School District asks Village to help with student safety

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BY TIA CAROL JONES

According to Hazel Crest School District 152 ½, on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 1th1, gun shots were fired in the direction of students walking home after a basketball game about two blocks away from the school. In another incident that took place on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 12th, a teacher’s car was stolen from the Jesse White Elementary School parking lot during a volleyball game.

The Hazel Crest School District 152 ½ encompasses parts of Hazel Crest, East Hazel Crest, Harvey and Markham. There are approximately 450 students who attend the Jesse White Learning Academy. At a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 24th, there was representation from the Village of Markham, Hazel Crest, as well as Illinois State Representative Will Davis, school board members and other community partners.

“We’re looking for a strong partnership that will lead towards favorable outcomes on the behalf of children. In this case, reduction in crime and safe passage for our children, making certain that the community at large feels safe,” said Dean Barnett, President of Hazel Crest School District 152 ½.

Barnett said the School District will use resources to ensure that the students and staff are safe. Barnett believes a partnership that includes everyone in local is the key to keeping everyone in the community safe. Barnett added it will require heavy lifting.

The next step will be community school meetings.

The first will take place at the Jesse White Learning Academy and the next meeting will take place at the Barack Obama Learning Academy, in Markham. The goal is to implement resources that the School District can control, from Ceasefire to providing safe passage for the students.

“We want those parents to know, from the point they leave, once they open that door and step out of the door, they will be safe. The children are in our hands and we will make sure they are safe, until they cross the threshold of their respective schools, and as they travel back home, they should have that same level of expectation of being safe, that they will have the opportunity to grow up and they will not be murdered,” Barnett said.

Barnett has vowed to continue to be committed to having conversations with those responsible for Public Safety.

Dr. Kenneth Spells, Superintendent of Hazel Crest School District 152 ½, sent a letter home to families and a letter to the staff of the school. In the letter to the parents, Spells wrote: “We held a safety meeting with all the students and staff informing them of what to do in the event this happens again … While we recognize we cannot control outside forces, we will continue to monitor students walking home and continue to support our students with ways to help keep them safe.”

Spells has been having conversations with one of the school’s parent groups, Donuts to Dads. Spells wants to be proactive to ensure nothing happens to the students. Spells added that whatever he has asked the Village President and local law enforcement for, he has received.

“We’re all at the table, we all want to make sure the students are safe,” Spells said. “We want to take a stressor off our kids, we want them to be more concerned about getting into college than getting home.”

Village of Hazel Crest President Vernard Alsberry said the Village will increase the police presence at the school during classes, as well as when there are evening activities. He said there also is an increased police presence in the community, which is known as Hazel Crest Proper. Alsberry did acknowledge there has been an increase in crime in the South Suburbs.

“Hazel Crest Police are very active, not only being present, but following up on issues that happen in the community,” he said, adding that the Village wants to partner with the schools to ensure there are activities for the young people who live there. “We take the safety, of our students and citizens in Hazel Crest very seriously, we know it’s important and we continue to make sure our community is a safe place to live and a place where people want to live.”

Almost 2 Million Dollars in Scholarships Awarded to South Suburban Students at HBCU Band Auditions

RICHTON PARK, ILL. — Band students from Rich Township 227, Hillcrest High School and Southland College Prep Charter High School were offered almost 2 million dollars in four-year band scholarships last month at the annual HBCU band auditions event held at Southland College Prep.

Eighteen students auditioned for spots at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) bands, said Dr. Carl Cogar, the director of fine arts at Southland College Prep who started the audition event in 2018.

“Being a part of the marching band at an HBCU is a life-changing experience,” Cogar said. “We wanted to give our students in the south suburbs the opportunity to audition for some of the best bands in the country in person and have the chance to go to college on a band scholarship.”

Twenty-seven HBCU band directors made their way to the Richton Park high school campus on December 20 to hear promising young musicians. The directors were in Chicago for the 76th annual Midwest Clinic, an international band and orchestra conference.

The universities and colleges included Hampton University,

University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Grambling State University, North Carolina A & T University, Clark Atlanta University, Texas College, Virginia State University, Allen University, Central State University, Claflin University, Miles College, Talladega College, Morehouse College, Delaware State University, Tuskegee University, Wiley College, Langston University, Mississippi Valley State University and Fisk University to name a few.

Each student auditioned for a minimum of six colleges and universities. Each school offered students a scholarship in excess of $32,000 for four years. Some schools offered students full band and academic scholarships. One Southland student received scholarship offers of more than $320,000. Cogar estimates that students earned “well over” $1.7 million in scholarship offers.

Ron Harrigan, Southland’s director of bands, was excited to see his students walk away from the evening with scholarship offers in hand.

“This event gives students a chance to earn a college education through their musical skills and talent,” Harrigan said. “Getting scholarship offers is a reward for their years of hard work and dedication.”