Jenny Barrett, coordinator for Owsley County High School Youth Services Center, served by Jackson Energy Cooperative, noticed a student had grown increasingly withdrawn. The girl was quiet in class and didn’t seem to eat much at lunch.
Talking to her, Barrett discovered the student’s two front teeth had broken and other teeth had eroded with decay. She was in pain, but tried not to show it. Her mother was unable to transport her or pay for dental work. With the help of a regional dentist, Barrett was able to take steps to get the student’s smile—and her confidence—restored. The student hopes to go to cosmetology school and make others feel beautiful, too.
Across Kentucky, public school family resource and youth services centers (FRYSCs) are helping students succeed by removing barriers that hamper them, just as Barrett’s center did.
Those barriers range from financial to physical and everything in between, reaching out not only to the students but to their families.
