thread of the Land”, was so innovative that Sen. Scott Franklin chose it for first place.
Just as her painting highlights the flag as communicating American nationhood, Caryss’ passion for art stems from its ability to express individuality. “Art isn’t just a subject in school—it’s everywhere around us,” she said.
IN A DIFFERENT STRATOSPHERE
It is an entirely different world in Earth’s stratosphere. Just beyond the clouds, past the surface of the planet, lies the second layer of the atmosphere. Most times, it is an intangible place unless traveled through during a flight passage. Not long ago, a student team from the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) at Kathleen Senior High School tested the unfamiliarity of the stratosphere.
In June 2025, a NASA-sponsored weather balloon ventured into the atmosphere as part of the TechRise Challenge. A collection of experiments designed by students joined the launch in a separate structure hanging from the balloon, including the CFAA team’s evaluation of atmospheric radiation effects on several 3D printed materials. “I never really thought of it as something I did,” remarked former Kathleen student Camden Wolcott, “More so as something I was part of, something we all did together.”