Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Haring in Harrison
The Student Newspaper of Jones College Preparatory High School
New mural hopes to revitalize North lobby
Volume 4, Issue 2
Students drive conversation of intersectional feminism
ANNA HEYSE ‘19 els over to us are going to stay.” the panels would fit and hang properly. Lifestyles Staff After the city reached out to “Two people associated with Decorating the Harri- Powers and Jones acquired the panels, the City of Chicago looked at spaces son lobby, three colorful mural Powers reached out to fine arts teacher with us,” Myers said. “They brought MAGGIE TROVATO ‘19 panels now line a wall previous- Jake Myers for assistance in finding the this really cool laser tape measure.” Lead Reporter ly covered in outdated photos. ideal place to host the historic piece. After the tests, they deterWhile some would say it is because of “[The murals] belonged to “We considered [if] it actu- mined that the Harrison lobby was a lack of publicity, others are blaming the the city of Chicago and were deed- ally [would] work as a vertical instal- the most efficient place to hang the lack of intersectionality as their reason for ed out to CPS panels. This result not attending the Women’s March Chicaand some othnot only ensured go 2018 March to the Polls earlier this month. er institutions,” that the murals have “I personally have a lot of problems with said Principal a proper home, but the Women’s march.” said Fempowerment OrP. Joseph Powadded to the contin- ganizer Sarika Doppalapudi ‘19. “It fails to aders. “They were ual effort to revive dress intersectionality and is very, very white. part of a major the North Build- I don’t like the pussy hats that people wear bedisplay put up ing’s lost energy. cause I think that associating having a vagi20 years ago by “That whole first na with womanhood is super transphobic.” Keith Haring. He floor over there, for Intersectional feminism, a term coined in 1989 did the outlines several years, wasn’t by Kimberlé Crenshaw, is “feminism that takes of the panels and made use of,” Pow- into account all the different aspects of people’s students providers said. “We made identities and how they overlap and interact,” said ed the drawings some changes over Lily Ferguson ‘19, JonesPride club co-president. and coloration.” there to create the art While clubs like ALAS and Jone Though gallery and now the sPride include intersectionality in meetthe names of school store is highly ing discussions, Women’s Empowerment the students, in- EYE CATCHING After being showcased at the Chicago Cultural Center, the murals visible there— it was Club is making it their main focus this year. cluding some were returned to CPS. a logical next step.” “We want to work with marginalized Photo by Jake Aks ‘19 from Jones, who Because the mural groups, women and nonbinary people who contributed to the mural are lost, the lation in the main lobby area, but the arrived suddenly and without a school- are excluded from the conversation a lot of panels themselves have traveled all truth is, it was going to be hit with the wide announcement, students are only the time, [such as] women of color, sex workover Chicago since their creation. sun too much and that’s not the way gradually stumbling upon the mural. ers, trans women, and incarcerated women,” “It was considered to be it was meant to be displayed,” My- The new arrival can be seen from many said Club President Eleanor Massengill ‘20. a temporary installation [at Grant ers said. “We also looked at the caf- angles around the old building and even They plan to have speakers come to Park],” Powers said. “It was put up eteria, but there wasn’t enough ‘real from outside, showing students and meetings so that members can be educated again out at Midway and then again estate’ most places in the school.” passersby the piece of school history. on the issues that marginalized groups face. at the cultural center. We have three In search of a home for the mu- “It beautified the school Fempowerment, a student 8-by-8 units, but there are hundreds ral, any space seriously considered had and I really appreciate the effort they group not affiliated with Jones, also foof them altogether. The three pan- to be meticulously measured to ensure put into it,” said Gabby Nielsen ‘19. cuses on intersectional feminism. “A lot of times there’s a lot of misinformation about what intersectional feminism is or what it means to be intersectional in your feminism and in your practices of feminism,” said MAXWELL KROLL ‘19 Doppalapudi. “The Women’s March was an ex School Staff nication, many students still feel left in the dark about it. ample of how intersectional feminism is mis Sadie de Forest ‘21, who was elected to interpreted. Fempowerment serves to have dis Aiming to close the gap in communication be- be a representative for her sophomore Ac Lab, said cussions about that. We think that discussion tween Jones Student Government and its student body, that even her Ac Lab teacher knew little about it. is a super great tool for learning and bettering SGA is rolling out a new initiative this month to open up “Our Ac Lab teacher actually had to ask us to make yourself. Being able to ask questions are super chains of dialogue. The new action will allow Ac sure we were supposed to do an election, then asked who important, so we provide a space to do that.” Labs to elect “student representatives” whose wanted to do it,” de Forest said. “I hadn’t heard much about it, ALAS President Genesis Del Real duty it will be to relay information between but there was one kid in my Ac Lab who overheard some ‘19 believes that there is an overall awaretheir fellow students and student government. freshman talking about it, so that’s how I found out.” ness of intersectional feminism at Jones, “It’s very similar to the House of Repre De Forest hopes to address and fix the lack of combut still sees room for improvement. sentatives,” said Engineering teacher and overall munication between the students and SGA as a “I told my friends that I’m getting interSGA sponsor Melvin Slater. “Every representative, which she sees as a major probviewed for [an article on] intersectional feminism district has a representat i v e lem at Jones. and some people still didn’t know,” she said. in Congress, every Ac Lab “No one, in my grade at least, Doppalapudi believes that would have a representahas any idea what’s going on with there is still a long way to go. tive representing their interSGA at any point in time,” “I think that a lot of the activism and femests in student government.” said de Forrest. “I have reinism that happens at Jones can tend to be very Slater, who has expeceived no information performative and white,” she said. “We need to rience implementing student i n the past year and a be having real discussions about intersectional government in other schools, half about what’s feminism and not just doing things related to acbelieves the new initiative will p r o v i d e going on.” tivism as something to put on your college apps.” the student body with a line of com- The policy is demunication to the decision makers in signed to give a voice to the student body, SGA, who many students feel out of touch with. but some students are doubtful that anyone will listen. “It goes both ways,” said Slater. “The Ac Lab repre- “I think anything I would tell my Ac Lab represensentative would come back to Ac Lab and let everyone know tative wouldn’t do anything,” said Vincent Mistretta what happened at the SGA meeting, and would have their ‘20. “They would probably take my suggestions serirepresentative representing their interest at the meeting.” ously, but once it got to admin, admin would say no.” Designers of the new policy see it not only as a line of Proponents of the policy disagree, pointing out that even though communication, but as a gauge of public opinion in the school. representatives won’t always be affecting change in the school, “This will be a way to better communicate what the the initiative will no doubt inspire more students to speak up. student perspective is,” said overall SGA Co President Mattie “I would say that communication is actually a reMusgrove ‘19. “Votes will be about, for example, the amount ally big step to productivity,” said Musgrove. “This could of people in an Ac Lab who felt our sex education was good, be a space that empowers and shows anyone that they deand the amount of people who feel we aren’t doing enough.” serve to make these changes and suggest these ideas.” Though the new policy intends to bolster commuGraphic by Sam Wojcik ‘19 Graphic by Abby Teodori ‘19
Keeping tabs on Ac Lab
New initiative aims to strengthen communication between students, SGA
PAGE 2 Hoop Dreams
Girls Basketball will play Chicago Bulls Prep at home on Nov 13 @ 5 p.m.
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT OCTOBER 31, 2018
Stop tolerating the intolerable: Racism in CPS
Senior argues against the eagle lab program
DONIYA BOYD ‘21 I first witnessed racism at jones just two weeks before my first homecoming. Two peers of mine made a Snapchat post using a racial slur against black people. The video was arrogant and cocky. The absolute fury I felt in the first few days following this incident was like nothing I had ever felt. I wasn’t supposed to feel the effects first hand. And I definitely wasn’t supposed to see the smug, grinning faces of the perpetrators the next day. When beginning my freshman year at Jones, I heard the stories from upperclassmen of color about racist incidents that happened in past years. At that point, there was still a disconnect between me and racism. I was too excited to be going to a new and diverse school and too distracted by APHUG to pay attention to any precautions given by the other students. Unfortunately, I was hit with the reality that racism was real, and it was right in front of me. I decided to write a letter to the CEO of CPS. It was a hopeful first attempt at making a change in the way racist incidents are handled within CPS. It seems that racism, especially in a school setting, is always avoided and swept under the rug. As expected, I haven’t received a response back from CPS. Some say that we shouldn’t take it as serious and that it isn’t “real racism.” This mentality
CARTER FRYE ‘19
engages in “white innocence,” the assumption that every time a white person does something racist, we must “explain to them why it’s wrong.” doesn’t expect students to understand basic priciplesracism.
In my letter to CPS, one of the main points I focused on was the embarrassment that people of color feel having to walk past a classmate that has used a racial slur or any other derogatory language towards their race. This makes black, brown, and other students of color feel unwanted and unwelcome in the classroom. Our
administration, or even CPS as a whole, needs to implement a stricter and more strategic punishment to racist kids in school. It should start with, at the very least, 3 days of out of school suspension. Blatant racism is just as harmful as physical violence to students of color. I propose that we develop a sensitivity course to give to students who commit racist offenses. Showing these students the impacts of the words they use on their peers could be an eye-opener. The training could be held in place of a regular detention. For 45 minutes after school, students can watch videos by professors, look at real-world instances of racism and how it makes the targeted people feel. This training would allow students to see the other side of the situation, and hopefully, make them realize that racism isn’t a joke or something that should be taken lightly. The cost of paying people extra to host these videos The reward of eradicating racists incidents in CPS is worth so much more than the apparent cost. CPS has an obligation to its students of color to protect them from racism in every instance. If they themselves but if they do not act, than we must hold them , and each other accountable. we as the students of CPS also have an obligation to stand up against racism. It is our duty to end the racist practices that hold back ourselves and our peers.
Graphic by Abigail Teodori‘19
When applying to selective enrollment schools, a major draw to Jones was Ac Lab: a time to complete group work, meet with teachers, catch up on past assignments, and spend time with friends. Through my first two years of high school, Ac Lab was an essential part of keeping up with my schoolwork and providing efficient opportunities to meet with whomever I needed to. Ac Lab is a valuable time for teachers to have development meetings with their departments. These opportunities are still with me, except when they are taken away for Eagle Lab. The new policy got off to a rocky start in the 2017-2018 school year. It was unorganized and became the punching bag of many students’ jokes, initially dubbed “Feelings Friday.” In theory, teachers should have different activities planned, games to play, and discussions to have, but in reality, Eagle Lab has become no more than a room to sit in for most of an hour, more akin to a detention than a study hall. The 40 minutes at the end of shortened Fridays were actually a very useful time when they existed. It was still more than enough time to meet with teach-
Don’t let it die: Eagle Lab reps lack student support The new addition of Eagle Lab representatives is an innovative change to student government, and will serve to better represent the student population. Having a representative in every Ac Lab gives every student in the school a person that they can see every other day to share their ideas, giving students more of a voice and a better understanding of the current state of Student Government Association. Eagle Lab will also feel less like a useless obligation, and more like an opportunity to make a change in the school, giving meaning to the unpopular period. The change begs only one question: will student government actually follow through? From wiping all of the student body’s detentions to abandoning efforts to create individual class homecoming themes, initiatives at Jones have a unique way of dying out, though not entirely through a fault of those who propose such changes. Students have been less than receptive to new ideas in the past, in part due to the heightened cynicism that comes from a history of failed execution. Proposing new ideas to an apathetic population of students sets SGA and administration up for failure, perpetuating a cycle that keeps lowering the bar. The main problem with this new policy will be getting the students to participate. With monthly morning meetings, being an Eagle Lab representative may seem unappealing to students. If the benefits of being a representative don’t outweigh the cost
of the added time commitment, how are students expected to participate? This puts many Eagle Labs in the tough position of choosing between having no representation or forcing a student to take the part who may not be able or willing to show up. Lack of participation by the student body in the past has been costly to many Jones policies enacted both by administration and SGA. From administration’s ID and detention policies, to fight song and school spirit boosts from SGA, weak reception from students means that SGA and administration let the ideas die, rather than adjusting the policies to fit the general student body. In this case, changing the meeting times or allowing each Ac Lab to decide how much responsibility they want their rep to have and how much representation they need. Participation has always been a long-standing issue at Jones, and one that is no doubt very difficult for administration and SGA to tackle. With the current lack of enthusiasm for Eagle Lab representatives, it would not be surprising if this initiative ended up at the end of a long line of unsuccessful proposals. We hope we’re wrong. We hope that the new initiative, over the long run, reshapes SGA into the representative democracy that better represents students, at least the voices of each Ac Lab. We’re rooting for its success, let’s just hope everyone else falls in line. Graphic by Sam Wojcik ‘19
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ers, make up quizzes, and do anything you needed to that did not require a full 90 minutes to complete. Jones took away valuable time from us to have us sit in a classroom participating in often meaningless activities that are nowhere near worth our time. If Eagle Lab is to stay, we as students should be doing something productive that is more than worth our time, such as receiving crucial information, learning ways to reduce stress, working on college applications, o r participate in structured activities that will benefit us outside of our usual classes. Why shouldn’t we be able to schedule counselor check-ins during this time? What about club meetings? We waste multiple Ac Labs every year attending mandatory all-class meetings. Why not have them during Eagle Lab? Students are being forced to spend their time in a classroom doing nothing to benefit their education or well being. We are still stuck with Eagle Lab and all of its growing pains at the moment, but with time and improvement, “Feelings Friday” could end up being an integral part of Jones’ communication system and great contributor to the student body’s well being. Graphic by Anna Heyse ‘19
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PAGE 3 Glo-co JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT OCTOBER 31, 2018
The Homecoming dance will be on Friday, Nov. 16.
Midterm elections at Jones
Senior voters polled in regards to the 2018 gubernatorial midterm election
Graphic by Sam Wojcik ‘19
Lyons dips his toe back in the water
Metamorphoses returns to Jones with unique set design SAM TEDROWE ‘21 Lifestyles Staff
rate the four elements are classified until the premiere of the show. “A lot of the stories have to do with water, but this has to do with all of the elements,” said Lyons. “One is about Phaeton, who drives the sun chariot and sets the world on fire, and there Eight years after Drama Club first performed Metamorpho- are others that have to do with wind and earth. All four of the elements are brought into play.” For students participating in the tech/stage crew, the anses in 2010, the new auditorium introduces possibilities for an engag- nual fall play provides a community of like-minded individuals. ing set, including a pool, that will take the fall play to another level. “It’s one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done,” said Metamorphoses combines a modernization of the An- crew member and participant Midge Makowski ‘21. “It’s so rewardcient Greek myth with a set design that mirrors the four elements: earth, ing to see the thing you built be used for something bigger than yourself.” air, water, and fire. These elements are the primary symbols in the plot. In this adaption of the Ancient Greek legends, many interconnected short stories incorporate comedy and drama. The scenes present these well-known myths in a modern era, which will make them more relatable to watch. There are many speaking roles, but other art forms such as music and dance are integrated into the scenes. “There are a lot of funny parts; there are some really sad parts,” said Wilson Kenny ‘21, who plays Hermes. “It’s really good for the whole drama community here at Jones; there’s really something for everyone.” In his first year at Jones, 2010, director Bradley Lyons showcased Metamorphoses. “I’m excited to revisit it,” said Lyons. “We showcased the play in the North Auditorium back then, [before the South Building opened in 2013] so now I’ll be able to revisit the set and overall design to update it to the new settings.” Lyons noticed part of the reason why he was renewing the play for a second time. “Some stories people know, like Midas, with the golden touch; others will be brand new to them,” said Lyons. “It’s good because of the large cast, and now with the new theatre, there’s so much more we can do technically, for imagining the magic and the gods.” A highlight of this play will be its unique set design. The set will include a pool in the middle of the stage. This pool will be an important piece for some of the short stories that will be featured in Metamorphoses. Kenny is excited for this edition to the set. “Not many people can say they’ve been in a play with a pool in it,” said Kenny. “There are many very interesting scenes that use the pool.” Photo courtesy of Audrey Salgado ‘19 The pool will be constructed by the technology and set crew, with some assistance from Lyons. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Benedict Schwegel ‘22 practices lifting Audrey Senne ‘19 in prepa “The front of the floor opens up, so the pool will go there,” said Lyons. ration for the Pandora dance sequence. The scene is an interpretation of the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box. The specific details of set designs that incopo-
PAGE 4
No School
Students will not have school this Friday, Oct. 2 due to a School Improvement Day.
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT OCTOBER 31, 2018
Teachers tie the knot
Four teachers married over summer CHARLOTTE MANIER ‘20 Lifestyles Staff From Chicago to Michigan, each of the four teachers married over the summer designed their summer weddings to reflect their history and interests. Digital Imaging and Art 1 teacher Jake Myers, whose wedding was May 26 at Chicago Theater Works in Lakeview, chose the venue because of its unique style. “It was wonderful, it was really campy with a bunch of kitschy decorations,” Myers said. “There was weird sports memorabilia from the past and pictures of Italian stuff because they do a production of Tony N’ Tina’s wedding.” This purposefully strange decoration choice went well with the wedding’s karaoke theme. “Everyone was hamming it up, and the karaoke was a great twofor-one because it took care of the music and entertainment,” said Myers. To Myers and his wife Liz Caar’s surprise, their wedding desserts ended up consisting of more than cheesy candy. “We planned to only have wedding ring pops and Jelly Belly champagne bottles, but our friend brought a bunch of fancy Polish desserts,” Myers said. Myers strongly believes that a wedding should not be based on societal norms, but on the personality of the couple. “There’s a lot of pressure to have a wedding like your parents’ wedding, but the truth is you don’t have to do any of that. Do the wedding you would enjoy and chances are the people at the wedding will enjoy it too,” said Myers. “Maybe they were just being nice, but everyone I talked to said it was the most fun wedding they had been to in a while.” A r t and digital imaging teacher Suzanne Makol Zamudio also got married on July 22 at Prairie Production, a photo studio and event SAY CHEESE (Pictured from left to right) Laura Boban, Jake venue in the Myers, Suzanne Makol Zamudio, and Gabriel Dominquez. Makol Zamudio poses next to her old and current colleagues. West Loop. “ I t ’s just a big loft; a big, blank space with a little outdoor courtyard,” said Makol Zamudio. “I like a little industrial, but we also had fresh flowers,” said Makol Zamudio. Gabriel Dominguez, a wedding guest and fellow Digital Imaging teacher, enjoyed the photography activities provided at the reception. “A really cool feature involved in the reception were polaroid cameras and film to take photographs behind a backdrop,” Dominguez said. “She left a photo album out where you could insert the polaroids and leave a message.” To prepare for the event, Makol Zamudio recruited the help of other Jones art teachers. “ M r . Dominguez and Ms. Tae helped set up the flower centerpieces,” Makol Zamudio s a i d . The chic location and artistic vibe helped make the wedding pleasant for Makol A BUDDING ROMANCE Makol Zamudio and her husband Z a m u share a loving glance during their wedding day, dio and the guests. “It was a really enjoyable evening,” Dominguez said. “Everyone who attended was enjoying themselves and really happy for the couple.”
Photos courtesy of Candace Paige, C Bauer Photography, and friends/family of Myers and Caar.
Check out Blueprint stories on the Van Dyke verdict and girls volleyball at jonesblueprint.com.
To infinity and beyond
Teacher’s Disney-themed wedding goes viral ANNA HEYSE ‘19 Lifestyles Staff After spending over a year toiling over every meticulous detail on their Buzz and Woody costumes, Science teacher Garrett Smith and his now-husband, Jason Bitner, walked the aisle, began their “happy ending”, and then became an internet sensation. “One of my friends actually works for PopSugar [a media and technology company featuring lifestyles content]. After he saw the pictures we were posting, he told us he wanted to write about us, so that’s how the initial article came out,” Smith said. “Then CBS sort of just took the article without telling us and published it on their own.” Beyond the first articles, more news sites, including the Huffington Post, ABC News, and Today reached out to the newlyweds. The list of published online articles span at least one Google search page and are speckled with photos of the grooms and their costumed guests. “It was really crazy,” Smith said. “Looking at all of the comments, they were mostly positive and it was interesting how much people actually cared about it.When my husband and I were doing all this, we were worried people at the wedding wouldn’t even realize everything that went into it.” Despite Smith’s worries, his wedding guests were far from the only ones to recognize the intricate work that went into the wedding planning process. “They [the photos] were awesome. They were perfectly Mr. Smith. He talked about that wedding for well over a year, so it was so fun to see everything come out just as he had planned it,” said science teacher Nicole Lowery. The detail that the couple put into the wedding proves
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Extra, Extra
itself in every article and every photo taken at the event. Every centerpiece exhibited a different Disney film, incorporating the couple’s favorites and the unforgettable classics; a process over a year in the making. However, nothing measured up to the amount of effort put into Smith’s homemade “Buzz Lightyear” costume. “The costume was made out of the foam that you put on the ground in a wrestling room. Through a lot of Youtube videos, because I’ve never done anything like that before, I learned that you can cut it into a specific shape and heat it with an ‘industrial hair-dryer’ to shape it however you want,” Smith said. The costume required an industrial hair-dryer and a duct tape model of Smith’s torso that ensured the foam molded to the correct proportions. Starting six months out ensured that the costume lived up to the specifically chosen film. “I knew before we got engaged that Toy Story is one of my favorite movies and I love the song ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’-- I wanted that to be our first dance,” Smith said. “It just made sense that we would be Buzz and Woody.” The grooms also considered princes and Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc., but ultimately decided that the princes did not interact enough and that furry costumes did not befit the event. Toy Story simply fit best, and Buzz and Woody would not be the only Disney characters to attend to the wedding. “We were really scared that people wouldn’t dress up,” Smith said. “They really got into the costumes, which made the night so much more fun.” Guest costumes included Snow
White, multiple takes on Mary Poppins, and a couple princes. Every photo displays the grooms’ and guests’ enthusiasm; something that students identify to suit Smith’s personality perfectly. “He has really high spirits and is super bubbly. I think it’s really nice his wedding reflects that, and I’m really glad for him that it went viral,” said Sadie Heller ‘19, a former student of Smith’s. Before the fairytale wedding went viral, the day itself went smoothly from the ceremony to the reception. “It was an absolute whirlwind. People were taking pictures of us and waving,” Smith said. “If something went wrong, I wasn’t aware of it. It was nice to see all of our hard work pay off and come into fruition.” Shortly after the cake and dancing, newlyweds Smith and Bitner headed to Hawaii for a week and then back to California for a few days. There, they headed back to Disneyland, where Smith proposed two years earlier. “It was actually the first time we’d ever stayed on Disney property. It was a lot of fun. A totally different experience, but it was fun.” Smith said. “We also ‘Disney bounded’ as Buzz and Woody, which is when you dress in the same colors as the characters.” Unable to wear their original costumes because of Disneyland law, the couple’s second, more casual take on Buzz and Woody was posted on Bitner’s Instagram, joining the ones that made them internet famous. Though there are not news articles coming out everyday anymore, Smith hopes the wedding’s publicity continues to inspire and encourage others. “I’m glad it’s getting so much attention for people who are scared to do something out of the ordinary or people who are scared to come out,” he said. “It can help people through that process as well as help people find their passion and decide ‘this is what I want to do’.”
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT OCTOBER 31, 2018
World Studies teacher Nathan Tornow got married on Aug. 4 in his hometown of Williamsburg, MI. To fit with with the personal location, most aspects of the wedding were made by friends and family. “The point of having it in my hometown was that we could create it exactly the way we wanted it, my friends and family did everything for us,” said Tornow. Tornow said the most important aspect of the wedding was it being an interfaith ceremony. “We had a half-Jewish, half-Catholic wedding, so we brought a lot of Catholics that had never seen a Jewish wedding before and some people who had never seen a Catholic wedding before,” Tornow said. The bride, Julie Abramowitz, brought her family’s rabbi from New York to officiate the wedding with Tornow’s A TOAST Jake Myers gives a speech to his wife and priest from Chica- both of their families after the ceremony. go. A l o n g with this, a chuppah was handmade by Tornow’s uncle. “In Jewish tradition, you get married under a chuppah,” Tornow said. “My uncle built [our chuppah] from scratch out of cedar lumber.” To top it off, Tornow and Abramowitz spent their honeymoon hiking in the Arizona desert. “We saw the Grand Canyon, [went on] a Jeep tour of the Red Rock State Park, had a lot of great meals and did some hiking,” he said. The most recent newlywed is Chemistry and Astronomy teacher Peter Podlipni, who married Jason Cox on Aug. 19 at the Berlin Nightclub in Lakeview. The Chicago nightclub, where Podlipni and Cox met, provided a personal and fun atmosphere. “Once people started coming it was a very exciting energy,” said Podlipni. “It was just magical.” Podlipni also incorporated his family heritage and appreciation for nature into the structure and style of the wedding. “My family comes from southern Poland where we have a lot of pagan traditions,” said Podlipni. “We made our own paper flowers [and] we had jars of pickles as our centerpieces.” This nature theme allowed Podlipni to have the authentic and affordable wedding he was looking for. “We were trying to do a DIY, low-budget wedding, because, hey, [I’m a] CPS teacher.” Several Jones teachers also attended the wedding and shared in Podlipni’s excitement. “It was so positive, so fun and upbeat the whole night said science teacher night,” said Science teacher Erin Cathcara, a wedding guest. “At the reception, Ms. Timkang went crazy on the dance floor.”
HOLD ON TIGHT
Newlyweds are lifted up in the celebratory Israeli folk dance called the horah. The horah is where the dancers hold each other’s hands as the circle spins counter clockwise. Each dancer follows a sequence of three step forwards and one step back.
MAGIC KINGDOM Science teacher Garrett Smith, his husband, and their parents.
Graphics by Sam Wojcik ‘19
PAGE 6 No School
Parent teacher conferences will be on Nov 15 from 11 a.m. to 6: 15 p.m.
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT OCTOBER 31, 2018
“Passes, please”
Administration closes the door on unapproved elevator riders DONIYA BOYD ‘21 School Staff Since the start of school in September, administration has tightened previously unenforced policies, including rules regarding student elevator use. In the past, students received five detentions for using the elevator, but security and administration were relatively lenient about punishing students. This year, administration has decided to take a strong stance against students using the elevator without passes. “The main reason for those restrictions are so not only faculty and staff could use the elevators to get to and from their classes,’ said Principal P. Joseph Powers. “But we also have a pretty significant number of students in our low incidence cluster programs that cannot take the stairs at all, and very often they have to wait and wait and wait for the elevator.” In hopes that ineligible students will not take the elevator, security is following the policies more strictly. If caught on the elevator, students will be immediately taken to the office and given five detentions. If a student does not attend those scheduled detentions, their parents will be called. Continuing to not serve detentions will eventually lead to an out of school suspension. “We can’t have students just saying, ‘Oh yeah, sure, that’s the rule, but so what,’” said Powers. “That’s really the only thing that has changed [since last year], is the enforcement of it; we’ve asked all staff to participate [in enforcing this rule].” Some students have already faced the consequences of this new enforcement and are frustrated by administration’s sudden enforcement of long-standing rules. “It’s pointless to not be able to take the elevator,” said Dymarkco Davis ‘21, who was caught on the elevator earlier this year. “There are
plenty of other things that security should be worried about, other than me trying to avoid getting tired on the stairs. I understand that the ACES program is located in the new building, but literally no one but lazy teachers and a couple of students with elevator passes take the elevator in the old building, so what’s the big deal?” Others are just tired of taking the stairs, especially in the North building, where fewer students use the elevators. “I can’t catch a break,” said Janae Smith ‘21, who was also caught on the elevator. “I got stopped on the third floor and had to walk my way up to the sixth floor. I know my excuse wasn’t a sickness or injury, but everyone has bad days and they shouldn’t be punished because of it. Taking the elevator, especially in the North building, isn’t enough of a [problem to] give me five detentions.” However, many teachers think keeping the elevators accessible for those who need it is more important than letting students get a break from the stairs. “The elevators are to serve the needs of people who aren’t able to take the stairs,” said IES Department Chair Andrew Adelmann, “The students that I work with here in our special education program would kill for the opportunity to be able to use their legs to walk up the stairs. When people who can take the stairs take the elevator, it takes away a fundamental right that our students with disabilities have to not have to wait five to ten minutes for the elevators.” Adelmann is happy with administration for increasing restrictions on use of the elevators, but he feels it is long overdue. “These expectations and standards should have been set [a long time ago],” said Adelmann. “This problem has gotten so bad that we can’t even allow our students to take the elevator during passing periods. I am glad that something is being done. ”
Graphic by Jacob Dunn ‘20
Undo retweet
Administration cracks down on social media sharing, re-posting of inappropriate content DAVIONE’ TOLEFREE ‘21 School Staff Addressing guidelines for appropriate social media use, Assistant Principal Eric Fay was met with a mixed reaction from students at the October sophomore seminar. Fay outlined the updated policies for student social media use, including a new rule that a student re-posting offensive material is subject to punishment equal to that of the original sharer. With incidents of social media misuse easily spreading through the student body, Fay hopes that students will understand “The impact of [reposting harmful content] on the educational environment has to be considered, as well as it’s the intention of the person’s actions,” said Fay. “The reason why we brought this up in the meeting is because the students don’t realize the consequences of sharing it out to everyone.” Fay also said that he hopes students will try to resolve and eliminate social media issues rather than sharing offensive content or attacking the student who originally made the controversial post. “[We want to] make sure [students] are assisting in the solution and not fueling the retaliation,” said Fay. “We want people to behave appropriately on the internet. A couple of years ago, someone posted something that was inappropriate and a couple people reposted it and talked about attacking the student for posting it.” However, some are skeptical of how ad-
Photo by Davione’ Tolefree ‘21 BLOCKED Stephanie Aranda ‘21 looks at her Snapchat app.
Under the new restrictions, students reposting offensive content on platforms including Snapchat will face punishment.
ministration will carry out the new policies. “[There is tension] between the freedom of speech
and stopping the issue,” said English teacher Brian Bastyr. “I think the problem with reposting is that it’s difficult to address before feelings really spiral out of control. These are kids who hopefully can learn and change, but I can also understand the community’s feelings that [it is offensive].” Bastyr also had concerns regarding the difference of people protesting and of people spreading hate speech. “The issue is hate speech because hate speech is not protected at school,” said Bastyr. “You have more limited freedom of speech because of the means of the educational system. [You can have] a conversation so people know why it is so hurtful. If they do know it’s offensive, then they need to know it will not be tolerated here.” There are a certain number of people within Jones that have opinions on what things on social media should and shouldn’t be said. “Personally, if I believe that I am posting something offensive, I would not stand by it,” said Omar Attaralhaddad ‘21. But [I] need to let the problem know that it’s there. [People who post inappropriate things] never understand what degree it goes to.” However, Bastyr is hopeful that the new policies will encourage positive use of social media. “These are not 25, 26, or 30 year old people who are going off at Starbucks in frustration,” said English teacher Brian Bastyr. “These are kids who can hopefully learn and change.”
PAGE 7
No School Students have no school on Monday, Nov. 12 for Veterans Day.
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT OCTOBER 31, 2018
Change of pace
Transfer students from India, Ukraine provide global perspective SAVANNAH CLARK ‘20 Lifestyles Staff From the mountains of Ukraine to the streets of India, students from across the world are moving to Chicago and becoming a part of the Jones community. For Alina Abakumova ‘20, coming to Jones from her home of Kiev, Ukraine, the shift to a new school is old news. She has lived in Ukraine, Spain, and Italy, and has attended eight different schools. “Sometimes I hate it,” said Abakumova. “You always change place, you’re always changing apartments. It sounds crazy, but it’s so stressful.” Because Abakumova’s parents are diplomats, they have to move every four years. “They help Ukrainian people who come here and want to live here, but who don’t have [citizenship],” Abakumova said. “They help with the documents to be legal here.” Even though Kiev’s population is similar to Chicago’s, the transition to a more urban environment was shocking. “If you compare Chicago and Kiev, [Kiev is like a] town,” Abakumova said. “[There are] less people, less buildings. The highest [building is] maybe 20 floors.” But the urban environment was not the only difference she noticed. “American style is so hard. You’re so active with so much energy, a lot of walking, a lot of different culture, languages, and you can focus,” Abakumova said. “If I moved h e r e [ f o r ] e i g h t years, it [would be] super stressful.” T h e education is different for Abakumova as well. “The system is physically hard,” she said. “In Ukraine, you can redo all tests and all quizzes.” The Ukrainian testing system is not the only thing Abakumova misses about her school at home. “In my school, we had 10 or 15 people in one class. All 11 years you had the same friends. It’s paradise,” Abakumova said. “You feel unique because everyone knows you.” The larger student body at Jones can be a bit overwhelming, she said. “Here, [with] 2,000 people, I don’t know how they can know me,” said Abakumova. “You can lose yourself in the amount of people.” Abakumova says she does not feel as though she fits in at Jones. “I always travel from country to country and maybe I will move next year,” Abakumova said. “Maybe I need more time.” She has also noticed the different mindsets and goals of American teenagers. “People are so stressed and you feel a lot of emotions,” she said. “[It’s] like you just need to catch up to to go to colleges, to start work, [or] you can mess up your life.” The prospect of an intimidating future is among a few things troubling Abakumova. She has noticed the prevalence of gun violence in the city. “We just don’t have this problem with the gun thing,” Abakumova said. “[In Kiev,] some sort of gun for hunting is legal, but it’s not like in the city. I just don’t have words to describe it. It’s awful.” The big city can be a subduing force. “I see a lot of criminal news, so I’m just a little bit scared as to leave my house at night,” Abakumova said. “I am so scared because in Ukraine we don’t have this.” However, Abakumova is adjusting to a new city and living downtown. “After time you can understand where [to] go,
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and where not [to go],” she said. “Chicago is a good city, but there’s a lot of people and it’s not under control. It is so strange; police have all this power [and can] abuse this power.” Abakumova is learning about American education and culture as she spends more time in her new life. “American education is hard because it’s good,” Abakumova said. “I feel this experience is so helpful for me because I understand that after this school, I can do everything.” Abakumova is not the only student moving across the globe. Sisters Sejal Sharma ‘20 and Sonya Sharma ‘21 moved to Chicago from New Delhi, India this past summer, just two weeks before the beginning of school because of their mom’s job re-location. The girls are used to an urban environment. “[It was] really populated in New Dehli,” Sonya said. “Really chaotic and busy, busier than here in Chicago.” Getting accustomed to the new language was difficult. “English is something I found hard,” Sonya said. “For my first week, English wasn’t easy, and I had an accent. It wasn’t our first language, either, our first language is Hindi.” The public transit was slightly different for the girls. “It’s dirty,” said Sejal. “The train system over here is so old, and in Delhi it was just 10 years old, so it was so clean.” The main differences, however, are in the education. “Over here in 9th grade you get to start choosing the subjects, you choose whatever you want,” Sejal said. “Over there, everyone has to study the same subjects.” The girls were used to a separate system entirely, where you choose what branch of studies they want to pursue throughout the rest of school. “You choose your stream in 11th grade,” Sonya said. “You take science or social sciences,” Sejal said. The decision is binding, similar to choosing a major in college. “ O n c e you’ve taken it, you can’t get out,” Sonya said. “Over here, it’s not compulsory, you can change your mind.” T h e learning environment has changed for the sisters. “Over here it is so different, the education is so well-funded, you use so much of technology in class,” said Sejal. In India, there is a harsh stigm a surrounding careers in journalism or a social science. “It was almost discouraged,” Sejal said. “Engineering and medical [fields] were the thing.” Jobs in the arts are rarely considered. “We’ve been doing ballet for a couple of years, but over there I knew that no one in my class wanted to make a career out of it,” Sonya said. “Unless you are exceptional and you can compete with the people abroad, or if you are just really bad at studies.” Personally, the girls have not thought about pursuing dance, but careers in science. “Our parents are both into software and engineering stuff,” Sejal said. “There are also not many girls in STEM. That’s something we hope to change.” Opportunities in the arts were not the only new thing about Chicago. “The openness over here [was shocking],” Sejal said. “Nobody cares about what other people think. It was pretty conservative in New Dehli.” Living downtown is also exciting. “It’s pretty awesome. It’s so lively over here, you’ve got musicals and stuff happening all the time.” Although they were worried about fitting in, Jones has been welcoming. The sisters have joined the school Science Olympiad and Math Team. “The idea we had of how [trasnfer students] were treated was really different from the way I was actually treated,” Sonya said. “I have good friends here right now and it’s great.” Graphic by Abigail Teodori ‘19
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Adventure awaits
New class added to PE department AMARA ALEXANDAR ‘21 Sports Staff
Jones students can now be found balancing on a rope hung between two trees or braving the elements as they trek across Grant Park. Adventure I, a P.E. class for juniors and seniors, equips students with many skills needed for the great outdoors, as well as team building skills. “I felt like something was missing at Jones,” said P.E. teacher Andrew Pickett, who came up with the idea for the class. “I believe to elevate the P.E. program, it is important to increase and expand course offerings.” Adventure I is different from most P.E. classes and isn’t very common in CPS high schools due to the lack of resources. Because of its nontraditional structure and focus on alternative skills, Adventure I doesn’t include any activities typically found in high school P.E. classes, such as team sports or aquatics. Adventure I students start the course off by learning team building skills. Next, the students participate in slacklining, where they balance on a rope that is fixed above the ground. “Everything we do is as a team,” said Mia Killion ‘20. “Right now with slacklining, we have to set it up as a group. The first week, we did different types of icebreakers. We did this puzzle where everyone got their own piece.” Students will engage in a unit about orienting and geocaching, which entails locating an object using GPS coordinates. During the winter months, students will snowshoe and hike in Grant Park. In the spring, students will search for birds in nature and kayak in the Jones’ swimming pool. Students also have the option to go on longer field trips to go camping and fishing. The unique nature of Adventure 1 attracted many students who were looking for a different type of PE class. “When I learned there was going to be a class about taking adventures, I instantly knew it was for me,” Cole Burrell ‘20 said. “An adventure is when we don’t know the exact outcome. An adventure is something you go on and you’re not sure how it’s going to end. And that’s what this class is like.” Pickett hopes the students will be better equipped for outdoor activities, problem solving, and communication. “The class provides the opportunity to speak to unique student interests,” Pickett said. “It’s a course for everyone.”
Photo by Amara Alexander ‘21
BALANCING ACT Audrey Senne ‘19 and Candida Salchil ‘19 practice using the slack line in Dearborn Park.
PAGE 8 Celebration JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT OCTOBER 31, 2018
Bringing back the plaque
Jones Men’s XC kicks hard to win JV and Varsity City Championship JAKE AKS ‘19 Sports Editor The Jones men’s cross country team entered the Chicago Public League Championship on Saturday, Oct. 13 with high hopes after a successful fall season. Racing in what was undoubtedly the coldest weather the team has had to face all season, the Eagles proved to be competitive in any temperature. Freshmen, Frosh-Soph, JV, and Varsity all had at least top 5 finishes on the day, with JV and Varsity both finishing in first place. The team as a whole also won a total of 22 medals across all four levels of competition. Some noteworthy performances included Luke Benes ‘21, who finished 2nd in the Frosh-Soph 3-mile, in an extremely close finish with two runners from Lane Tech. Jere- HUFFING AND PUFFING (From left to right) Ryan DeSantis ‘20, AJ Fundator my Yakes ‘19 also placed 2nd in the ‘19, and Anthony Maida ‘20 keep pace together as they run the 3-mile race. 2-mile and helped lead the JV team Throughout the course of the race, most of the Jones past Lane Tech by two points to secure runners could be seen in a pack together, emphasizing a first place finish. The team dominated the podium Adelmann’s point. Six of the seven Varsity boys placed in with 8 of the 15 medal spots filled by Jones runners. the top 15, claiming spots as All City Runners. Jones edged Anthony Maida ‘20, AJ Fundator ‘19, and Ryan DeSanout Whitney Young by three points, which came as a major tis ‘20 all put up impressive times with a 5, 6, 7 finish to help payback from last year, after they fell to them by only two. “It feels great to get some redemption this year,” said captain AJ Fundator ‘19. “It really hurt being that close and not coming out on top. Today was awesome, but now we’re focused on the state series.” Coach Adelmann had the same attitude. “It wasn’t our best race,” he said, explaining that there still can be a lot of improvement. However, he was very happy with their performance. He is extremely confident that the team will achieve more success in the coming weeks. “This group is one of the closest we’ve ever had,” said Adelmann, in regard to team chemistry. The bond between the runners is very tight, which will play a big role in Jones’ success in the postseason. VICTORY LAP Anthony Maida ‘20 leads the team to the finish The team enjoyed an afternoon of celebraline. tion after their win, and had a strong showing at relead Jones to its first Varsity City Championship since 2014. gionals on Oct. 20. Despite a solid effort with mul“It really was a collective effort,”said coachAndrewAdel- tiple runners setting PR’s, their season came to a mann when asked if there were any standout performances. close on Oct. 27 with a 7th place finish at sectionals. Photos by Jake Aks ‘19
Empty handed
Girls volleyball falls to Lane Tech in city championship LUCAS VOGEL ‘19 Sports Staff After beating Whitney Young in the semifi- can beat [Lane Tech], it’s just a matter of do we want to.” nals of the city championship tournament, back-to-back It was also an emotional game for the seniors, championships seemed like a reality, however a two- as this was their last chance to take the city champiset loss (22-25, 21-25) to Lane Tech left the Girl’s Var- onship home in their final year at Jones. Some playsity Volleyball team with more questions than answers. ers were seen crying, while others felt differently. “We put in all of this work to beat Whitney and “I just want to punch somebody,” said Davis. then come in to The game lose to Lane in wasn’t all for two sets,” said naught, however, Bailey Davis ‘19. as Monica Ryan Howev‘20 impressed er, with state just Feeney and the around the corner, crowd with an Varsity Coach Caall around solsey Feeney remindid performance. ed the team to look “When she forward and not got in she made dwell on this game. a lot of stuff hap “We know pen,” said Feeney. how to beat Whit“She made some ney, it’s now can big plays when we figure out how we needed it.” Photo by Jake Aks ‘19 to bring it against somebody else,” TIMEOUT After falling in the first set, the girls volleyball team regroups with coach said Feeney. “We Casey Feeney.
The Fall Sports Assembly will be on Nov 7 @ 6:30 p.m. at Jones
Two under par
Brothers light up Jones golf scene JACOB DUNN ‘20 Sports Staff
Many teammates consider themselves to be family, especially when they bring home a championship. The Jones-Payton golf team really is family, led in part by Patrick Mattar ‘19 and James Mattar ‘22. The brothers worked together to help win the team their first CPS title since 2015. “We came back after a poor front nine to win against Whitney Young, which is our rival,” said team captain Patrick Mattar. This is the fourth year in a row that Jones-Payton has gone undefeated in the regular season, but Whitney won the title the past two years. “Every year, Chicago golf gets better,” said coach David Gilmer. “We’ve worked really hard this season to eke out a victory.” Practicing 6 days per week, the team was on the course for a large portion of their free time. This led to success at the regional level as well. While Jones-Payton did not qualify for the sectional final as a team after losing by one stroke at the St. Ignatius regional final, five of the top six players competed in Monday’s sectional tournament. Of those five, there are two Payton students as well as Patrick Mattar, Nate Wilson ‘20, and Charlie Kulwin ‘22. Mattar is in his senior season and is deciding where to play golf in college. However, the Mattar name will continue as his brother James has just started at Jones. “At first, I didn’t know if I wanted to play,” said James Mattar. “But as an eighth grader, I always watched Patrick through Regionals, Sectionals, and State, so I saw how the team was and I wanted to be a part of that.” James began his high school golf career quickly, earning a Varsity spot. He also plans to try out for the Jones basketball team this winter. “I really appreciated the fact that he made the decision last second that he wanted to try out this year,” said Patrick. “The greatest thing about all of this is that James and I have never played a competitive sport together on the same team. That we were actually able to play Varsity together and feed off each other, I thought that was one of the greatest things.” The brothers both played basketball and baseball, but they were always on different teams because of the age difference. “It’s fun to have seen James kind of grow up around the team, because his brother is on the team,” said Gilmer. Patrick stayed on the Varsity roster the entire time, while James struggled at the beginning but earned a starting spot by the time the CPS final came. The Jones-Payton team’s season came to a close on Monday, Oct. 8 as they did not advance any of their players to the state final. However, the team is mostly juniors, sophomores, and freshmen, so they will be returning next year with promising hopes to defend their city title.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Mattar ‘19 HOLE IN ONE Patrick Mattar ‘19 nails a drive down the fairway. Mattar usually drives around 300 yards.