Gallery • 22 Photos

The past two weeks included an Arctic blast that kept students out of class for three days. No problem as Snow Day Assignments kicked in for two of the days.

Despite the city looking too much like wintry Boston, Shamrock accomplishments continued:

* Freshman Kyle Sears scored a first in the region for the archery team.

* Dante House, led by Mr. Craig Kannapel, took the House Trivia Contest title on Feb. 12.

* Trinity donated shoes to the WaterStep organization Feb. 12.

* Junior Elijah Donohue finished eighth in the state in the bowling singles championship tournament. The team placed fifth in the state.

* The powerlifting Rocks defeated St. Xavier in the JV meet and tied St. X in the varsity meet on Feb. 13.

* In the words of Trinity teacher Mr. Scott Holzknecht, who took students to Frankfort: “Over a dozen young men recently braved the cold in a pilgrimage to Frankfort (Feb. 12) for I Love Mountains Day in an effort to take care of our beautiful state by ending the mining practice of mountain top removal.  The students traveled with other students from the Louisville area, discussed the state of politics and the environment with state Rep. Jim Wayne, and participated in a march to the capitol.”

Rocks Add to Voices Protesting Mountaintop Removal

by Editor in Chief Tommy McConville

“ ‘What do we want?’ ‘Clean water!’ ‘When do we want it?’ ‘Now!”

This chant, as well as many others, rang throughout Frankfort on the annual “I Love Mountains Day.” In 19-degree weather, students, teachers, volunteers, and citizens from all over the state gathered Feb. 12 at the capitol to protest mountaintop removal.

Mountaintop removal (MTR) is the process in which miners extract coal seams from the top of mountains. Started in the 1970s, MTR has been widely adopted as the new form of mining because fewer workers are needed, is less dangerous than underground mines, and is less expensive to execute.

While these are significant advantages to the coal-mining industry, the practice is highly controversial because of the devastation it brings to local communities. Every year Trinity takes a number of students to participate in the “I Love Mountains” protest.

Trinity teacher Mr. Scott Holzknecht said, “Even in marching, it’s physically clear that young people are so often the ones with the imagination, energy and passion to change things.”

Many high school students gathered to fight MTR despite not being directly influenced by it.

St. Xavier junior Caleb Grimes said, “’I Love Mountains’ was actually more about the conservation of people and how MTR affects their lives and well being.”

The largest problem for families living near the mining is the destruction of the ecosystem around them. After removing the top part of the mountain, miners throw the rubble in nearby streams, which causes blockage.

The protest was centered on one bill that will force workers to place the rubble elsewhere, essentially eliminating MTR.

When asked how to eliminate the problem of MTR, Holzknecht said, “I think it can only happen when the federal government steps in to do what our state legislators should be doing to protect our beautiful state.”

Many high school students who participated in the protest were from far away counties and never experienced the effects of MTR.

Grimes said, “I never understood the communities in small counties, and this gave me a whole new perspective.”

Holzknecht added,”People live in unacceptable conditions with brutal health conditions from their work in the mines, and although their work has garnered these companies billions of dollars, the communities doing all the work sure don’t reflect it.”

Trinity junior Noah Means-Simonsen said, “I was able to learn how interconnected everyone can be — and the passion people can have for a certain belief.”