Portfolios > Lucia Winkler
This page features the articles:
• Jesse Carl Vinyl and the Re-emergence of Records
• GJHS Staff and Culinary Students Celebrate the “Stone Soup” Event
• ‘Twas the Night of the Tundra Chorus Concert
Jesse Carl Vinyl and the Re-emergence of Records
17-year-old Jessi Zilka didn’t imagine that her record collection would become a vinyl store on Kentucky Ave. But now she owns a flourishing business, Jesse Carl Vinyl, which has a rich history and a retro appeal perfect for Lakeland music lovers.
Despite the CD trend of her age, Zilka decided to start building a record collection during her junior year, inspired by her family’s love for music. Even her parents thought it was a crazy idea, as physical music was on its way out.
Owning a record store wasn’t what Jessi had imagined doing with her life. She dreamed of moving to Nashville to be a tour promoter and travel with all the up-and-coming bands. However, she had trouble getting hired in Tennessee, since she wasn’t living there. It was then that she decided to start up a small record flipping business using her collection, visiting local markets and events. She was determined to save up money to move to Nashville.
She anticipated only making $100 to $200 per Saturday. However, with only four or five milk crates of records, she was soon making $500-$600 each weekend. After having been approached about starting up a brick-and-mortar record store, she opened up a physical location in March of 2016.
“My dream of Tennessee seemed to never work out, yet my efforts to connect with people through the commonality of record collecting exploded in a way I never expected,” Zilka stated. “I knew then that this was what I was supposed to do with my life.”
Though digital music has grown more prominent since Zilka began collecting records, it’s clear that physical music formats are not dead. In fact, record sales increased by 20% in 2023, with an increasing trend over a 16-year period. And though Gen Z grew up primarily with digital music, in a survey by vinyl packing firm Key Production, 59% of the surveyed 18–24-year-olds reported listening to physical music releases.
GJHS student Lily Bray commented, “I bought a record player because I really love listening to music, some of my friends had gotten one themselves, and I wanted to see if the sound was different from digital music. I started collecting records because it sounded like a fun hobby.”
Zilka reports that, though her store’s customer base is primarily Gen X and Millennials, there is a good deal of Gen Z customers.
“That’s a great thing to see because it means that music media will likely sustain itself for a long time to come!” Jessi stated.
One way to support Jesse Carl Vinyl is to visit their upcoming Vinyl Fair, on Sunday, February 23. There will be several vendors selling records, CDs, tapes, and more! There will also be food and a DJ. However, Jesse Carl Vinyl is absolutely worth visiting on any average day! There are nearly 30 sections of albums, as well as CD and cassette tape collections. They have $1 CDs, an array of collectibles, a variety of genres in all formats, and a nostalgic vibe that any audiophile would love.
Jesse Carl Vinyl
304 N Kentucky Ave.
(863) 274-3880
“Vinyl Revival and the Return of Retro Tech.” A2D2, 23, July 2024.
Christain Eede. “Gen X Listen to More Vinyl, CDs and Cassettes Than Any Other Age Group, Survey Shows.” DJ Mag, 19 April 2024.
Ross Birckhead-Morton. “Gen Z Takes Interest in CDs, Vinyl Albums.” Campus Current, 28 Aug. 2024.
“About.” Jesse Carl Vinyl.
Photograph of vinyl records and CDs inside the shop Jesse Carl Vinyl in Lakeland, FL. Photos provided by Lucia Winkler and were taken on Oct 14, 2024. Edited by Naomi Jalloh.
GJHS Staff and Culinary Students Celebrate the “Stone Soup” Event
On November 20th and 21st, GJHS staff and culinary students met to celebrate the “Stone Soup” event. The menu consisted of “stone soup,” garlic cheese bread, punch, and dessert. Inspired by an 18th century European folk story, GJHS’s Culinary Academy teacher Ms. Scott introduced Stone Soup to the school, attempting to encourage community between teachers and students beyond just school matters. It has come to be her favorite culinary event.
Prior to working at GJHS, Ms. Scott taught at a small, tight-knit school where everybody knew each other. To bring a more intimate feel to a large school, Ms. Scott looked to the traditional story of Stone Soup.
According to the story, a traveler, desperate for food, went from door to door in a village asking for food. However, there had been a famine, and each villager stashed food away for themselves. The traveler pulled a stone out of his bag, dropped it into a cooking pot, and invited the villagers to share “stone soup.” The villagers were reluctant to join but were persuaded upon hearing that the stone was magical. They even contributed the items they had stored away to make the soup better. When it was ready, the villagers joined together and enjoyed the soup. Of course, the magic stone was a hoax, but it had unified the villagers so they could collectively create something wonderful.
In the same way, Ms. Scott wanted to unify GJHS students and staff. So, each year the entire GJHS staff is invited to share the meal with culinary students. During the event, there are two conditions that must be followed: the meal must be eaten in the culinary classroom, and nobody can talk about school. This allows everyone to genuinely get to know each other and their interests.
Not only does this event cultivate relationships among teachers and students, but it also forges an inclusive environment that some students haven’t experienced themselves. “Students often come from families who don’t sit down for dinner together,” Ms. Scott remarks. “Stone Soup creates a new experience for them.” She also notes that some students face housing instability and do not have the opportunity to sit at a prepared table or have regular access to meals.
Stone Soup has become beloved by GJ staff and students. Some staff even come on both days. While many refer to the event in terms of the food’s tastiness, it’s clear that Ms. Scott was successful in her mission of creating a richer community at GJHS. Meaningful relationships can develop among Eagles who wouldn’t have ever spoken to each other if it weren’t for this event.
‘Twas the Night of the Tundra Chorus Concert
The GJHS Chorus students performed at the Tundra Winter Concert on Thursday, December 12. The concert consisted of Christmas and winter-themed songs, along with some Traditionals. Each song was relatively short, yet adequately displayed the chorus students’ confident skills and reflected their hard work. The stage was ornamented with holiday decorations and students were dressed in festive Christmas sweaters, capturing the mood of the season.
The first performance that particularly stood out was the Beginners’ Choir’s. GJ’s chorus teacher, Mr. Lawrence, noted that while he was proud of all of his classes, he was especially impressed by their progress. They sounded like they belonged in the Advanced Choir. Julie Warren, member of the Beginners’ Choir, claimed that they achieved this because Mr. Lawrence had taught them what the Advanced Choir implemented in their music, except with less advanced music. Though many had no musical experience at all, they made it clear that they had worked with determination to get where they are today.
Julie Warren
Perhaps the best song performed was “Tundra”, the song in which the concert had received its name. It consisted of 9 different voice parts performed by sopranos and altos. “Tundra was definitely our most challenging song to learn.” Haley Cookson, member of the Advanced Choir, said. “[This was] mainly because it was a song combined with different choir class periods.” Even though she considered this the hardest song to learn, its outcome was mystifying. As their harmonizing voices floated, the audience was captivated. “For only having this song for around a month, I’m very proud with how it turned out,” said Cookson.
Haley Cookson
The most memorable song of the performance was the Men’s Choir rendition of “12 Days of Christmas”. When it was time for them to sing, Mr. Lawrence remarked that they were nowhere to be seen and grumbled that it was unprofessional. He went offstage to look for them, and only half came onstage. They began to sing but couldn’t continue until the other half finally came out. By then, it was clear that it was an act, and quite theatrical for a chorus performance. They comedically sang the wrong parts throughout the song, yet somehow maintained unison. Jason Markowitz, a member of the Men’s Choir, noted that they could achieve this by breaking down the individual song sections until it became simple. It was a lively performance, and it was clear that they had fun singing it.
Though this article has only highlighted key performances in the Tundra Concert thus far, it is important to note that each class did an excellent job. Some students had the opportunity to perform songs that they had prepared for the cancelled Autumn concert, and the long preparation allowed them to master even the most difficult pieces. Even the songs that had only been introduced to them a month prior sounded incredible, and it was clear that they had worked very hard to achieve that sound. To support chorus, one should consider attending any future performances to appreciate their high skill level and hard work. GJHS is proud to have such an advanced choir program.