Academy Magazine - May 2003 by Morgan Park Academy

CADEMY M

MORGAN PARK ACADEMY - CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60643

E MAY 2003

CADEMY M

G A

MORGAN PA RK ACADEMY - CHI CAGO, ILLlNO IS 60643

STORIES

MAY 2003

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'MPA /11~

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"To CD or not to CD, that is the question" ...................... 1 "Music was his game" ...................................................... 4

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"The man who made the chorus" ..................................... 5 "The men who made the victory march" .......................... 5 "And the winner, for Alma Mater MPA, is ••• " ••••••••••••••••••• 6 "There is nothing like a march" ....................................... 8 "Minstrels, Broadway and MPA Loyalty" ....................... 12 "Of ra, ra, ra and hark, hark, hark" ................................ 16 "Getting the right spirit" ................................................ 16 "Two step, si; tango, no" ................................................ 17 "Captain Elliott Orr fights the perennial battle of the arts: scheduling difficulties" .............................. 18 "Morgan Park Junior College finds its own voice" ........ 22 "Music at Morgan Park Academy" ................................. 23 Liz Reiter: "Not a typical summer job" .......................... 26 "When music comes naturally" ...................................... 28

'MPA(~

The Academy Magazine cover reproduces the cover of the sheetmusic of a 1934 composition by Fred Herendeen [121, MPMA Loyalty, which was not the only time (as this issue will make clear) that the Academy has been blessed with a school song.

"How Erin Vaughn's little history project became something a lot more significant" ................... 30 Greg Engelien: "One of the six best weeks of her life" .................................................. 31

Contributors:

Katie Schwer: "Confessions of an (almost) lifer" ......... 32 Omar Raddawi: "Summertime and the flying is easy" .. 25

Liz Reiter [04] , a junior, aspires to a career as an opera singer. Greg Engelien [05], a sophomore, is on the staff of the Academy News. Katie Schwer [03] , an (almost) " lifer," will attend Reed College. Omar Raddawi [03], a senior, will attend Princeton. Winnie Theodore, former principal of the lower and middle school, is active in a number of other ways. Gina Adduci , former French teacher at MPA, is now living and working in France. J. William Adams is the headmaster of Morgan Park Academy.

"Sign in, sign in, sign in" ................................................ 33

~'MPA~

Winnie Theodore: "I'm still getting that kid fix!" •••••••••• 34 Gina Adduci: "From teaching French to bicycle touring in Europe" .............................................. 35

Acknowledgements:

"The loneliness of our long-distance runner" ••.•............ 36 "Lopa takes charge" ...................................................... 37 "The almost never ending game" ................................... 38

'MPAlI~ "MPMA/MPA/Loring History Project" ........................... 39

'MPA~ J. William Adams, "A Vision for the Future •.. " .............. 40 The Academy Magazine is published by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. All news items should be addressed to: Barry Kritzberg Academy Magazine 2153 W. l11th Street - Chicago, IL 60643 bkritzberg@morganparkacademy.org Printed for Morgan Park Academy by PrintSource Plus 12128 S. Western Ave . - Blue Island, IL 60406

The music of Earl Crary 's MPA Cadets is reproduced, courtesy of the Ridge Historical Society. RHS 's copy, though incomplete, may be the only one extant. RHS has also been a useful source for filling in some of the gaps in the MPA record. Dr. Charles Menghini , director of bands and dean of undergraduate admissions at VenderCook College of Music, confirmed that a page (front and back) was , indeed , missing from Crary ' s MPA Cadets. He noted that the second page of music had a key change , but it was not indicated in the music and that the number of measures from the first strain to the second did not correspond. Don Widmer, librarian at VanderCook College of Music, helped locate sources for the stories on Carl Eppert and Fred Herendeen. Photo/ illustration credits: MPA archives: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4, 5 , 6 , 12, 17, 18, 19, 28 , 30, 31, 32 , 33 , 34, 35, 36, 38, back covet Ridge Historical Society: 8 , 11. Chicago Magazine: 20 . Liz Lauren (Goodman Theatre) : 27. Beverly Review: 37 . Skimmer, Owing, & Merrill: inside back cover.

TO CD Op not to CD,

that ""as the question "Lisa and I were driving back from Indianapolis on 165," Richard Nichols related, "and we were discussing what might make a nice little favor to give to those who came to the 2001 Salute to Excellence. We came up with a good idea, but as we drove on, we talked ourselves out of it. It was too big a deal." The "too big a deal" was creating a music CD. "I started putting up hurdles," Lisa Nichols said, "it seemed impossible, too expensive, perhaps even illegal, and besides, we aren't particularly musical and we had no idea how to do it." By the time they had arrived back home, however, they had talked themselves back into it. The "too big a deal" became an idea that could not be resisted. Their excitement grew. The Nichols made some preliminary investigations of costs and asked Stephen Thomas if he would be willing to make a CD of his jazz piano playing. Thomas thought a solo-CD sounded too much like self-promotion and he had a better idea: showcase the talents of the entire MPA community in a way that would reflect the Academy's diversity. The Nichols then approached headmaster Bill Adams with their revised idea. Stephen Thomas, MPA parent. His enthusiasm was boundless and the plan for an MPA CD was launched. The next task was to see who in the MPA community would be willing to perform on the CD. Then, it was listening to audition tapes, finding a recording studiO, arranging recording schedules for a dozen or so performers and, on top of all that, running an art contest for the CD cover design. The recording sessions, at ARS studios in Alsip, was a new experience for most of the performers. Steve Thomas, who had some previous studio recording sessions, understood how daunting a studio can be for a young performer. "Performing in a recording studio is like making that simple two-foot putt," he said. "It is easy on the practice

green, but a lot more difficult when something is riding on it. " Max Nichols, a sixth grader when he recorded his number, was not too intimidated by the studio, however, for he has always liked singing. "I cracked-up laughing, though, when I heard myself," he said. "I had to pull myself together to stop laughing so I could record it again." He acknowledged that it was a little embarrassing to hear himself on the CD, but he readily admitted he would do it again. Carol Ariana, who has two children in the lower school, heard about the first CD (offered at 2001 Salute), but didn't audition. "I was too chicken," she said. The next year, however, she was ready to contribute to the international theme with her rendition of The Girl Cody Geil COO}, now a student at Berklee College of Music in from Ipanema . It was her Boston, Massachusetts. first recording seSSion, and she found much that was intimidating, from headsets to headmaster. "Steve Thomas recorded before me, however," Carol said, "and he wasn't nervous. That helped a lot." Jean Waterman, an administrative assistant in the lower school, has been singing for twenty years, but this was also her first time in a recording studio. She sang with her sons, David and Jack, and described the experience as "a dream come true, an awesome opportunity." For Jason Stone, husband of fifth grade teacher Jadda, recording a tune was an opportunity to try something Jason Stone, husband new. "I'm interested in writing of Jadda (5th grade teacher). music," he said, "but I come

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from a church/gospel background and have generally learned by doing. I've never done any studio work, so it was interesting to be part of the project. I got the idea for my composition about 11 p.m. one night and then worked on it until about four in the morning. lt combines writing music and computer technology, and both, for me, evolved side by-by-side in creating the final version. It was really a lot of fun. I just love it - creating things. Music teacher Daryce Nolan recalls getting a memo about the CD project and thinking, "what a great idea! What I expected, however, was that someone would bring a microphone into the George Eck and Sara Eck. BAC and it would be recorded right there. For the second CD, she did a classical piece by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It was exciting, but a lot of work, she observed. The first time, however, Lou Bertoletti "recruited her and, after some friendly debates about what kind of music to play, they settled on a Pearl Bailey torch song. They put in about Dan Pruim [06} 7th. six hours of practice on the tune before they felt they were ready to record. The most exciting thing for Daryce, however, was not her own recording, but watching students step up and perform. ''It was an opportunity for our kids to do something few get a chance to do," Daryce said. "It was great to watch them step up to the plate and come through so professionally." "It was great for me, too," she added. "They didn't think I could sing. II

Mitchell Owens (4th}, Andrew Sy/ora (3rd}, and Jordan Gulino (5th}.

Daryce Hoff-Nolan, Anne McAloon and Elaine Gillies.

Chris Chapan, MPA 3rd grade teacher.

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Music ""as his gallne His chess playing was good enough to win the Wisconsin state championship in 1923, but his real game was music. Carl Eppert [1903] began his musical life when he received a snare drum. It wasn't long before he was attracting the attention of crowds as he drummed on street corners in his native Terre Haute, Indiana. After founding the first symphony orchestra in his home town he earned the nickname of "the Damrosch of the West" (after Leopold Damrosch [1832-1885], the German composer who founded the New York oratorio and symphony societies and introduced German opera at the Metropolitan). He studied with Hubbard Harris (musical theory) and Howard Wells (piano) at the American Conservatory in Chicago and, from 1907 to 1914, he was a pupil of Hugo Kaun, Arthur Nikisch, and Ernst Kunwald in Berlin. He taught theory in Berlin for a time and, in 1913, was a guest conductor throughout Germany. Eppert returned to the United States and conducted the Seattle grand opera before moving on to head the department of theory and composition at the Wisconsin Conservatory (Milwaukee) from 1921 to 1923. He founded and conducted two symphony orchestras in Milwaukee, but neither lasted very long. It was during his sojourn at the Wisconsin Conservatory that he won the state chess title. He continued to be active in chess for a good many years, conducting classes and helping to organize tournaments. His symphonic fantasy Traffic (which was later developed into the opening movement of his first symphony) won third prize in the 1932 NBC composition contest. In 1941, his suite, Ballet of Vitamins (also called, in its concert version, Two Symphonic Impressions), won the Chicago symphony orchestra golden jubilee award for the best work by an American composer in 1940. His work merited the $500 prize and it was performed by the CSO, with Frederick Stock conducting. The judges for the competition, which had 105 entries, included conductors Eugene Ormandy and John Barbiroli. Another Eppert composition, Speed, one of four movements of a larger work called A Symphony of the City, was also performed by the Chicago symphony orchestra in 1957. Eppert's most popular works, however, were two symphonic works for band, The Road to Mecca (1933) and Symphonic Tonette (1934), both of which were frequently on the programs of US army, navy and marine bands. It was, according to the New Grove Dictionary of American Music, his

"clarity of construction" and "light touch" that made his music "accessible to amateur performers and a broad audience." He died in Milwaukee October I, 1957. Q

Carl Eppert with Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor Frederick Stock in 1941.

Carl Eppert's works include: an opera, Kaintuckee (1915); orchestral works, Arabian Suite (1915), The Wanderer's Night Song (1916), Serenade for Strings (1917), four symphonic poems, The Pioneer (1925) Traffic (1932, City Shadows (1935) and Speed (1935), Concert Waltz (1930) Escapade (1937), Ballet of Vitamins (1938), Two Symphonic Impressions (1941) and several other symphonies; chamber works, including a violin sonata (1912), two string quartets, (1927 and 1935), three woodwind quintets (two in 1935 and one in 1936), a woodwind quartet (1937), plus a concerto grosso; choral works, The Fog Bell (1916), A Ballad ofBeowulf(1933), The Candle (1934) and The Road Song of the Bander-Log (1934). He also composed a n umber of works for the band, including The Road to Mecca (1933) and Symphonic Tonette (1934).

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who made

the chorus

Wardner Williams

The MPA chorus, founded in 1894, presented a concert in Blake Hall on June 17, 1897, with Wardner Williams directing and Frank Bronson, accompanist, and included works by Gounod, Grieg, Schumann, and others. The chorus had thirty-two members, fourteen of whom were women.

"Probably no one takes a greater interest in the work of the Academy than does Mr. Wardner Williams," the Philolexian, an MPA literary magazine, declared in January 1896. "All the credit for the MPA chorus belongs to him." Wardner Williams, musical director at the University of Chicago,

began making trips to MPA in the autumn of 1894 to organize a choral class. He did this on a voluntary basis and even paid his own expenses. An editorial (May 1896) in the Autocrat, another MPA literary magaZine, urged the university to pay him for these services to MPA.

The men who made the victory march Capt. Ziegler

Lt. Schoenknecht

The menu was sirloin steak with brown gravy, whipped potatoes, green peas, a sunshine salad, hot rolls, and pineapple sherbet with tower wafers for dessert. The dinner, the program said, was in honor of Captain E. Munn Ziegler, MPMA, 1939-1942, lower school English teacher and coach, and the program concluded with the

Lower School Victory March We will fight today for the Red and White For our hearts are brave and true; When we meet that foe we will let him know Just what a loyal cadet can do. With a battle roar we will ask for more Ever hungry for the fray; Red and White forever When we march for the lower school.

Lower School Victory March. Capt. Ziegler wrote the words for the Victory March and the music (which appears to have been lost) was written by Lt. Schoenknecht.

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It is not many schools that can boast that a Rhodes He was drafted into the Army in October 1917 and scholar wrote the words to its school song, but Morgan Park attained the rank of major while working as a statistician on Academy is one of that very select group. the general staff in Washington, D.C. He was discharged in The Academy News, for several years, had been pushing 1919, but he continued in the reserves until 1929. for an official school song. Finally, it organized a competiBurgess returned to Brown in 1919 as an assistant tion, open to all members of the Academy, and to be judged professor and wrote a textbook, Introduction to the Mathematby a committee headed by ics of Statistics, published in Professor Frank Bronson. the United States (1927) and ALMA MATER Robert W. Burgess [1905] England (1929). In 1925, he M. P. M. A. won the five-dollar prize in became the senior statistician ~ulIw._ .... the contest designed to and actuary for the Western produce a school song, but Electric company and 14TDaa. .. .. I. Tho we come from noisy citi~s. . Or qui .. et eoun .. try plaiDS 'IUID hl'eay westen writing the words to Alma remained in that position 2. Our Alma .. Mater's .10 .. ry. It lives us joy to teD. and we pledpour 1Ieut', • J When we've launcbed on life's hard voyace 'Neath Ioweriq skin or dear. We .. ever sIIaIl be Mater MPMA (set to the until his automatic retire1 "I.J ..... ~an:·"I.·"'''' _. music of the Princeton song) ment in 1952. 1 ~ 1 1 ~ ~ 1 ~ 1 .. I in 1908 was only one of his President Dwight D. 1 many accomplishments. Eisenhower appointed Burgess as director of the U.S . He was the son of Isaac ..... y . " . . y . . . . . . ~ Bronson Burgess, who was Bureau of the Census in 1953 1 " .1 the first head of the Acadand he remained in that I .. I .. I I :;: 1 I VII 1 r emy while it was a departposition until 1961. 1 The census bureau, under ment of the University of Burgess' direction, was the Chicago. His father was also I'" lrain field. Or Bun - ny sout - h.... lands, Yet ...... in thought" ':'d spirit I.ike Ie - lian~ To the school.n love so well. In every . . . . or COIltest, Be a teacher of Latin at the first governmental agency to ra-Ier To callback mcm-ories :.ar. ~ OU:joY-iS7.~:::YS ~ Academy. employ automation to process information and Robert, after graduating 1 ~ 1 I I r r r computers were used in 1960 from MPA, took first place 1 • on the Brown University to tabulate census data. IV ............. Burgess was a fellow of entrance exams in Latin and I I 1 the American statistical mathematics. He also tied for .. I I I second place in Greek. association and served as its ;: I I president in 1939. He completed his B.A. 11_ IIIIHe continued to write, (Phi Beta Kappa) in only ~ b'o.th.ndosel ........ ;nd"..Ch ..;. help hi. !oilh-borlnthelinn-Ht_~_laI-ty. also, contributing "Research three years and was then fortune bri.ht or dark. We strive to win new hon .. on, For Dear Old }.1orpn Park. full of WOI'k and play And our spirits will pvw lichm As we think of M. P. A . for General Administration" awarded a Rhodes scholar.. -,;. ___ l'-.&:e' ~ . . . .,. • I" to Taylor's Scientific Manageship to Oxford. During his I ment in American Industry three-year (1908-1911) stay .1 1 I (1929), as well as articles for at Lincoln College, Oxford .. ..,. -.:..,." # • the American Journal of he was a member of the I'" .... .& 1f.: ~.& -eo I 1 - , j "J J Mathematics, the Physical chess team that played Review, Social Forces, the annual matches with .. _ ..o.~_ .. - J "<e American Oxonian, and the Cambridge. Journal of the American He returned to the Statistical Association. Burgess also contributed articles to United States to teach mathematics at Purdue, Cornell, and Encyclopedia Britannica. then Brown. His Ph.D dissertation, The Uniform Motion of a Robert W. Burgess died May 27, 1969. Sphere Through a Viscous Liquid, was published in The n American Journal of Mathematics (1916).

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There is nothing like a march Earl Harrison Crary [10], who was born in the North Dakota town named after his father, came to Morgan Park Academy in 1909 at the age of twenty-one to prepare for the University of Chicago entrance exams. He had always been fond of music and, when he came to MPA as a student in 1909, he also became the director of the band. It was during that year that he wrote a "march and two-step," Morgan Park Academy Cadets, "respectfully dedicated to the cadets of MPA." It quickly became a popular favorite at village parades and concerts and The [Morgan Park] Post (November 13, 1909) was happy to inform its readers that Crary "finally has had it arranged for the piano." One copy of the sheet music of the piano version (with pages three and four missing) is at the Ridge Historical Society. The music was published by Crary, Herendeen & Co., Morgan Park, Illinois, and seems to have been the combined enterprise of two MPA students, Earl Crary [10] and Fred Herendeen [12]. The front page of the sheet music has a picture of the MPA band, marching up the curving hill of what is now 112th Street. The back page, in addition to some promotional material about the Academy, gives some indication of importance of music in the life of the Academy: "Boys, particularly, enjoy music. So at Morgan Park it is a feature of

the school life and upon every possible occasion it is a part of the proceedings. Nearly always the music is by the boys' own organization. The band furnishes music for all battalion exercises, and gives an occasional outdoor concert. The orchestra plays at chapel, at the commencement exercises, at informal dances, and on many other occasions. Then, too, there are opportunities during the year to attend grand opera, symphony concerts, and recitals by masters on the piano and violin. To many boys these opportunities open up a new world. The chapel exercises always consist largely of singing, and one period a week is devoted entirely to music. Only those who have attended chapel know how heartily the boys join in the singing." Earl Crary did go on to the University of Chicago (and then to dental school at Northwestern), but he continued his passion for music. He organized a city and a school band in Cando, North Dakota, where he practiced dentistry, and also sang in church and community choirs. He also made the writing of verse a hobby and published three volumes, From One Dentist to Another, Your Dentist is Human, and They Whizzed Us Through Rochester. The titles suggest that he wrote light, humorous verse, perhaps akin to the creations of Ogden Nash.

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Re.pectrully Dedicated to The Morgan Park Academy.

"M. P. A. CADETS" MAROH & TWO-STEP. EARL H.CRARY.

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'HIS COpy OF "M. P. A. CADETS"" IS SENT TO YOU WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF MORGAN PARK ACADEMY. It ...,a. co..,...d f,y Ead Harr;"'. Crary. Director of ti,e Acad...y B...d.

Boy•• ,articularly. e.joy .. u.ic. So. at Mo..-a. Parl it i. a f.ature of tL. "1.001 liE. aad upo. "'I'!:.J'O"i\l. occa.io.. it i. a ,art of ti,e t'r....cedi"l/.. Nearly .I..... y• tl.e mu.ic i. \,y tLe \'oy.· ow. o..-•• u.tio.. Tl.c \'..d PIfWAg::JI fur.i.Le. tloc mu.ic (Dr.U \'.att.lio~ exerei.... and .in. an occa.ion.1 outdo!'r concert. TLe oreLe.tra play••t cLapel. at tLe eOlllmenc.ment e"ere..... at •• (orm.1 d.nee •• ad on m••,. otLer ....e...o.... . TLen. too. tLere arc o,portuniti.. duri..., tl.e ,.e.r to atte.d tre.d opera••ym,"o.,. coacer" a.d recital. \,y ...ten o. tLe ,i.no .nd .iolin. To .... y boy. t".tC o,portu.itie. 0,.. ut' a •• w ....orld. TLe eL.,.1 exere;"••Iw.,.. oO.lIi.t la..-ely of .i•• inll ...d one ,.riod • weel. i. devoted entirely to au.ie. . O.ly t"o" .... e .tte.. ded eL.p.1 Sr.now Low Le.rtil,. tLe boy. ;oi. i. tL••i.,inll. . ,.

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~h~~~~~~3n~h~~~~~~n.I~I~~"(I~1~~~~===m~~IF:~~~~~~~" For c1ctailo ...d "'autifully iIIu.trat.d e.t.l~u. addrc.. MORGAN PARK ACADEMY. ' 8.,,, M . Mor••• Part lIli.oi.

- 11 -

Fred Herendeen [12], composer or for merchandising bakery equipment was the lyricist for more than half-dozen Broadway primary way that he earned a living. musicals and director of many Academy Nevertheless, he managed to accumulate a minstrel shows, wrote the words and music more than respectable list of stage credits: The Elopers (lyrics, 1914?) for MPMA Loyalty. It was dedicated by the composer to the corps of cadets, introduced Girl of Tomorrow (lyrics, 1915) in the 1934 Military Minstrels, and served as Yvette (music and lyrics, 1916) a general theme for the show. The Masked Model (lyrics, 1917) He had a long association with MPMA's Hitchy Koo of 1918 (one lyric, 1918) minstrel shows, but the relationship was Mystery Moon (book, 1930) not always smooth. The Web (play, 1932) When Fred Herendeen returned to All the Kings Horses (book, 1934; also a Chicago from New York in 1923, he wrote movie) Provincetown Follies (book, 1935) to Harry D. Abells (September 24) suggestOrchids Preferred (book, 1937) ing that he would like to resume Popsy (play, 1941) directing the MPMA minstrels. "I To "FRED" HERENDEEN, M.P.M.A., 1912. sincerely trust that when MPMA is in IN Herendeen, who was also the market for their annual APPRECIATION. the nephew of English suffragshow," Herendeen wrote, Enrolled Morgan Park 1908. Academy News; Editor in Chief 1911路12. Academy Minstrels. ette Emmeline Pankhurst, died "you will not overlook one Football Captain and All Western I cademic Center 1911. on June 4, 1962 at the age of who has for many years been Military Band, Cadet Officer, Graduated 1912. sixty-nine. 'on the job.'" University of Chicago, Psi Upsilon. Author liThe Elopers" 1914. Abells took his time about Author "June Girl, and The Web." "All the King's Horses" is now replying (although it is possible that playing at the Imperial Theatre, New York. some interim correspondence is Trustees, Faculty, Alumni and Cadets join in appreciation o f yo u, missing), but wrote (February 2, FRED HERENDEEN 路 who personifies "loyalty." 1924): "It was necessary for me to put aside all personal feelings in the matter of selecting the one to coach the boys. Here is the way the situation appeared to me. We gratefully accepted your generosity and direction of our minstrels for years. Your personal service and leadership were a wonderful help to the vital part of the school work-its spirit. Later you brought Mr. Stanley to assist you. He came to know our boys and our ways. A year ago, while you were in New York and not available, Mr. Stanley put on the show and did very well. It has seemed to me only fair and businesslike to continue him this year since he did give satisfaction last year. I trust you will read between the lines and know how much I appreciate all you do for Morgan Park. You have been and are my ideal of school loyalty." Herendeen eventually returned as director of the MPMA minstrels, however. He wrote actively, too, for the radio "Song a Day" program, producing such songs as Crossword Puzzle Blues, Charming, I Found a Song, and Caravan Land. Music, for Herendeen, was really a passionate avocation,

- 12 -

M. P. M. A. Loyalty Words & Music by FRED HERENDEEN - M. P. M. A.'12

Marcia

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ft ::>

VOICE

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- 14 -

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- 15 -

Of ra, ra, ra and hark, hark, hark You're aiming for the U. of C. 0 yes! a yes! But need your units ten and three, 0 yes! 0 yes! You need more Greek and algebra, Or German or French or astronomy, It's the very place for you to beAt the "Kademy, U. of c., For it's rah!! rah! rah! rah! "Kademy U. of C. Both of these cheers from the Philolexian bear the initials of N.P.C. (probably Nathan P. Cowell, president of the Phllotexian society) and are squarely in the tradition of tongue-in-cheek University of Chicago intellectual cheers. H.T. Dickinson, of the MPA athletic association., offered a one-dollar prize for a suitable yell for teams. The following, posted on a bulletin board, "created no little amusement," but, for some reason, was not adopted. Boyibus Kissibus Sweeti girlorum; Girlibus likibus VVantisomemorum.

Before there was a school song, there were cheers. The University News reported, December 19, 1892, that Morgan Park Academy of the University of Chicago had adopted "a new yell." That it was called "a yell," and not a cheer, suggests that what it lacked in poetic expression might be overcome by decibels. This was the adopted yell: Ra,Ra,Ra Hark, Hark, Hark Varsity Academy Of Morgan Park In November 1894, however, University of Chicago Weekly noted that the Academy athletic association still favored the "old" yell: Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hur-ree! 'Cademy! 'Cademy! U of C! Two more yells were added the next year and these were printed in the Philolexian (October 1895), an Academy literary magazine: There is a grand Academy, there is, there is. A part of the Chicago VarSity, it is it is. At Morgan Park, a beautiful town, Suburb of Chicago, of much renown, A better location could not be found For the "Kademy U. of C. For it's rah! Rah! Rah! 'Kademy U. of C.

Getting the right spirit Still another used the metaphor of the team as a locomotive: MPMA locomotive, one two, three MPMA RAH RAH RAH RAH MPMA RAH RAH RAH RAH (gathering steam) MPMA RAH RAH RAH RAH (very fast) TEAM TEAM TEAM And what military school could get along without a proper military cheer? Sky-rocket for the team, one, two, three (a long drawn out whistle) Boom Ahh! TEAM!

The Academy News (September 12, 1928) wanted to get the cadets in the right spirit, so it printed some of the school yells. One, called "Seven for the Team," went like this: Seven for the team, one, two three. RAH RAH RAH RAH RAH RAHRAH. TEAM TEAM TEAM. There was also nine (rahs) for the team and even one with fifteen. Another, "Yea Team, one, two three," went like this: Yea Team, one, two three YEA, TEAM YEA, TEAM RAHRAHRAHRAHRAH RAHRAH. YEA, TEAM

- 16 -

T1MO

The faculty of MPMA was, perhaps, merely stepping to the tune of the times. "The tango, and all other styles of dancing except the Military Waltz and the two-step, was formally barred from the Academy by a vote of the faculty, The (Morgan Park) Post reported, November 15, 1913. In an adjoining column, reprinted from the Chicago Daily News, and signed "a Musician" was this warning: "If fathers and mothers of our young people only know how immodest the tango dance really is, and where it originated, I am sure they would not allow their sons or daughters to dance it .... It is the most disgraceful dance I have ever seen." Ben Hecht, in his autobiography, Child of the Century, recalled that when he was reporter covering the Chicago avenue police beat in 1912, he saw "trials of women arrested for smoking cigarettes, for shopping without their corsets on - their jiggling torsos were considered hostile to the peace; for using profanity, for appearing on bathing beaches without stockings, for wearing odd garments in the open such as slacks and shorts, for kissing in public, for wearing a man's hat, for sitting alone in a cafe or drinking in a saloon, for driving an automobile without a male in attendance; for putting too much paint on their faces or cutting their hair too short." The tango, however, was not the first time that dancing caused controversy at the Academy. In 1894, for example, J.M. Hamilton, of Rantoul, Illinois, wrote to President Harper to object to some of the forms entertainment at the Academy. His son, Homer, liked the school,

step, si; tango, no he wrote, but "was much surprised to find that dancing was the special entertainment. Now my son, his father and mother, all sincerely believe that to dance is wrong and we belong to a Baptist church that [bans] a member who would persistently engage in this amusement and would that I had known that this temptation would have been placed in the school buildings and under the supervision of the dean and his wife. In short, had I known dancing was to be encouraged by

having the school in charge I have no idea I should have sent him there at all." The letter was, apparently, forwarded to the Academy dean, George Noble Carman, for he responded to Harper on January 9, 1894: "I regret that Brother Hamilton is displeased because dancing has been allowed at our Friday evening receptions to the students. He is mistaken,

- 17 -

however, in thinking that it has been the special feature of any evening's entertainment. On the contrary, the program has consisted of musical and literary selections with games in which all take part, dancing being incidental and under such restrictions as to prevent anything objectionable. I have permitted it because many of the students have been brought up to think dancing a fitting and innocent amusement, as I also to believe it to be when engaged in the presence and with the approval of parents and teachers./I That didn't quite settle the matter. Some nineteen students (all male, apparently, including Homer Hamilton, George Bell and T.L. Griffith) put their Signatures under the following letter (December 14, 1894) to Harper: "We, the undersigned students of the Morgan Park Academy urgently request that dancing be positively forbidden at this institution. We believe the Academy would not receive the support of many parents and pastors especially those of the Baptist denomination if it were known that dancing were permitted here." At the University of MiSSiSSippi, in 1901, the faculty voted to prohibit dancing as a feature of commencement parties. When the student newspaper protested in an editorial, the editor, John W. Robertson, was asked to leave the university. Although the evidence is inconclusive, it does seem as though dancing continued to be permitted at MPA, despite the reservations of some. Ah, but after all, there was nothing quite like the order of a good military waltz!

Captain Elliott Orr fights the perennial baHle of the arts: scheduling difficulties A telegram clinched the job for Elliott Orr as band director of MPMA and, alth ough he was never completely satisfied with the music program at the Academy, he stuck it out for more than a decade (1935-1947). The telegram Gune 21, 1935) was a recommendation from H.H. Cherry, of Western Teachers College (Bowling Green, Kentucky). Cherry gave Orr his "unqualified endorsement" and he was confident that he "will render a high grade service .. . "

position elsewhere. The letter stated that Orr had been "bandmaster for three years. [He] has raised the Academy band from the low level of perhaps less than mediocrity to a superior level. He has emphasized to the band the necessity of careful musicianship, has taken individual members and trained [them] to a much higher level of skill and ability and has rounded out the band by inducing certain members to change instruments so that the whole balance of instrumentation

The MPMA jazz band swings into action.

has been highly improved." Orr didn't leave, however. A letter of the next year suggests, perhaps, why Orr might have been seeking employment elsewhere. It was the age-old issue of how to find a place for the arts in an already tightly packed schedule of academic classes, military training, and athletics. Orr wrote (February 10, 1939) to Abells: "I am very anxious to have more time for rehearsals for the band. The enthusiasm of the members is lessened when the time and

His wife, Jennie, was highly regarded too and when a biology teacher left at the end of the semester in December of 1936, she was hired for balance of the academic year. (She would, later, teach in Morgan Park]r. College and, in 1948, she won the student-voted Ralph Culloden award for "most effective teaching.") There is a copy of a letter of recommendation Gune 21, 1938) for Elliott Orr, probably drafted by Superintendent Harry D. Abells, which suggests that he was looking for a

- 18 -

number of rehearsals are so uncertain. The contest is only six weeks away and we need more practice. I do not feel that the time between mess and study hall periods is adequate to accomplish much, since most of the band are day studen ts and it is difficult for them to return to school so soon after their dinners. Also this is a free period for all the cadets and I know from past experience that the morale of the group is lowered when they are forced to participate in an activity while others are free. It is my desire that the band not be considered an extra-curricular activity since all of its appearances are definitely a part of the military department and leads this department in most of its public appeara nces and therefore must always be able to do their part well. In my opinion the band is a necessity to the military department, and extra-curricular activities are not considered necessities. At the end of the World War, Gen. Pershing said, ' It takes seven times as long to build a musician as it does a sold ier.' I sincerely hope this can all be worked out with satisfaction to all." This issue was apparently not resolved to his satisfaction, for it was not very long before Abe ll s was calling him to account, "officially and in the spirit of friendship." He warned Orr that "talking too much outside of the Academy, especially criticism" was going "to talk [himself] out of [his] position." Orr wrote to Abells (November 14, 1940), perhaps in response to some other critiCism, on the status of band. [t had lost, through graduation, top players at many positions, leaving only weak and new players. He also pointed out that John Phillip Sousa, had said that "if a boy has talent and

practices diligently four or five hours each day he will make a fair player in seven years." On ly a few of the boys, Orr added, knew how to play on the march and it was, in short, the weakest group since 1935. "I do not think it fair to compare the Morgan Park High School band with our band, as we have about 230 cadets to draw from and they have over 3000 students. They also get credit for music study with sectiona l rehearsals every day and at least three full band rehearsals a week during schoo l hours . I am opposed to rehearsals during the cadets' own time. The finer arts, of which music ranks the highest, can not be forced upon boys of high school age who are fatigued from a full day's academ ic and military schedule and are anxious for a few minutes of free play. The learning of one number requires hours of hard study and practice, this ca lls for th e coordination of the finer muscles which is hardest for any growing boy [when] his natural tendency is to use on ly the larger muscles such as he uses in free play. Ask any group of boys if they would rather stay in and diagram a sentence in English o r go out and play ball and see how many you have for Engli sh." Principal Hugh Price, perhaps in response to these observations of Orr, told Abe ll s (memo, November 14, 1940) that if the band were to be carried out in regular academic time, as Orr proposed, cred it and grades should be given. He also noted that scheduling would be difficult. And perhaps it was that perennial problem of arts in the curriculum, "scheduling difficulties," that sent Orr elsewhere in 1948.

Elliott Orr

Jennie Orr

- 19 -

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The only thing more impressive than this number... the list of colleges and how many were 1st choices.

Reprinted with pennission from Chicago Magazine. For a copy of the entire article and/or if you would like to see the video of the resulting Fox News report, contact Sara Grassi at 773/881-6700 ext. 232 or sgrassi@morganparkacademy.org.

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MPA's ACT scores are among the 4 highest - only a half point from the top. (What makes this more remarkable is that all MPA students are required to take the ACT, the averages of other schools do not always take into account their weaker students.)

2153 W. lllth St. Chicago, II 60643 773/881-6700 ext. 232 sgrassi@morganparkacademy.org

.--< ('oJ

Morgan Park Junior College finds its own voice Mabel Hessler Cable, who taught English at Morgan Park Junior College for more than a decade, wrote the words and music for the junior college song, probably in the 1930s. Q

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Park Ju..lli"r . Col-lep".)o not' Let .

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- 22-

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MUSIC AT MORGAN PARK ACADEMY (TIIese observations of students were gathered In conJunction with the dedIcation of the Ross W. Beatty musIc room In Barlcer Ha" In f9N.}

fIRST GlW)E SnmENTS

Ili1ce music because I like the different games, and I like to sing. I li1ce mUsic because we sing and I love singing. I like music because we learn so many fun songs, like "The Tiger And Bear" song. I like music beamse sometimes we get to Iuroe performance day. I like music beamse lUke to play the wonderful instruments. Music is fun because we get to sing a lot of real cool songs, that's why music is specilll. I 1i1ce music beamse when we sing, sometimes if we are good at the song, we get to pl4y games. I like music because it's fun to sing and play the instruments. We play games and Iuroe fun too. SECOND GlADE

If we did not have music at MPA,I probably wouldn't come here. lUke doing lots of plays and singing music to them, I like perfurming. Music calms me down sometimes after recess. I'd not like it here if we didn't Iuroe music, it's my fa'OOTite subject. Music is fun, you get to learn new songs. We get to play instruments and it makes me feel better if I feel sad. No music in this school, only art - then I'd make pictures of music. I take piano at MPA. If there wasn't any music I wouldn't be able to perform for anyone. When I feel down, I go to my keyboard and pl4y my fa'OOTite song. lUke music cause sometimes we have request day and performance day. If there wasn't any music at MPA, I would be unhappy cause music makes me happy. When you grow up, you can be a singer like Whitney Houston or Janet Jackson. I like to pl4ya lot of instruments. I'm gonna be an opera singer. If MPA didn't have music, we wouldn't 1cnuw huw to sing. If we didn't have music, I would be sad. I'm writing a song in piano, fun songs, silly songs that make you feel happy. It would help you. I think it's so specilll. Phantom of the Opera wouldn't have been invented, my favorite. It's nice to learn something new about instruments. You get to sing songs; some are serious and others are fun. Real interesting; cool songs and stuff. You never 1cnuw what you might learn from it. If we didn't have music, it wouldn't be very peaceful. I like performance day and when we get to sing. If the music wasn't music I would draw pictures of the piano and stuff. THIRD GRAPE SruoENIS

A day without music is like a day without sunshine. I like music because you do a lot of fun things - play instruments and do games. I like music, I like drums. A day without music is a day with no fun. I like music cause of performance day. It helps us not be so nervous. You get to play old instruments, and experience new ones. I love music a lot, its my favorite subject. Performance days, IIi1ce to be on stage. I like music; I get to sing funny songs and play the xylophone. I see things inside the piano. - 23-

I like playing snare drums, all the sounds you can make. When I get my hands on a piano, I can't stc!p. FOURTH GRADE STIJDENTS

Music is very fun and it is something constructive to do. The reason I play flute is because it is fun to play and the tone is beautiful. The reason I got interested is by listening to it. After one yetlT, it was fun to play. . I like band because you get to do fun stuff in your free time. Also because the music is neat. I like playing a trombone because it sounds nice and it's a new experience. I enjoy band because I have always wanted to play jazz music.

FImI GRADE SnmENxs I like band because I have the opportunity to play great songs. I like band because I think that it sounds very nice when we all play together. It is fun and exciting letlTning different kinds of music. It is fun letlTning how to play the flute. SIXTH AND SmNIH GlADU SnmENIS

I enjoy music because you have a wide choice of instruments to pick from. When you do, you can express your feelings by playing whatever you want. I enjoy playing in the middle school band because when I get a piece of music right, I feel good that I have accomplished it! I think music is the best thing that could have happened to me. It gives me a way to express myself. 1 enjoy going to band and learning the songs - some are classics and some I've never hetlTd before. 1 really think music helps me in my life because sometimes when I'm really down, 1sit and play my piano. It helps me get rid of my anger and soothes me. It's also beneficial to me because if you get into any musical instruments, you can enjoy playing your instrument and please others with your talent. Music has made me a better person. It is very fun. My teacher has been my friend and teacher. I sometimes amaze him when he hears me play. It is relaxing and soothing when I can sit down and play when 1am bored. Music changed my life. All those wonderful composers, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Bach. Their work is amazing. They were true genius', music was their life. The only music 1 really like is alternative music. Music class is fun because we get to play instruments. Music makes me happy. I'm glad we have music at MPA. Music makes me relax. It lets me think. 1 like to listen and learn how to play so 1 can play what other people play. 1 like music. Some music I really don't like, like operas. 1 think its neat that there are so many different kinds of instruments that not one sounds alike. Music is colorful, like life and music adds to the many other colors that life already has offered. listening to certain types of music can relax you and you feel free of worries. 1really think music helps me relax. At school, 1have learned how to appreciate music and how to take care of instruments. Out of school, music helps give me something to do. It benefits everyone because without music people would have to sit in silence. Overall, 1 think music is great. Music is important because when you listen to some kinds of music like for example, piano music, you become very relaxed. My piano teacher is about 82 years old and her fingers are very strong. She doesn't have arthritis either because she plays the piano. Music is also sort of like exercise, because piano strengthens your fingers and so do some other types of instruments. When you dance you listen to music so there's another type of exercise. So that's why 1 think music is very very important. 1don't think that 1 will ever be famous or anything, but 1do like music and performing. I have a wonderful flute teacher. I do like the flute and play in the band. 1am in chorus and like it too. Fine Arts is a - 24-

wonderful subject and one of my favorites. We have fun in music class. I think the Fine Arts are great. really think all the music lessons and music classes I have had so far really made me the person I am. Music makes me a better person because I don't have time to be out on the street. My music teachers, band conductor, piano and tenor sax teachers have really helped me become a better person. I think music can help everyone. I like all of my teachers having to do with music. Alright, so maybe I won't grow up to be a famous pianist or even a well-known singer, but right now, music is a big part of my life. Every Tuesday and Thursday I have music class. Well, I tnjoy playing xylophone, metalaphone and my personal favorite, glockenspiel. Wednesday afternoons I have piano classes and enjoy learning from my piano books and once in a while a hit song from Alladin or some other movie. I am also part of an organization called the "Chicago Children's Chorus." I love to sing and take part in concerts which I may say gives me great satisfaction after performing, especially if I have a solo. I like to listen to different types of music. I play the violin and enjoy it. The lessons may not be fun, but I still like playing the violin. I like it because not many people I know play the violin, I like to be different. I think music is something that helps me do my homework. Music is soothing and relaxes me. It calms me when I am mad. Music is great to listen to. Music class is fun. I do not play any instruments outside of music class, but I do like playing instruments in music and it builds my confidence. Outside of school, I listen to all kinds of alternative and metal. In music, people express things. Sometimes it expresses sad or even happy feelings. Music makes me feel better when I'm sad, it fills me up when there's an empty spot in me. Without music, that part would be empty. The kind of music I listen and play are punk rock, and alternative grunge punk. When I play the guitar it helps me release my anger. I feel like I'm floating and the only thing I have is my guitar. When I listen to my music, it makes me feel good. I like having that kind of music. I do not like to make music, but I like to listen to it. But only some kinds of music. I don't like things like Xylophones, opera or high pitch singing. Music is very inspirational and beautiful to hear. When you complete a music piece correctly, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and raises your self image. When you sing or play music it tends to release you from your tensions. When you just sit and listen to music, it helps you relax or just think. Music influences my life in may different ways - from music class to my favorite radio station. Besides being beautiful music enriches our culture. I

EIGIITH GRADE STUDENTS

I like to play in the Middle School Band because I am able to express myself through my music. When I'm mad or uptight, I can play my trumpet in the band and I feel relaxed and relieved. On Monday and Wednesday I always look forward to coming to band. I enjoy playing and listening to the music we prepare for the concerts. Band is really exciting, especially your first concert. I play the flute but I wanted to playa new instrument, something ethnic that sounds nice so I decided to play the oboe. I am so dedicated that I saved up my money and bought my own. I have learned a lot and hope to continue to play both the oboe and flute. I enjoy the Middle School Band because I like how everyone comes together to play music and to learn the values of music. Band is great. It teaches you responsibility and how to work as a team, because you have to listen to each other so that you can harmonize. I hope to continue to play in the band and maybe become a professional musician. - 2S-

Not a typical suftlftlep job by Liz Reiter

Some students spend summers working at a mall or being a lifeguard. I had the best summer job a sixteenyear-old could have: singing the role of young Maria Celeste in the world premiere of Philip Glass' opera, Galileo Galieli. The opera tells the story of the brilliant, yet challenged scientist. MOving backwards in time (symbolic of the telescope), Galileo is first portrayed as a blind scientist under house arrest for propounding the theory that the sun is at the center of the universe. Later scenes depict his trials with the Roman Catholic Church as well as his struggles with the death of his beloved daughter, Maria Celeste. The opera also beautifully portrays the young, confident Galileo in his laboratory bustling with energetic assistants, his experiments with gravity and motion, and his invention of the telescope. The opera comes full circle and ends with Galileo as a young, restless boy watching, through a program rolled up like a telescope, his father's opera about a blinded Orion. We started rehearsals on May 14, 2002, one month before the scheduled previews. The music rehearsals were conducted by the then sixmonth pregnant Beatrice Affron. Philip Glass, the prolific and worldrenowned composer, and Mary Zimmerman, the Tony Awardwinning director, sat in on every rehearsal, gathering an image of what the final product would be. After a month of music rehearsals with Beatrice, Mary and Philip, the cast moved to the stage. It was there that the project began to come alive. Tech week began in early June with rehearsals lasting from 10 a.m. to nearly midnight. On June 14, we performed the first of ten previews.

Opening night was June 24, and performances continued through August 4. Despite Galileo Galilei's gorgeous music and breathtaking scenery and costumes, my most vivid memories of the opera took place backstage. For two months, we became a family, a family whose homes included Chicago, New York, Boston, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and even Paris. To feel more comfortable with each other, every member of the cast and crew hung baby pictures on one's dressing room door, an idea the Goodman now hopes to make a tradition in subsequent shows. In September 2002 the Galielo Galilei cast and crew, traveled to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York and then to the Barbican Centre in London in November. While in New York, William Lumpkin substituted in the pit for new mother Beatrice Affron and our New York colleagues were able to live at home. The out-of-town cast members stayed at the Brooklyn Marriott. Our opera opened the 20th New Wave Festival at BAM, the oldest performing arts institution in the country and a leading proponent of modern music, theater, and dance. The old opera house at BAM has amazing acoustics and a capacity of 3000. We played to sold-out audiences of Philip Glass devotees, opera lovers, and even such celebrities as Steven Sondheim and Sting. During our time between shows the cast chatted together at breakfast, attended Mary's Tony Award-winning Broadway play, Metamorphosis, ate cheesecake at Junior's, grabbed New York-style pizza at Tony's, and enjoyed post-show time with our director, Mary. In November, Galileo Galilei

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opened at the Barbican in London. The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts complex in Europe and home to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company. What a thrill it was to stand on the same stage as Dame Judy Dench and other great British actors while performing before an intimate audience of 1200! In London, I lived in an apartment, not a hotel and, during our free time, visited the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the Tower of London. Three of our singers, unfortunately, had prior opera commitments and could not join us in London. The three new singers, happily, quickly became part of our little circle. And Beatrice's baby daughter, Miranda, accompanied her everywhere except the orchestra pit! Our last performance was November 9, 2002, and it was the most emotional for the company. Even stalwart actors were in tears at the finale. The friendships I made during Galileo have given me a better understanding of musicians, not only as artists, but also as people. During breaks between shows, we would watch movies together, go to baseball games at Wrigley Field, celebrate birthdays, throw a baby shower for Beatrice, or just hang out together. Though our performances in Chicago, Brooklyn and London have come to an end, the company of Galileo Galilei continues to keep in contact. We e-mail frequently, attend each other's performances, and share holiday times. Galileo Galilei has finished its run. Our friendships, however, will last forever.

Liz Reiter's Goodman Theatre debut was in Philip Glass' Galileo Galilei but, as a member of the Children's Choir, she has sung in more than a hundred performances at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, including Carmen, Tosca, Otello La Boheme, La Giocanda and Hansel and Gretel. As a member of the Chicago Children's Choir, she has also sung with the Music of the Baroque (St. Matthew Passion), Chicago Sinfonetta (Carmina Burana), and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia (A Midsummer Night's Dream). She was also a two-time winner of the Interlochen Fine Arts Camp fine arts award. A reviewer of the Goodman production of Galileo wrote that the role of young Maria Celeste was "beautifully sung" by Liz Reiter in "one of the few outstanding performances" by the cast. Wynne Delacoma, of the Chicago Sun-Times, said Liz Reiter "portrayed the winsome young Marie Celeste in a sweet, surprisingly rich voice." The Chicago Tribune music critic, John von Rhein, noted that she "floated sweet, pure tones" in the role. William R. Braun, writing in Opera News of the Brooklyn Academy of the Arts performance, saw Elizabeth as "ideal as the young Maria Celeste." And the (London) Daily Telegraph critic, Rupert Christian, felt that "the only redeeming moments [were] provided by Elizabeth Reiter, a little girl playing Galileo's daughter, who sang with a clarity and charm that set my mind wandering again - to [radio and film star of the 1930s and 40s] Deanna Durbin."

Young Maria Celeste (Elizabeth Reiter) and her father Galileo (Eugene Perry) kneel in church in this scene from the Goodman Theatre's world premiere production of "Galileo Galilei," an opera by Philip Glass, featuring a libretto by Mary Zimmerman with Philip Glass and Arnold Weinstein, directed by Mary Zimmerman. Photo: Liz Lauren, courtesy of the Goodman Theater.

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When music comes naturally Music came quite naturally to Bernadine Walton, who taught first grade at the Academy from 1960 to 1983. She had been a music major and, before coming to MPA, had taught music in Berwyn and Oak Park, Illinois. When she collaborated with first grade teacher Donna Sable Kosinski on lower school programs, she felt that music should be a central part of any such undertaking. "A program with children is nothing without music," Bernadine said. Musical programs intended for first graders, however, were rare indeed. So, she and Donna carried their collaboration one step further: they wrote their own.

Donna Sable Kosinski

Donna supplied the lyrics drawn, usually from familiar children's stories - and Bernadine composed the tunes. The result was little operettas for children to sing and perform. The words and music for the Morgan Park Academy School Song (1982) came from another collaboration, however. Bernadine discovered that Sally Roberts, mother of Jeff [77] and Alyce [84], was a country Singer and they then worked together on some songs that were purchased by a Nashville music company. It was Sally who suggested that Bernadine write a song about their favorite city, Chicago. Bernadine did just that. She sent a tape of Chicago, accompanied by this explanation: "Given an opening, most people will tell you more than you ever wanted to know. I am no exception. That's why I'm sending you the tape of the Chicago song. It's very good, and I'm proud of it. Slip it into your automobile tape deck some day as you're tooling along." (I did just that, and she should be proud: it is lively and fun, and gives an insider's view of the toddlin'town.) It was Sally, too, who came up with the idea of having a song about MPA. They both agreed that the Academy was a superior place to both teach and learn and it deserved its own song. Bernadine wrote the words and music in 1982. Her Morgan Park Academy School Song has been performed from time-to-time, but it has been more successful with lower and middle school students than with those in the upper school. The upper school students, it seems, were more

- 28-

self-conscious about singing the final line, "that we love you, MPA." That led to a revised version, where the last line was adjusted to better suit adolescent sensibilities: "We rem emberMPA." When she retired from MPA, she had no trouble figuring out what to do. She resumed that old passion: song writing.

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HOUI E.in vaughn's little histolY p.oject becalne sOlnething a lot Ino.e signif:icant It was almost as a lark that she sent it in at all. Her Chicago History Workshop teacher, Barry Kritzberg, had asked the class to fill out an application to a program for teens at the Chicago Historical Society simply as an academic exercise. Erin Vaughn [04] thought, however, that since she had gone to all of the trouble of filling out the application, there would be no harm in sending it in. She thought it was the end of the story, though, when two of her classmates, Ariel Lauryn [OS] and Kristen Vogt [04], were called for interviews and she was not. (Ariel Lauryn, as it turned out, could not participate because of conflicting commitments and Kristen Vogt was selected as first alternate.) Then Erin's turn came and, while she thought the interview went well ("I certainly didn't regret anything I said in the interview," she said), the interviewers were poker-faced and

Erin Vaughn

gave no indication of approval or disapproval. Two weeks later, while sitting at the kitchen table with her family, Erin (now a junior) received a telephone call informing her that she was one of fifteen teenagers selected for the Chicago Historical Society Teen Chicago, a three-year program that will culminate in the opening of an exhibition at CHS in April 2004. The fifteen students from the Chicago area began work on July I, 2002 as paid interns at CHS and will engage in original research, from oral history to web design, that will become a part of the exhibit exploring 100 years of teen experience in Chicago. The exhibit will encourage all CHS visitors to reflect on how their own adolescent experiences still have impact on their lives. It was, during the summer, a fulltime job for Erin and she will be expected to work every Saturday until the exhibit is mounted. She is not unhappy about this two-year commitment she has made, for she has loved every minute of it. "Working at CHS has been a great experience for me," Erin said. liThe other students in the Teen Chicago program - Vietnamese, Hispanic, African-American, Polish, Jewish are as diverse as students at Morgan Park Academy, and just as poised and well-spoken. It is wonderful, though, to be able to relate to a nice, wellrounded group of teens without the competition for grades." "We are being trained," she continued, lito acquire the skills needed for conducting the interviews which will be the basis of the exhibit. The whole process has made me more aware of historical events that should

- 30-

be of some importance to me and I have a much greater appreciation of the complexities faced by those who write history. I also have a much greater appreciation for what goes into the making of a museum exhibit." Mounting that exhibit at the Chicago Historical Society in 2004 is, of course, the goal of the Teen Chicago program and what began almost as a whim for Erin Vaughn has become a very serious commitment. Erin, who was the Morgan Park Academy most valuable tennis player in 2000 and 2001, has given up the sport for the sake of history.

Barry Kritzberg, Erin Vaughn's teacher at Morgan Park Academy, was subsequently invited to present a day-long workshop for the Chicago Historical Society's Teen Chicago program. His workshop, called lithe Historian as Detective," demonstrated how historians actually work: gathering evidence, weighing conflicting accounts, and drawing conclusions in a way quite similar to the way a good detective works. Kritzberg, who also taught courses in 2002 on nature writing at the Field Museum and the Morton Arboretum, said the workshop for CHS was just an abbreviated version of th e course (Chicago History Workshop)" that he teaches at MPA. II

One of the six best weeks of her life by Greg Engelien

Vidhya Srinivasan [03] was one of seventy-five students, selected from a world-wide field, to participate in the annual Research Science Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the summer of 2002. She spent most of the summer working on Alzheimer's disease in a lab at the Harvard Institutes of Medicine. A typical workday for Srinivasan GREG ENGELIEN began at 8 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. She spent most of her days using bio-informatics, an array of computer programs that analyze amino acid sequences, trying to find enzymes. Afterwards, she would return to the dorms and spend time with friends . Srinivasan also found time to visit Cambridge and Boston, go sailing, see the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and jump into a waterfall while on a visit to the White Mountains in Vermont. "I am interested in math and science, and I thought that this program would give me direction for the future," said Srinivasan. "I can honestly say it was one of the best six weeks of my life." "I was also able to meet Vidhya Srinivasan other students who had the same interests I had," she said, lias well as RSI alumni who were willing to help students in the college process and science competitions." Srinivasan learned of the RSI program in Mark Linnerud's AP chemistry class. The program is highly selective and very competitive and is open only to those juniors who have scored 750 or higher on the math portion of the PSAT. "I would recommend this program to anyone interested in pursuing a science and/or math career in the future," she said. While there, Srinivasan did research in the field of neurology, which she now finds very fascinating.

After completing research this summer at the Research Science Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Senior Vidhya Srinivasan was a semi-finalist in the Siemens-Westinghouse science competition. Vidhya was one of the 277 semi-finalists chosen out of approximately 1400 high school applicants. Srinivasan's research, on Alzheimer's disease, was seeking an enzyme that causes Tau, a protein involved in cell structures, to form neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Using an array of computer programs, Srinivasan searched the human genome for this enzyme. She was able to identify the amino acid sequence of this enzyme. "I'm excited about my research because it can contribute to the understanding of the disease," commented Srinivasan. When doing her research, Srinivasan met other students who were researching a variety of topiCS. "This inspired me to find out how far I can take my knowledge. Having hands-on experience is great because I get to take what I learn in the classroom and apply it to real life." Srinivasan finds her research useful for her future career. "Last year I found out there were other kids doing research and in the future I want to become a doctor, so this would be a good opportunity for me." Srinivasan, as a semi-finalist, received a palm pilot, a portable chess game, a thousand dollars (plus a thousand dollars for math and science equipment for MPA), and an opportunity for an internship at the SiemensWestinghouse company. "It was my first experience," she said, "where I took what I knew and applied it. It was really exciting to take things I read about in biology and chemistry and apply them."

n - 31 -

Conf:essions of: an (alnlost) Ulif:e." by Katie Schwer

I am one of those almost mythical figures who has actually spent a good eleven years (that's more than half) of my life here at KATIE SCHWER MPA. I am among those strange kids who already knew most of the others at freshman orientation. It is still hard, however, to sit back and realize that I have grown up here. I started at MPA in first grade, which means I'm not technically a "lifer" but what does one year matter? My mom says that when I started first grade I was behind all the kids who had been at MPA for prekindergarten because they could read and write and I could not. I was a little nervous about that and felt discouraged that I did ju st not understand th in gs quite as well as th e other kids. My mom reassured me, however, and told me that the same thing had happened to my brother. He had caught up and so would 1. And, guess wh at, I did. I am actually one of those kids who enjoy being at school. I th ink MPA is beautiful and unique and I feel safe here. I am one of those kids wh o goes home and actually tells people how cool my school is because the classes are so small and all the teachers know who you are, and you do not really have to act a part for anyone unless you want to. Knowing all of my classmates is a really important thing to me because it makes MPA feel more like a home than a big ocean of nameless students . I can not imagine what it must

be like to go to a school where there such things as, "I'm glad I'm getting are about six hundred kids just in out of here before this place gets too your class and you crowded!" One of my know about thirty of classes, it is true, has them. only two students, but Recently, another has thirty-three however, MPA has crammed into one of been making changes the science classrooms. I realize that I miss my that, I must admit, honestly befuddle classes from last year, the mid-sized classes of me. MPA is growing larger and, while I ten-to-sixteen, that know that means make MPA unique and cozy. more people get to The recent changes delight in the at MPA have also experience that is MPA and, in that affected my college plans. Now I want a way, MPA prospers. But this growth has small school, where I can recapture that created an issue for me which I can best intimacy that made MPA unique. All I can describe as territorial. Katie as a first-grader. say to the MPA people I I have found myself am leaving behind is that I hope wondering who all of these people are enrollment doesn't get out of control and where did they all come from? and spoil what is truly unique about And, hey, why are my classes so huge the Academy. this year? I am not the only senior to say

Katie, as a junior, looking the part for the project week experience on liThe Beats and the American Dream."

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Summer time and the flying is easy by Omar Raddawi

OMAR RADDAWI

"I started taking flying classes in high school. I eventually started flying a small Cesna 172 plane, with a small engine. My instructor became my friend," said Czarkowski. Flying an airplane calls for a special type of person. He must be fearless and resilient, but the novice pilot also needs to have a good instructor who is able to pull a plane out of a spin if need be. Czarkowski had such an instructor, fortunately, but he still remembers that spin as one of his worst flying experiences. Czarkowski has found new ways to use his unique abilities. His family owns a house in Wisconsin, which is normally a four to six hour drive. Now he is able to fly there in under an hour. However, Czarkowski wants to remind people that this is not his dream. He doesn't want to be responsible for other people's lives. He just does this for pure fun . "1 don't want to be a pilot or astronaut, I am just doing it for recreation, not as a career."

While most MPA students spend their free time watching sand slip through the hour glass, watching reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and finding new and creative ways to win extra credit in Mr. Kowalsky's math classes, senior Robert Czarkowski has chosen to spend his time in the air that is, flying an airplane. Czarkowski's father, who also has a passion for flying, first took Robert

on board as a baby. "When I was a lot younger, some of my dad's friends used to take my dad flying. On occasion, he would take me along. Even at an early age, I showed a love for flying. I remember how I used to sit on my uncle's lap and steer the plane." As Czarkowski matured, his love for flying also intensified . Czarkowski eventually sought to turn what was once a dream into an every-day hobby.

Sign in, Sign in, sign in Some habits die hard and some, it seems, die not at all. It is understandable, then, why the class of 1992, when they came to the MPA campus for their 10th year reunion, did what they always did when they arrived at school late: they signed-in on the sheet in the upper school office. They also provided some very familiar sounding reasons for their tardiness. Carolyn Brescia checked in at 6:06 p.m. and gave a solid reason for being late: "hair trouble."

Jamie Ahmed cruised in some 54 minutes later and confessed that she was "hung over." Jason Ervin, who disdained to post a time, blamed his late arrival on "practice." Just what he was practicing, however, was by no means clear. Adam Rhodes signed in - a mere two hours and 14 minutes after Carolyn, the first late arrival - but insisted he was "on time!!" Jennifer Zalewa followed with "ate breakfast at Denny's and the waitress was slow," Deborah Jurado confessed that she was" getting older and much slower," Maya Messoriano

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"needed to finish [her] cigarette," Ben Von Fischer pleaded a "post-call," and Kristina Thiel had the habitual and perennial "flat-tire." Dolores Butler found all of these wayward excuses waiting for her when she came in Monday morning, along with a collective "we miss you" scrawled in the margin of the sign-in sheet. "It made my day, " Dolores said with a smile and a little chuckle. She also said she would be calling the parents of those alumni who had accumulated too many tardies.

Winnie Theodore UI'nI still getting the kid t=ix!" by Winnie Theodore

My introduction to MPA was in 1956 or 57, when I accompanied Marianne Melton, my friend and neighbor, to see if the Academy would be a suitable high school for her nephews who had grown up in Japan. The moment I stepped on the campus I fell in love with the place and I decided that I wanted my boys to attend the Academy. In the Spring of 1961 I made an appointment with headmaster Ted Withington to discuss enrolling my oldest son, Bill, in the Academy. During our conversation I mentioned that I was attending Chicago Teachers' College to complete my degree (I had dropped out of Newcomb College during World War II to get married). Much to my surprise, Ted offered me a job teaching sixth grade but, since I had another semester to complete, I had to decline. Several months later Ted called and asked if I would like to take over teaching sixth grade for a teacher who was leaving because of pregnancy. This time, I accepted. The campus was quite different at the time. Hansen Hall housed the middle school classes on the first floor and the second and third floors were still dormitories. West and East Halls were south of 112th Street and the football field was north of l11th Street. Lower school classes were in East Hall, which had once been a dormitory. It was old and quite run down. Bernadine Smith Walton taught first and second grades, Dorothy Andersen taught grades three and four, Gaylen Cronk taught fifth grade (and acted as head teacher), and I taught sixth. I had about sixteen students and, sadly, three of them John Montgomery, Allison Draper and Eric Lager - died in young adulthood. When East Hall was torn down, the lower school was moved to Hansen Hall. I remember a sign that was put up on the spot where East Hall once stood that gave everyone a chuckle. Under the printed slogan, "watch us grow," someone had written, "by tearing buildings down." Upper school classes and some middle school classes were in West Hall before they moved to Hansen. Somewhat later, I taught third and fourth grades and also served as director of studies for the lower school. When Ted Withington left and David Jones became headmaster I became lower school principal, but I continued to teach (often full-time) for a long time. When Don Coller, the middle school principal, died suddenly (a week before school was to open in 1970), I assumed his duties also. I continued as principal of lower

and middle schools until my retirement in 1997. For thirty-five years, then, Morgan Park Academy was the focus of my life. My children sometimes felt that I cared more for the school than I did for them. They liked going to MPA, but didn't often acknowledge my presence. My son, Tom [67], was full of the dickens and when his antics brought Dave Jones to my door with a look of chagrin, my automatic response was "what did Tom do this time?" Today, fortunately, Tom is an upstanding citizen. He is in a financial planning partnership with Randy Fox [67]. My son Bob [69] works for Tom and Randy and son Bill [65] is a teacher in Cobb County, Georgia. He is also the father of my two granddaughters, Kelly, 7, from China, and Megan, 6, from Russia. I look back on my thirty-five years at MPA as the best years of my life. Now, I volunteer - at my church's resale shop and, to get my kid fix, I spend one day a week at Scott School in Naperville helping second and third graders with reading.

Winnie Theodore, with that famous smile, in the classroom.

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Gina Adduci From teaching French to bicycle touring in Europe by Gina Adduci I have such fond memories of my time (1986 - 1989) at MPA. I taught lower and middle school French for most of my time there, but during my first year I also covered a combination of lower and middle school French classes while Kayla Vodnoy was on maternity leave. MPA was my very first job after college, and while I often reflect on it GINA ADDUCI with a smile, I have enjoyed my adventures since then as well. In the summer immediately following my departure from MPA, I completed my M.A. in French at Middlebury College in Vermont. I then moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1990 when I accepted business positions in international management, and subsequently international (North American) relations and training. It was an exciting time, as NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was at the forefront of our industry, and there were tremendous amounts of internationallearning, negotiation and cooperation taking place. I traveled extensively in Mexico and Canada, using my French and developing (quickly!) my Spanish. In 1996, I left the conventional career track, and took a brief leave of absence to be a bicycle tour leader in Bordeaux, France for groups of vacationing Americans. I fell in love with the chance to be back in Europe, and use my French full-time, while spending my days outside on a bicycle. What a change from the corporate scene! In 1997, I was a tour leader again, and after the season I spent two months traveling through Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Each location was spectacular in its own right, and I found the architecture of Moscow and Prague to be particularly striking! In 1998 I joined the Bicycle Tour Company (VBT Bicycling Vacations - vbt.com) full-time as their European Human Resources and Leader Manager. I live in Beaune, France in the heart of the wine country (40 km. south of Dijon). This position gives me an opportunity to incorporate my love of education in so many ways: I train all European tour leaders (approximately 50); I make daily cultural and language discoveries of my own; and we offer intimate local discovery of Europe by bicycle to our guests. Our offices are in a 17th century farmhouse surrounded by vineyards. I have traveled around France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa with my

company, and this fall I will add Sicily and Morocco to the list. I remember how my students and I imitated stages of the Tour de France in our classroom learning activities. I have been to the past five Tours in person (one of which went past my home!) and often think of how I wish my former students were there with me to experience the excitement of the live experience - - including Lance Armstrong's victories. I recently revisited MPA and continue to be impressed by the level of excellence and dedication embraced and implemented there. I read about one of my students in the Academy Magazine whom I remember as an enthusiastic "little girl." She is now grown up and coaching other little girls in soccer. Where does the time go? All of my students live frozen in time at the tender ages they were when I left MPA. My interaction with them in my role as MPA's "Mademoiselle Adduci" remains one of my most endearing memories.

To my former students: I would love to hear from you and where your life paths have led since our days together. Contact info: Gina Adduci VBT La Grange au Vager 21190 Meursault FRANCE e-mail: ginafrance@aol.com

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The loneliness ot: our long distance runner She now runs ten-to-twelve miles every Sunday morning and neither rain, snow, sleet, nor sub-freezing temperatures stop her from making her appointed rounds. Caitlin Kenny, as a sophomore, had done a little bit of running, but she had never even heard of crosscountry running. One year later, as a junior, she finished thirty-third in the state class A cross-country championship. Her first distance run, through the Bull Frog forest preserve in Palos, was over a five-mile course, but she didn't know it was that long until the race was over. She just ran it, and she loved it. She began running casually, training with her sister, who was on the McAuley track team, and quickly developed a passion for running. There was only one minor problem: MPA, for many years, did not have a cross-country team. Caitlin tried to persuade others to join her in the sport, but those interested in Fall athletics opted for volleyball or soccer. She became a "team" of one and, for the last three years, has trained on her own and represented Morgan Park Academy in meets. Her training is rigorous. Her Sunday runs are just the beginning. On Mondays, she does interval training, running six-to-eight 800meter dashes or four separate mile runs. On Tuesdays, she runs hard for five or six miles. On Wednesdays, she works on speed, running perhaps a dozen 200-meter sprints or ten 400meter dashes. On Thursdays, she runs another five or six miles, but does not press herself as hard as she does on Tuesdays. On Fridays, she coasts a bit, running an easy two miles or so and

working a little on strides and sprints. On Saturdays, there are often meets; but, if not, she puts in another hard day of training. This regimen is not merely for the season; it goes on all year. She does take a break each year, however, of two-to-three weeks, usually over the Christmas holidays. In one race, during the scramble at the start, a girl stepped on Caitlin's shoe and it came off. She kept on running. After about fifty yards, however, she decided that running with one-shoe-on and one-shoe-off was awkward. She then took off the other shoe and finished the fivekilometer race bare foot. Only one part of course gave her trouble: the steep incline of the final four hundred meters, where she found it difficult to keep her footing. She didn't notice any pain while running, but afterwards she noticed that her feet were cut and bruised. She had difficulty walking for the next several days. Running alone, of course, has its drawbacks. There aren't the teammates to push one or console one. When she turns up at a cross country meet, as the sole representative of Morgan Park Academy, the other teams often openly express the notion that she is strange or crazy. Caitlin doesn't see it that way at all, of course. "It would be fun to Caitlin Kenny share some of those

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moments with teammates, of course, but I just love to run," she said. "It's a paSSion, an obsession. There is nothing quite like being out there by yourself, pushing yourself, for yourself. It gives me time to think, to relax, and sometimes I compose poems in my head as I run or I imagine I'm listening to music. I love the competition, but I would run even if there were no other competitors. I love to run so much that competition is not as important as the running." Perhaps our lonely long distance runner isn't quite so lonely, after all. Q

striding along her favorite course.

Lopa takes charge A U-High free throw with one second left sent the game Excuses, excuses. She had a cold and wasn't feeling well at all. Her into the first overtime. From that point on, it was the Lopa shooting was off. She lost a contact lens after being jostled show. on a drive to the basket. "They did a lot of trash-talking when we beat them on One would think she had just lost a tough game and their home court and we used that as motivation, " Pandya was trying to explain how it happened. (who scored 27 in that game) said. "My teammates did a great job of finding me The coach of the other team didn't when I was open. I quite see it that way, wasn't feeling great however. She didn't physically, but I didn't notice the cold, the get tired. When the adrenaline gets gOing, it lost contact. "My entire team can carry you a long doesn't score 46 points way." in most games/' said Coach Tom Joyce Stiles, coach of Drahozal said of his star the University High junior guard that he has School girls' basketball been expecting her to team. "This was the have a game like that all best individual season. "This was a performance I've seen game where the top this season. It was player has to take it on incredible to watch." her shoulders. Lopa What Coach Stiles definitely did that." watched in amaze"We never gave up," ment was the perforLopa said when it was all mance of Morgan Park over. "It was awesome." Academy's Lopa She was talking, of Pandya, who scored course, about the team 46 points and grabbed effort, the double 19 rebounds to lead overtime win, and not her team to a 64-62 her individual heroics. win in double overThis outstanding time over U-High at single game perforMPA on January 14. mance, though not an Twenty-seven of MPA record, helped put Lopa's points came in her in rather elite Lopa goes up for another two. (Beverly Review photo) the final sixteen company. She, in her minutes of the game high school career, has and she scored all of MPA's points - 11 - in the second already scored more than a thousand points - a feat that overtime. only four girls (Kate Kozacik, Christine Linnerud, Jackie MPA was down by ten, 44-34, with 2:45 left in regulaMortimer, and Shaneah Taylor) in MPA basketball history tion. Lopa then hit a three-pointer and followed it with a have accomplished. Lopa is the first player, male or female, free throw. Noor Nahaas added a two pointer and a freeto reach the 1000 point mark in her junior year and with a throw and, while Pandya drew most of V-High's attention, strong season next year she just might become the highest Claire Brown hit a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to give scorer, male or female, in MPA basketball history. MPA its first lead since 2-0. n

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The (allnost) neve.-ending galne It was a fairy-tale finish, a dream, the likes of which no one would believe, perhaps not even the players themselves. "I've coached over 600 games," said MPA's middle school basketball coach Tony Churchill, "and I've never seen anything like it. It was amazing, I've never even had a double overtime before." Just imagine this scenario: down by nine at the half, five at the end of third quarter, and a player who hasn't hit a basket all game hits a twopointer to tie the game at the end of regulation. Our heroes score first in each of three overtimes, but their opponents battle back to knot the score at the end of the period - once, twice, three times. They score first again in the fourth overtime, but this time they build the lead ... to three ... and then to five, and then the scoreboard registers the reality: a 56-51 win.

It sounds like the stuff of legends,

like a Frank Merriwell or Jack Armstrong sports fantasy, but no; this was real. It was Morgan Park Academy's middle school basketball team, on the way to a highly successful 13-2 season, which defeated Hyde Park Jewish Community Center 56-51 in a seemingly endless game on January 7, 2003 that took four quarters and four overtimes to complete. Keval Parikh's two-pointer - his only basket of the day - at the end of the fourth quarter sent the game into the first overtime and Tony Catania's free-throws (his only points of the day) in the fourth overtime put the game out of reach Scoring leaders for MPA were James Coleman, with 22, Charlie Tokar with 20, and Bobby Churchill with 10. Words didn't seem to matter as the pressure of the overtimes mounted. "After awhile," Coach

Churchill said, "there wasn't anything I could really say. I didn't really need to, though, for they just kept going out there and playing hard until the win was ours." Tony Cantania said "it was a lot of fun out there, very exciting and very tense." Charlie Tokar (who plays in another basketball league outside of school) thought he was going crazy, for this was his second quadruple overtime game in a matter of weeks. "I wanted to win," he said, "so I could go home and get some sleep." The rematch against Hype Park Jewish Community Center looked, for awhile, as though it would be an instant replay in reverse of the first game. It was MPA who was up by nine at the half this time and, in the second half, HPJCC kept cutting into MPA's lead. This game seemed to go on forever, too, as HPJCC committed 19 fouls in the second half. Poor freethrow shooting on the part of MPA (15 of 31), however, allowed HPJCC to stay close. MPA, led by James Coleman, with 23 points, and Charlie Tokar with 19, held on for a 5352 win. This time, no overtime.

Coach Churchill, Charlie Tokar, Grant Dissette, Vinod Sehgal, Alex Ingram, Keval Parikh, Abdul Dia, Tim Riggenbach, Bobby Churchill, Alex Koht, John Kavouris, and James Coleman. (Not pictured: Tony Catania, Mudasir Ahmed, and Salman Razzaque.

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MPMAIMPAILORING

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 history of the Academy comes to be written your story will be a part of the record, not just a yarn that is told at alumni gatherings. Barry Kritzberg Editor, Academy Magazine MPMNMPA 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. Describe, if you know, how you came to attend MPA. 2. Describe your first day at MPA. 3. If you attended another school, you might discuss the differences. 4. Were you following (or leading) a sibling? What was that like? 5. Friendships: who / how / what / why / where / when? 6. Classes and school work: what did you like? Any funny moments? Memorable ones? 7. Books: significant readings, from The Poky Little Puppy to Walden, etc. 8. Activities: sports, plays, dances, newspaper, year-book, parades, drill, key-club, all-nighters, etc. 9. 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. 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:

or e-mail: bkritzberg@morganparkacademy.org Barry Kritzberg Morgan Park Academy 2153 W. lllth Street Chicago, IL 60643

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A Vision for the Future doesn't come from the clouds; it comes from good fortune, a love for the Academy and the hard work of many people.

by ]. William Adams

One afternoon last year, I attended a middle school girls' basketball game as an enthused parent in support of my daughter's efforts as a new player. Before the game even began, a parent sat down next to me and we began a social discussion. It turned out that he was a professor at a near-by University. His daughter, also on the team, was a classmate of my daughter as well. The conversation eventually turned to our professions and the professions of our spouses. Once I heard that his wife was an architectural planner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, my interest piqued immediately, for I knew both that Morgan Park Academy needed a full master plan that could help us develop the vision for our school during the next twenty-five years, and that we had to build a new gymnasium. This kind father offered to let me contact his wife to see if Skidmore could help our school. He thought this would be fine. This court-side conversation led to a number of preliminary contacts, the end result of which was that Skidmore, Owings and Merrill- specifically, Ferhat Zerin (mother of Sabine Chi sty, now in the 7th grade) and Mr. Philip Enquist, the head of planning at the firm and a world-renowned architectural planner - taking on MPA as a pro bono project. Under the leadership of these professionals, a committee was created to develop a vision for our school. The committee, consisting of trustees, administrators, faculty, parents and students, explored the physical needs for the next twenty-five years. As we began our discussion, it became clear that we all wanted: • to keep the athletic program on the south side of 112th Street; and • to maintain the integrity of the Jones Bowl. In addition, we discovered: • that Hansen Hall and Alumni Hall formed the basis for the architectural character of the Academy, and that all future buildings should "work with" and/or resemble these buildings. Because of the fire department requirement that we close down the second floor of the gymnasium, it became obvious that we needed a new gym as soon as possible. The architects examined the existing building, but because of its age, structure and small size, it would be more expensive to renovate the century-old building than it would be to build a new one. We then concluded that the Academy needed a new gym with two regulation-size gym floors in order to meet the demands of today's physical education and athletic program (which numbers 30 teams). Beyond this, we ultimately concluded that the Academy would probably need the following: • a new lower school building - because the classrooms in Barker Hall lack space (for today's elementary educational programs and for storage). This would best be located next to Alumni Hall; • a new middle school - perhaps where the current Barker Hall stands, attached to Hansen Hall, which would then be devoted entirely to the upper school; • a new classroom building, with a focus upon the arts, to be built around a theater; and • a second addition to the new gymnasium which might be devoted to our physical education program as well as athletics. Thus, we have a vision. The initial focus, of course, will be on a new gymnasium. What follows thereafter will be determined by the board. They obviously have much work ahead of them, but there is no denying that our vision makes the present an exciting moment in the development of the future Morgan Park Academy. Q

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill The Plan I

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PAID CHICAGO, IL PERMIT NO. 2898