Academy Magazine - May 2007

Morgan Park Academy Magazine May 2007

Chicago, Illinois 60643

Morgan Park Academy: A History (Volume I) The Academy on the Hill (From Samuel Sheldon Norton to William Rainey Harper and the University o/Chicago, 1873-1907)

One a/the last photographs of Park Hall, before it burned to the ground in 1895. by

Barry Kritzberg

Morgan Park Academy Magazine Chi cago, Illino is 60643

STORIES

May 2007

PAGE

Just another day ............................................................... 1

About the cover:

Morgan Pa rk Acade m y Maga zine

ISL softball champions ..................................................... 2

The magazine cover approximately repli· cates the front cover which will appear on the book, Morgan Park Academy: A History (Volume I, 1873-1907).

See Page 31 for a "sneak preview" of the book and order your copy on the form on page 43.

Morgan Park Academy: A History (Volume I) n.~ !lcadem .. "" 1/,1/

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Sasha Jones: Setting goals .............................................. 3 2006 ISL coaches of the year .......................................... 4 2006 ISL players of the year ............................................ 5 Defining moments •••••••.••.•.•••.••••••.••.•.••.••..•.••.••••••••••••••••••• 6 They did work harder ........................................................ 7 Amy Kaspar. Sweet seasons ............................................ 8 Unity brings rewards ........................................................ 9 Alex Ingram: A special soccer season ........................... 10 Historical considerations •••••••••••••••••.•••••.••.••.•.•.••.•.••••.•.• 11 Tennis triumphs too ....................................................... 12 Watching ballet and writing about it .............................. 13

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Kids ask the darnedest things ....................................... 18 Barry Kritzberg: Dia de los muertos .............................. 19 Heather Kurut: Teaching yoga to teens at MPA ••.•••••••••• 20 Alex Fruchter. Teaching for America .............................. 22 Lauren Raab: Teacher exchange .................................... 23 Poonam Merai: Another addiction affliction •••.••.•.••.•.•.• 24 Erin Vaughn: A part of history ........................................ 25 100 years ago: A stunning announcement •.••.•••.•.••.•.••••• 25 Christine Linnerud (1983-2006): a memorial tribute .•••• 26 Jazmine Williams: A visit from Israeli students •••.•.•.••.• 28 Shawn Kothari: Common ground .................................... 29 Alexa Razma: The lessons .............................................. 30 Norton's Apologia .••.•••.•••.•.••.••••••••••••.••.•••.••.•.•••.••.•.••••.•.• 31 Western Avenue cow pastures ....................................... 33 Frank M. Bronson: the students' view ........................... 33 Arthur W. Leonard ........................................................... 33 How deep is that well? ................................................... 34 The hand grenade solution ............................................. 35 Barry Kritzberg: The same size hat, the same size shoes ....................................................... 36 Harper: an unaffected love for teaching •••••••.•.•..•.•..••••• 37 Women's work ................................................................ 38 The best joke of the year ............................................... 39 The marvels of the x-ray ................................................ 40 The American Chatterton ............................................... 40 Book promo •.•••••••.••••••.••••••.•••.•••.•••••••••••••..•.••••••.••.••••.•.• 41 Book back cover ............................................................. 42 Order form ••••••••••.••••.•••.••••.•••.••••••••••••.•••.••.••.••.•••.••••.•.•.•. 43 Hall of Fame ••.•••••••••••••.•••••.•••.•••.••..•••••••••••••••••.•••.•.••.•.•.•. 47 Taps •••••.•••.•••.•••.•.••••••••••.••••.•••.•••.••.•••••••••••••••••.•••.••••.•.•.••• 48 Class Notes •••.•••••••••••••..••.•.•••.•••.•••••••••••••••.•••••••••••.•.••.•.•. 49 Salute to Excellence ...................................................... 55

Contributors: Sasha Jones (Setting goals) is an MPA sophomore.

Amy Kaspar (Sweet seasons) is a senior.

Alex Ingram (A special soccer season) is a senior.

Barry Kritzberg (Dia de los muertos and The same size hat, the same size shoes) is the editor of Morgan Park Academy Magazine.

Heather Kurut (Teaching yoga to teens at MPA) also teaches drama.

Alex Fruchter [2000](Teaching for America) teaches and is active in hip-hop sceene in a variety of ways.

Lauren Raab (Teacher exchange) is a senior.

Poonam Merai [2003] (Another addiction affliction) is in medical school at University of Illinois-Chicago.

Erin Vaughn [2004] (A part of history) is an undergraduate at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.

Jazmine Williams (A visit from Israeli students) is a freshman.

Shawn Kothari (Common ground) is a senior.

Alexa Razma (The lessons) is a junior.

Photo credits: Morgan Park Academy Archives: front cover, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,10,11,12,20,24,28,29,30,35,37 Alexa Razma: 1, 9, 19, 26 Russell Ingram: 13, 14, 18 Barry Kritzberg: 28 Michael Wojtyla: 34 Elderite Association, Inc.: 36 Editorial Staff: Editor: Barry Kritzberg Alumni pages: Lisa Kirk Bourke Alumni assistant: Katherine Vandiver Proof readers: J. William Adams, Carol Coston, Robert Eichinger, Karen O'Neill, Lisa Bourke, Paulette Boyd, Katherine Vandiver, Sandy Williams Technical consultant: Michael Wojtyla Design consultant: Lisa Speckhart, Captiva Designs ( captivadesigns@sbcglobal.net) Letters and other editorial matter should be addressed to: Barry Kritzberg Morgan Park Academy 2153 W. lllth Street Chicago, IL 60643 bkritzberg@morganparkacademy.org Alumni matters should be directed to: Lisa Kirk Bourke Morgan Park Academy 2153 W. lllth Street Chicago, IL 60643 Ibourke@morganparkacademy.org

Z006 J liSt another day It was just another day at MPA. The boys' soccer team was playing at home against North

Shore and the girls' volleyball team was in our temporary "home" at the Palos Courts.

And, by the time the day - October 10, 2006 - ended, somewhere around 7 p.m., MPA had clinched two ISL championships - the first ever in soccer and the second straight in volleyball.

Just another day?

Oh, not quite, not by a long shot.

Q

I

2006 ISL champions: I

Softball 17-3-0 Baseball 18-2-0 Volleyball * 16-4-0 Soccer** 18-4-3 (*regional champions) (**sectional champions; fourth in IHSA)

MPAfans at the IHSA state soccer tournament.

- 1-

Z006 ISL softball champions: winning by thinking After a 4-0 loss to Tinley Park in a non-conference game, the girls' softball team won 14 consecutive games, most by lopsided margins (17-4, 20-1, 24-0), on its way to the 2006 ISL championship.

The team was beaten by Peotone 9-1, however, in the first round of the regional tournament (in a game that had been postponed by rain three times), ending the season with a very impressive 17-3 record.

Amy Pruim , a freshman (who had a superlative record as pitcher, hitter and fielder in the middle school), led the way on the mound with one outstanding game after another. She was, at the conclusion of the season, chosen as the lSL player of the year.

"Amy was a softball coach 's dream ," said coach Lynda Pariso. "She pitched, caught, and played first and, although she was young, she had that intuitive sense of the game which is almost impossible to teach ."

There were also three seniors Kristen Javorski (who played first base and spelled Amy occasional ly as a pitcher), Jackie Miller (who, even from her right field post, was a genuine leader), and the ever-reliable Nikki Stange at third base - who had much to do with the Lynda Pariso team's success.

The first league game, a 5-2 win over perennial ISL contender Woodlands, built the mental confidence that is such a key element in victory.

"I continually stress that, once on the field, players have to think for themselves. The game is 95 per cent mental and situations on the fie ld develop too rapidly to be controlled from the bench. A player has to know what to do and a lot of that instinctual part of the game can't really be taught."

The only conference loss came in May, at the hands of Willows, whom MPA had beaten 11-1 earlier in the season.

The rematch was a strange game, Pari so said. Amy Pruim had a rough start, and walked several batters in the early innings. She settled down, however, and the game went into extra innings. Willows advanced a runner to third . The next batter topped the ball and, at first didn't run.

"Amy checked the runner on third and ran the ball to first," Pariso continued. "As she did so, the runner on third broke for home and beat the throw and so we lost 6-5."

MPA had to win its final game, at Latin, to earn the ISL title outright. It did not, at first, seem to be a day when things would go right. The team arrived at Lincoln Park, only to discover that the game had been switched further north, to Waveland Park.

The team had a hurried warm-up, but the field they were playing on was beset by distractions: dogs, cyclists, joggers, frisbees - and it was cold and windy.

Once the game started, however, it was a different story.

MPA sent 12 batters to the plate in the first inning and built an imposing lead. Late in the game, as Pariso substituted freely, there was a catch that brought players and fans to their feet.

A towering drive was hit in the direction of freshman Maya Powe in right field.

She moved this way and that - "it was like slow motion ," Pari so said - and finally settled in for the catch as her teammates cheered wildly.

It was the exclamation point to a 16-0 win and the ISL championship.

Q

Stopped at 32 "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May," Shakespeare observed, and he might have added that the rough winds of May were not so easy on the middle school girls ' softball season either.

Four of the eight scheduled games were cancelled because of rough weather and, worse yet, the girls' glorious winning streak came to an end at 32, with a 5-1 loss to Elgin.

The abbreviated season left MPA with a 3-1 record for 2006.

The future of the Trebes Park League is uncertain, furthermore , for four teams (St. Clement, St. Margaret Mary, Sacred Heart and Francis Parker) have elected to field teams in recreational slow pitch softball.

-2-

Z006 Setting goals by Sasha Jones Our main goal was to win the ISL, but we also wanted to go further than that. We wanted to be able to win games outside of conference, against bigger schools. Quite a few of our games were against public schoo ls, as well as some nearby Catholic schools, that were much larger than MPA. For the most part, these teams imposed no threat to us as we defeated them as well.

We were a very young team; we had three seniors and no juniors, but held our own with strong pitching and a solid defense. Kristen Javorski and Amy Pruim led the team with pitching, Jessica Sneed and Crishonne Givens, two other starting freshmen, anchored the defense in the outfield as Amber Sipich and Niki Stange covered in the infield.

We went 11-1 in conference and, for the first time in a while, the MPA girls' varsity softba ll team won the Independent School League. After this achievement, the team started Regionals. Unfortunately, we did not stay in the running very long and were knocked out by Peotone.

MPA ended its season 17-3, a fairly commendable record and had five ISL all-conference players and Amy received ISL Player of the Year.

One of the obvious reasons for our success last year was Amy's stunning pitching. I have played with Amy since the sixth grade and she is really an amazing allaround player. When we were in middle school, it was not uncommon to see Amy throw a no-hitter or perfect game. She was well-known in the ISL as the pitcher who was nearly impossible to hit.

We were a very close team last year and a lot of it was rooted in the fact that almost all of us had been playing together for a number of years . The 2007 season will be a hard one to play without Amy on the mound, but we also lost two other students, Crishonne Givens and Jessica Sneed, who transferred.

But there are many talented freshmen joining Top: Coach Pariso, Rawan Abbasi, Amy Pruim, Jessica Sneed, Anna Fitzgerald, Sabine Chishty. the returning players and hope springs eternal.

Middle: Nih Stange, Crishonne Givens, Maya Powe, Kristen Javorski, Katie Mekarski.

Q Front: Amy Sipich, Nehal Parikh, Jackie Miller, Sasha Jones.

It was the bottom of the sixth inning when I came up to bat for the second time. This was the first softball game of my freshmen year season (2006) and we were playing Morgan Park High School.

The seniors had told us that we had been slaughtered by MPHS last year and hadn't even come close to winning a game against them in the previous years.

At that point in the game, we were down by a couple runs, 4-2. Jackie Miller, one of our senior outfielders and Katie Mekarski , our catcher, were on second and third base with two outs.

I had never been so nervous stepping up to the plate on our home field. The middle school years were a breeze, as we were undefeated for three years and went 33-0. There was no need to be uneasy then.

A few pitches came by, and finally I swung, sending the ball to right-center field and bringing in the two tying runs. It took us six innings, but we finally started our comeback. The rally continued and we ended up winning the game, 10-4.

After this first game, everyone had high hopes for the season. About a month before on the first day of practice, Coach Pariso sat us down and asked the team what we wanted to achieve for the season.

-3-

2006 ISL coaches of the year:

Tom Drahozal [baseball]

DalynDrown [baseball]

Erin Johnson [golf] His team didn't win the ISL and it didn't have a particularly impressive record, but Coach Erin Johnson, nonetheless, was voted the 2006 1SL golf coach of the year. It was league recognitionfor the way he has expanded and developed the MPA golf program over the last several years.

-4-

2006 ISL players of the year:

Joel VanderWeele [baseball]

AmyPruim [softball]

Milan Tica [2006 Chicago Tribune all state soccer defender]

Sarah LeRose [volleyball]

Elias Litos [soccer] -5-

Z006 Defining moments MPA was 17-7 in 2005 (third in the ISL), but in 2006 the veteran boys' baseball team had all of the ingredients for success : solid hitting, a steady defense, and a deep pitching staff, strong in both starters and relievers ..

after three innings and went on to win 15-0. We knew then we could win the [SL, as long as we didn't beat ourselves."

"The other key moment," coach Dalyn Drown , added, "was the rematch against Latin. We needed a victory in that game to win the ISL title outright. We were up 4-3 and Matt Wiegel (who had the green light to steal on his own) was on second and Tom Pruim was at bat. Matt got a great jump on the pitcher and broke for third. Tom hit a slow chopper and - it was do or die - I waved Matt home. Matt was with it all the way and, when he scored, there was no doubt that the heart went out of Latin. That moment clinched the game and the ISL championship."

Q

Top: Coach Drown, Mike Jucewicz, Tom Pruim, Joel VanderWeele, Alex Ingram, Doug Nolan, Coach Drahozal. Middle: Brian Szkarlat, Ed Wimp, Bobby Churchill, Crane D 'Louhy, Jon Hansen, Jordan Hill, Jesse Bakker, Aaron Fuller. Bottom: Kyle Eannan, Nolan Bielinski, Chase D'Louhy, Matt Wiegel, Kevin Fleming, Henry Murphy.

The result was as good as the promise: an 18-2 record, first ISL baseball championship since 1993 , and second place in regional competition (losing 7-0 to Beecher in the championship game).

The team batting was average was a lofty .422, with four players (Ed Wimp [.631], Tom Pruim [.530], Matt Wiegel [.519], and Alex Ingram [.5 16] hitting over .500 for the season.

The pitching was equally spectacular, with a team earned-run average of2.67.

"Joel VanderWeele was the captain, our take-charge person," said coach Tom Drahozal, "and Crane D ' Lhouy was our quiet leader. Everyone was on board for attaining our goal of winning the ISL championship."

"We began to get a sense of good things to come early in the season when we beat Tinley Park 7-2," Drahozal said. "We had lost to them several years in a row. The defining moment of the season, however, was our first game against Latin, the ISL champions in 2005 . We were up against their number one pitcher, who had beaten us twice last year. We were up 12-0

lOa years ago: 1907 basketball champions.

-6-

Z006 They did war k harder

Top: Asst. coach Tom Daker, manager Neha Ali, Liana Akkawi, Sarah LeRose, Rachel Borden, asst. coach Penney Lizardi, coach Laura Ingram. Middle: Manager Lindsay Jones, Amy Kaspar, Gilly Dryjanski, Anna Rose Fitzgerald, Claire Gradle, Jenn LeRose. Bottom: Alyssa Bartolini, Jessica Szkarlat, Maggie Kealy, Christina Kelly. semi-final. We were not effective in defending against serves."

There were momentary lapses in confidence, too, most often associated with the presence or absence (SAT exams, injuries) of the captains.

The single best day for the team, in Ingram 's view, was during the Westminster tournament.

"We were soundly beaten in the first morning game, won handily against a weaker opponent, and then defeated a tougher team in the third," she said. "Our fourth game - which everyone agreed was the best match of tournament - was an overtime loss in the tournament championship final.

The most memorable game, however, was in an away match at Lake Forest. The game was tight all the way and LFA seemed to be making a comeback.

"We held them off," Ingram explained, "and it was incredible. There were thirty-something volleys before LFA hit it out and they simply collapsed. The psychology of not winning that point was obvious. The game wasn't over, but LFA wasn't there.

Volleyball had gone out of their heads and we easi ly took the next three points for a 26-24 win."

The team, in addition to winning the ISL, captured the regional title.

The question being asked around the ISL was whether MPA would be a contender without Tania Ismail , the phenomenal volleyball player (an exchange student from Bolivia) and 2005 ISL player of the year.

Coach Laura Ingram had a ready answer: "we expected to take the conference, but we knew we would have to work harder. Tania (who, back home, is now a member of the Bolivian Junior Olympic team) was an exceptional player, but our team wasn't built around her. We had key players, setter Amy Kaspar and middle Sarah LeRose (our captains, by the way), back for 2006."

LeRose was a dominating presence and the easy choice for the 2006 ISL volleyball player of the year. Coach Ingram did not want to underestimate the contributions of Amy Kaspar, however.

"Amy set the ball all around the court," Ingram said, "and was a model of what a true setter should be."

Sarah and Amy joined Jennifer LeRose on the all-conference team.

The volleyball team did work harder, apparently, for the girls did win the ISL and posted a 16-4 record (exclusive of tournaments).

"Our defense was our weakest component," Ingram said, "and it was what eventually spelled our defeat in the sectional

Q

-7-

Z006 Sweet seasons by Amy Kaspar gave us confidence against teams that I had never dreamed of defeating. We packed the gym in our return match at U-High, bringing a busload of students to their court and, in a very competitive game, we came out on top. That match secured our status as deserving champions of the Independent School League, the first time MPA had seen an ISL volleyball banner in 30 years. We found ourselves in the playoffs later that season, eventua lly winning our regional championsh ip against Latin, our sectional championship against Beecher, and advancing to the super sectional match , where we came very close to competing in the state tournament. Our final team record was 30-2, the first loss being that first match, at home, against UHigh.

Senior year was as just as exciting as the year before. Sarah and J were privileged to be 2006 co-captains. We began with a little nostalgia for last season's memories and the graduated seniors, but we made sure that no one underestimated our team 's abilities to continue our success. The liveliness of the new freshmen and the experience of the veteran players created an unbeatable team of ski ll and passion for the game that we all love . We once again grabbed first place in the ISL, won the regional title, and finished with an overall record of 16-4.

I'll never forget. .. the bus rides, the satisfaction of seniority, the bandaged fingers, the endless amount of food at tournaments, five different flavors of Propel , mug shots for Mrs. Gradle, running laps for missed serves, running the mile, running sprints, Saturday tow路naments, torn muscles, Jiggalo, Rachel's dance moves, techno warm-up music, homecoming, our last memories of the old gym, practices and games at the borrowed gym, cupcakes, stretched out socks, having the wrong knee pads, Sarah's power hits, chewy granola bars, holding our plaque, playing our last game, and knowing that a four year career has come to an end.

Each loss was a lesson and every victory a celebration.

Although winning seasons were our aspiration, the relationships are the most memorable.

As a quiet little freshman, I made my way into Morgan Park Academy's gym with butterflies in my stomach.

I knew only one other volleyball player who would be at tryouts with me and the fear of high school along with my uncertainties about varsity sports made my morning an intimidating adventure.

T came to MPA with a slight Amy Kaspar advantage over other new kids because of my two older brothers. Their high school careers were short, but did not go unnoticed and I was proud to be known as their little sister. Their skill on the soccer field and the basketball court gave coaches a heads-up about me, but volleyball was a whole different situation. I had to prove my talent on the court.

The first day of preseason that year was the beginning of an experience r never dreamt would be so satisfying.

My first year on the team I chose to play N because, not only did the senior girls terrify me, but T wanted to build friendships with the girls in my class. The foundation of relationships I made through volleyball carried me through the rest of my freshman year, making me feel more comfortable and accepted in MPA's close-knit community.

Dale Ralston coached the varsity team my first year, while Laura Ingram served as his assistant. Coach Markel was the JV team's favorite, pumping us up with pre-game inspirational stories that got rid of our jitters and pushed out all our nervous laughter before games. As long as we played feeling positive about each other, winning or losing was never a big deal.

Sophomore year Coach Ralston was gone and Coach Ingram replaced him as head coach. We had an average record that season, stayed positive, but struggled with tensions that arose between players and the coach. Practices sometimes dragged because our attitudes weren't always very healthy, but coach encouraged us to be completely honest with her, trying desperately to make every day of volleyball enjoyable for us.

My role as a varsity setter prepared me to be a leader, but I never felt comfortable taking charge until r moved up to be an upperclassman .

Then junior year rolled around and the magic began. We 'd heard an exchange student from Bolivia was coming to play volleyball at MPA, but we never imagined how ta lented Tania Ismael would be. Sarah LeRose transferred to MPA the same year and Lauren Rodriguez made the decision to join our team for her last year as a senior. Our team turned out to be almost invincible.

We had the skill, the motivation, the optimism, and the group dynamic of a team that never settled for anything less than our greatest potential. The fresh attitudes of newer players

Q

Coach Laura Ingram

-8-

Z006 Unity brings rewards the state tournament, but lost in the Class A semi-final 3-1 to The boys ' soccer team opened the 2006 campaign in Waterloo (Gibault).

August with a 3-0 win over Tinley Park in the Reavis tournaMPA had one more game to play, for third place in the ment and, on the next day, lost 4-3 to Reavis and 5-0 to Joliet. state, and lost to Rochester 3-2.

All three opponents, it should be noted, had enrollments The season ended, then , with an 18-4-3 record and the between 1100 and 2500 students. highest finish ever in the state tournament by an MPA soccer Two of the first four ISL games ended in ties (University team .

High , 0-0 and North Shore Country Day, 2-2), but MPA came Coach Dalyn Drown (who was assisted by Academy parent back later in the season to defeat U High 2-1 and North Shore Joe Corbett), looking back on the season, said "our minimum 2-0.

The soccer team won the ISL championship for the first expectation was to get back to the state tournament, but the time in school history, finishing the conference season with a hardest thing for this team to overcome was complacency. We 10-0-2 record. defeated some teams quite easily and we walked through the Elias Litos, ISL player ofthe year, scored 21 goals and sectional games (winning all three games, outscoring opponents, 18-1). My established a new career goal was to humble them mark of 92, eclipsing the occasionally as a record set last way to prepare year by John our players to Davenport. He beat the team was also voted that has no other to the allobjective but to conference knock us off. It team, along was getting with Petar them to face-up Radujkovich to the mental and Milan aspect of the Tica (who was game, not going also chosen, half-speed, by the never letting Chicago up."

Tribune, for There was a the all-state moment, after tea m) . Three beating Latin 5players oto win the ISL Robert outright, that Churchill, Drown defines Alex Ingram, as the pivotal Students sent the soccer team to the state tournament with cheers and signs of encouragement. and point of the Eppokrates Litos - won second team all-conference honors. season. It was not on the field, however, but in a team meeting.

The sectional tournament, beginning in October, opened "it was a real head-banging session, with a lot of heart-towith a 9-0 win over Quigley. The next two games were against heart," Drown said, "when the players came to understand that ISL rivals that MPA would be facing for the third time. good teams win because no individual player is bigger than the MPA triumphed over North Shore 5-1 in the sectional team. It was that aspect of unity that allowed us to advance to semi-final on our home field. A 4-0 win over Latin earned the fourth in the state." sectional title for MPA. The team won one game (4-0 over Warrensburg-Latham) in

-9-

Z006 A special soccer season: a presence not to be underestimated by Alex Ingram make a new name for Morgan Park Academy's soccer program and to show everyone in the entire state that the tiny private school from the south side is not a presence to be underestimated by anyone.

Throughout the season, our team was faced with adversity and many trials that, had we not had the strong core unit that we did, could have torn our team apart. The fact that the sen iors Shawn and Sorabh Kothari, Ferri s Odeh, Sam Bakker, Alex Koht, and captains, Bobby Churchill and Eli as Litos - were such able players and leaders kept the team together and we were able to accompli sh so much in the face of conflict and doubt.

Sophomore M il an Tica was always ready to encourage everyone and lead by example, always playing his hardest,

Even before fall 2006 training, we all knew this was going to be a specia l soccer season. After last year's trip to the state tournament, we all had tasted glory but now, knowing what it was like to play in front of hundreds of people, we wanted more.

The entire team worked hard and practiced like champions everyday. We all wanted to do our best and outperAlex Ingram form every other team, not because of what others expected us to do, but what we, as a team , wanted to accomplish. The possibility existed that we could do something that no one in ISL history has ever done . Our goal was to

Top: Joe Corbett, Alex Koht, Yazin Akkawi, Ferris Odeh, Milan Tica, Mitchell Owens.

Middle: Elias Litos, Nolan Bielinski, Jesse Bakker, Brian Szkarlat, Robert Churchill, Jeff Wolfe, Shawn Kothari.

Bottom: Max Nichols, Petar Radujkovich, Matt Wiegel, Sorabh Kotahri, Kevin Fleming, Eppokrates Litos, Alex Ingram.

- 10 -

Z006 one hundred and eleven teams in I-A competition is not a feat to be laughed at.

We all had a great time and, even though we accomplished so much, we wish we could do it all over again.

The past four years have impacted my life greatly and I would not trade any of my experiences for the world. My teammates made the seasons so incredible and without them, Morgan Park Academy varsity soccer would not be nearly as good as it is. I would I ike to thank all of the players and parents for an amazing soccer season and I wish the best of luck to those who are still on the team.

much to the other team's chagrin. There were three or four times this year when Milan would take the ball from our eighteen-yard box all the way to the other side and score.

Churchill and Litos were exemplary captains from start to finish and, without their leadership, we could not have accomplished all we did . Bobby's precision corner kicks helped us outscore our opponents almost every game, while Elias was always there to dribble past the entire defense before putting the ball in the upper part of the net. He made it look so easy.

Even when Shawn and Sorabh Kothari were not in the game, their presence was felt as some of the greatest teammates and friends I have ever had. Ferris Odeh became one my closest friends during this past season and his influence on the team always provided levity, even in the most tense meetings or arguments. Shawn, Sorabh and Ferris made practice and bus rides almost as enjoyable as the games themselves .

Finally, there were my defenders Sam Bakker and Alex Koht. These two guys made this season as amazing as it was.

Without their ability and constant devotion to the team, we would not have been able to get as far in state as we did. They may not have the talent of Milan, but I wou ld not trade their hustle and determination for all the talent in the conference.

Even when both were tired and could barely stand anymore, they would run down even the fastest players and stop them before they could get a shot off. They were completely selfsacrificing and I cannot imagine how many days the two went home bruised and bleeding. Everyone on the team owes these two guys a dinner.

About three-quarters into the season, 1 was also made a captain. It was an honor to be chosen as one of the leaders of this team because every single one of the aforementioned players could have filled the spot just as well. My only regret is not being there last year (I was badly injured in a game against Elgin and was forced to sit out the rest of the season with a level-three concussion and broken bones in my eye orbit and nose) and, although Brian Szkarlat played like a true champion, it still would have been nice to compete in state twice.

As the goal keeper, I had a view of the season that was unique. I saw the team coalesce and turn from a group of guys playing for themselves to a team that would have done anything for each other. We were all incredibly close and became so tight-knit that nothing could break us apart. From my senior friends to the two freshmen that turned out to be cooler than anyone could have expected, this past season was truly a unique experience. Being given a second chance to play in state was a great feeling and I know that I left everything I had out on the field, just as did everyone else on the team.

Overall, the team finished the season with a record of 18-43. We went undefeated to win the Independent School League title. We outscored our opponents 18-1 , defeating Latin 4-0 in the title game, for the sectional crown. We won our first roundgame in the state tournament, but lost the three subsequent games. Even though we did not win state, placing fourth out of

Q

"Historical considerations"

The youngster, perhaps a second grader, was looking at a homecoming exhibit. He paused in front of a photograph of MPMA cadets in Jones Bowl. It was clear that he recognized the building in the background and so he asked the logical questions: "Did MPA have an army?"

- 11 -

Z006 Tennis triumphs too The tennis team, following the lead of the soccer and volleyball teams, became the third MPA team to capture a sectional title in 2005-2006. The team won the Eisenhower sectional on May 20, 2006. Its total of 21 points was the highest mark in sectional play in the last five years. MPA conquered some formidable opponents - Morgan Park High School, Eisenhower, Richards, Marist, and Brother Rice to win the sectional crown.

"This was the first tennis title for boys in the 17 years I've been coaching at MPA," said Carol Metzcus.

It was also the first MPA boys '

tennis sectional title ever.

Jack Slaughter [2007] defeated Tim Mulry of Brother Rice 6-2 , 6-4 to win the singles sectional title for MPA. Points in the sectional tournament were also garnered by Scott Bray, Robert Erzen, Alex Koht and John Davenport in doubles and by Elliott Kreisel in singles.

Q

Coach Carol Metzcus

Jack Slaughter

Top: Coach Metzcus, D. Pruim, Robert Erzen, Jack Slaughter, Coach Paum.

Middle:Alex Koht, Scott Bray, Chris Brewin, John Davenport Bottom: Justin Foote, Elliott Kreisl, Eddie Nyongani.

- 12 -

Z006 Watching ballet and writing about it "I enjoyed how the girl kept spinning really fast, and didn 't get a blister," wrote one second grade girl after the Minnesota Ballet's lecture / demonstration , presented at the Academy on September 28, 2006.

Students in the

Many liked the action: "I loved how you spin, but it almost made me dizzy."

- Mia Taylor "My favorite part was the men spinning really fast."

- Nathan LaBranche "I liked when you jumped because I love to jump. When you spun around, I couldn't even count how many times you spun."

- Garrett Lum Some found humor where they didn't expect it: "1 liked when you were answering questions because it was funny."

- Johnny Cummings

classes of Donna Kosinski (first grade), Kathleen Keelan and Elizabeth Raser (second grade) were very keen observers.

Here are some of their comments:

The best moment, for others, was the opportunity to go on the stage with the dancers:

First graders: "The director taught me how to jump up in the air and twirl around. Next he

"My favorite was when the men threw the ladies up. It was so cool. I also liked the ballet barres."

- Mariano Sari " It was really fun . 1 enjoyed it. It was nice of you for coming to Morgan Park."

- GraceLum

Some singled out specific moments:

Suzanne Kritzberg Second graders: taught me beautiful hand motions and I enjoyed all the dances."

- Berat Gulecyuz

"1 enjoyed watching the pony gallop. 1 take French so 1 know what cheval meant."

- Aariel Batchelor "1 liked the swan because her tutu was beautiful and I cried when she died. You made MPA so happy. Come back soon."

- Ayana Byrd

"1 liked when 1 got on stage. It was really fun when 1 was up on your shoulder. I liked the

"1 like how the swan really looked like it was dying. PS. Traylor was crying. It looked like real life."

- Libby Wallenstein

- 13 -

Z006 swan and it was sad when it died. She wore a beautiful costume."

- A ine Lynch-Shaw Some obviously had some ballet experience: "I really liked the ballet because it inspired me that I can do amazing things. I really liked all the vivid color for the costumes."

- Jaszmine Simmons "I really enjoyed your plies and chasses too. I thought they were beautiful."

- Taylor Thompson And some sounded like dance reviewers: "The ballet was terrific stupendous and splendid. I watched it with joy."

- Evans Vallas "The ballet was cool. Encore, encore, encore."

- Brennan Hardin-Harris

Amanda Abrahamson and Kevin Balinger.

The students' letters were forwarded to the Minnesota Ballet, where they were read before class.

Q

Robert Gardner (right foreground) teaches MPA students some standard ballet positions.

- 14 -

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- 92

Z006 Kids ask the darnedest things It was an easy crowd. Those kids were ready and anyone in the audience could see that the Minnesota Ballet company, up on the stage, was surprised at how much these young MPA students (grades pre-K to 5) knew about ballet.

The kids were enthusiastic, oohing and aahing over the costumes, the spins, the leaps, which the dancers demonstrated with such seeming ease.

And when it was over, the kids had questions, some of the darnedest questions .

One asked: "Do you ever get really tired?"

"Yes, of course," said Robert Gardner, the company's artistic director, "but we are athletes, we have to build up our stamina, and eat right."

Another wanted to know if the dancers always sweated so much. "It's hot under those lights," Robert said, "and we are working very hard on stage."

The kids wanted to also know how the dancers "flew up and down" and "how did they spin?"

"They learn to ' fly up and down,'" Robert said, "by working very hard in rehearsal and class, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

and sometimes even to 10 or 11 p.m. The dancers learn to spin by balance and spotting, and practice, practice, practice."

A girl who said she "liked the dresses" wanted to know where the costumes came from and she was told that a costume designer made them all especially for the company.

A boy wanted to know how long they had each been dancing and most (except for two apprentices) had been dancing at least ten years and, in some cases, as many as twenty-five.

Several wished to know who was the oldest and Gardner, evasive at first, said the question wasn't very polite. But then, with a smile, he conceded that he was the oldest one on stage.

Another question , addressed to the company, was "why did you start dancing?"

The answers varied from "I couldn't sit still in class" to "my mom made me" to "I was jealous of my friend who danced" to "a little girl tricked me into it."

Gardner also added that dance was "a great way to express one's self."

Another wondered if the members of the company ever got into fights .

"We are I ike a family," Robert said, "and of course we have our disagreements, but, like family, we try to get over it.

We remember that we are professionals and that our primary goal is to present an art form - ballet - to audiences."

And then, of course, someone wanted to know how much the dancers were paid.

"We have a passion for what we do," Robert replied, "and we love it, but just like teachers we are not paid enough."

Q

The Minnesota Ballet sits down to answer some questions from the audience.

- 18 -

Z006 Dia de los muertos.

Martin Wolf (1922 - 1990) remembered by Barry Kritzberg Martin Wolf was everyone's "favorite uncle." He was universally loved by the administration, faculty, staff, and students - perhaps because he accepted and loved everyone without hesitation .

For MPA's dia de los muertos (day of the dead) celebration in 2006, Penney Lizardi's Spanish classes worked with Meg Simmerling's art classes to create an altar in honor of Martin Wolf.

"The purpose of an altar for the dia de los muertos," Lizardi explained, " is to celebrate and remember someone who has died. The altar displays objects, food, and music that the person would have liked, as if he had been at a party or celebration of sorts."

Students, in 2005 , created an altar in honor of civil rights advocate Rosa Parks, but this year Lizardi thought students should honor someone from the community and Martin Wolf was the choice.

Wolf taught history and politica l science at MPA from 1974 to 1990, but prior to that he was the principal of the Glenwood School for Boys from 1947 to 1974.

He had an endearing (sometimes imp ish) smile and an engaging, quiet wit, which was sometimes subtly ironic.

Carrie Misu10nas, who knew Martin as a student and colleague, recalled that if he were displeased, he would "stare at yo u over the top of his glasses and say, ' hmmm.'"

He was warm and encouraging as a teacher and had a way of bringing out the best in every student. He was, as Claire Concannon recalled, "old school, a great lecturer on history and, if one were not paying attention, he would whack the desk with his pointer."

Martin was, among many other things, advisor to the KeyClub (a service organization), and record numbers of students joined when he was heading it. One of the more memorable Key-Club events was the annua l peanut day, where high school students by the dozens rose at three or four in the morning to stand on (often chilly and wet) corners to sell peanuts for charity.

He was famous for his devotion to the school and he showed that in a variety of ways. He attended, for example, virtually every high school p lay, concert, art exhibit, and athletic contest. He went beyond that, too, and he was equally famous for writing notes of congratulation to anyone connected with MPA who did anything noteworthy. He welcomed every new faculty member by taking him or her to dinner. There was a catch, however, as Tom Malcolm recalled.

"You drive," Martin would say, :'and I pay."

Peggy Scolan, as a young faculty member, remembers his

"old world charm. I always felt like a lady around him and he was a real gentleman."

Martin Wolf was, in the hearts and minds of all who knew him, a delightful man, "Mr. MPA." Q

A portion of the 2006 dia de los muertos exhibit, remembering Martin Wolf

- 19 -

Z006 Teaching Yoga to teens at Morgan Park Academy by Heather Kurut The more I experimented with yoga, the more the students wanted. The school counselor arranged for me to do a brief yoga workshop with the fifth grade as part of a unit on stress reduction. Students who were working with me on theatrical productions started requesting yoga at rehearsals; we began meeting for half an hour twice a week to practice yoga before rehearsal began.

In the fall of2005 , I started meeting with a few middle school girls during their study hall period to practice restorative poses. In January 2006, Morgan Park Academy began offering an evening yoga class to teens through the "Open Doors" program.

Yoga is also an elective course for middle school students.

In my work with teens, both in drama classes and in yoga practice, here is what I've learned: The teen paradox: • They are full of energy, yet lazy.

• They are full of great ideas, yet afraid to share them.

• They fiercely love their friends, yet reject the people they used to be most demonstrative with - often their parents.

• They want to fit in, yet they want to express their own uniqueness. (One of my former students had a t-shirt that read "I'm unique ...just like everybody else.")

• They are marvelously complex, yet surprisingly simple.

• Their highs are extremely high, and their lows are extremely low; they can go from the best day ever to the worst in record time.

• Their energy patterns are extreme, too. They go from exhausted and barely able to move to hyper overdrive, in about three seconds.

Heather Kurut I called my mother halfway through my sophomore year in college to tell her I wanted to change my major. I was on a secondary education track, but adamantly insisted that I never wanted to teach high school. I did not wish to spend my life surrounded by teenagers. I changed majors to drama, then went on to earn master's degrees in theater history and acting - all with the noble idea of becoming a college professor.

As fate would have it, I am not a college professor; I am a middle school and high school teacher, surrounded by teenagers.

I teach teenagers all day long, sixth through twelfth grade.

As a drama teacher and theater director, I sometimes spend up to 60 hours a week with them. I know there are people who questioned my sanity when I, in zaddition, started teaching yoga to teens in the evenings.

It now seems that I am eager to surround myself with the teenagers I once wanted to avoid.

I started introducing yoga to my middle school drama classes and upper school acting classes at Morgan Park Academy in 2004, around the same time I had begun a yoga teachertraining at the Temple of Kriya Yoga. Having observed the high levels of stress in my students, I had already adjusted the drama curriculum to be movement based, and there was a designated block of time for movement in the upper school acting classes.

Yoga would be an easy, logical addition. I figured the students would be a captive audience, and they would be honest about what worked and what didn't. They turned out to be fantastic "guinea pigs" and gave me the freedom to work with different types of poses and sequencing.

Right versus wrong: Teens spend an inordinate amount of time feeling like they are doing things wrong, and this makes them anxious.

They are used to being tested and compared to others - it bappens to them all day long.

They need very specific instructions and constant affirmation . If they are confused, they will either blurt out questions or not ask them at all for fear of asking a "dumb" question.

They need permission to " mess up" without consequence. 1 like to respond to falling in balance poses, for example, by reminding students that the earth itself is moving and that gravity happens. No big deal. They need a solid understanding of "the direction of the pose" as opposed to the "real," or final, pose.

- 20-

l006 to be loved, they want permission to fail and they want to know that they matter. More than anything, they want to be accepted and to learn to accept themselves. Yoga can give them selfconfidence to achieve that.

Why did I previously resist teens, and why do I embrace them now?

I remember vividly what it was like to be a teenager, and I loathed it. I felt that my life was a series of hoops that I had to jump through to impress my peers. I felt that no matter what I did, I was never "enough." There was constant pressure to be thinner, prettier, smarter, funnier, to have better skin, the right clothes, the right shoes .. .it was exhausting.

Home was my refuge, and my family was a tremendous blessing, constantly encouraging me to be myself and to be okay with whoever I was. No matter what phase I went through (clearly marked in photos by drastic haircuts and colors and sullen expressions), I was always "enough" for my parents and my brother. As a graduate student in 1997, when I began practicing yoga, I discovered the same blissful sense of safety and freedom that my students are experiencing.

Yoga is a way for me to pass on that gift.

Competition/pecking order: Teens also spend their lives being placed in a certain order: third in the class, starting lineup for a team, runner-up for homecoming queen, the heaviest of their group of friends.

They will compare themselves (almost obsessively) to others, but love having permission not to do so. I spend time in class reminding them not to compete - with themselves or with others.

They need gentle reassurance that wherever they're at is okay. Jane Wolfe, one of my teachers, suggested asking them to close their eyes and focus on the feeling of the asana. They dig it.

Teenage energy and grounding focus: Teens' energy is all over the place.

They are like puppies; they flail about and exhaust themselves, then sleep. Their attention is unfocused unless they have something tangible to focus on. I like to teach a few asanas separately and then put them together in a short sequence.

When I am teaching the poses separately, I have them focus on their physical set-up - bones, joints and muscles. In a series, I have them focus on the feeling of the asanas and the breath.

Grounded poses at the start and finish of class help direct their focus; in other postures I remind them to feel contact with the ground.

Adjustments: Some teens get freaked out about the whole hands-on adjustment idea (plus, to them, it may reinforce the idea of being "wrong"). I've found that it's effective to go stand near a student, place a hand on his/her shoulder and ask "Can I help you with the direction of this?" If they say it is okay, then I proceed. I also use straps and blocks to make adjustments.

Feedback from my students: I had instructed my students (ages 13-to-17) to fill out anonymous surveys about yoga and relaxation. Here's a sampling of what they wrote: "I love the relaxation. Yoga helps me focus. This is like self-time, and I wish people knew that [teens] needed more of it. Yoga helps me focus."

"Yoga class always seems to fit my mood. Or maybe it's that my mood fits yoga. It's awesome."

"When I come into this class, I feel excited because it's fun and wakes me up. I am frustrated by having to sit still all day. I hate those chairs."

"Sometimes when I leave this class, I jump around and dance. When I first get here, I am usually in a bad mood."

"I wish people understood that I won't learn anything if you yell at me and make me feel like an idiot. I've learned so much about yoga, just because I am allowed to mess up and be myself."

"I spend all day feeling confined. When I come in here, I feel free. This is the only place where I can be myself, and know that it's okay."

From my experience as a teacher, I believe that teens want

Resources Here are some of my favorite books, a DVD and a set of flash cards on yoga that are great for teens: Um, Like... Om: A Girl Goddess' Guide to Yoga by Evan Cooper - This one is my personal favorite. Each chapter addresses a different issue that teens may face, such as body image and school and peer pressure. It's an easy read and quite entertaining. This book may not be appropriate for younger middle school students, as Ms. Cooper addresses drug, alcohol and sexual issues.

I Love Yoga: A Guide for Kids and Teens by Ellen Schwartz - A nice choice for the complete novice or reluctant teen, as it contains basic information and a list of famous and/or cool people who practice yoga. This book also features a section on yoga for teens with disabilities.

Yoga 4 Teens DVD by Christy Brock This is the best DVD I've seen for this age group. Most of the others are either too juvenile or feature adult models.

This DVD features models at different levels of experience, and Ms. Brock is very down-to-earth as well as clear in her instructions. Christy Brock also has a great Web site, www.yogaminded.com. where teens and teachers can get tips and sign up for e-newsletters.

Om Yoga flash cards by Cyndi Lee - Cyndi Lee's flash cards (and books) show detailed stick figures with succinct directions - great for visual learners. The flash cards are grouped by color; my middle school classes love them.

Q

Reprinted from the September-October, 2006, issue ofYoga Chicago magazine (www.yogachicago.com.)

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l()()() Teaching for America by Alex Fruchter Let's start where everybody else starts, "why did you join Teach For America?"

I don't know how many times I've answered this question, countless, countless times. I hope I've been consistent with my answers along the way.

Looking back now, I understand that I joined Teach For America for a few reasons. One, I was a senior in college without a passion for corporate America, without a business degree, and all the sociology classes I was taking had given me some weird belief that I could change the world.

Teach For America recruiters kept sending me emails and inviting me for coffee, so I thought I would give it a try.

Throughout the whole application process I felt an odd sort of pull towards TFA. In the back of my mind I always knew that this would be something I would do, but I also tried to get away from it. Whenever I thought about teaching, I thought about my own experiences in elementary school, and shunned the idea of being a teacher. No matter how hard I tried to resist, though, I succumbed to the pull and joined TFA. I did it because I felt I had to. I did it because I wanted to push myself, and I did it because I wanted to be a role model. I wanted to inspire someone the way that others have inspired me, in hopes that they will inspire someone else, in hopes that the world would be a better place.

I did not join out of a love for kids; I don't even really like kids. I taught second grade my first year ofTFA and wanted to kill myself. I joined because everyday on my way to Morgan Park Academy, and on my way back home I drove through Garfield Boulevard and saw the devastating poverty. I did it because I'm from the south side of Chicago. I did it because I was called. And I did it without really knowing what I had signed up for.

Can anything prepare someone to teach in the ghetto of Chicago? Can any class, or book, or essay prepare any 22-yearold idealist for the reality check that comes when inspirational speeches, and uplifting hip hop lyrics, and self-esteem building still doesn't make a fifth grader read better?

No graduate school teaches someone what to do when his students tell him they want to die, that life isn't worth living, and that the one thing keeping them alive is your class.

Teach For America tries, however. They try hard. My training consisted of summer readings before my stint in the corps started. I was also told to observe other corps members currently teaching in the classroom.

Since the majority of corps members are not education majors, TFA has a lot to do to get us ready for the classroom.

They do most of this through their Summer Institute, which is basically boot camp for teachers. For the institute, I traveled to Los Angeles, California. I stayed for five weeks at Cal-State,

"You Can Quote Me On That!" by Alex Fruchter Many teachers in inner-city schools recognize that old methods of teaching are not effective anymore. The youth that make up classrooms in schools across the country encounter new technology and media messages on a daily basis. They speak in a new language, and think in new thoughts. To truly be able to reach these students, educators must be able talk with them, on their terms, and teach to their strengths.

Enter "You Can Quote Me On That!"

"You Can Quote Me On That!" is a cutting edge curriculum that utilizes Hip Hop lyrics and songs to teach psychology and sociology while simultaneously boosting critical thinking skills, reading skills, and writing skills.

Students in "You Can Quote Me On That!" learn about themselves, and how they relate to the world around them. They also learn to question the media messages they receive on a daily basis. They become critical thinkers as well as amateur psychologists and sociologists. Students explore such topics as: Working with purpose, self-efficacy, the formation and effects of stereotypes, social stratification, self-concepts, selffulfilling prophecies, and more-all in a language which they can understand, Hip Hop. "You Can Quote Me On That!" was created in the summer of 2006, and is currently being implemented at schools in the Chicago area ranging from Henderson Elementary in Englewood, KIPP Charter Academy on the city's west side, and is also coming to the college preparatory school, Morgan Park Academy. Adding to the power of "You Can Quote Me On That!" is its malleability. The curriculum is adaptable to the students' needs, from 4th to12th grades.

Students in "You Can Quote Me On That!" partake injournal writing, reading comprehension, and discussion activities each day.

- 22-

l006 truly value going to a school that is clean, that does not have broken windows, that has tissue in the bathroom, and has more than just pencils and paper in the art-room.

If any MPA students walked into Henderson Elementary, or the many schools where corps members teach in schools that are like Henderson, they would be outraged. MPA students would demand more, yet my Henderson students accepted the situation without question because they don't know that things should be better.

It is us who need to strengthen their voice, for perhaps no one else will. It is us who need to use our power, whether that be economic, social, or political, to make things better for students like mine, who came each day with the hope that they will learn something new.

On my last day of school my kids came and said goodbye.

We had a great day. One of my students presented me with a tshirt to remember the class. They were sad to see me go, and I was sad to leave. While I completed my commitment to TFA, I still feel somewhat guilty walking away to pursue my own interests. This experience has changed me so much that now some of their interests have become mine as well.

Now that my teaching experience with Teach For America is over I am asked, "would you do it again?"

My answer is a simple one: "Yes."

Long Beach.

While I was there I taught summer school classes in the morning, then took education classes in the afternoon, and participated in workshops during the evening. Around all of those activities, I was able to carve out a little time for eating and sleeping, but not much. I feel that I was prepared as best I could be, given the circumstances.

During my first year of teaching I was also enrolled in graduate classes in order to receive my teaching certificate.

Since I graduated from MPA in 2000 my perception of it has changed quite a bit. More and more, I have grown to appreciate all that MPA has to offer, and all that it did for me.

As a student at Indiana University I reflected many times how my teachers at MPA prepared me to succeed in college.

But, while teaching in Englewood, I began to appreciate MPA for other reasons. I don't think that we, as MPA students and alumni, truly recognize the importance of going to a school that celebrates diversity. MPA fosters a safe learning environment, and allows its students to focus in class, and be proud of their academic achievement.

Too many of my students felt afraid to be themselves, afraid to take risks. They were afraid to put their trust in an education system that rejected them, their friends and families.

I don't think that we, as MPA students, alumni, and faculty,

Q

Teacher exchange: Sutton Valence and MPA by

Lauren Raab For the past two years an English teacher from the Sutton Valence School in the United Kingdom has participated in a foreign exchange program and come to MPA for three weeks to experience education the American way. This year, biology teacher Andrew Hamersley made his appearance in the MPA science department.

"The only difference in the program this year is that I am not a part of the English department," said Hamersley. "The plan is to rotate teachers from different departments so that everyone is given the opportunity to teach at MPA." Although Hamersley's time here was short, it was very well spent. He took hold of all science teacher Emily Drown's classes, experienced an annual MPA tradition [International day] that celebrated diversity, and lived the life of an average American teacher.

"I have enjoyed MPA to the fullest. It was a very short window to view the school through, but nevertheless very good fun," Hamersley commented.

At Sutton Valence, Drown was a little more apprehensive of her newfound responsibilities as a teacher at a different school in a new country.

"This wasn't just a vacation. I had expectations, and with that there was lots of pressure and stress. I was going into a completely new system that I didn't know anything about and I was responsible for teaching the kids," Drown stated.

A comfort to Drown was that the community at Sutton Valence was similar to the MPA community - very close knit, well-behaved students, friendly faculty, and an older campus.

But with these similarities came a few differences. A typical day at Sutton Valence is a lot longer than an MPA day and includes many extracurricular activities that are mandatory.

Classes are even structured differently and it took Drown some time to get accustomed to that.

"The lower classes there get homework only once a week," Drown said, "but they have more class work to do. Often, instead of giving a lesson, 1 would give students an assignment to start and finish during class."

For Hamersley, classes at MPA were extremely fast-paced in comparison to his classes back home.

"I definitely taught differently at MPA than 1 do at Sutton Valence. Mrs. Drown gave me a schedule and there was a lot of material that 1 needed to get through," he said.

For both teachers, the exchange program served as a learning experience that helped them gain a different perspective on how to teach their subjects in a new environment.

"We both got such an even trade," Drown concluded. "The schools are very comparable and I would do nothing differently except, if given the opportunity to go again, I'd stay for a longer time."

Q

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Z003 Another addiction affliction by Poonam Merai Throughout my high school career, I have formulated a "To Do" List (another form of self-inflicted work) for all the times that I mi ssed out on doing something interesting while I was trying to finish a Spanish composition or a history project.

Some things that are on my list include: start a homeless shelter, travel the world, meet Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and fini sh reading the autobiography of Malcolm X. What is frustrating is knowing that my list will keep growing longer and longer, at a faster rate than I can cross an item off the list. But that does not discourage me from striving for the day when I can cross the last item off my list and take a deep sigh of relief and satisfaction. Tdream of that day.

I know the vast majority of you are sure that you'll never, ever have this problem, and for that you should be deeply thankful. But for the small number of readers out there whose hearts are racing, who have sweat dripping down their foreheads and knots in their abdomens, who read this article and see themselves and their futures spelled out, writ in the Devil 's own 10 point Times New Roman , do not despair.

There is a solution.

If you suffer the symptoms of Student-OverworkingSyndrome(or S-O-S as it's known in the biz), I urge you to see a psychiatrist immediately. Do not delay, for if the symptoms progress without treatment, I assure you that you will end up like me, asking teachers for extra-credit on extra-credit assignments . My advice to you would be to stop what you 're doing, pick up National Geographic (or another magazine of your choice), and drown all your perfectionist tendencies in a good dose of pure entertainment.

In the real world, I find consolation in the fact that grades don 't make or break the person, so I have reformed my ways.

Now, instead of waking up in the early hours of the morning to finish my homework, I watch the news or watch the beautiful sunrises from my room. I've learned that my education extends beyond my textbooks, and even the classrooms of MPA. After all , I won 't be spending the rest of my life solving equations or writing papers (at least I hope not) .

After eleven years at MPA, I finally gathered the courage to reveal my addiction.

And no, it is not what you're thinking. I'm not addicted to drugs or alcohol or nicotine or panda bears.

I' m addicted to work.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Is it even possible for a secondsemester senior to overexert one's self?

PoonamMerai The answer, I tell you, is Yes, and that is what I've got to deal with every waking hour of every day. But there is hope.

So, for all of you underclassmen and underclasswomen who feel they are on the verge of a work addiction, lend me your ears, and I shall save thee from thyself.

This problem, this nightmare, has persisted for me since the first grade. I remember sitting in Ms. Henschen's first grade class writing down my assignments for each night and going home, sitting down, and religiously completing each task.

As horrendous as it may seem, this predicament was only exacerbated as time went on. In middle school, I spent countless hours in and out of school perfecting my perfectionism. I made my parents worry and suffer when I would lock myself in my room and spread my books across the carpet in order to work rigorously until II p.m., only to wake up at 5 the next morning to complete, critique, and revise my work.

They wondered whether I was in seventh grade or working on my second PhD. Now, I'm a senior and as I look back, even at first semester of senior year, I can't believe where I found the energy to do all the work I imposed on myself. I keep telling myself to relax a little, take some time to smell the MPA hallways (at least before the freshmen have gym) or search for those secret passages and hidden doors in the library, looking for the glittering lost tombs of Mr. Hansen Hall and Mr. Jones Bowl.

But all my work is self-inflicted. I have a desire for more work. As painful and disgusting as this may sound to my peers, I have enjoyed all the work that I have done over the past years, every assignment, every project, and every test. I secretly take pride in knowing that I am a true nerd, a cool nerd, a nerd without the thick glasses (I try to fool people with contacts) or pocket protectors.

But there is a price I have paid for taking on the identity of a cool nerd. I have not been able to enjoy the things that normal teenagers do, like read National Geographic or watch Hey Arnold.

Q

[Poonam spent the last year in India studying philosophy.]

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ZOOfA part of history by Erin Vaughn

There were plenty of doubters, I knew, especially adults.

Many thought that asking fifteen teens to sit down and work together on a project was folly. Some questioned the wisdom of even allowing teens to work on an exhibit about teenage life in Chicago that would be a featured display at the Chicago Historical Society.

There were others, however, especially at the Chicago Historical Society, who believed that a group of fifteen of today's teens was just exactly what was needed to explore teen life through the decades, engage in research, conduct oral history interviews, and eventually mount an exhibit.

On my first day at work on the teen counsel of CHS the sweat, fidgeting and knots in my stomach were absent. I took one last look at the doorknob before I entered and I thought to myself, "I am really about to make history."

Perhaps making history was not the best term; recording history was most suitable for what I was about to do. I was embarking upon a journey in which fifteen teenagers, including myself, would work to help develop an exhibit on 20th century teenagers in Chicago.

My feet finally crossed the threshold of the distance learning center at the Chicago Historical Society and I was greeted by hellos that eventually dissolved into the walls. Then silence covered the place, as if it were a security blanket for nerves.

Only half of us had arrived, but I could already see that we were quite a mixed group of teens (later, I learned that they represented public, independent and parochial schools in the Chicago area). I think it is highly unlikely that one could find such a group anywhere else.

Some had brown eyes, some had green eyes, and some had blue eyes. I say "eyes" because that is the first thing I noticed and, after all, eyes - and not skin - are the windows to a person's soul. In actuality, I felt like I was at some sort of roundtable for the United Nations. My peers on the teen council were Chinese-American, Mexican-American, Caucasian, Croatian, Vietnamese, and African-American and they sprang from many different interests and economic backgrounds. The conversations were light and not at all a foreshadowing of the intense philosophical debates that will take place later.

That summer we were being trained on Chicago history as well as the cultural experience of many races. That prepared us for the oral histories we would later conduct on the teen years of people of various backgrounds.

We also visited several neighborhoods that are ethnically rich, but are losing the battle against gentrification. As disappointing as that may be, I was really disheartened to find that

many of the other teenagers lived in the neighborhoods that were being gentrified. The historical society invited us to celebrate our cultures, however, to soften some of our frustrations. During our lunches we learned the most about each other's cultures because we played music, brought in ethnic dishes, and discussed topics of cultural tradition.

It took two years of work to get from that first day to the opening of the exhibition. The doubts of many adults were erased by the exhibit and the oral histories that we gathered were central to that change of heart.

The questions we developed for the oral histories were sophisticated and the information we drew from them was fascinating.

I learned, among many things, that bell-bottoms were popular in the 1930s and that many high schools, late into the 1980s, had smoking lounges for students.

The exhibition opening was a fantastic success, and even I was surprised at the outcome. There was something for everyone in "Teen Chicago." Various artifacts, oral histories, and touch-screen computer games provided an opportunity for young children to learn something new; todays teenagers were able to relate to teens across time, and adults delighted to reminisce about their own teen years.

The skeptics were wrong, of course. Teens can work together to make (or at least report) history.

Q

100 years ago at MPA:

a stunning announcement A surprise announcement, read to the faculty and 175 students at chapel in March of 1907, informed the assembly that Morgan Park Academy, which had been an adjunct of the University of Chicago from its inception in 1892, would be closed in June.

University president, Harry Pratt Judson, obviously seen as the villainous source of the decision, was spontaneously burned in effigy later that day.

More than a thousand spectators gathered to watch the burning of the dummy (which had been strung up on a telegraph pole in front of the Rock Island depot), and when the Morgan Park police (consisting, according to one account, of a detective chief, a sergeant, and a policeman, all named McChee) attempted to disperse the students, they were routed and driven off with their own clubs.

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- -- - --

- ----- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What teachers said about Christine Linnerud (1983-2006) as a student in their classes "She is very conscientious and her independent work shows great maturity ... has many strong friendships."

-Norrine Morrison [pre-first] . " ... beautiful penmanship ... excellent work habits ... terrific student ... a real pleasure.

-Amy Henschen [first grade] " ... a well-rounded person with many talents ... outstanding ... good thinker ... careful worker..."

-Harriet Arnold [third] " ... always pleasant and cheerful."

-Joyce Rasmussen [fourth] " ... a highly intelligent young lady."

- Maria Lazo [fourth] " ... a great help with pre-first ... she notices things in the texts which many other students miss ..."

-Maria Melone [fifth] " ... excellent problem solving skills."

-Jean Doyle [fifth] "Her fine attitude and spirit of cooperation are reflected in her excellent work ... a fine citizen ... enthusiastic and highly motivated" -Tom Malcolm [sixth grade science] " ... extremely bright girl and a capable student."

-Lauren Heller {sixth grade English] " ... has been able to balance academics and athletics in the proper way, which is refreshing to see."

-Tom Drahozal [upper school history] " ... a fine sense of humor and timing."

-Jim Kowlasky [upper school mathematics] " ... more careful and reserved in art than in sports."

-Robert Langston [upper school art] " ... her grade has risen into the A range. At the same time she was starring on the court, getting home late and tired, she brings her work to even higher levels. Is this amazing or what?

-Larry Brown [physics]

- 26-

These are not words of wisdom or an offering of advice. It is a personal favor we ask of you. And there will be days when it will not be an easy thing to do. But each of you has much to be proud of and much to love. So the favor I ask of you is this: from this moment forward never let a day go by without telling your children how much you love them and how very proud you are of them.

We can think of no better way to honor Christine's memory. Tfyou do us that favor we will be forever grateful.

-

Mark and Lorraine Linnerud

- 27 -

l006 A visit from the students of Netanya by

Jazmine Williams Many of the Morgan Park Academy students, including myself, learned that teenagers in Israel share many of the same interests.

Students from Netanya, Israel visited MPA on October 11 , 2006, to share wisdom about their country's history and modern life. They explained how Israel came about and performed a series of dances to give a visual representation of their culture.

Afterward, the Israeli students were paired with Morgan Park Academy students for lunch and socializing. r came to find we have a lot in common.

I was not expecting the Israeli students to be familiar with the same websites or have the same views about school , clothing, and friends. Another hot topic of discussion was the ongoing Israeli war.

When I asked DanieJle, a IS-year old from Netanya, about websites such as myspace.com, I was surprised to learn that there is a very similar site in Israel on which she posts pictures and chats with her friends.

Danielle and her friends concentrate on getting respectable grades and learning as much as they can about their surrounding countries and distant lands as well. This is why they came to the United States for a ten day tour. The students were thrilled to eat in our dining hall and experience the food that MPA students "enjoy" everyday.

The students in Netanya, much like those at Morgan Park Academy, care greatly about friendship and have very close relationships with school mates. The closeness between the Israeli students is very similar to the closeness of MPA students . Students from both Israel and MPA help each other carry lunches and do small favors for each other on a daily basis. In both settings, students desired to sit as close to their friends as possible, but were willing to branch out by sitting with other people. Both situations instantly recalled family-type settings.

The current war in Israel is affecting the students from Netanya not only because they will have to serve in the armed forces at the age of 18, but a bomb hit only miles away from their school and homes.

Rena, a tenth grader, explained how frightening it is to be in such close proximity to the war zone, "It is definitely scary. You are so close, but there is nothing you can do about it. You just have to live your life not knowing what can happen ."

Many ofMPA students, as well as many of those from Israel , wished that we could have had a longer socialization period. Friendships were already beginning to form .

On the downside, Morgan Park Academy students did not have the opportunity to say our formal good byes, but on the plus side, this was an experience that I am sure the students from both Netanya and MPA will never forget.

Dance: a visual representation of culture.

- 28 -

Q

Z006 Student speeches to the alumnl: October 1 ~ 2006

Common Ground by Shawn Kothari improve the drinking water available to the people. Furthermore, last year during an assembly, we met a member of the class of 2000, Alex Fruchter, who worked for Teach for America, a program that brings teachers to inner city schools.

At MPA, education is not a futile part of growing up, but a stepping stone towards remarkable contributions to the world. I firmly thank the faculty, Dr. Brown, Ms . Berkey, and countless others for using the classroom as a forum to urge us to discovery, imagination, and self-exp loration.

I stand today as a senior about to leave the comforts of Hansen Hall and Jones Bowl to a life outside of what my peers common ly call "The Academy bubble."

I do not fear my departure, for I know that the school has given me the skills to find success in any college, office, or workplace .

But what I do fear is no longer being a part of the Academy traditions, no longer being a part of homecoming, or soccer games, or physics labs.

But I look at this crowd today and see that my relationship with this school has only just begun.

The alumni of the Academy are not a separate entity that remains far removed from our day-to-day activities, but rather they are a vital aspect of upholding the traditions of service and academic exce ll ence that we seek to instill in our students.

On behalf of the student body, r thank the alumni for their continued support, but even more importantly, what they stand for. As a group, you represent the ideals we seek to achieve, and I look forward to joining you as a member of such an honorable and distinguished body.

When I was asked to speak to the alumni community, I tried to find what it was about this school that has survived through the last 130-plus years.

The school has obviously changed much, in many ways, over the years, but I still find a sense of common ground with each and every alum with whom I speak. I feel that we see the world from a similar perspective, and have identical views as to what a life of purpose is. That is what has remained constant at the Academy throughout its history.

Our personal experiences at the Academy may have been different, but the school has meant the same thing to each and everyone of us sitting here today. Whether we graduated in 2006 or in 1936, we experienced that the Academy is not a school that seeks solely to educate students in the academic subjects, but it attempts to prepare students for meaningful lives - lives of action and contribution, not reaction and complacency; lives of service and devotion to things greater than the self I see these ideals as I speak with the alumni ofthis school and realize that my four years at MPA have been centered around the same purposeful themes. I wasn't simp ly taught Spanish, for example, but was given the opportunity to use my Spanish to help teach English to young children at a local bilingual elementary school. I wasn't taughtjoumalism to simply to write news stories, but to use my pen as a voice to advocate for others. These are just two examples of the infinite manifestations of how Academy students, both current and past, have used their opportunities and education to help humanity.

Recently, an alum, William Haynes-Morrow, was on campus to share his experiences of working in Cambodia to

Q

100 years ago: the students of Morgan Park Academy of the University of Chicago, 1907.

- 29 -

Z006 The lessons by Alexa Razma

Welcome, students!

Oh yes, although you may have graduated many years ago, as alums of MPMAJMPA, given your time and effort as a donor or parent, or just never left like some of our beloved faculty, you are all students of MPA. The lesson?

How to live your life with compassion, conviction and commitment and to teach others to do the same is a lesson that takes a lifetime to learn . But within the nurturing community that is MPA, the path is laid out before you . When I was much younger I used to breeze by classes while tending to my true passion - reading books under my desk, with passing marks.

When I quietly tiptoed onto the scene at MPA I was finally challenged, and my grades began to soar. There were plenty of opportunities to nurture my ravenous book worm spirit, and through my newfound confidence I began to speak up during class.

This brings me to the second thing MPA helps you to do to get out of your comfort zone and express your opi nions with minimal fear of criticism. Although seniors may grow claustrophobic with MPA, it is this intimate classroom setting that allowed me to feel safe and accepted. Through the Sutton Valence School/MPA exchange program, 1 also got to participate in the most defining experience of my life so far. I was plucked from my homey MPA surroundings and flown a few time-zones away to merry Kent, England. It was there that I got to board at SVS and live the life of an Englishwoman for two months. This involved assimilating every aspect of British life, and [ got a taste of another country that was intricate and wonderful. That experience isjust one of the many examples of what you are capable of at MPA - an infinite array of options are placed in front of you - and all you need to do is take the initiative and use the opportunities you are given .

Although I am not 100 percent certain what it is I want to be as lmove from high school into college, but I have narrowed it down to the medical/science field .

I know that MPA has taught me to be self-sufficient and to always put my heart into everything I do. I found my interests through exploring and experimenting, as only MPA can allow, with no fear of failure or embarrassment. That is why, as I step over the threshold of - uh-oh! - responsibility, 1 am confident that 1 will really make a difference in the world . Through MPA's academics, its sociable teachers, and the overwhelming sense of family, [have grown into someone I can be proud of.

Being here, in this beautiful, historic, inspiring place, provided me with the opportunity to become who I really am. Thank you to those who have given your time, labor and love to MPA,

because even if your efforts are not immediately recognized your investments will be seen years later, in the kids that grow up all too soon into confident adults. Thank you, from one student to another, and may your knowledge grow with each passing day.

Q

75 years ago: the artist, Howard Church, begins work in 1932 on a series of murals that will grace the walls and stairwells of Alumni Hall.

- 30 -

Morgan Park A cademy:

pro vita sua.

Norton, born February 6,1819, was (in his own words) " puny, A History (Volume I) delicately organized, cursed with that The Academy on the Hill fell disease, scrofula, and yet blessed with loving parents, and affectionate (From Samuel Sheldon Norton to William Rainey sisters, with the utmost care, unceasHarper and the University o/Chicago, 1873-1907) ing nursing and judicious medical treatment, r passed the critical age of childhood and reached a comparatively healthy boyhood."

After college he was an instructor in Trinity Church College (New York, New York) and thereafter taught in Georgia and Alabama.

Back in New York in 1843, he read law with A. W. Bradford and practiced briefly.

He soon left the practice of law, however, to become principal (at a salary higher than he earned as a lawyer) of the Christ Episcopal Church School in Brooklyn.

A few years later (probably 1848), he became the head of the school he had attended, Vernon Academy (Vernon, New York) and, through "judicious advertising," raised the enrollment from nine to over one hundred and fifty in just One of the last photographs of Park Hall, before it burned to the ground in 1895. eighteen months.

A dispute with a trustee, however, by led to Norton's resignation .

Barry Kritzberg Norton was vague about the nature of the dispute, but he characterized the trustee, Willet H. Sherman, as "imperious and dictatorial."

Norton's next venture was his own school, the Mt. Vernon It is a letter that, in the typed copy now in the archives, Academy, which seemed to be a rival to his old school. covers twenty-one pages, double-spaced, and provides a brief Norton's Mt. Vernon Academy flourished, he said, until the autobiography of the man who founded the Academy in 1873. financial crisis of 1857.

It was written by Samue l Sheldon Norton, some two years Once again, however, Norton put the blame for his before his death in March 1888, and addressed to Ard 10hnson, failure, not on the times, but on "the deceit and perfidy of those his brother-in-law.

I had generously befriended."

The letter responds, specifically, to the insinuation that for "The gossiping, scandalizing world would attribute my the past fifteen years (1871-1886) he had dissipated habits, downfall to anything but the true cause," Norton continued, indulged in stimulants, and was largely supported by women. "and would declare that intemperate habits, inattention to Norton responded directly: "The charges of dissipated business were the true and only causes - anything to gratify a habits on my part have been cruel and greatly exaggerated. The slanderous tongue." indulgence in stimulants at various periods in my life [is] in a This defensive blaming of others is a recurring motif in hi s large measure true. The charge that for the past fifteen years 1 autobiographical letter. have been supported by women is as damnably false as it is Norton left Vernon in 1857, with a wife and two children, mean and cowardly." and just ten dollars in his pocket.

To fully respond, however, he wrote a veritable apologia

Norton's apologia

- 31 -

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The next fifteen years are covered in just two paragraphs.

He mentions working for the New York State Life Insurance Company and the death his wife, Farmie (in 1868), but he says nothing about the Civil War, so it seems that he did not serve.

He was forty-two years old when the war started.

When his brother-in-law observed that Norton had not brought up hi s children well, he admitted that their faults were as glaring to him as to anyone.

"1 am not responsible for their bringing up," Norton added, for he sent them to be educated elsewhere after his wife's death .

There is a reference to a visit of his son Bennie to Vernon that caused "much trouble and unpleasantness," and it seems that money was the cause of the trouble.

The contract with the Blue Island Land and Building Company to operate a school in Morgan Park, concluded in 1872, was "the result of a year's toil."

Norton had to raise $15,000 for the venture, but the land for the new school was valued at $75,000 at least.

"1 opened my academy with only five boarding students and a limited number of day pupils, at $400 per annum for boarders, and $100 per annum for day pupils. At the close of the first year I numbered 23 boarders and 30 day pupils."

All of the money for the venture was borrowed and some of it ($2500) came from his in-laws, the Emersons and Talcotts.

"And to be sure," Norton acknowledged, "[I] had put no money into the scheme, but I had put brains, energy, strong influence and foreign assistance into the work, which was equal to money. The sinews of war I had furnished ."

The Emersons and the Talcotts, nonetheless, sought to make Norton Talcott a partner in the school enterprise. When that was rejected, another cousin, Henry W. Wright, was made assistant principal of the Academy.

The implication (though not clearly stated) is that the Emersons and Talcotts forced him to take Wright on as an assistant at $1,000 per year (plus board and washing).

"It was the worst move [ ever made in connection with that institution," Norton commented, "for Wright was perfectly unfitted for the position, not so much in education, but in the experience and management of boys and young [men]. He became very unpopular and inattentive to his duties and the best interests of the Academy."

At the close of 1875, Norton informed Wright "that his services were no longer required."

The Academy, according to Norton, had 65 boarding students and 35 day pupils.

Norton was then approached by the Emersons and Talcotts to get "another Talcott nephew into the Academy, Kirk Talcott."

"This young man had just failed hopelessly in the Iron business down in Virginia," Norton asserted, "and the object now was to build him up and put him down on his feet again, and so matters shaped themselves - and my interests were constantly interfered [with], my ambition constantly discouraged."

His sons, Bennie and Shelly, were, by that point, " malarial invalids" and he was threatened with foreclosure on .,. the chattel mortgage on the school.

"1 was influenced to make a sacrificing sale of the entire property to Kirk Talcott and Henry N. Wright," Norton said. "The consideration was a mere bagatelle."

Norton was given promissory notes for the property, but very little cash, " insufficient for the support of my [family]."

Shelly "took possession of notes in a dishonorable manner" and headed for California. He returned to New York three years later with very little money.

Norton remained in Chicago for another year, boarding with 14-year old daughter Fannie and 10-year-old son Bennie, taking board with Miss E. Chick.

There was not much cash and very little work, but Fannie assisted Miss Chick and Norton "paid her some money and made important collections for her in consideration of my own and Bennie's board. Besides I had a good many old Academy accounts of my own to collect in Chicago and vicinity. Be assured, I was not living in that city upon the charity of a woman."

His next stop was Washington, D.c., where he worked as a newspaper correspondent, "thus paying my hotel expenses as Col. Pierce the proprietor will testify."

In Washington, he became acquainted with James G. Woodruff and was employed by him in 1878 and 1879 in a grand scheme to recruit 200 students for an I8-month around the world educational tour ("Expedition Around the World") on the steamer General Werder, headed by Prof. Clark, president of Amherst and ten other professors.

While Norton was visiting Bremen to conclude the deal for the steamship, Woodruff died and the plan came to nothing .

Norton spent most of 1880 helping to establish his son, Shelly, in the insurance business in New Jersey. When that was accomplished, Norton opened a boys ' academy at Asbury Park, which continued until 1883 .

He then moved to Rochester, New York, and there apparently opened another Academy, although next to nothing is known about it beyond the advertisement for it.

Barry Kn tmers

- 32 -

Western avenue cow pastures Edgar J. Goodspeed (1871-1952) did not attend the Academy, but his As I Remember (1953), provides a nice sketch, from a young boy's perspective, of the Morgan Park community in the 1880s.

He lived in a new two-storied wooden house at what is now 112th and Oakley, where there was a barn, chicken house, croquet lawn, as well as a flower and vegetable garden. A tenacre lot, running east from the barn to Western Avenue, was enclosed as a cow pasture.

There were no houses nearby and, as Goodspeed recalled, "for us boys it seemed to make the world our playground."

The village seemed to be a real estate venture that had not clicked. There were streets with romantic-sounding names (Rinaldo, Genevra, and so on), but "there were no sidewalks, pavements, street lamps, sewers, gas, or water pipes."

Julia Howe Myers, in "Morgan Park 60 Years Ago," Beverly Review, (March 1947), who moved to Morgan Park in 1887 when she was eleven-years-old, didn't see much improvement.

"There were no sewage facilities, no cement walks, no streetcars or telephones - much less gas, electricity or running water."

Washburn Hall, Myers noted, was at Morgan (now 111 th Street) and Hale, where there was housed a post office, grocery, drug store, and general community meeting place. Her favorite memory, however, was sledding down the hill of Morgan Avenue.

The population was sparse and seemed, in Goodspeed's view, to consist of two basic groups: "genuine farmers ofa very superior kind, and a number of down-town businessmen who took the 8:04 on the Rock Island every morning."

Some institutions, however, had managed to secure a foothold in the village and Goodspeed lists "the Chicago Female College, headed by Dr. Gilbert Thayer, the Morgan park Military Academy, headed, by Capt. E.N. K. Talcott, and the Baptist Union and Theological Seminary, under Dr. Northrup, with such professors as Dr. Eri B. Hulbert, General T. J. Morgan, of Civil War fame, and a young man of twenty-two named William R. Harper who came to Morgan Park in 1879 as instructor in Hebrew.

"Life in general and Christmas in particular centered around the church," Goodspeed wrote. "Christmas was a great occasion in the community, centering on an evening affair at the church under the auspices of the Sunday school. There was a huge tree loaded with popcorn, red berries and lighted candles (there were no fire ordinances out there to cramp our style), and candy and oranges for all of us children, for which we walked up to the platform in turn. Captain Talcott, who had a strong

baritone voice and led the singing in Sunday school, was usually master of ceremonies."

Goodspeed's playmates of those days - Henry Justin Smith, Harry Atwood, Harry M. Thayer, and (later Judge) William N. Northrup - became life-long friends.

Q

Frank M. Bronson: the students' view The University Weekly (October 24, 1895) offered an appreciation of the effectiveness of the one the MPA faculty members, Frank M. Bronson, instructor in Greek.

He "has been the subject of many mistaken opinions, but these are doubtless due to a deep modesty which always goes with him, and which has time and again put to naught the remark of Shakespeare's that 'it is no art to find the mind's construction in the face.'" (Shakespeare scholars will note that the original quote, from Macbeth, had a different intent: "There is no art to find the mind's construction in the face.")

There is an "awful aspect" to any of his examinations, "as one never knows just what to expect. He seems to be aware of each student's vulnerable points, and if one leaves a weak spot unprotected, the next engagement finds him shattered." He is utterly reliable, however, and "as an instructor he is a profitable study and a good model, and as a man is exceedingly wellliked."

Arthur W. Leonard When Arthur W. Leonard, an English instructor at MPA from 1900 to 1908, died in 1942, his former colleague, Harry D. Abells, notified the alumni.

Leonard, an 1897 graduate of Princeton, was also the editor of several noteworthy English textbooks.

"I have been grateful to him all my life because he was the man who taught me to enjoy the reading of good books," Edward S. Felsenthal [1904] wrote to Abells.

Q

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The Morgan Park Mi I itary Academy catalogue for 18801881 boasted of a well that drew healthful water from a depth of 1700 feet.

Some thought it might possibly be a typographical error, or perhaps a statement that, with the desire to impress, simply grew like Pinocchio 's nose.

Leander M . Stone, in a paper on Chicago Artesian Wells , (read before the Chicago Academy of Sciences on March 9, 1886) offered, however, independent confirmation of what, at first glance, seemed like a dubious claim.

In the 1880s, however, because the purity of Lake Michigan water was often suspect (since sewage regularly flowed into it), artesian wells were often the desired way of securing pure water.

The first such well in the city, drilled to a depth of 1200 feet, was the undertaking of the Union Stock Yards and dates back to the time of the Civil War. There was even an Artesian well at State and Washington streets, drilled to provide water to the Palmer House. Stone estimated that the total number of wells in the city and suburbs was "nearly or quite eighty."

The majority of those wells went down 1200 to 1250 feet, drawing water from the layer of St. Peter Sandstone. The great number of wells at that depth , however, resulted in diminished pressure in some.

New wells were then drilled to a depth of2000 to 2200 feet, and the number of wells at that depth didn't diminish the pressure of anyone of them .

The Lehman well , near the corner of Clark and Diversey, was the deepest (2604 feet and six inches) and was thought to be the deepest Artesian well in 1I1inois and the deepest flowing well of any kind in the United States.

The J 700 feet depth of the MPMA well , then, seems to be so ordinary as not to be far-fetched at all.

Q

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1f;~~ The hand grenade solution not expect that they would pay dividends so soon. Last Friday, however, they paid for themselves a thousand times over. On that day when the hired man went with a lantern into the cellar to wind the gas machine he set the whole cellar ablaze from a leakage of gasoline, barely escaping with his life. The fire burned with great fury, and spread under the floors . A large part of the woodwork was charred a quarter of an inch deep . Five grenades were dashed down the staircase, subduing the fire there. Cutting holes in the floor from above, we followed the fire, and with six more grenades put it entirely out. The prompt use of the grenades saved us a total loss."

When one thinks of hand grenades, one thinks of explosive destruction, not putting out fires.

When a fire broke out at Morgan Park Military Academy on April 9, 1886, however, Superintendent Edward N. Kirk Talcott started tossing grenades.

The hand grenades, purchased from the Harden Hand Grenade Company, 53 S. Dearborn, were intended for that very purpose of extinguishing a fire .

Supt. Talcott, in a testimonial thinly disguised as a news story, gave this account in the Chicago Tribune on April 11, 1886: "When we invested in you're your hand grenades we did

Q

MPMA in 1887. The students in uniform but are obviously very casual about their poses.

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Morgan Park Academy: A H istory (Volume I) Theilcad""'I' ...",/rt-II,1I (I'.... S."."nSlo'lthHr \ ......... "'lJil/i".R.i".,.

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The same size hat, the same size shoes .,.

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Thomas J. Elder

He taught at the Academy before he became a student there.

Thomas Jefferson Elder, after taking courses and teaching at Fisk School (Nashville, Tennessee), came to Chicago to take courses at the Normal School.

During the summers, while at Chicago Normal, he taught at Morgan Park Military Academy.

The dates are not definite, but the middle 1880s seems

He attended Morgan Park Academy for three summers (18991901) in the Harper era to take courses in Latin, English and hi story.

Elder was the principal of the school (which he had named Sandersville High and Industrial School), but he also taught mathematics and wood-working.

His wife taught home economics.

In 1932, the school name was Lillian Phinizy Elder changed.

A student at the school in those days , Mrs. Mahalia Thomas Warren, recalled that when the school was named after Elder "as a fitting tribute for his unselfish service in the capacity of a teacher", he said: " I tell you and everybody in Sandersville that I will be the same TJ. Elder. I'll always wear the same size hat and the same size shoes."

Carrie Perry, a 1934 graduate of the TJ. Elder High and Industrial School, remembered that "Prof. Elder had devotion every morning before allowing us to go to our classrooms. He often put the emphasis on good posture - stand erect, shoulders back and head high . Mrs. Elder put emphasis on cleanliness and good penmanship. She told children with one outfit to wash it at night, hang it out to dry, and put it on the next morning. There is no excuse for being dirty; we were taught this by her. 'Write legibly, corresponding with friends and relatives in di stant cities and countries, our handwriting will travel to places that we will never travel ,' these were her words to us ."

The school was, for many years, one of the few accredited colored schools in the state.

TJ. Elder died in 1946.

A primary school and a middle school still carry the Elder name in Sandersville and, although it no longer serves as a school, the Thomas Jefferson Elder High and Industrial School was entered in the National Register of Hi storic Places on May 12, 1981 . It is now the TJ. Elder community center.

likely.

There is something extraordinary about this, for it means that MPMA consciously hired a black teacher less than two decades after the Civil War. It is not likely to have been an accident, for Fisk was the we ll-known school founded by the American Missionary Society in 1866 for former slaves.

TJ. Elder was born Oconee County, Georgia, on Christmas Day, although he did not know the year (1869 is probable, however).

A preacher invited him to Sandersville (60 miles east of Macon and 60 miles west of Augusta), Georgia in 1888 to take charge of the Washington county school, a single room in the basement of a church, the only school then available to black students.

'There was no heat in that basement and that provided the impetus for building, on a borrowed three hundred dollars, the first public school for black students in Washington county. He did it in four weeks, with the help of four workmen and ten students. It opened in September 1889 and, for the next fifty years, he never missed a day of work.

There were soon six teachers (including his wife, Lillian Phinizy Elder) and 340 students.

Elder is also credited with founding, in 1890, the first public library in the county for black people.

He returned to Chicago for three successive summers in the 1890s to study manual training and bring those methods of instruction to his Georgia school.

Q

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An unaffected love for teaching of that time this way: "Our house in Morgan Park was a large new wooden house with two stories and a big attic. [There was also a] small barn for the cow and a chicken house, where for some years we raised our own chickens. We had a croquet lawn on which I spent a good deal of time, a flower garden, and a perfectly fabulous vegetable garden with cherries, currants, and raspberries. This garden was kept up chiefly by my rigorous old grandfather, who lived with us for the last thirty years of his long life, [and] who enjoyed the active role of a small farmer. A ten-acre lawn between the bam and Western Avenue was rented and enclosed for the cow pasture. That was what Morgan Park was.

There were no houses anywhere near us.

Prairie all around us. This may have been hard for the old folks who owned the house before us. Boys seemed to make the world our playground in the spring.

The hayfields were full of wildflowers where the meadowlarks and an occasional prairie chicken nested. We roamed the fields summer and winter with the keenest enjoyment. Several years ago, Morgan Park was, to the naked eye, an ambitious real estate venture that had not clicked. On the hill or highland that can still be distinguished running through Blue Island are slowly curving drives with romantic sounding names: Rinaldo, Geneva, and others drawn from the poet Tasso, are cleverly laid out and planned with rows of elms and maples to give shade to the generations to come, but sidewalks, pavements, street lamps, gas or water pipes, this was the community that Harper came to."

This was also the community in which the Baptist Theological Seminary began in the 1870s.

Harper was just twenty-two when he began on January I, 1879 and there was some apprehension, once again, about having such a young man for an instructor of those older men who were training for the ministry. Within in a very short time, however, he left no one in doubt about his fitness for the position.

William Rainey Harper was born July 24, 1856, in an Ohio log cabin, 30 feet by 30, generously furnished with books and music.

He could read at age three and his "good little book," as he called it, was the New Testament. He learned faster than any child New Concord, Ohio, had ever seen. He finished high school at age nine and received his A.B. degree from Muskingum College (New Concord, Ohio) at age thirteen. Most of his classmates were eighteen-to-twenty-two years old. As an undergraduate, he studied Greek, Hebrew, trigonometry, physiology, psychology, and more.

At age sixteen, he became professor of Hebrew at Muskingum. He completed his Ph.D (A Comparative Study of the Prepositions in Latin, Greek, Sanskrit and Gothic) by age nineteen.

At age twenty, he taught and was principal of the preparatory school for Denison College. There he encountered some jealousy, for other teachers complained that students worked harder for Harper than for anyone else.

Harper's "unaffected love for teaching communicated itself (as it always does) to his charges," Milton Mayer explained in his biography, Young Man in a Hurry. "He gave them hard work, and plenty of it, but he worked even harder himself than any of them."

In 1878, after becoming a Baptist, he was invited to teach Hebrew at the Baptist Theological Union (then located on what is now III th Street, between Hoyne and Bell) in Morgan Park, Illinois. The seminary had moved to Morgan Park in 1877 after the first University of Chicago (located at 35th and Cottage Grove) closed. The Blue Island Land and Building Company persuaded the Baptist seminary to move to Morgan Park by offering land and money for buildings.

He came to Morgan Park when it was a village.

Edgar Goodspeed, later associated with Harper in many enterprises at the University of Chicago, described the village

- 37 -

Morgan Park Academy: A I hSlory (Volume I) The Acadcm,'on lite/fill (1",-

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There, in a whirlwind of innovation, the "young man in a hurry," conceived the idea of a Hebrew summer school (where beginners in Hebrew spent four hours a day, five days a week, concentrating on nothing but the language for ten weeks at a time), developed a school to teach the language by correspondence, started Hebrew journals (including The Hebrew Student and The Biblical World), wrote Hebrew textbooks, and founded an organization of Hebrew teachers. He also taught Hebrew in five different summer schools. He was a man, obviously, of boundless energy and he slept very little. A vacation, for Harper, was merely working in a different place.

Many of these enterprises operated out of Morgan Park store-fronts and the volume of mail he generated led to a higher rank and a pay raise for the Morgan Park postmaster.

He also readily accepted the routine tasks at the seminary and took on increasing responsibilities (deacon, treasurer, superintendent of the Sunday school) at the Morgan Park Baptist Church.

His successful promotion of Hebrew surprised few people in New Concord, Ohio, for those who encountered him in his father's general store knew that the persuasive and charming young man might sell anything to anyone. Why, such a young man might even persuade John D. Rockefeller to offer a bundle of money to found a new University of Chicago.

Harper resigned from his Morgan Park positions on May 12, 1886, but he would be returning to Chicago only a few years hence for yet another great enterprise: the new University of Chicago.

When he assumed his new position , as professor of Hebrew at Yale, Harper brought all of his journals, correspondence, schools, etc., along with him.

Yale students quickly discovered that they learned more Hebrew in one year with Harper than they did in six years of study with other professors.

He also gave undergraduate lectures in English on the Bible that were invariably packed. The volume of his mail was greater than the whole of Yale University. There is little doubt that he was one of the busiest men in America.

John D. Rockefeller had heard much about the busy man at Yale and, after two long conferences with Harper, he offered the twenty-nine-year old professor the presidency of a new university in New York that he would fund.

Harper declined.

In a subsequent meeting, Rockefeller made another offer: presidency of a college to be started in Chicago, and the money ($600,000 from Rockefeller, if$400,000 could be raised in Chicago) to launch it. .

Harper, who had turned down offers to be president of Brown, Rochester and South Dakota, said "no" to Rockefeller again.

Harper did not want a college; he wanted a university.

Rockefeller persisted and Harper resisted.

In 1890, Harper made eight conditions to his accepting the presidency of the new University of Chicago. These conditions included another million dollars from Rockefeller, the transfer-

ring of Baptist seminary from Morgan Park to Hyde Park (where the new university was to be constructed), and using ., Burry Kntd,crg the seminary buildings in Morgan Park as the preparatory school for the University of Chicago.

Rockefeller, after another meeting with Harper, accepted all eight and at the inaugural board meeting, September 18, 1890, Harper was elected president of University of Chicago.

Tn a letter (September 16, 1890) to the new university board, Rockefeller offered one million additional dollars to the university if certain conditions were met, including that "a thoroughly equipped academy shall be established in the buildings hitherto occupied by the said seminary [at Morgan Park]."

The University of Chicago opened in October 1892 and so did Morgan Park Academy of the University of Chicago.

Harper had planned the campus, supervised the architecture, devised the curriculum, and did virtually everything, down to the most trivial detail of university life (including, of course, every detail about Morgan Park Academy, which had the status of a department of the university).

Harper organized the university on a scale that far exceeded the funds available.

He saw research as the primary function of the university and reduced the number of teaching hours to eight-to-ten per week. He also offered salaries - $6,000 to $7,000 - which doubled that offered at other colleges. There were more than a thousand applicants for faculty positions. Harper personally handled them all. More than 3,000 prospective students had inquired about the new university and it opened with a faculty of 120 and 594 students, 166 of them graduate students. The faculty included eight former college presidents, including Alice Freeman Palmer, former president of Wellesley. At Chicago, she was the country's first dean of women. Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch became the first Jewish theologian in a Christian university.

The same care in selecting the university faculty was followed in the choosing faculty for Morgan Park Academy.

The teachers at the Academy were given professorial rank and were paid at the same scale as their colleagues in the university.

Harper was president of the university until his death in 1906. When he was diagnosed with cancer and told that he had no more than a year to live, he wrote three more books.

E, B. Hulbert, in an obituary on Harper in the Biblical World (March 1906), observed that the Morgan Park period of his life, "with its organizations and experiments, is in a sense a key to Dr. Harper's later career. Those days of heroic struggle witnessed the uncertain beginnings of educational ideas which, afterward, proved and developed, became the cornerstone of the university which he built."

Q

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Women's work Clara German [1897] also became a librarian, first at the University of Chicago, and then as head librarian of Walker library, across the street there on 111 tho Olive Hand [1897] received her bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago, but returned to Charles City, Iowa to become a milliner.

Another, Olive Young [1899], managed to combine the domestic and the academic by becoming a professor of Household Arts at Millikin University.

Louise Darby [1898] became an amateur painter and was on the board of directors of the Fine Arts Society of San Diego.

And, oh yes, there were apparently marriages made at MPA in the 1890s too.

Josephine Wilder [1899] married Frank Cleveland [1896] and Esther Linn [1898] married Charles Hulbert [1898].

Perhaps such shenanigans helped persuade trustees at the University of Chicago that co-education was not such a good thing after all. Morgan Park Academy of the University of Chicago adopted a "boys only" policy after 1900 - and the Academy stayed that way (except for briefforays into coeducation in summer school sessions) until the demilitarization in 1959.

The University of Chicago, for a brief period after 1900, instituted a peculiar "separate, but equal" policy: boys and girls were admitted to the university on an equal basis, but boys attended classes separately from girls.

Nothing in the records I have examined offers any hint of what those separate, but equal boys and girls did once their classes were over. And perhaps that is as it should be. g

American society was not quite ready to cheerfully welcome women in all professions in the 1890s, despite the farsighted policies that prevailed at the academy and the university because of Harper.

Isabelle Read [1893] Weldon, nevertheless, was a lawyer and the director of the British Old People's Home. She was killed in an automobile accident at age 66 in 1941.

Agnes Dandliker [1896] took the route that was commonly open to most women: she became a teacher, at Englewood High School. So did Annie E. Heath [97]: she later taught mathematics at MPMA. And if her name is vaguely familiar, it is because the annual mathematics award is given in her name each year to a senior at graduation.

About Agnes' classmate, Clara Gilmer [1896], I can only learn that she came from Peoria and died in the Philippines in June 1922. I wonder what she was doing there. The card does not say.

Harriet Belle [1897] Gooch took another typical path open to women: she became a librarian. She seemed to have made a specialty of assisting in the reorganizing of libraries. She spent four years doing that in Portland, Oregon and another seven setting matters aright in Louisville, Kentucky.

My guess is that she was very good at it, too. It is a safe assumption, however, that her seemingly perpetual title of "assistant" meant that a man was in charge of those reorganizations. Later, she became an instructor at the Pratt Institute Library School.

My favorite piece of information on her card, however, is this: "June 1923 in Cambridge, Massachusetts for year of recreation." How lovely: a year of recreation.

The best joke of the year It all happened of a Spring morning in 1896, just as the buds were beginning to sprout on all the trees on the Morgan Park Academy campus.

The girls were returning from breakfast, and were about to hang up their wraps in the cloak room in Morgan Hall, when a chorus of shrieks and screams sent the girls running in all directions, clinging to their skirts.

The girls reported, to those who valiantly responded to the screams, that a great big snake was crawling around in there, "like lightning."

A gun was even called for to shoot "the monster," but when the reptile was fetched out it proved to be a harmless, green water snake, not more than six inches in length.

Shortly thereafter, another snake was found in the room of Professor Wightman, who did not scream or shriek. He seized the reptile by the tail and tossed it out the window.

Dean Thurber was not amused and did not take it lightly.

He called the whole school together and denounced the prank in no uncertain terms.

The girls, more calm by that point, saw the humor of being surprised by snakes in un-snake like places, and suggested that it was Dean Thurber who couldn't take a joke.

A boy, who wished to remain anonymous, thought the joke good enough to merit repeating the following year. g

- 39 -

Morgan Park Academy: A HIstory (Volume I) n.~ Acad{'m~ Oil Ilte/lill W,..,. S."N~ S.~1<Um ,'"riM N> 'HIIi.... R"i"t]' 1f.~r8Ittll"r

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Accompanying Cornish to Milwaukee was N.P'Colwell [1896].

The exhibit was also taken several other places, where MPA brochures were handed out.

The marvels of the x-ray

Q

An x-ray machine was used as a recruiting tool for MPA in 1896.

MPA students, during the 1896 summer quarter, thanks to Dr. Cornish, beheld the "marvels of the x-ray," which had been discovered by Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen just the year before.

During a young people's Baptist convention in Milwaukee, the exhibit that attracted the most attention was the x-ray

The American Chatterton 596 people were killed in the Iroquois theater fire December 30,1903 . One of those was 15-year-old Walter Bissenger, a former MPA student. In a review of a posthumous publication of Bissinger's youthful poems, the Tribune compared him to the English poet Thomas Chatterton, who died of starvation at age eighteen.

Here is a composition of the seven-year-old Bissinger: The Snow Little white diamonds Falling from the sky Little whiter diamonds Coming from so high .

Little white diamonds Lying on the ground.

Little white diamonds, Where were you found?

We come from a cloud Up so very high , Little white diamonds Falling from the sky.

demonstration by MPA. "It was amusing to see the incredulous looks upon some of the faces when they were told that the light would penetrate a two-inch plank, but when they came out there was nothing but expressions of wonder and surprise," the Autocrat remarked (Summer 1896).

Nature was the subject of much of his poetry, but he certainly did not lack a sense of humor. He wrote, in a letter from a Wisconsin vacation, of the" fierce and dangerous wild animals here, commonly known as squirrels and rabbits ."

Q

- 40-

What those who read the history in manuscript said:

"Now, after years of exhaustive research from a variety of resources, Barry Kritzberg has brought the fascinating history of our school to light. We begin thereby to understand our past, so we can finally appreciate Morgan Park Academy more fully today."

- J. William Adams, Head of School

"This book, compiled from the archives of Morgan Park Academy, offers fascinating vignettes of school life from the 1870s to the early 1900s and also provides a glimpse of turn-of-the-20th-century Chicago and the Morgan Park area. It's a valuable trove of historical facts and includes often humorous stories about the local area."

- Shawn Concannon, Academy trustee "Barry Kritzberg has written a human history of MPA. It contains, not only accounts of buildings and grounds and athletic achievement, but real stories of the real people who have been coming to this school for well over 100 years as teachers and scholars - to learn, to teach and to serve their country and community."

- Steve Thomas, Academy parent "Kritzberg's first volume of MPMA's history is full oflively student accounts of the rigors of the school's early years and the memorable teachers that filled its halls. The clear prose presents a fascinating romp through the history of how it came to be the Morgan Park Academy we know and love. It is a comfort to know that even 100 years ago students were engaging in the same hi-jinks and teachers in the same hand wringing."

- Claire Concannon [l984}, former student and current Academy teacher

- 41 -

Morgan Park Academy: A History (Volume I) The Academy on the Hill (From Samuel Sheldon Norton to William Rainey Harper and the University oj Chicago, 1873-1907)

This is a history of a school, but it is not merely the story of an institution. It is a montage of stories, including reports of athletic contests, memories of alumni, pranks and protests, and even a number of brief sketches of the lives of alumni after the Academy. It is, in short, an attempt to recover the life of the place.

There are also some fifty illustrations, many from the 19th century.

\!T n RS()'\ ACAJ)EM\

Mt. VernonAcademy, 1873.

Barry Kritzberg

Barry Kritzberg, the author, has taught at Morgan Park Academy since 1972. He is also the Academy archivist, historian, and editor of the Academy Magazine. His essays (many on Henry Thoreau) have been published in such journals as the Massachusetts Review, Labor History, Illinois Heritage, The History Teacher, the English Journal, the Concord Saunterer, and the Thoreau Society Bulletin. He was also the "ghost writer" of the English portion of a dual-language volume, Lithuanian Bookplates.

- 42-

â&#x20AC;˘

111110 Save the dates ...

September 28th & 29th Milestone Years ending in 2's and 7's Come and enjoy a weekend with your classmates and friends!

Contact Lisa (Kirk) Bourke [81] at the alumni affairs office at 773-881-6700 x255 or Ibourke@morganparkacademy.org http://alumni.morganparkacademy.org

P. Lipe [56] and S. Martin [56] (2nd, 3rd from the left) and guests.

- 45 -

r:1@rm1U®@ ~~

I ·A~~d~I~~· ~fu·~i· ·c~i~br~t~d· i~· ~li~cl~s: R~~~io~ ~~. O~·t~b~~ i3~i4~2006·. -M~r~ tll~~ 250 ·~;~,~d~d~h~-~~d~· · I event, which kicked off with a veterans tribute assembly and Hall of Fame awards ceremony on Friday. The 2006

i award recipients were Mark Linnerud, Leora Jones and Raymond Regan [56].

Friday evening festivities included : a "Two Million Reasons to Celebrate" reception hosted by the Bertoletti family to celebrate the record $2 Million contributed to the Academy in the past year. Saturday opened with our annual alumni meeting, followed by a barbecue lunch hosted by our own Fathers' Club and an afternoon of family activities. An emotional memorial service was held in the late afternoon for David A. Jones, our dear Headmaster from 1966 to 1997. The weekend culminated with a delicious dinner celebration catered by Emilio and Ann Marie (Johnson) [66] Gervi lla, of Chicago's award-winning Emilio's Tapas. Our thanks to everyone who attended and helped plan this memorable event. Don't miss out on the fun in 2007.

- 46-

Academy Hall of Fame 2006 Induction Three special members of the Academy community were inducted into the Morgan Park Academy Hall of Fame on Friday, October 13,2006, as part of the reunion weekend festivities. These individuals were recognized for upholding our tradition of excellence in unique fashion . Mark Linnerud, our award-winning Chemistry teacher with more than thirty years of service at MPA epitomizes the quality of education at the Academy today. Leora Jones, wife offonner headmaster David A. Jones, represents more than 40 years of volunteer leadership and community service in support of our students and teachers. Finally, Raymond Regan, Class of 56, was honored on the occasion of his 50 th class reunion for his proud service as an MPMA Cadet and a lifetime of achievement and citizenship. Please join us in congratulating our award recipients .

Ma rk Linnerud

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Morgan Park Academy Upper School Northern Illinois University, BS Chemistry, Philosophy Minor Roosevelt University, MS Chemistry Morgan Park Academy Upper School Chemistry Teacher 1975 Science Department Chair Chicago Section American Chemical Society Teacher A wards 1985 and 1993 Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Princeton University One of eight Dow Chemical Outstanding High School Chemistry Teachers 1990 Tandy Technology Scholarship National Science Foundation Fellowships at Fermi Lab and Hope College Named one of the Top Ten Secondary Science Teachers in Illinois for 1995 Husband of Lorraine & proud father of Christine MPA Class of [01] & Karen [11]

Leora S. Jones

* * * * * * * * * *

Wife of Morgan Park Academy Headmaster, David A. Jones Mother ofMPA Alumni , David [78] and Crista [76] Member of the MPA Mothers ' Club Co-Chair of Salute to Excellence Daughters of the American Revolution Infant Welfare, Shop Chairman Antique Guild, Program Chairman Beverly Art Center, Antique Auction Treasurer Garden Club of Morgan Park, Treasurer Beverly Area Planning Association Home Tour Participant

Raymond N. Regan

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

- 47 -

MPMA Class of 1956 Class President Honor Society President Academy News Editor in Chief Grenadiers and Fusiliers Varsity Football, Wrestling, Baseball, Rifle Team Championship Medal Bausch-Lomb Award in Science Dedicated volunteer coordinator of the MPMA Class of 1956 Fiftieth Reunion Wabash College, BS Indiana University, Graduate Studies United States Steel Corporation, Gary Works, 1963 to 2003 Senior Chemist, 1983 to 2003 Developed procedures for analyzing inorganic material Technical Union for Chemist and Engineers, Member and Financial Secretary Married for 45 years with two children, Michelle and Vincent, five granddaughters and one great-granddaughter

TAPS Robert Johnson MPMA [38] Richard Allen Goodman Jr. MPMA [48] Albert J. Davia MPMA [49] Retired specialist, Transportation Corps

Robert Hobbs MPMA [50] Donald T. Swinarski (a.k.a. Donald Sweeney) MPMA [52] Dr. Bruno Zubrick MPMA [57] Zachra "Zach" (Terpinas) Economos MPA [73] Arthur Lukowski Sr. MPA Alumni parent of Arthur [75], John [81] Paul A. O'Malley MPMA [45] Judge O'Malley passed away on the evening of September 16, 2006. "He was a good soldier, loving husband, father, and grandfather. He served as a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County for over 10 years. He wi ll be missed," his son said.

Christine Ann Linnerud MPA [01] Christine, daughter of Mark and Lorraine Linnerud, sister of Karen, an eighth grader at MPA. Christine was the recipient ofMPA's Jean Landon Taylor Award and Senior Girl's Sports Award. She graduated from Carleton College in 2005 and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Christine was a neuroscience researcher at the University of Chicago.

John Sadd, M.D. ASPRS, FSCS MPMA [59] Dr. John Sadd, a longtime Sanibel resident, died November 23,2006. He was born April 18, 1933 .

He attended Morgan Park Military Academy, then Purdue where he received his Bachelor of Science.

He went to medical school at the University of Rochester, graduating in 1959. A member of the Marine Reserves, he served as a li eutenant in the U.S. Navy for two years and was a member of the to Wisconsin National Guard. From 1967...---...,..,---, 1996 he practiced plastic surgery in To ledo, Ohio with a special interest in pediatric plastic surgery, and served, for most of that time, as clinical assistant professor of surgery at the Medical College of Ohio. In 1984 he was given the Golden Apple Award in recognition of his exce ll ence in teaching. Dr. Sadd chaired the Toledo Hospital department of surgery from 1972 to 1986 and was chief of stafffrom 199 I to 1994.

In retirement, he and his wife, Valerie, moved to Sanibel Island, Florida. They raised their grandsons Stephen and Robert Ham since 1998 after the death of their daughter, Elizabeth, from breast cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Valerie Crim Lavery, and the fami lies offour daughters .

- 48 -

Martha Washington Agerter [18931 and Henry Hamilton Lay [1893J. Peter Hart, the 87-year-old son-in-law of Martha, wrote to find out any information MPA had on his family members. We found that upon graduating from MPA, Martha attended Miami University, Ohio. Henry Hamilton Lay of Kewanee, lIIinois was at MPA for one year before going on to Harvard . They met circa 1895 and rushed into marriage some 30 years later. Their transcripts are in MPA's archives.

Surgeon. He tells us he is keeping busy with various community activities, including church, the Lions Club (member for 60 years), woodworking, genealogy, and computer stuff.

He and his wife, Mary, bought a home in Green Valley, Arizona in 2005 and are cun-ently spending winters there. They plan to sell their home in Michigan next summer. It is a wonderful spot on a private lake, but the winters get to be too much! He still remembers old professors - Gray, Price, Taylor, Mcintosh, Sgt. Freer. He would love to hear from his classmates at stylman@cox.net or in the summer stantylman@up.net.

Richard L. Duchossois [401, at a class James McClure [35] sends greetings from his condo in Naples, Florida (his winter retreat) .

Jim shares with us his memory of his 1917 black Ford 2-door sedan with an MPMA shield painted on the right and left doors - " the better to chase down Loring girls tripping along Longwood Drive at the bottom of the hill on the west side of the street." Jim was on the ship in the background, in the photo below.

reunion in Hawaii. In the back row to the left is Irwin Martin, Richard Duchossois, Bud Weckel , Jim Nahser and friend Hanzie, and kneeling is Bob Waggoner.

Theodore K. Friedt [45] After attending

Surrender of Japan onboard the USS Missouri September 2, 1945

MPMA, Theodore served two years in the US Navy in WWlI. He attended the University of Miami and Kalamazoo College. Theodore man-ied Jean-Faye Thomas in 1948 and has four daughters and eight grandchildren. In retirement, he enjoys boating, travel, volunteer work, and family.

William P . Kreil [361 wrote to say hello and would very much enjoy hearing from anyone in the classes of [34] , [35] , [36]. William is interested in finding out more about our Academy history to date.

Stanley Tylman [39], now living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan , is retired after 51 years in dentistry. He received his BS from Elmhurst and his DDS from University of Texas. In addition, he spent 16 years in the Illinoi s National Guard and ended up as a Battle Group

- 49-

I to r: Fred Koberna [49], Barry Coleman [49] , AI Richard [49]

ClassNotes Barry Coleman 149], in a 2006 Christmas letter, tells MP A that he and his wife welcomed their eleventh grandchild, Summer Joy, daughter of Anne and Mark Hartley. A big change in their lives is taking up part time country living at a family place near Buffalo, Texas with good fishing! He is now enjoying retirement, which included extensive travels cruising from Vienna to Amsterdam and later sailing the Aegean Sea and islands from Athens to Istanbul.

He also climbed the Acropoli s to the Parthenon!

Ronald Seavoy [49] sent us a copy of his latest book An Economic History of the United States from J 607 to Present. One of Ronald's favorite experiences in his life was a new exploration of the Canadian Arctic as a senior exploration geologist for International Nickel Company. Ronald retired, for a second time, from teaching in the Department of Business Economics and Public Policy, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Robert Waltman [52) writes to say how much he enjoys the Academy Magazine and sends us his best wishes for the school. He wou ld love to hear from anyone from his era.

Henry Lang 155J writes that he has many wonderful memories of his years at MPMA, but Captain Gray was in a class all by himself and few students knew him as he did. He also asks that we keep "the old Warriors" stories coming.

Kurt KJein [56] enjoyed coming to his 50th reunion with his wife of 26 years, Beverly "Suzi" Poore. Kurt and Suzi have a 14-year-old daughter, Sarah Scythe and a 37-year-old daughter, Kelli.

Upon graduation from MPMA, Kurt recalls going into the Marine Corp on July 4th. After being discharged, he spent 6 years as an engineering draftsman and technical illustrator with A llis-Chalmers Mfg. in Harvey, Illinois. Currently he has been in the graphic design / advertising industry as a print production specia list, writer, and seminarist, which took him

around the country and finally ending up in Austin, Texas. They have been there for the past 7 years. He has spent a lot of his life active in sports from "south side softball" to hockey and semi-pro football. He also spent several years taking annual trips to the Wind River Range of Wyoming with one of his best friends, Eric Nesterenko of the Chicago Black Hawks.

John Cairns 159], while vacationing from his home in Australia, came for a campus visit with his wife. Loring alumna and friend, Cynthia Nissen Smith 159) and her husband, also joined John during the campus visit. John had not been back to campus since his graduation.

Donald E. Standford (62) is looking to connect with other 1962 classmates. He currently resides in Lindenhurst, Illinois.

His email address is donstandford@yahoo.com.

Michele Majeune [74J sends greetings to the Class of 1974. She had the opportunity to travel from Denver over the summer of 2006 with her two teenage boys to see MPA. The campus architecture still exudes the solid elegance she appreciated as a teenager. She recalled the "familystyle" serving and clearing done in the dining hall , and smiled at seeing the tapestry adorning the wall. She expressed how wonderful the new athletic center will be for the students. She recalls fall days watching football and the exciting girls and guys basketball games. In addition, what looms large in her memory were the students, the great teachers, Headmaster Jones, the books, classes, and discussions. She remembers Mr. Stelton's social science experiments with "divining rod," lively discussions, summer archeology digs, and mock legislature. She further recalls Mr. Grenzebach's excellent reading se lections; the way he made Shakespeare, Moby Dick, and a host of classic literature and poetry come al ive.

She also remembers doing debate assignments in Mr. Irwin 's class, Mr. Torrez's

interesting geometry, and of course the lively Ms. Dolan 's French classes. MPA teachers made a real difference in her life, and many others.

She furthermore recalls with fondness and amusement friendships with classmates, and the drama and growth of those high school years. She left feeling gratefu l for her education and thankful to her parents, who struggled to give her the opportunity. Since leaving MPA, she received her B.A. from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Colorado. Currently she works doing planning and community relations work with a civil engineering/project management firnl. She shared her MPA photos with her sister Renee Majeune [72], an art teacher in Colorado, and her brother Paul Majeune [77], who is in sales and investing in the Englewood, New Jersey area.

Susan (Waitkus) Wescott [78J sends her greetings to the Academy and a lovely picture of her daughter.

Lisa (Kirk) Bourke (81) The class of 81 celebrated its 25 th reunion in Las Vegas in October 2006. The theme was "S leepless in Las Vegas." Many thanks to Clarence Simmons and the committee for putting together an awesome weekend.

I to r: Robert Goes, Lisa Bourke, Vern Larson in Las Vegas.

--------------------------------------------------------------~ - 50 -

ClassNotes

IIIIIIIC

Rebecca (Brown) Phinney [87] is a stay at home mom. She is home-schooling Abby (10, 5th grade) and Nathanie l (6, pre-first/ first.) Her husband Byron is a web programmer and general network computer programmer.

Katherine Vandiver 190] is currently working at the development office at Morgan Park Academy. She graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in computer science and enjoyed living in a variety of places before settling back in Chicago with her fami ly.

Her email address is: kvandiver@morganparkacademy.org.

She wou ld love to reconnect with classmates and friends from high schoo l and looks forward to seeing everyone at the 2007 Class Reunion!

Please mark your calendars!

We look forward to seeing you at the following Alumni events.

Alumni Meetings Reunion Barbeque Meeting Date: May 22, 2007 Time: 6PM Location: Back yard of the Meeting House (formerly the Headmaster's house) Please RSVP to Lisa (Kirk) Bourke [81].

Email: Ibourke@morganparkacademy.org Phone: 773-881-6700 x255

Reunion IAlumni Association Committee Meeting Aileen (Hovanessian) Agopian [92] welcomes her second child, a daughter named Alessandra Victoria Agopian. The Hovanessian fami ly sends their best wishes to everyone.

Date: August 21, 2007 Time: 6PM Location: Meeting House (formerly the Headmaster's house) Please RSVP to Lisa (Kirk) Bourke [81].

Email: Ibourke@morganparkacademy.org Phone: 773-881-6700 x255

Reunion Weekend Dates: September 28th & 29th, 2007

Young Alumni Committee

Nis hith Pandya (02) graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts and is currently working for the US Congress.

Patrick Bertoletti (03) is now ranked third in the world for competitive eating. Pat is currently a culinary student at Kendall College. If you would like to read an article on Pat, look up the Chicago Tribune Tempo section from December 26, 2006.

L ______________________________

~

Shannon Welch [OS) is currently studying film in London.

The young alumni committee is dedicated to maintaining involvement in the MPA community and enhancing the alumni experience of recent graduates. Young alumni include all classes that graduated in the last 12 years. It is our hope that through fostering the relationship between young alumni and MPA we may continue to provide the support and connection to our recent graduates while simultaneous ly providing opportunities for young alumni to begin their role as stewards of the MPA legacy. We hope to accomplish these goals through creating social events and involvement opportunities, worki ng with more senior alumni classes, the MPA faculty and student body, and other alumni committees in order to ensure that the MP A alumni family embraces all of its members, even the youngest ones. ~ Bonnie Yap (99) Events that are in the works include: * the young alumni happy hour * the all-MPA book club.

Please feel free to get involved or make suggestions. The more the merrier!

Please visit the Alumni website for update-to-date information. http://alumni.morganparkacademy.org

L -_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

- 51 -

~

Mark Dinos [95] was married on April 21st to the lovely ... now Mrs. Olga Dinos.

Building On Tradition A Campaign for the Future of Morgan Park Academy

Honoring Inspiration The tradition of excellence lives on at Morgan Park Academy. For more than thirteen decades, enthusiastic and bright students, inspired by support and guidance from outstanding teachers, have developed into impressive leaders and model citizens who make a positive difference in the world.

Mancini, Barker, Thrall, Beatty and Baer are just a sampling of names permanently associated with philantlu'opic leadership at the Academy. Their contributions have paved the way for new buildings, capital improvements and the establishment of endowment funds to benefit our students and teachers. The Building on Tradition Capital Campaign has provided new opportunities to honor individuals who have provided inspiration and leadership to uphold our proud tradition. In some cases, individuals, such as Richard Duchosso is [40] have stepped forward to provide leadership gifts and offer challenge matches to inspire generous support. In others, groups have combined resources to honor coaches, teachers or classmates. The following are three creative endeavors to memorialize the contributions of individuals who epitomize the Academy tradition .

Andy Bitta Andy Bitta arrived at Morgan Park Academy in ] 958 as a Lower School science teacher and wrestling coach. Coach Bitta departed in 1966 after six years as head coach of the varsity basketball team, leaving a lasting mark on the school and its students as a man who not only taught skills on the court, but skills for life to every student he encountered. He helped young people develop winning attitudes and confidence. He believed in hard work and hustle, and always got more out of his players than they ever thought they had in them . His detennination , core values and deep sense of caring for every student was inspirational to all.

In honor of his contribution to the Academy as a teacher and coach, a group of alumni spearheaded a challenge to raise funds for the capital campaign as a tribute to Coach Bitta. Thanks in large part to two matching challenges of $ J 00,000 each, more than $5 00,000 has been raised and the renovated main court in the historic 1901 athletic facility will be named in memory of Coach Bitta.

Don Coller Don Coller began his career with Morgan Park Academy in 1963 teaching Upper School chemistry and biology. During hi s seven years at the Academy, he also served as a track coach, student council and class advisor, and became the school 's first middle school principal. As a faculty member in residence on campus, his influence was felt in the classroom, on the field of play and on the doorstep of his home. Mr. Coller made a tremendous positive difference in the lives of many students during his tenure, until his unexpected death in 1970. The lasting contribution he made to the Academy is perhaps best summarized in hi s own humble words, " 1fT reach one student who becomes successful, I guess I had a pretty good teaching career."

A group of alumni who knew and respected Mr. Coller and studied along side his sons have initiated an effort to raise $2 50,000 in memory of their beloved teacher, coach and mentor. Upon reaching this goal, the second floor court of the renovated athletic facility will be named in his honor.

/ - 52 -

Christine Linnerud Christine Linnerud was a gifted student, fierce competitor and beloved classmate. A member of the Class of2001, she was the epitome of the scholar athlete at Morgan Park Academy.

She holds the all-time scoring record for the girls varsity basketball team. She lettered in three varsity sports, earning first team all-conference in basketball. She was a member of the National Honor Society and ACT, the Academy's service organization. Tragically, her Iife was cut short at the age of 23 by leukemia.

A group offaculty members has initiated an effort to raise funds for the capital campaign in her memory and in honor of their close colleague, long-time Chemistry teacher, Mark Linnerud. Their goal is to raise $200,000 and recognize Christine by naming the second floor fitness center in her memory.

Morgan Park Military Academy The collective inspiration ofMPMA is a vital element of the storied tradition of the Academy. Duty, Honor, Country and MPMA provided the inspiration for Cadets for more than seven decades at the Academy since 1873. While the dorm rooms and uniforms are part of our past, the commitment to excellence, discipline and character still defines the learning environment at Morgan Park Academy.

Gifts from MPMA alumni account for more than $1.7 million of the fundraising success of the Building on Tradition Capital Campaign. Our goal is to increase total contributions from military era graduates to $3 Million and name the entire athletic facility for MPMA. This would be a fitting permanent place of honor for an era that is so important to the Academy tradition.

We need your help in this worthy endeavor to "honor inspiration" through the decades at Morgan Park Academy. To find out more about how you can participate in these or other efforts in support of the capital campaign, please contact Karen O'Neill at 773-881-6700, ext. 268 or koneill @morganparkacademy.org.

$6.7 MiJljon

Capital Campaign approaches completion of gymnasium renovation Morgan Park Academy is set to reopen the doors of its full y renovated gymnasium in spring 2007, marking the comp letion ofthe first phase of the Building on Tradition Capital Campaign, the first endeavor of its kind in the history of the Academy. The new and improved facility, set to be unveiled in June, will feature a complete restoration of its first and second-floor courts, expanded new locker rooms and additional fitness, classroom and office space. New heating, electric wiring, air conditioning, plumbing have been install ed throughout the bu ilding.

More than $4.5 million has been raised for the gymnasium project as of April 2007. The second phase of this campaign wi ll include construction of a new regulation-size gymnasium and grand lobby attached to the original building. In order to move seamlessly into this phase, we must raise the remaining $2.2 mi llion to reach our goal of $6.7 million.

The success of this effort to enrich the future of Morgan Park Academy depends on generous support from the entire Academy community. To find out more about how you can support the Building on Tradition Capital Campaign, please visit www.buildingontradition.org or call Karen O'Neill at 773 -88 1-6700, ext. 268.

- 53 -

As we near the end of our fiscal year on June 30, 2007 we pause to acknowledge generous contributions from the Academy community totaling nearly $150,000 to the Annual Giving Fund.

Our goal this year, and every year, is to increase overall participation in the effort to enrich the learning environment for our students and teachers in ways that tuition alone does not cover.

Your gift to the Annual Giving Fund demonstrates your commitment to upholding our tradition of excellence that spans more than 134 years. If you have not yet pledged your support, please consider using the reply envelope enclosed in this issue of Academy Magazine to show your support for Morgan Park Academy and its efforts to serve our students, teachers and alumni.

As the Class of 2007 prepares to venture forth from the Academy, they will walk in the footsteps of distinguished alumni who make a positive difference in the world every day. The support you provide today makes a lasting impact on education at Morgan Park Academy and helps our students fulfill their potential for success and fulfillment. Please help us achieve our goal of 100% participation by making your gift TODAY!

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r;&aIate w C(f5xee11enee 2 007 The "MPA Stars" were shining brightly!

Salute to Excellence 2007 at the Adler Planetarium on Saturday, March 10th was a celestial success!

More than 325 guests from the MPA community enjoyed the heavenly sights, sounds and tastes that Salute 2007 offered at this picturesque venue.

Once again the MPA stars came together to shine on the Academy's biggest fundraiser of the year! Our deepest gratitude goes to Salute co-chairs, Sonia Koht and Malinda Steele for their superior leadership, creativity, hard work and support. We also sincerely thank our generous Salute sponsors who helped ensure maximum proceed for Salute.

Salute 2007 sponsors include Marina Cartage, Inc., MAT Leasing, Inc., M.T. Transit, Inc., Dr. Elizabeth Alien, Bella Flowers & Greenhouse, Greta Pope Entertainment, Richard & Lisa Nichols, Accurate Printing, Country House, Groen Concrete, The Lombard Family Foundation, The Thrall Family, Dean & Renee Vallas, Rosie Brannin, DeLaney Law Offices, Ltd. and Alice Nunez-Katskee.

No special event can succeed without the help and support of galaxy of "star" volunteers to lead the way.

Salute could not have achieved such success without the leadership of our committee chairs.

Please join us as we "salute" Nancy Adams, Stuart & Zoe Baum, Angela Beckham, Imre Boarden, Rosie Brannin, Peggy O'BrienBremer, Tami Byczek, Tom & Jan Dryjanski, Sharon Eichinger, Marilyn Hanzal, Ellen Ingram, Carolyn Jucewicz, Cathy Long, Lisa Nichols, Alice Nunez-Katskee, Liz Raser, Asta Razma, Martha Slaughter, Renee Vallas, Michael Weil, Greta Pope Wimp and Linda Wolgamott.

In any galaxy there are stars we don't all see, but know they are the "stars" behind the scenes; student and parent volunteers, and all the parents, alumni, and businesses that contributed auction items and placed ads in the Salute Program Book. We thank you all!

Finally, thank you to all our many guests for attending and bidding so generously to benefit our students and teachers.

For twenty-one years, our community has come together to celebrate this evening of dining, dancing and fun-a true celebration in the "MPA Way."

Left to Right: Shawn & Yara Koht Zawisza [99] , Salute 2007 Co-Chair Sonia Koht & Dr. & Mrs. A1sadir

Left to Right: D evelopment Director Bob Eichinger, Head of School Bill & Nancy Adams & Salute 2007 Co-Chair Malinda Steele

rj1/alate Iff C(fixeellenee 2007 Salute VIP Reception & More The sky was the limit at the Salute VIP Reception! More than seventy guests attended the VIP Reception in the Adler Sky Theater preceding the gala on March 10th. The 21st Salute to Excellence kicked-off the night with special food, heavenly music by Greta Pope Wimp and a "star-studded" premium wine tasting hosted by Candid Wines, LLC.

Greta Pope Wimp at Salute 2007 VIP Reception

Salute 2007 Silent Auction

Left to Right: Salute 2007 Co-Chairs Malinda Steele, & Sonia Koht,jim Kowalsky, Alexander Koht [07] & Allison Gilbert [07] during the $10k Drawing

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MPMAlMPAlLORING HISTORY PROJECT The Skirmishers, the Compendiums, the Academy News-. like the bulletins and catalogues, and other official publications of the Academy - don't begin to tell the real story of student life.

Only you can do that. I invite you, then, to tell your story so that when the second and third volumes of the history of the Academy comes to be written your story will be a part of the record, not just a yam that is told at alumni gatherings.

- - Barry Kritzberg Editor, Academy Magazine MPMA/MPA archivistlhistorian

" Please include the following information on a cover sheet: Name/ Address/ Telephone number/ Date Year of Graduation Grade/Year entered MPA

Suggestions and Guidelines:

" Write chronologically and be as specific as possible about dates, names, etc. Write for the Kansas City Milkman: remember that things which are perfectly plain to you today will be perfectly obscure to readers years hence if you don't include the basic elements (who, what, when, where, why, how).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Describe, if you know, how you came to attend MPA. Describe your first day at MPA. If you attended another school, you might discuss the differences.

Were you following (or leading) a sibling? What was that like?

Friendships: who/ howl what! why/ where/ when?

Classes and school work: what did you like? Any funny moments? Memorable ones?

Books: significant readings, from The Poky Little Puppy to Walden, etc.

Activities: sports, plays, dances, newspaper, year-book, parades, drill, key-club, all-nighters, etc.

Teachers: adventures in learning: what was it like to learn to draw, to read, to write, to add and subtract, etc? any memorable characters? Inspiring moments? Depressing ones?

10. Friendships? Romances?

11. The above is not intended to be exhaustive and there is much more, no doubt, that was important to you. Write about that, too.

Mail to: Barry Kritzberg Morgan Park Academy 2153 W lllth Street Chicago, IL 60643

e-mail: bkritzberg@morganparkacademy.org [Please send your story as an attachment.]

A Hidden Treasure

The caller was from Pennsylvania. He said he was a train buff and that recently he had bought a painting of a famous train that traveled between Chicago and Los Angeles.

He didn't like the frame, however, and when he went to remove it, he found that a framed photograph (apparently used for backing for the train painting) was underneath it.

The photograph was of a football team and the date was 1897. The players had jerseys that said "MPA," within a larger "c."

The man wondered if the photograph might have a connection to the current Morgan Park Academy, although that "C" puzzled him.

I explained that the letters on the jersey stood for "Morgan Park Academy of the University of Chicago," for the school was then the prep school for the university.

He wondered if MPA would be interested in having the picture. I told him about the museum and he sent it straight away.

- Barry Kritzberg

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

MORGAN PARK ACADEMY 2153 W. 111th St., Chicago, IL 60643

PAID CHICAGO, IL PERMIT NO. 2898