R_WURD 2012 Columbia Links Magazine

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JUDGED: LOOKS CAN KILL

Chicago’s teen magazine; written for us, by us

What a hoodie telegraphs today

FRESHMAN FLUNK SCENE

Are high school students ready for college?

CHICAGO'S TEEN MAGAZINE; WRITTEN FOR US, BY US

www.columbialinks.org

2012

2011

THIN STILL IN?

The heavy issue of fitness

DEATH BY GUNS MAKING SENSE OF THE LOSS

N-WORD

TEACHING THE OFFENSIVE

Ch e the ck o u pa poet t ry ge 46. on

SUMMER 2012 I-TEAM

SUMMER 2012

SPRING / 2012

FALL / WINTER 2011– 2012

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STUDENT STAFF High School

Benito Juarez Academy High School Bogan High School Chicago Tech Academy High School Dunbar Vocational Career Academy Gary Comer High School Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory High School Hales Franciscan High School Harlan Community Academy Harlan Community Academy Homewood-­‐Flossmoor High School John Hope College Preparatory High School John Hope College Preparatory High School Jones College Preparatory High School Kenwood Academy King College Preparatory High School King College Preparatory High School Lane Tech High School Lane Tech High School Lane Tech High School Lincoln Park High School Lincoln Park High School Lincoln Park High School Lincoln Park High School Lindblom Math & Science Academy Lindblom Math & Science Academy Lindblom Math & Science Academy Lindblom Math & Science Academy Manley Career Academy Mother McAuley High School Mount Carmel High School Northside College Preparatory High School Ogden International High School Options Laboratory Perspectives IIT Math & Science Academy Prosser Career Academy Rolling Meadows High School Sullivan High School Thornton Township High School Trinity High School Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center Walther Lutheran High School Wells Community Academy High School Wells Community Academy High School Wells Community Academy High School (TruSource) Westinghouse College Preparatory High School Whitney M. Young Magnet High School Whitney M. Young Magnet High School Whitney M. Young Magnet High School Young Women’s Leadership Academy

PROFESSIONAL STAFF Student

Nicole Reyes RaJah Varnado Selenna Thomas Telicia Gathings Desmond Herring Aaron Polk Herman Rhoden Wesley Bogard Nikkema Kemp Femi Adigun Precious McClain Alexis Morgan Jack O’Brien Shawn Wong Shivia Hardiman Darronté Matthews Kevin Morales Dirce Toca Matthew Wettig Samlaree Birch Belany Contreras Alan Muñoz Ashley Walker Averie Allen Naida Langdon Victoria Susberry Kyler Sumter Damien Foster Maya Dunson Alan Peck Lileana Moore River Damon Raymond Roundtree Deon Moffett Diamond Trusty Anna Peterson Charlene Sims John Arrington Jr. Taylor Nazon Jenny Nuñez Joshua Jones Ashley Bracey Sarah Lopez Victor Davis Asia Williams Aaliyah Gibson Morgan Jackson Andrew Rivera Payton Harris

Brenda Butler, executive director Sue Laue, program manager Kevin Obomanu, program coordinator Billy Montgomery, journalism lecturer and professor

LINKS MENTORS Journalism undergraduate students: Nader Ihmoud, Columbia College Safiya Merchant, Northwestern University Shaquana Nelson, Western Illinois University Journalism graduate student: Ellyn Fortino, Columbia College Professional journalists: Brandon Campbell, reporter, WGN Radio Celia Daniels, reporter and editor (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Detroit News, St. Petersburg Times) Rhonda Gillespie, reporter, The Crusader Lynette Holloway, contributing editor, TheRoot.com, (Ebony Magazine and The New York Times) Stefan Holt, weekday anchor, NBC 5 Glenn Jeffers, freelance reporter (Chicago Tribune) Rahel Rasul, freelance reporter Michael Zajakowski, picture editor, Chicago Tribune

Professors: Hope Daniels, associate radio broadcast professor, Columbia College Peter Von Buol, adjunct journalism professor, Columbia College

Cover art and magazine design by Erik Rodriguez, art director, www.erographics.com

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Special thanks to Omar Castillo, Chris Richert, Brent Lewis, James Foster, Ariel Schroeder, Carolina Sanchez, Sara Mays, Steven Danielewicz and the Columbia College Journalism Department; video editor Ribo Ramses Espino of Columbia College and Street Level Youth Media.

Columbia Links is committed to supporting and providing quality journalism instruction and training to Chicago teens and teachers.

Columbia Links is the product of the leadership and commitment of Columbia College Journalism Department chair Nancy Day and associate professor Curtis Lawrence.

Columbia Links is supported by Columbia College Chicago and funded by the McCormick Foundation and Dow Jones News Fund.

If you are a teen in Chicago interested in participating in Columbia Links, call 312-369-8993 or email columbialinks@colum.edu 3

REPORT CARD

Inside the minds of Chicago’s youth

MAKING CONNECTIONS When 1 is the only number 8 From bad girls to good women 10 Segregation post-Obama 12 Gross or cool 13 Army strong 14 The endangered black male?

16 What time is it? Fine time!

18 Not the first language 20 Failure is not an option 22 The uncle I never knew 24

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REPORT CARD College flunk scene Putting in the time to pass City girl vs. Suburban girl Homeschooling lessons Making the gender-grade All year-round BFFs? No, Mom! The n-word

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26 27 28 30 32 33 34 35

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VIOLENCE A show of force CeaseFire on the frontline Dad's not at home Popularity contest Targeting the look

36 38 40 41 42

FIT FOR SUMMER Veggies on wheels It's the right choice A few more pounds Title IX, age 40 Sibling chivalry Bumping heads Sick and nowhere to go Karyn's on Green

44 46 47 48 50 52 53 54

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REPORT CARD

Inside the teenage mind Safety, schools, health and connections The fall 2012 edition of R_Wurd magazine shows the breadth and depth of Columbia Links student research, reporting, writing and news literacy. We have selected stories from several of the recent academies dealing with issues crucial to the lives of teens living in Chicago: stopping the violence, how schools help or hinder student achievement, fitness and health as a life-long commitment and how young people connect with their friends, parents, teachers and their community.

STAYING CONNECTED Everyone knows that the lifeblood of teen existence is peer and social connections. Teens in the Columbia Links program decided to connect with people in the community on a variety of issues. They wanted to know what Occupy Chicago is trying to accomplish, how a single parent raises children successfully, whether curfew makes a positive impact in the lives of youth, what teens think about a racially segregated school, how a young woman became a “bad-girl” and whether JROTC builds competence.

MAKING THE GRADE OR NOT It was a tense fall in Chicago as teachers voted to strike, while student learning was put on hold for over a week. Hundreds of teachers rallied in marches daily across the Loop for a fair system to assess their performance and to challenge a longer school day, as proposed by city Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The mayor won about 30 minutes’ more instruction time each school day, and the teachers won an assessment system that gives poorly performing teachers, based on student achievement, a second chance.

Student achievement has long been an embarrassment for Chicago Public Schools (CPS). But there has been some improvement lately. The figure for the nation’s third largest school system stands at 60.6 percent, compared to 57. 5 percent of 31,708 students graduating from high school within five years in 2011.

In 2010, it was 55.8 percent, according to a five-year study of graduation rates by CPS. Overall, the school system has about 405,000 students attending 675 schools.

“This increase in our graduation rate tells a powerful story about CPS and the contributions of our hard working teachers and principals,” former CEO JeanClaude Brizard said recently. The bad news is that the graduation rate among black students in 2011 lagged

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behind that of white students at 51.8 percent, and the rate fell even lower for black males at 43.3 percent.

Measures to boost achievement are at the heart of student reports.

'I DON’T WANT TO BE NEXT' While the murder rate in Chicago is going down, 450 now compared to 900 in 1995 according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), it has spiked in the first half of 2012. Young people are still terrorized by the loss of their friends to random shootings, and they fear for their own lives. This summer, students wrote about their fears and hopes for the city to become a safe place.

This fall students also met with CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy to read their letters to him and Mayor Emanuel, and to present their ideas for solutions.

(You can read their letters in the booklet "Don't Shoot, I Want to Grow Up" at www.columbialinks.org.) He listened and challenged the students to provide more positive solutions and provided insights into how the police department is using research from social media to more effectively prevent crime.

“Social networking” is a new tactic McCarthy said Chicago police are using to find the friends and associates of gang members, murderers and drug users. “We want to look at the people within two degrees of separation from an arrested gang member, because they are responsible for most of the crime,” he said.

CPD is working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in a two-year analysis of gang members’ social networks. “If we take those associates of gang members out, the murder rate goes down.” While the overall murder rate is about 14.5/100,000 Chicago residents, it’s 1,685/100,000 among gang members, McCarthy said.

FIT FOR LIFE Today’s youth spend far more time indoors in front of computer screens than their counterparts did before the information technology revolution. A teen’s entire social world now revolves around manual dexterity with their electronic devices. Physical health and fitness for urban youth has seemed to slip into a lack of competence in outdoor activities for some and into obesity for others.

Links students also spent this summer exploring how becoming physically fit can open new worlds of health and achievement. They sampled vegetarian restaurants, discovered that swimming is indeed a life-saving skill that even urban youth need to learn, how to thrive in spite of disabilities and that finding affordable healthcare can be a challenge in some parts of the city. They also discovered that some Chicago neighborhoods are fresh food deserts.

Columbia Links students touch many people in all walks of life. Their stories depict a rainbow of experiences in Chicago communities. Their stories, videos and podcasts are on columbialinks.org.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

WHEN1 IS the only number Children in single parent homes find hope

By Darronté Matthews King College Prep High School

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very night before he goes to sleep, Caleb Wilson, 11, thanks God for his mother.

Caleb’s mother, Katherine Wilson, is the driving force in his life: his guardian angel, his loving protector and his dutiful instructor. It’s been this way for as long as he can remember.

Though his friends call him a momma’s boy, Caleb doesn’t mind. But occasionally the question comes up: “Where is your father?” Caleb’s response is, “I do not have one.”

Caleb is one of many children in the United States growing up in a singleparent home. According to the 2008 U.S. Census, 29.5 percent of all households with children have only one parent.

“Every child wants to grow up with a mother and a father because children develop different bonds with both parents,” says DeMarquis Hayes, a professor of child psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. “Unfortunately, many children are not given that luxury or even the option of choosing to have both of their parents.”

WWW.COLUMBIALINKS.ORG Photos by DARRONTÉ MATTHEWS

Bryanna Tartt (far left), 17, is happy living with her mother and accepts the fact that her father isn't a big part of her life. Joshua James (left), 18, lives in a single-parent home with his mother. Openly gay since 13, James says his father's absence led him to discover his homosexuality. Kyla Thomas (right), 18, also lives with her mother.

She says if she lived with her father, she thinks she would be a more rebellious person.

The most common cause of children living in single-parent homes is when the child’s parents either break up or divorce, says Hayes. Other causes include the death of a parent, children going into foster care, or growing up with a single relative.

In many single-parent households, the father is absent, says Hayes, who has worked with children for nine years and has only come across one family with a single dad.

“I typically come across single moms because the fathers are never available,” he says. “The absence of a father, or any parent, can cause either emotional or psychological problems for a child.”

Because of this, children in single-parent homes can grow up to have positive or negative behavior and views on life, Hayes adds.

Kyla Thomas, 18, sees living with her mother as a positive. A senior at King College Prep High School, Thomas lives with her mother because her parents decided they couldn’t live together anymore. Her mother quickly blows up over the smallest things and her father lets it

slide, Thomas says.

But because it happened before she was born, Thomas says she does not mind her parents’ breakup, nor does she blame either one. In fact, she benefits from the situation.

“I believe that if I lived with my dad, I would be a more rebellious person,” Thomas says. “My grades are higher with my mother and I am not estranged from either parent.”

Because of his father’s death in 1995, Joshua James, 18, lives solely with his mother. He feels no ill will toward her, James says, but does miss the presence of a father figure.

“A woman cannot teach a boy how to be a man,” James says.

James grew up with male family members in his life, but believes that absence played a role in him discovering his homosexuality. James says he came out, first to his mother, in 2007 at the age of 13 because he felt, “it was time.”

“Although I grew up with uncles and brothers, there was still that motherly and feminine nature that I was always exposed to instead of a masculine role

model,” he says. “I am content with how my life turned out because I have no choice but to accept and grow from it.”

Unlike the others, Bryanna Tartt, 17, is estranged from her father. A teenage girl who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, Tartt has been living with her mother since she was a baby. Tartt says her mother finally grew tired of her father’s physical abuse and threw him out of their house when Tartt was only a few months old.

Tartt’s views about her father have changed, but she claims she cannot blame him because "his issues are his problems.”

“I used to view my father as a guy who could not harm anything,” she says. “Now I just see him as a regular person who can hurt people, even his loved ones.”

Even though her father is no longer a big part of her life, Tartt does not feel the absence of a father figure because her mother has had other relationships since the separation.

“I feel my father has nothing to offer me,” she says, “so his separation has not affected me.” r 9

MAKING CONNECTIONS Photo by BILLY MONTGOMERY

By Charlene Sims Sullivan High School

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From bad girls to good women

Channeling anger and unspoken pain focuses young lives VIDEO @ COLUMBIALINKS.ORG 10

iffany Davis may have played a naughty girl in 2008 on season three of the reality show “Bad Girls Club,” but in real life she now works hard to be good.

Some of her behaviors on the Oxygen network show—she was called “The Warden”—reminds her of the way she acted as a teen: angry and out of control.

The anger that Davis held deep down inside made her go bad. She was unable to talk about her problems.

When the reality TV vixen was enrolled at Bradley University, she realized that she wanted to change herself and help the community. She started on a path from being an angry, bad girl.

“I’ve changed a lot of lives . . . I’ve traveled the world [as a motivational speaker—“From a Bad Girl to a Great Woman.”]. I’ve met just about everybody”, she says of herself now.

At least some parts of Davis’ story are shared with young women right here in Chicago.

Lesa Boyer, 20, a student at Truman College, was once “bad” like Davis. She admits to having anger issues. One time she put her baby sister in a shopping cart and pushed her into traffic, and it was nothing for her to lie to teachers to try and get sympathy.

Now she too wants to be “good.”

Boyer’s anger centered on being molested as a teen and not being able to talk about it. She said she also felt neglected by her biological parents. Boyer ended up in foster care.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, of the more than 700,000 children reported for maltreatment 75 percent experienced neglect and nearly 10 percent were sexually abused.

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I WAS A BAD GIRL TOO Chicago-area clinical psychologist Tawana Edgeson said that sometimes when things happen to teens and young adults, especially girls, they don’t know how to talk about it and instead they act out.

“Many times it’s difficult for girls to express their anger. It can come off as sadness and being depressed,” she said.

“Many times the root of anger is some feeling of sadness or disappointment.”

At the time, Boyer thought that being bad was a good thing for her.

“I was living the bad lifestyle because I was never a leader; I always ended up being a follower,” she said. “Some of the things I did to feel loved was getting in risky situations with guys and telling lies at school to get the teachers to feel sorry for me. By being a bad girl, it was my way of gaining respect from people.”

The lies only got her in more trouble and doing such things as underage drinking and smoking cigarettes didn’t get her the respect she was looking for, Boyer found out.

Jessica Jackson, 20, who attended Crane Technical High School on the West Side, was influenced by the wrong people when she was a teen.

She realized that she was turning into a bad girl once she started drinking, smoking, partying, robbing people and doing her own thing. Her anger made her turn to the streets.

“When you feel like no one is in your corner at the age of 17 and all the weight is on your shoulders and you don’t know much about life, you end up turning to the streets,” Jessica stated.

Joyce LeFlore, a crisis intervention counselor for eight years at Aunt Martha’s Youth Services, said she has seen bad girls at their worst. She turns to their

upbringing and home environment as one of the reasons some girls end up putting themselves out there in a not-so-good way.

“They don’t feel good about themselves because they haven’t received the type of nurturing and raising that they need to have good self-esteem and self-worth,” she said. LeFlore also worked 20 years as a youth minister.

LeFlore said that just as words help girls to feel bad, they can also be the thing to help make them feel better and turn their lives around.

Boyer’s foster mother helped her to get on the right track and gave the teen words of encouragement. She recalls her foster mother telling her how much greatness and intelligence Boyer had and pushed her to dig deep within her to pull it out and make her life better.

The baby girl that Jackson had has made a difference in the young mother’s life. Jackson’s father was a big support for her when she decided to turn her anger into more positive things—like being a shining example for her 9-month-old daughter, D’Asia. At one point, Jackson says she didn’t feel loved. Instead she felt careless and hopeless. But now she is determined and willing to change herself.

“I want the best for my daughter,” said Jackson, who is now a stay-at-home mom.

Psychologist Edgeson said that in order for girls like Davis and Boyer to really change their lives, they would have to change how they deal with certain issues.

“Unfortunately when we talk about young people, they are usually hurt by people they are close to, be it a family member or someone they thought they could trust,” she said. “While we cannot change other people, we can change how we cope." r

I was once a good girl who turned into a bad girl. I went from being my aunt’s little princess to someone she could not identify anymore.

I was a mean and disrespectful Charlene Sims girl who kept a lot of things inside. When I was having my temper tantrums and throwing fits, I was hurting my aunt and putting her through pain and stress.

I could not accept that my biological mother—my aunt’s sister—did not want my brothers and sisters and me.

All my friends had a mother but we did not. How could she have kids and not call them at all? I heard she told the judge: All that was important to her was her men, her money and drugs.

My anger was deep and I could not talk about it. Not to my grandmother or my aunt or my cousins. I would wonder why none of our relatives would help my mother with her problems. We are all a family. Nobody wants to see a family member on drugs.

I went to counseling but I would get even angrier.

Then I went into DCFS at age 15. My aunt couldn’t help me anymore. She wanted me to learn the hard way because she had tried everything on her own. In DCFS I had more help: a lawyer, a counselor, a caseworker, a therapist to talk things out.

As I got older, I realized my mother was the cause of her own problems. I am trying to accept the fact that she is not here. I know that maybe she was misunderstood and she had problems of her own.

I also want to rebuild my relationship with my aunt. I miss her a lot and I understand what she was trying to do.

I consider myself wiser and stronger. I am living on my own. I will finish school and currently I am looking for a job.

I have lived the good girl/bad girl lifestyle. Now I am turning great.

– Charlene Sims

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MAKING CONNECTIONS

Segregation post-Obama

Teens living in racially divided neighborhoods would prefer more diversity

By Shy Hardiman King College Prep High School

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ome Chicago youth agree with a local high school history teacher who says that the city is “definitely one of the most segregated." A study recently published by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research indicates the same.

Chicago, with its 77 neighborhoods, continues to have low rates of racially mixed communities, even as segregation has declined in the country since 1970, according to the study titled “Racial Separation in America’s Neighborhoods.”

Christine Schmidt, a student at Mother McCauley High School in suburban Evergreen Park, wants to know what would happen if integration worked out for the better. She has attended predominantly white schools her entire life and lives in Mt. Greenwood, a local neighborhood that in 2009 only had a 4.7 percent AfricanAmerican population. Mostly whites live there.

Also, the white teenager has noticed that there is only one black girl on her cross country track team and that there is only one black family at her church.

“Mt. Greenwood is pretty much a bunch of white cops and firefighters.… I wish that more black people came to our church,” she said.

Schmidt believes the lack of diversity makes things bland, and can have an effect on young people as they go into the more racially mixed world.

Ytasha L. Womack, author of “Post Black: How a New Generation Is Redefining African-American Identity,” says that not

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being exposed to people of various ethnic and racial backgrounds may “enable” teens of all races to not learn about each other.

“When you’re an adult, you can travel a little more freely. But when you’re [a teenager], it’s a little harder to go places when you want to go or to step outside of your neighborhood,” Womack said.

The African-American author said that if teenagers don’t get exposure to other races, cultures and experiences, then they may have difficulty understanding diversity. “Cross-culture”—as she calls it—helps to expand young people’s outlook on the world, giving them a “greater appreciation for the backgrounds of others.”

Tamir Williams, 18, knows exactly what Womack is saying. She attends King College Prep High School on the city’s South Side and wishes she would have been more exposed to different races. She blames, in part, Chicago being so racially broken up.

She believes that segregation in the city is “pretty obvious.”

“You have these little enclaves like Hyde Park” that are diverse but those areas are very few in numbers, the African-American student said.

Growing up, Williams attended predominantly black elementary and middle schools, and now she finds herself among mostly African-American students at King. She originally wanted to attend a more racially and ethnically diverse high school but that didn’t pan out. Williams has longed for more diversity in her life. Now that she has been accepted at Middlebury College in Vermont, she looks

forward to interacting with different races, ethnicities and cultures.

The high school senior is also excited about the renovations being done to the brownstones in her North Kenwood neighborhood. She hopes that rehabilitating the old buildings will bring other races and ethnic groups into the area.

According to Andrew Lambert, a history of Chicago teacher at King and a resident of the mostly white Uptown community, the city's been racially divided since the 19th Century. He says that people of like races and cultures have a "natural inclination" to stick together.

Lambert points out that when immigrants from Ireland, Eastern Europe and the United Kingdom first got to the city, they settled among relatives who were already here.

"Now, we're just comfortable" with where we live, which is why Chicago’s neighborhoods are still racially divided today,” Lambert said.

He believes that not having more multiracial communities in the city leads to xenophobia, a fear of other races. “[My friends] have no realistic view of what the South Side is,” said Lambert, who is white.

But xenophobia notwithstanding, he still thinks that there are some pros to having racially segregated communities.

On the up side, he thinks the lack of racial diversity helps give the city an appeal to tourists. People travel from miles around to go shopping in Chinatown or to go eating in Greektown.

“If we merge, we would be at a loss of culture,” he said. r

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GROSS or cool Tattoos, piercings may put off some job interviewers

By Anna Peterson Rolling Meadows High School

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ichelle Baran often draws attention to herself because of her ear lobes that are stretched out to 7/16ths of an inch, about the size of the button on a pair of jeans.

She is among the millions of people who do body modification—including tattoos, piercings, hair styles and colorings—for aesthetic, personal, medical or other reasons. Baran, a 17-year-old at Rolling Meadows High School, said someone always has something to say about her "look." “’Ew. That's gross. Why would you do that?’ or ‘That's cool. Let me put my pencil in your ear.’ A lot of people think it's weird.

A lot of people don't think much of it, and say they'd never stretch. Also, I've had the comments like, ‘Don't you think your ears are going to look gross when you're 50?’

I've heard people say how they like the idea of stretched ears, but wouldn't do it because of having a career in the future.

Same goes with tattoos,” she said.

Body "mods" are nothing new. Some human beings have been doing it since the days of the caveman. It was prevalent in ancient Aztec culture, and can still be done today in some Middle Eastern countries, in India and even in some African tribes.

The first to embed ink into the first layer of his skin—tattooing—was Otzi the Iceman who lived 5,300 years ago. Tongue and lip piercings were documented in the Aztec culture for religious and social ranking purposes.

Nowadays piercings and tattoos are seen as an alternative style. But 10,000 years ago it was considered to be an indication of a higher societal rank. Alex Connor was inspired by history when he got his ear lobes stretched.

“I got the idea from seeing pictures of African tribes and body modification and thinking it was beautiful,” said 18-year-old Connor, who also has rainbow-colored hair.

Connor modified himself knowing that

job opportunities could be slim.

“If the job the person is searching for is very professional in nature, I feel that physical appearance can affect the quality of work and success, but only because of the closedmindedness of others, not because of the modification or the person's physical appearance itself,” the graduating senior said. “I went into modifying myself, knowing that I would have less of a job market, but in my chosen career path it does not make any difference.”

Some people, like Baran and Connor, have found that employers, and some schools, are not always open-minded when it comes to tattoos, brightly colored hair or pierced tongues.

Work and school dress codes often require students and employees to wear bandages to cover the piercings, long sleeves to hide tattoos, and hair is often required to be a natural color. Connor lucked out, getting a job at a retail store that caters to body modders.

“For one thing my first job was at Hot Topic, where alternative styles are strongly encouraged/supported. Then, for college interviews I received no comments and I could even tell they weren't looking at my ears. They were looking at my eyes, and I can definitely tell the difference,” said Connor. Hot Topic is a retail store that caters to consumers who prefer a more gothic look.

Baran thinks all employers should lighten up and focus more on the work employees do rather than the art that is on their body. “The choices you make on your appearance do not affect the quality of your work, or how dedicated you are,” she said.

Connor agrees. “If the job won't be hindered by the physical appearance of the person, I feel the employer has no reason to not hire the person,” he said. r

Self portrait by ANNA PETERSON

JUST BEING ME Red, pink, green, purple, turquoise, orange, ginger, brown, light brown, dark brown, black, blond. My hair color changes all the time, but others' opinions of it don’t.

When I was 14 a woman in my local grocery store told me that she was glad that she didn’t have daughters.

My mother asked her why and the woman wore a face of disgust and pointed to my purple bangs. What I thought was funny is that guys have hair too. They can color it. She chose to stereotype females.

About two months ago, I was walking to the school doors when a student shouted at me that I am a “crazy psycho b****,” all because of the way I look.

I am not a kid that does drugs, skips school, is late to class or breaks the law. In my school career I have never received a detention and the only time I see the dean or the administration is when I report a violated school rule or get an award.

I am in AP Studio Art, 2012-2013 Opinions Editor for the award-winning school newspaper publication, The Pacer, and I have a 3.75 GPA. The only thing that is different is my hair.

This is not fair. Being treated like I am some sort of freak for doing what I feel is cool. We are told that we can be whoever we want to be, look however we want and act ourselves. How can we do this if we are expected to look like everyone else?

– Anna Peterson

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MAKING CONNECTIONS

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ARMY

strong JROTC makes a difference in the battle for teens

By Ashley Bracey Wells Community Academy High School

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avion Evans,17, admits he was a D–average student who was kicked out of school almost every other week for various reasons.

Evans exhibited very violent and vulgar behavior both at home and school. His mother was going to send him to boarding school if he didn’t shape up.

Now he is a corporal in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Wells Community Academy High School and it has made all the difference for him.

Wells is one of four Chicago Public Schools to have a JROTC program within a school. The school district has five military schools and 20 such programs for middle school students.

“I didn’t have any other choice, so I tried my luck with JROTC not knowing what I was getting myself into. At first I was a little rebellious against the rules and refused to participate because it wasn’t for me,” said Evans.

The avid basketball player said that after a while JROTC began to grow on him and “eventually wore me down.”

The 11th grader actually started to like the program, became more involved and less resistant to what was being taught to him. Surprisingly it made a huge difference in his approach to situations that put his character to the test.

Participants and instructors say JROTC helps change lives for the better.

“Even my mom says that it’s the best choice I’ve made in such a long time

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and one for the better,” said Evans. “Not only am I becoming a better person and making smarter choices my grades have reached an all-time high. Now I’m taking [advance placement] classes which were out of the question a year ago.”

For both Evans and his mom, it’s been quite the experience but they both said that they’ve gotten through it and are continuing to grow stronger. He also shares that he has learned how to avoid altercations and even how to cope with the anger he has built up.

Samantha Santiago, 17, and a cadet major at Wells, said the JROTC program helped her to learn discipline and responsibility. Before joining JROTC, Santiago

said she didn’t know much about responsibility.

“Before I got into the program, I didn’t know much about what it meant to be in charge of someone, let alone a group of people,” said Santiago. “I have learned that it’s more than bossing people around, and now it has changed my perspective on authority.”

JROTC in high schools is funded by local school districts and the federal government.

Santiago is currently a senior and headed for college in the next few months. She said that she's going to enroll in ROTC in college.

“I’ve been enrolled in the program for

Photo by ASHLEY BRACEY

Students in the JROTC program at Wells Community Academy High School.

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“

I didn't know much about what it meant to be in charge of someone. . . I've learned that it's more than bossing people around, and now it has changed my perspective on authority."

– Samantha Santiago Cadet major, Wells Community Academy High School

three years and continued every year after my sophomore year because it was a new experience for me,” said Santiago.

“I learned so many new things as far as discipline and responsibility; after that first year it sort of grew on me.”

Santiago said she has learned to take positive criticism and how to lead a group of people to accomplish a common goal.

Kenneth Woods, the senior Army instructor major at Wells Community Academy, said the mission of the program is also to motivate young people to be better citizens. He says the morals and values that he teaches his students are effective because he sees a change in the student’s behavior/actions in decisionmaking and the way they rise to occasions when their character is being challenged.

Woods said that the program doesn’t recruit for the military; it’s only to help the students and to teach responsibility.

According to the Chicago Public Schools website, the goals of JROTC are to provide personal support and a disciplined learning environment. The program seeks to encourage students to learn both in JROTC and in other classes and offer meaningful instruction by military teachers.

Aliyah Abu-Hazeem, 16, and the cadet captain at Wells, said that JROTC has truly had a positive impact on her life.

She said her transition last year from being enrolled in JROTC at Hubbard High School to Wells has been quite an experience. “ If it weren’t for joining the program, I

most likely would be passing the time by reading books or just doing homework,” said Abu-Hazeem.

Being one of the highest achieving students at her school, she says that “the program has really changed my life and if I had to do it all over again I would do it all the same but even better.”

Before the program she was an average student who maintained good grades and didn’t even think of being in charge of a group let alone an entire class on numerous occasions.

“I’ve been enrolled for three years and I love it,” the teen said.

She also said she’s going to do it next year as well.

“It’ll be even better my senior year because I’ll be the battalion commander,” she added. “Battalion commander is the highest honor out of all the cadets; this is the person who is in charge of almost everything.”

Abu-Hazeem said that she’d encourage more students to join and get the full experience themselves because some people think that it’s always related to the Army when in fact it’s not. She said JROTC teaches lifelong values, responsibility and seeing one’s self in a better light.

“I think that if more people got engaged into the program they would exhibit better behavior in a more positive manner.

Preventing less bad things in today’s society, not saying that it’ll all stop just because a few students are in RO,” said Abu-Hazeem. r

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MAKING CONNECTIONS

THE ENDANGERED BLACK MALE? Withdrawal, discrimination exist but family and school discipline are what's needed

By Deon Moffett Perspectives / IIT Math & Science Academy

D

uring the last 10 years, young African-American males are more likely to be murdered, drop out of school, or become unemployed.

Today, young black males have a difficult time becoming successful in life.

The mortality rates of young black males are the highest compared to their white peers and other minorities. According to the Bureau Labor of Statistics, black teenagers are 37 percent more likely to die of deadly violence than Hispanic and white teenagers. Compared with 47.1 percent for Hispanic and white teenagers, the death rate for black teenagers is 65.5 deaths per 100,000 people. Additionally, homicide is proven to be the leading cause of death for black male teenagers.

One exception to these negative statistics is high school senior Robert Simpson. Simpson, 17, is on track to attend a four-year university of his choice on a full scholarship granted by the Posse Foundation. Young black males similar to Simpson are among those striving to turn these statistics around.

In a recent interview, Simpson revealed his thoughts and perceptions of young black males such as himself possibly being an endangered species.

“I don’t feel as though young black males are an endangered species. Some of us have had progress [but others] simply lack the motivation we need behind us. I know that in order to live and lead a successful

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life I must apply what I’ve been taught to do, which is being responsible and demonstrating decency, honesty and integrity,” said Simpson.

He said growing up in a poverty stricken or high-crime neighborhood can take a toll on a black teenager’s chance for success in school and in life. Growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago and attending a Catholic elementary school, Simpson didn’t have to deal with the issues of vio-

“

I know that in order to live and lead a successful life I must apply what I’ve been taught to do, which is being responsible and demonstrating decency, honesty and integrity."

– Robert Simpson 17, high school senior

lence and poverty facing most inner-city students.

“I was lucky enough to not have to witness the murder and violence, nor be a witness to it growing up in the environment my parents provided.”

Adding to these problems is the high school dropout rate among young black males. About 23 percent of black males

ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail, prison or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a 2009 Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies report.

With their dropout rates rising, the number of incarcerated young black males may increase. Simpson, who is still deciding on which college to attend, said that if education is stressed in your household, as it was in his home, then more young black males will understand the importance of earning an education. Along with the support of family, the influence of positive peers makes a difference as well.

The environment most students grow up in often affects their progress.

According to the “Yes We Can: The 2010 Schott 50 State Report on Black Males in Public Education,” the districts with the lowest graduation rates for black male students are Pinellas County, Fla. (21 percent), Palm Beach County Fla. (22 percent), Ducal County, Fla. (23 percent), Charleston County, S.C. (24 percent) and Buffalo N.Y. (25 percent).

This challenge has been proven that these results begin developing in the earlier stages of a black male’s education.

A recent New York Times article reported that only 12 percent of black 4th-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and only 12 percent of black 8th-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent

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of white boys.

A 2010 report from the Council of the Great City Schools showed that black boys on average fall behind their peers in their earliest years. In high school, African-American boys drop out at nearly twice the rate of white boys, and their SAT critical reasoning scores are on average 104 points lower. As one can imagine, these demographics can take a huge toll on the rate of enrollment in college among young black males.

College Board, a nonprofit student advocacy group, found that minority men continue to lag academically. Dropping out of high school begins a negative domino effect, which increases negative statistics

against any teen, let alone young black males who have the highest numbers.

Charles M. Payne, professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and former the Chief Education Officer for Chicago Public Schools, disagrees with calling young black males an “endangered species.”

“That’s the kind of rhetoric that doesn’t make sense to me. That means we don’t expect them to be here next year or the year after. That’s crazy. Endangered species means there’s some ground to believe that black men will not exist in the foreseeable future. That’s crazy language and it’s completely unhelpful,” said Payne

in an interview.

Payne also spoke on what he thinks about the struggling education of young black males.

“There’s clearly some pattern of ongoing individual and institutional discrimination. There’s also clearly a pattern, I think, of withdrawal from mainstream society.

The kids don’t trust the institutions and the institutions don’t trust the kids. It’s a continual downward spiral.”

So, what does Payne see as possible solutions to some of these negative trends?

“One of them is called a Catholic school.

I say that as kind of a joke, but black and Latino boys do much better in Catholic schools than they do in traditional public schools. It’s not clear why that is so, but my own guess is Catholic schools, while they may be unpleasant in some ways such as strict discipline, also they tend to treat everyone the same. If the punishment is harsh, it’s harsh for everybody.”

Ronald Muhammad, a banker and graduate of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, said that he feels the younger generations of black males face obstacles.

However, he feels that there are solutions to prevent the statistics from increasing.

“Fix the black family to help the young black males. Revise the black family…I really contribute virtually all of my success to my upbringing. I had a mother and father living as examples of what a good relationship and family life was.”

Muhammad, a workshop coordinator for a male mentoring organization in Chicago called S.W.A.G., said that this upbringing made it easier to focus on school rather than worrying about his next meal, or getting home safe. He focused just on making good grades and getting to the next step.

He accredited the dropout rate of young black males to the desire for fast money and materialistic dreams, because many young teens have the mindset that they can make it without an education.

“The education of young black males is way more important . . . . a lot of people already feel we’re uneducated and we’re stereotyped.”

With the help of families, communities and friends with positive motives, the young black male could beat and turn around the statistics. Many organizations and mentoring programs are as well available to help young black males across the nation. r 17

MAKING CONNECTIONS

By RaJah Varnado Bogan High School

I If you are 12 to 16 years old, rush home before the fine hits home. Do you have children? Well, if you do, they have a curfew and you are responsible for them.

When the sun goes down trouble comes out to play, officials say.

Last September, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s new curfew law took effect.

Children who are younger than 12 are to be in by 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and by 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Children 12 to 16 years old must be in by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and by 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Violators face hefty fines.

The strengthened curfew came about because of previous deaths and crimes that occurred in Chicago during the 2010-11 school year. The Chicago Public Schools reported 256 students were shot, and 27 were killed. The law may not seem fair to some, but to others, the change should keep teens out of trouble.

“With the new curfew law, officers are busting more teens who do not abide by the curfew,” says 18th Ward Ald. Lona Lane. “I think it’s fair to fine someone up to $500 for breaking the curfew law.”

Teenagers enjoy being free and most of them are outgoing and do not get in trouble; they like to hang out and spend money at public places. There are certain activities and social events that may hinder a teen from being in the house on time, such as movies, dining and public transportation. Each of these takes time and runs on different schedules that may not coincide with the curfew. A movie that starts at 9 p.m. and ends at 10:30 leaves little time to get home by 11 p.m.

Public transportation takes time to get from point A to point B. Restaurants take timeWill to seat you, wait you and then taking kids off serve the street you. Estimated times show it will take an 18 hour before you eat and run.

What time is it?

FINE TIME! reduce crime?

f you are 12 to 16 years old, rush home before the fine hits home. Do you have children? Well, if you do, they have a curfew and you are responsible for them. When the sun goes down trouble comes out to play, officials say.

September 2011, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s new curfew law took effect.

Children who are younger than 12 are to be in by 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and by 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Children 12 to 16 years old must be in by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and by 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Violators face hefty fines.

The strengthened curfew came about because of previous deaths and crimes that occurred in Chicago during the 2010-11 school year. The Chicago Public Schools reported 256 students were shot, and 27 were killed. The law may not seem fair to some, but to others, the change should keep teens out of trouble.

“With the new curfew law, officers are busting more teens who do not abide by the curfew,” says 18th Ward Ald. Lona Lane. “I think it’s fair to fine someone up to $500 for breaking the curfew law.”

Teenagers enjoy being free and most of them are outgoing and do not get in trouble; they like to hang out and spend money at public places. There are certain activities and social events that may hinder a teen from being in the house on time, such as movies, dining and public transportation. Each of these takes time and runs on different schedules that may not coincide with the curfew. A movie that starts at 9 p.m. and ends at 10:30 p.m. leaves little time to get home by 11 p.m.

Public transportation takes time to get from point A to point B. Restaurants take time to seat you, wait on you and then serve you. Estimated times show it will take an hour before you eat and run.

In addition, there are after-school activities that will start later now that CPS has extended the school day by 90 minutes. Yunique Stafford, 14, a cheerleader at Perspectives Calumet Junior High School, argues that the curfew is a threat to teens’ rights as U.S. citizens.

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“

With the new curfew law, officers are busting more teens who do not abide by the curfew. I think it’s fair to fine someone up to $500 for breaking the curfew law.”

– Ald. Lona Lane 18th Ward

“The government should not be able to demand your time to come in or not,” she says. Stafford doesn’t think the curfew will help. “I feel there is no need for it considering, crime happens all throughout the day no matter what time,” she says. If the school day will be longer, she will get out later. Crime does not wait until she gets home to start chaos in the streets. Stafford says it is irrelevant to fine someone up to $500 to come home at a scheduled time.

The consequences of breaking the curfew law may result in a fine of $500 or community service. Most children do not have access to $500 so the parent is stuck with the fine. There are many important bills parents must pay such as mortgages and groceries. That $500 fine takes away from the family’s necessities. Children may also be sentenced to community service, which is designed to change their behavior and teach them a lesson.

The new law was constructed to reduce the crime rate and keep children and teens safe. Chicago police officials believe there will be a drop in late-night crime as streets will be vacant of teenagers, a result of officers on the lookout for curfew-breakers. Before the new curfew law took effect, 4,106 kids were caught breaking curfew between September 18 and December 5, 2010, the mayor‘s office reported. The number rose 13 percent to 4,740 curfew violators during the same period in 2011.

Lane, whose South Side ward includes the Chicago Police Department’s 6th District, says, “The [crime] rates are soon to decrease and the new law does work

for Chicago.”

Does this change in Chicago’s curfew make a difference in your neighborhood?

The level of safety has increased because of the strict curfew law, says Eric F. Wiley, assistant principal at Bogan High School on the South Side. “Yes, it is safer in the community and we can hope to see some success with decreased crimes involving young people,” Wiley says. “This new curfew is good, because teens will be off the streets at late hours, and negative activities that occur will be demolished and shorten crime rates.”

Some scoff at the curfew law and its increasing fines for repeat offenders.

Three violations within one year could cost $1,500. Wiley says the fines are not as costly as funerals for teens who could pay the ultimate price.

“I don't know about being fair. The least they should spend for not abiding by the law is $500, where as funerals now are costing up to $600 to $700,” Wiley says.

“The fine should teach you a lesson about breaking a law to keep you safe, but paying for a funeral eliminates your chances to learn a lesson.”

Wiley is not the only one who likes the fines. Simone Michelle, a South Side mother of a 6-year-old boy and 9-year -old girl, agrees that it is fair to impose a $500 fine for neglecting the curfew.

“My two kids will not be out late, so I won’t have to worry about a fine,” Michelle says. To keep her children out of trouble, she orders them in the house when the streetlights come on. Still she wonders if the law will change things.

“Crime does happen all throughout the

THE CURFEW GUIDELINES Chicago’s curfew ordinance applies to children ages 16 years and younger.

Weekday curfew for minors 12 through 16 years of age is 10 p.m.

Weekday curfew for minors 12 and younger is 8:30 p.m.

Weekend curfew for minors 12 through 16 years of age is 11 p.m.

Weekend curfew for minors 12 years and younger is 9 p.m.

Curfew violators are subject to a fine of up to $500 or community service. Three offenses in a 12-month period shall be subject to up to $1,500 in addition to community service.

day, so the curfew law won’t make too much of a difference.”

Police statistics show the hours immediately after the new 8:30 p.m. weekday curfew are some of the most deadly. An analysis of homicides in the first half of 2010 found that slayings spiked between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., for a total of 29 over six months, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Young people are often the victims, according to the CPS. “The choice is spend money on the fine or on a funeral,” says Wiley. “If teens wanted to do something together they would have to be supervised by an adult after 9 o’clock.” r

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MAKING CONNECTIONS

Not the first language No habla Espaňol: Some young Latinos can't speak Spanish

By Belany Contreras Lincoln Park High School

H

ow many Hispanics do you know who don’t speak Spanish? Did you think they would know the language?

It is surprising to meet a Hispanic who doesn’t speak the language, even though at least one parent is proficient in Spanish. The fault isn’t always the parents. There are some young Hispanics who don’t take Spanish seriously or simply don’t want to learn it. They may not realize that speaking Spanish, or any other foreign language, can lead to many opportunities.

Although we live in the United States where the main language is English, the second most widely spoken language in the country is Spanish, followed by Chinese and French, the U.S. Census Bureau reports.

In business, bilingual employees are highly recruited. Job searches reveal that opportunities for bilinguals continue to grow. So why aren’t more Hispanics speaking Spanish?

In the 1920s, when immigration was beginning to expand throughout the United States, immigrants were restricted to speaking their languages in school and at home because of racism. Immigrants feared discrimination and wouldn’t speak their native language in public. Today, anti-immigration and anti-Spanish sentiment contributes to the reluctance to embrace Spanish, with 30 states passing laws making English the official language.

Some young people may not appreciate that their parents or other family members speak Spanish. Years later, they regret that they can’t have a conversation in Spanish with the family’s elders.

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Parents unintentionally contribute to the language gap when they give up teaching their children Spanish because the children are accustomed to speaking English in school.

A few Hispanic youths from the Emerging Leaders Program in Concordia Place, a teen summer program in my community of Avondale, discussed their proficiency in Spanish. Some of them who speak Spanish say it was the language they were raised on by their parents or grandparents.

“

Now that I don’t spend a lot of time with my grandma, I feel like I’ve kind of lost [Spanish] fluency, but I’m speaking it every day with my parents."

– Abraham Villalobos Junior at Amundsen High School

Angel Figueroa, 16, a student at Von Steuben Math and Science center, says he’s spoken Spanish since he first learned to talk. His parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico when they were young and taught their children Spanish. A proud Angel says he speaks Spanish to his family and friends and also helps with translating. “It’s funny because I understand everything in Spanish that I hear in public,’’ he says. “When I’m on the bus and people are having a conversation in Spanish, I can understand what

they say.” When he’s older, Angel wants a job in marketing and believes that being bilingual will help him in his career.

Speaking Spanish to children as early as possible appears to aid in developing and maintaining their interest in the language.

Abraham Villalobos, whose grandmother took care of him beginning at age 4, recalls that she only spoke to him in Spanish and that’s how he learned the language. The 16-year-old admits that he has lost his proficiency in Spanish over time but is working to regain it. “Now that I don’t spend a lot of time with my grandma, I feel like I’ve kind of lost [Spanish] fluency,” Abraham says, “but I’m speaking it every day with my parents.”

He adds that he always speaks Spanish with his elders.

The Pew Hispanic Center reports that only 38 percent of third-generation Latinos who were born in the United States and have foreign-born grandparents are proficient in Spanish. The numbers will continue to decrease if younger Hispanics in the United States ignore the language.

Alex Valdez, 16, is a junior at UIC College Prep High School. He grew up speaking Spanish with his father and his siblings, but feels he has lost some ground. “Sometimes I forget some Spanish words,” he says. He worries that it will become difficult to communicate with his grandparents because they only speak Spanish.

Alex, who wants to be a lawyer, agrees that bilinguals have a better chance of being employed.

Jason Rivera, 18, will be attending Northeastern Illinois University this fall.

Jason’s mother is third-generation Mexi-

WWW.COLUMBIALINKS.ORG Photos by BELANY CONTRERAS

Angel Figueroa (left), 16, attends Von Steuben High School and has spoken Spanish his entire life. Jason Rivera (middle), 18, is a freshman at Northern Illinois but does not speak Spanish. Jennifer Garcia (right), 18, a senior at Schurz High School, was born in New York and speaks fluent Spanish.

can; his father is Puerto Rican and speaks fluent Spanish. As a child he was curious about speaking Spanish, but he never got the opportunity. Jason still has the desire to learn Spanish.

“Speaking Spanish will help me connect with the world around me,” he says. Being a young Hispanic who doesn’t speak Spanish, he thinks that it’s not always Hispanics’ fault that they don’t know the language. Although he wishes he had been taught Spanish as a child, he says the youth that know Spanish should practice it often. “Kids that don’t speak Spanish to their parents are lazy,” Rivera says.

So why is it so important, both personally and professionally, for Hispanics to speak Spanish? There are 20 countries whose primary language is Spanish, Knowledge Wharton reports, and if you are someone that likes to travel, knowing Spanish will enhance the experience. Proficiency in Spanish also offers

many educational and job opportunities because there is a demand for it among societies and businesses. The young Hispanics who are not speaking Spanish nor learning it are also forfeiting a part of their heritage.

Although there are Spanish classes, the best way to learn the language is to simply speak it with people who speak it, and the earlier the better. Jennifer Garcia, 18, was born in New York but lived in El Salvador the first six years of her life. She moved to Chicago and learned English but feels more comfortable speaking Spanish, her primary language. Jennifer communicates with her family in Spanish and speaks it to her three siblings. “Speaking Spanish gives me [Spanish] knowledge and I feel lucky being able to communicate with Spanish-speaking people and helping them with translating and other things.” Her interest in language doesn’t stop with Spanish; the Carl Schurz High

School senior is also studying French.

Despite the fact that many young Hispanics don’t speak Spanish or are assimilating into the American culture, these teens are speaking and practicing Spanish every day with their peers and families. Speaking Spanish offers a deeper insight into helping people from foreign countries. In response to changing demographics, the 2010 Census put the Hispanic population at 50.5 million, more U.S. businesses will need bilingual workers in positions such as teachers, social workers, doctors, lawyers, writers, counselors and entrepreneurs.

No matter the race, it is always important for someone to know their heritage, and if they have the opportunity, to learn their native language. It will pay off in the future. r Belany Contreras is fluent in Spanish. She was born in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, but moved to Chicago when she was an infant.

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MAKING CONNECTIONS

Failure is not an option

Alternative high schools help dropouts make the grade in life

By Sarah Lopez Wells Community Academy High School

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than one in four. after some time he wanted to become a Wesley Davis, 20, dropped out his senior manger, but he needed more education. year at Wells Community Academy High His family was also pushing him to do School because he was missing credits something with his life because his job and making wrong choices that led him was only part time and he still wasn’t down a path of gangs and drugs. After he making the right decisions. Finally, his dropped out he wasn’t doing anything little brother graduated before him—and with his life, just gang Percentage of 19-24 year-old youth who did not have a regular high school banging and staying diploma in the city of Chicago (All and by Gender and Selected Race-Ethnic Groups) home. One day he 35 realized he needed to go back to school to get 30 anywhere in life. Davis enrolled in Prologue 25 Early College High 20 School, a North Side alternative school, and 15 will receive his GED this spring.

10 Davis realized he 5 should return to school when he hit an 0 employment roadAll Male Female Hispanic Black White Male Male Male block. He found a job at a restaurant and Sarah Lopez/Center for Labor Market Studies Percentage of youth without a regular high school diploma

T

oday more and more teens are dropping out of high school and some students are even leaving elementary school. Studies show that students who drop out are not likely to make something of themselves. However, there are exceptions and some dropouts eventually make it work out. They realize that they need school and to get a GED. They are the “lucky ones” who become successful.

Not so lucky are the 15 percent of Chicagoans, ages 19 to 24, who do not have a high school diploma or GED, according to a November 2011 report prepared for the Chicago Alternative Schools Network by the Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies. The figure is about twice as high for black men at 27 percent and 30 percent for Latino men. The center’s dismal statistics continue: In 2010, 14.7 percent of male high school dropouts ages 18 to 34 were in jail or prison in Illinois. The figure rises to 28.8 percent among African-American men, or more

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that was it. Asked if he regretted dropping out, he replied: "At the time I didn't, but now I do, because I could have had a better job right now and set a better example for my little cousins that I lived with."

In spite of the setbacks, Davis says that if he could go back he wouldn’t change anything. "No, I wouldn't because it made me who I am today and showed me that I need to change the path I was on," he said.

At Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School on the West Side, Migdalia Tinsley helps students “who have fallen through the cracks at their previous schools.” Tinsley is a senior transition specialist and assists seniors with credit evaluations and helps them complete college applications. She said the types of students enrolled in an alternative high school are usually missing credits, have disciplinary and truancy issues, and have dropped out of school because of pregnancy, lack of motivation and family issues.

Campos, a member of the Alternative Schools Network, gives students a second chance at a traditional high school experience. “I think it’s a second-to-last” resort,” said Tinsley. Teachers and counselors find students’ strengths and weaknesses, and help them better themselves.

There are specific mentors for specific programs to motivate the students. People think going to an alternative school will be easier but it's not. “They come to Campos and underestimate the rigor of our curriculum,” Tinsley said. “Especially

when it comes to Senior Portfolio [a yearlong defense of graduation course].”

Jhovanni Rivera, 23, is one of "the lucky ones." He dropped out of Wells high school his freshman year— a preemptive strike—before he could get kicked out for never going and for always fighting when he did show up. Much as the studies predicted, he did not complete school and ended up in jail. Rivera was getting his GED while in prison but he was released before he completed the program. Rivera is lucky because even though he didn't have a GED or diploma, he managed to start a car-repair business.

Rivera recently finished his GED. Does he regret his decision to drop out? “No, I don’t,” he said. “I think if I would have stayed in high school around the people I did, I would have never ended up in jail and I might be dead today.” He says he is lucky because things could have been very different for him. “I wouldn’t be where I was today and have the life lessons that I have now,” he said.

Both of these young men were headed for the statistical heap but they changed course and did something with their lives.

Davis received his GED in two years and he had a job before he finished the program, batting back statistics that show it sometimes takes students who drop out eight years from their normal graduation date to earn a GED or diploma. Rivera became a statistic by winding up in jail but he overcame the obstacles and made something of himself.

Eventually, most people regret dropping out, but some don’t. As you see, not everyone is just a statistic. I am not encouraging dropping out, I’m just letting people know that if they do, don’t be statistic!

You can still make something of yourself and be a dropout that works out. r

STUDY: DROPOUTS ARE LOSERS A recent report by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston concludes that quitting school is a no-win situation for young people.

Dropouts are: Chronically underemployed (part-time, low wages) More likely to face a lifetime of poverty

More likely to need government assistance; increase taxpayers' burden Unlikely to vote Unlikely to own a home, property Less attractive potential marriage partners More likely to end up in prison (Statistics continued below)

CONT'D: MORE STATISTICS FROM THE STUDY Among 19- to 24-year-olds in the city of Chicago: 15 percent, or 42,000, did not have a high school diploma 19 percent of males and 15 percent of females did not have a high school diploma 30 percent of Hispanic males did not have a high school diploma 27 percent of African-American males did not have a high school diploma 4 percent of White, non-Hispanic males did not have a high school diploma

Lifetime earnings: The average lifetime earnings of U.S.born high school dropouts in Illinois was $595,000. High school graduates earned an average of $1,066,000; and for those with an associate’s degree: $1,509,000.

Incarceration rates: Among 18 to 34-year-old males, 14.7 percent of high school dropouts were incarcerated in 2010, while only 3 percent of male high school graduates spent time behind bars.

Statistics from High School Dropouts In Chicago and Illinois study, November 2011, Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies

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MAKING CONNECTIONS

The uncle I never knew Student tracks down once-successful uncle living on the streets of L.A.

By John Arrington Jr. Thornton Township High School

M

y dad and I often talk about my Uncle Phil. And I hear all these stories about how brilliant he was, his popularity and his uncanny athletic ability. When they were kids, my Uncle Phil once saw a bunch of guys who were bullying my dad. If my Dad has a crazy childhood story, then most likely Uncle Phil was in it.

Now, I know what you’re probably wondering: Why do I keep talking about my uncle in the past tense? Did he pass away?

Is he on drugs or something? Thankfully, the answer is no. My uncle is alive and well. The problem is I’ve never met him.

For the last 13 or so years, my uncle, Phillip Douglass Arrington, has been living on the street. That’s right. Homeless.

Away from home, moving from state to state, refusing to keep in contact with any

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of his family.

My uncle Phil is not your typical homeless man pushing a cart. He holds an engineering degree from University of Illinois, and an MBA from Dartmouth. He once owned and operated a $5 milliona-year business that helped place foster children with families.

But around 13 years ago, he left the state to follow the woman he loved, a woman who happened to be following crack cocaine. And that’s where it all began to spiral out of control for him. As my father tells it, that would be the last time anyone would hear from my uncle for a long time.

About three years ago, my father got a call from a friend in California who said that they saw my uncle living on the streets. My dad immediately packed up, made plans to go to California and took

off. He stayed in Los Angeles for about a week and came back with the exciting news that he had indeed found his brother. He promised the next time he went out west, he would take both my little brother Luke and me with him.

It must have been some kind of New Year’s resolution because this past January 2012, my father set his sights again on California, hoping to catch up with his brother. This time, my brother and I would join him.

We cleared it with all of our teachers, and on Jan. 14, 2012 we left for Cali.

Unlike the last time, when my dad had a pretty good idea of where he was, my uncle seemed to have vanished for a while. No one knew where he was. We were going out on a limb, taking a leap of faith we would find him.

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“

My uncle Phil is not your typical homeless man pushing a cart. He holds an engineering degree from University of Illinois and an MBA from Dartmouth."

– John Arrington Jr.

We touched down that Saturday night, and we stayed in a condo. Right away, the beauty of Los Angeles captivated me, particularly its palm trees. I never had seen real palm trees.

We visited a church in Pasadena (another captivatingly beautiful city) and met some friendly people who pointed us to a few homeless shelters in the area. We checked them out. No luck. We grabbed a bite to eat and called it a night.

Los Angeles has a huge homeless population, most of whom live in an area downtown called “Skid Row.” That’s where my dad found my uncle the last time. So that was the next place we looked. For the next two days we drove around, asking about my uncle, all to no avail.

Finally, my dad found someone who had last seen Phil three months ago. It took less than 10 minutes of driving before we spotted my uncle on a side street. We got out, walked up to him and reunited.

We must have spent an hour right there on that street, talking and catching up with my uncle. Right away, I caught on to his uncanny sense of humor. Uncle Phil is very built, as he is very much into fitness.

We would spend the next two days with my uncle, driving around, talking about what was going on in our lives.

My dad called all of Uncle Phil’s relatives and close friends, many of whom were able to talk to him. We even went out and saw the movie “Contraband” (which is a great movie by the way).

But all this begs the question…what happened? Why is he living on the streets?

Well, I never got a straight answer out of him. But I do know he harbored a lot of anger toward his parents. My father also tells me of a girlfriend who really led him off the right path. Of all the people we talked to, there was still one person he hadn’t spoken with, and that was his mother, my grandmother.

Now my grandmother is a hard-nosed, old-fashioned, old-school, by-the-book Christian. They hadn’t spoken in more than ten years, but as they talked she lit into him.

She chastised him for living on the streets, not “following God’s plan for his life,” and they went back and forth for a while. Needless to say, that set my uncle off. He was very angry after that phone call and wanted us to drop him off back on the street, near his tent in Skid Row. Luke and I had planned on leaving the next day. And since we had to be heading home for a speech competition, our spirits were very down. When we got to his street, I told my Dad and my brother I wanted to talk to my uncle alone. They agreed.

So we began talking, and I encouraged him not to let one event ruin his experience with us. I reminded him that even though his parents might be brash or direct or even insensitive at times, everything they do is still out of love. We talked some more, laughed some more, and before I knew it a whole hour had passed. By the time we finally said our goodbyes, he all but promised me that he would make a trip back up here to Chicago.

As we climbed back into the car, we headed home, except we got lost. We ended up right in front of the Staples Center, and we saw that a game was going on. We decided to check out the ticket prices and found a man selling tickets on the street for $25. Twenty minutes later, we were watching the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Mavericks. A perfect ending to our weeklong journey.

It’s been almost a month, and we still haven’t heard from Uncle Phil. But I don’t believe our work is finished. I personally plan to go back to Los Angeles on my own, at least in a couple years. Whether Uncle Phil decides to come back or not, I believe we definitely had an impact on his life.

Funny how things work. r 25

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College FLUNKSCENE Only one in four high school grads are ready for the university

By Precious McClain John Hope College Prep High School

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very year, teens graduate from high school and head to college with the goal of a degree and a well-paying career. But several students have found their grades plummeting within their first year of college.

Too many students enter college not academically prepared for college-level work. This forces students to enroll in remedial classes in areas like math and English to catch up with their classmates.

one English course.

“Often, students enter a grade level and may not be adequately prepared for success in that course,” says Marielle Sainvilius, a spokesperson for CPS. “All students have the capacity to learn, though not all students learn at the same level or same pace. Similarly, all students deserve to graduate high school prepared for success in college and career.”

In addition to the stigma, students must also deal with the financial burden of taking a remedial class. Remedial courses are noncredit hour courses that many students pay for by taking out additional loans. And while remedial courses help students move forward, it puts them in a bigger debt.

The classes almost defeat the purpose of goIllustration by ANNA PETERSON / Rolling Meadows High School ing to a community colAccording to a report from the Amerilege, says Stephany Cannon who attends can College Testing program, one in four Harry S. Truman College in the Uptown Illinois high school graduates in 2011 neighborhood of Chicago. Cannon, 21, met college readiness standards based on of the Englewood area, graduated from their ACT scores. Only 23 percent of stuTilden High School in 2009 with a 3.0 dents met all four benchmarks for college grade-point average and chose Truman so readiness while 30 percent met none of she could work part-time while keeping them, 16 percent met one, 17 percent met her student-loan debt to a minimum. two and 14 percent met three.

Once she got to college, a placement Both the Chicago Public Schools system exam determined that Cannon had to and the State of Illinois have struggled take classes in both remedial math and with remediation for years. A report from English. Despite taking classes in geomthe Illinois Community College Board etry, algebra and algebra II in high school, says that between 2006 and 2008, 46 per- she had to retake algebra again in college. cent of recent Illinois public high-school As for English, Cannon merely learned graduates transitioning as full-time com- the basic format of an essay in high munity college freshmen were enrolled school. In college, she finally learned how in at least one remedial course, with 36 to summarize and respond to questions. percent enrolled in at least one math “I feel a lot better that I took remedial course and 21 percent enrolled in at least classes because I learned the information

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that I didn't learn in high school,” Cannon says. “High school didn’t prepare me. I feel like I was cheated.”

But now, she says, “I owe about $2,000 in student loans.”

Who is to blame for the high-remediation rate of students enrolled in college: The students or teachers? For their part, CPS has acknowledged its faults and is working to fix them.

That includes creating programs like Summer Acceleration and Colleges to Career Preparation. The latter provides academic, social and emotional supports as well as opportunities for students to engage in early college and career coursework and experiences, Sainvilius says. Summer Acceleration gives them a chance to build their math, literacy and reading skills over the summer.

Some local colleges are also addressing the problem from their end. Illinois Central College in East Peoria launched its African American Student Success Initiative in 2007 after administrators found that African American students’ success lagged far behind other student populations in both remedial and degreetrack courses.

For its part, the City Colleges of Chicago have begun an early-college program to provide credits and assistance in a number of ways. Eligible high school students can opt to take classes at a city college, earning both college and high-school credit, or take college-level classes at high school. They also allow some highschool classes to count as college credit.

But Sainvilius says that the onus is still on the students to step up and ask for help before their grades become a problem.

“Students can reach out for help when they don’t understand their coursework, and when they see that their grades are starting to slip,” she says. r

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Putting in the time

TO PASS

COMMENTARY Why CPS should add study halls

By Nikkema Kemp Harlan Community Academy High School

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he Chicago Public Schools system (CPS) needs to incorporate study halls in high schools to help encourage students to get their homework completed.

This comes at a time when more high school teachers are assigning increasing levels of homework to meet state and federal academic standards. It also comes at a time when students are engaged in more extracurricular activities and working long hours to make money amid a difficult economy.

Personally, I would appreciate study hall at Harlan High School on the South Side, where I am a junior. I have a heavy course load, including Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry, Honors Trigonometry, Economics, Gaming Concepts and English. On top of that, I participate in After School Matters and Columbia Links. Study hall would give me a chance to catch up on my work midday and before heading home after school.

One way to integrate study halls into the curriculum would be to use the extra time added to the school day. Beginning next year, the city’s 613 schools will begin longer school days. Elementary schools will move from 5.8 hours to 7 hours and high schools will move from 6.5 hours to 7.5 hours. On Fridays, they will be released 75 minutes early to give teachers time to prep.

Wouldn’t a study hall provide time to prep as well?

But making it happen at Harlan or citywide would take be a major undertaking. Just ask Marielle Sainvilius, a CPS

spokeswoman. even attempt to take the harder classes “As each school serves a different stubecause they know it would impact their dent body, it is difficult to make generalgrades. It would also impact their GPA, izations about the impact of study hall,” which would not look good on a college she told Columbia Links. “Schools can application. choose to utilize the non-instructional If you walk past the library in Harlan, minutes within their day to provide you won't see people reading books or study hall to students if they believe it playing computer games. You will see would benefit students’ grades and atthem doing homework, reading a texttendance.” book or at the computer writing a paper.

Still, I think it’s a worthwhile effort.

Some students may be trying to catch up Many students at Photos by NIKKEMA KEMP Harlan have jobs after school and they often complain that they do not have enough time to get work and other important things done.

What’s worse is that some have contemplated dropping out of school because they refuse to quit their jobs because they need the money!

“A study hall would’ve been a good idea,” said Joshua Hagerman, a Joshua Hagerman (left), a senior, wasn't happy when told that study halls at Harlan may be in the works. Ashley Moody (right), on her way to the senior at Harlan. “It library to do homework, supports study halls would’ve probably made my grades look a lot better. It sucks on sleep because they were up too late to know that I won't be here when and if the night before doing their homework. they ever decide to put one in here.”

“I have two AP classes and two honors Besides me, a lot of students at Harlan classes,” said Ashley Moody, a sophohigh school take honors and AP classes more. “It is extremely difficult to get my and say that the work in a single night is homework done every day. A study [hall] very difficult to complete, especially if would give me a chance to actually eat they have homework from another class my lunch once in awhile.” as well. Students who have jobs don't I second that motion! r 27

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City girl vs. suburban girl COMMENTARY Who gets the best education a zip code can buy?

By Anna Peterson Rolling Meadows High School

U

.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said recently: “As education leaders, our first responsibility must be to make sure that schools foster learning.”

When I compared my public school education experience to that of a student in Chicago Public Schools, I found that we are both in good school environments, but how we got there and stay there really says a lot about the public school and in some ways defies Duncan’s words.

Duncan, like many other educators, politicians and community leaders, says that getting a good education shouldn’t be based on your zip code. But when you consider LaDonna Miller, who lives on the South Side of Chicago in a community known for violence and home to schools with poor academic reputations, and me, the zip code makes a big difference. I live in a middle-class suburb about 40 miles from the city.

Miller, 18, is a graduating senior and I

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am a 17-year-old junior. She and I share excellent academic achievement. We’re both deeply involved in extracurricular activities and look forward to going to college. But our experiences at school are so different.

“

As education leaders, our first responsibility must be to make sure that schools foster learning.”

– Arne Duncan

U.S. Education Secretary

Every morning my mom drives me to my school, Rolling Meadows High School, because I live too close for school bus service but too far away to walk; and public transportation is not available in

my suburban town. My school is open to anyone who lives in the district and no special testing is required for admission.

Miller, on the other hand, gets a ride to school everyday from her mom because of safety concerns. She attends King College Prep High School in the city’s Bronzeville community, one of Chicago Public Schools’ selective enrollment schools where you have to take a test to be admitted.

“Admission should not be based primarily on a day of tests,” said Miller.

King College Prep is far from Miller’s home in the Roseland community on the Far South Side. Her mother doesn’t trust her going to school on the bus (in her freshman year Miller was robbed during a bus ride). And she never even considered going to a school close to her home because they are all low-performing.

Rolling Meadows High School is located in a quiet area and has a low crime rate.

When walking into the building, security

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guards sitting at a front desk stand at watch but we don’t have metal detectors.

We are allowed cell phones at lunch and in the halls but off and in our pockets in the classroom. Students at my school are free to go anywhere for lunch. The rare times we see police inside our school building is sometimes during assemblies.

The police come in and walk around the school with police dogs to sniff around the lockers for drugs.

But things are quite different for Miller.

Every morning all King College Prep students must enter the school building through a metal detector. Some King College Prep rules are stricter than ours: no cell phones at all and no leaving the school building for lunch.

“Most policies that are implemented are beneficial, especially when keeping weapons from the property. No off-campus lunch and no cell phones during the school day are two unnecessary rules,” said Miller.

Precautions for student safety are also seen in the clothes we wear. Possible gang colors and signs are prohibited in Rolling

Meadows, but we are basically allowed to wear what we want to. Kids are only really stopped in the hallway if their jeans are sagging so much that their underwear is showing or they are causing a distraction with a raunchy outfit. Hoods and hats are also not allowed. But at King College they have a mandatory dress code. Miller and her classmates have to wear a blue shirt and khaki-colored pants. She hates the dress code and feels it’s too strict.

"The dress code isn't lenient at all. The majority of the disciplinary actions that take place are from students out of compliance with the dress code," she said.

Both of us agree that teachers have been inspiring in our high school experiences.

(I’ll always remember my high school journalism teacher and newspaper adviser Mr. Zoller.)

The difference in the average teacher salaries between our school district is astonishing. Both our public school districts have very similar education requirements for teachers, but teachers at my school, on average, make $96,231.

Miller’s high school teachers have an av-

erage salary of $71,236, according to each school district’s Illinois School Report Card.

In general, some of CPS’ academic deficiencies are well documented. But Miller and I go to schools with similar academic success. Rolling Meadows has an average composite ACT score of 22.3 and similar scores for English, math, reading and science. King College Prep has an average composite ACT score of 20.2, also with similar scores for all subjects, according to the Illinois Report Cards.

Distance and location doesn’t make our standards any different. What we both are striving for is to get a good education. It is clear that Miller and I are going places in life. The difference is how, academically, we’ll be getting there.

Miller had to prove herself in order to have access to a better education, while I only needed to have the right address.

Miller is bound by many restrictions that, being in the suburbs, don’t apply to me at my school. She literally has to go to the other side of town to get a good education.

My address puts me closer to one. r

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Homeschooling lessons Families say it builds bonds, confidence and independent study

By Naida Langdon Lindblom Math and Science Academy

S

haughn and Euel Bunton, two educators who live in a southwest suburb of Chicago, decided to homeschool their two children last year because they were frustrated with their teachers. They knew that their son Caleb, 7, needed more nurturing in the classroom and Angelease, 8, needed stronger instruction.

“I have seen Angel and Caleb both grow in maturity since I began homeschooling them,” says Mrs. Bunton, a former 3rd grade teacher. “They are much more independent.”

In Tulsa, Okla., Delmalda Newsome, who runs a community farm, told Columbia Links in a telephone interview that she has had great success with homeschooling her eight children. Her oldest son went on to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., and is now working as an instructor of agriculture at the University of Pennsylvania. He also taught himself French, Spanish and Italian and speaks each language fluently.

The youngest works in sales at a major department store.

“My oldest son taught himself three languages and translated for Latino members of his elementary school,” she says.

“My kids’ maturity level was better than most as a result of being homeschooled.

The Buntons and the Newsomes are not alone. Across the nation, more and more parents are removing their children from public schools and educating them themselves. The National Center for Education Services reported in 2007, the latest figure available, that there were about 1.5 million students who were being homeschooled, which represents an increase from the 1.1 million who were 30

homeschooled in 2003.

Bethany Gardiner, a pediatrician writing a story at CNN, reported that homeschooling helps parents teach their kids to love learning, and to have a passion for education. Also it helps to build stronger bonds within families.

“Those who have experienced it say that it was the best decision they could have made for their children,” she writes.

While statistics show that homeschooling has its proponents, some question its effectiveness. Opponents argue that it’s too focused on the emotional needs of students and is too tailored to their individual learning styles. Also, there is a concern about the extreme amount of attention given to the child. Critics argue that when children fail to comprehend something, too much attention is given to them until they understand the concept, which is unrealistic.

Many also worry that homeschooled children will be socially awkward or anti-social. But some parents of homeschooled children seek opportunities for their children to be active and involved socially. The curriculum is built to fit all of those individual students’ needs.

The Buntons make sure that Angelease and Caleb are properly socialized.

Angelease is enrolled in cheerleading and Caleb in karate, where they are seen as social butterflies, they say. They also attend a classroom setting with a teacher once a week, where they are joined by other students who are homeschooled.

In terms of her academic performance, Angelease says she is proud.

“I took the ISAT and I knew everything,” she says. “I knew all the answers.”

Robert Kunzman, a professor at Indi-

ana University, who is an expert, gives an opposing view of homeschooling.

“It really depends on the quality of the homeschooling, and the quality of the public schooling it is compared to. As you probably know, the quality of public schools varies widely. The same holds true for homeschooling, so there's no way to make a general statement about which is better. It depends on the needs of the student, and the quality of the experience they get.

“We don't have any overall stats on homeschooler academic success rates, because in many states, homeschoolers do not have to take tests or submit work samples (or even register/notify the state that they are homeschooling),” he continues. “As a result, we also can't figure out the percentage that goes on to college.”

Marija Swanson, a counselor at Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School, says: “I am very skeptical about home schooling. I would never put my kids through home schooling. My kids personally need the social aspect of school that I just can't give to them. Home schooling only works if the parents teaching it are fully engaged and attentive to their children.”

There are so many different views on homeschooling. Homeschooling has worked for some and for others not so much, but most families who have taken a chance with it have little to no complaints.

In the case of Angelease and Caleb, it appears to be working well, but that is just one situation.

“We are having the time of our lives,” Angelease says, speaking for herself and her brother. r

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A FIRST–PERSON EXPERIENCE ON HOMESCHOOLING I’ve heard a lot of Chicago Public Schools students talk about how much they wish they were homeschooled. I’m sure their fantasies include days of sleeping in until 10 a.m., River Damon a leisurely breakfast and going to class in the comfort of their own homes.

That all may sound fun at first, but diving into a homeschooling schedule after years of CPS takes time and a lot of patience to get used to. And really, it’s not as fun as it sounds.

I was homeschooled for 8th grade. My main teacher was my tutor, though my parents helped out. She guided me through a lesson plan provided by K12, an online school that offers a homeschooling program. Lessons had to be completed by a certain day. Most days, they were due the day they were assigned.

My day usually played out like this: I’d wake up late, around 10 a.m., eat, then take as long as I had to with all the lessons. Sometimes, I went to bed around 10 p.m. Sometimes, I went to bed at midnight, working all night on the lessons. If I didn’t do all the lessons that were scheduled for that day, the lesson got

pushed to the next day. On top of that, I had to do projects and read books.

I also had to go into a “school” at the Chicago Virtual Charter School (housed inside the Merit School of Music on the Near West Side) every Wednesday and sometimes Thursday morning to finish my work. Each class took two-to-three hours, longer if it was in the morning, and the teachers usually taught general lessons such as math and literature. I spent my Fridays in an online classroom where teachers taught lessons with students online and live. So I had a lot to do in the weekly period.

It was a lot to handle. I didn’t have time to complete the work with my job at Free Street Theater in Wicker Park, the lessons, the meetings, and going in for the face-to-face classes.

It got to the point where I was in jeopardy of not graduating unless I finished the lessons over the summer.

The main thing I took from my experience in homeschooling is that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I thought homeschooling would be really fun. It would be more laid back, not too busy. But that depends on the person who is homeschooled and their own experience. For me, it ended up being busy, and I spent most of my summer working on lessons just so I could graduate 8th grade.

I was stuck in the house most of the day, ex-

By River Damon

Ogden International High School

cept when my dad took me out to exercise, or when my tutor took me to a cafe to work on the lessons. I didn’t get to spend much time with my friends.

For this reason, I was quiet and kept to myself when I returned to CPS for freshman year.

Being stuck inside the house all summer, I was nervous and awkward when it came to talking to people that I don’t know that well. It took me till now, my sophomore year, to finally come out of my shell.

I’d only recommend homeschooling if you need time for yourself and only if the homeschooling program you use has its act together. The program my family used, K12, had a plan, but they were new and just getting their lesson plans ready. I had to work a lot over the summer just to catch up with my classmates.

And between the tutor, the book and the art supplies, that year of homeschooling cost my family a lot of money.

Homeschooling is fun, yes, only because you get to stay home and work in the comfort of your own home. You get to wake up late and occasionally slack off. But in the end, you don’t get to hang out with your friends and you still have a ton of work to do. I guess every person is different and someone else may hang out with friends a lot and still get their work done. It all depends on the person.

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Making the gender-grade Single-sex schools score high on tests but low on social skills

By Ashley Walker Lincoln Park High School

I

magine sitting in a classroom with all girls or all boys—all day, school year after school year. Some students do it every day; others see it as outlandish.

But which is better for a student, academically, being in a same-sex school environment, or one that is co-ed? Students and experts offer mixed opinions.

“I was actually given the choice to attend a single-sex school next to Lincoln Park High School. I don't think I'd really want to go to one. I mean, there's a lot more chances to expand your social skills in a co-ed school,” said Tricia Woods, an 18-year-old student at Lincoln Park. “I was raised with two older brothers, so there are times where I feel I am more compatible with guys over girls.”

Experts say that interacting with teens of both genders can expand the students’ horizons, especially when they begin to enter the workforce. And students feel they need co-ed education in order to assist them in their day-to-day life. Still, other students feel the opposite gender sitting next to them as they break down equations in algebra or interpret Shakespeare in English class can actually be more of a distraction.

Darriean Robinson, a sophomore at King College Prep High School, believes that if

all-boys school his grades could be better.

“If I attended a same-sex school, there would be less of a distraction. I wouldn’t want to spend six hours staring at other guys,” said the 17-year-old.

He has a 2.75 GPA, but he feels it could be higher if he didn’t try to check out the females so much. Robinson said he simply can’t help it. “You can choose not to look.

It’s not easy, but you can try not to allow the females to distract you,” he said, laughing.

According to a national study, girls do better at schools where boys are not around to approach them, and boys are academically better off at schools where girls are not around to entice them.

The study, done by the National Association Supporting Single-Sex Education, put students in two different rooms—coed and single sex—and administered the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Although all of the students were taught the same material, females who tested in the single-gender room scored a 75 percent, 16 percent higher than the females who tested in the co-ed room. Males who tested in the all-boys room scored 86 percent, compared to the 37 percent score from the males in the co-ed room.

Even though the study seems Photo by ASHLEY WALKER to suggest that single-sex school environments could lead to better academic achievement, one educator says that having boys and girls together in school is good for their social health. “While attending a single-sex school, you don’t get the practice of interaction with the opposite sex, which most people have to do outside their life of college,” said Jessica Hertz, manager of online services for University LanEric Smith, a senior at Mount Carmel High School, says it's guage Services for college-bound limiting to attend an all-boys school but it does keep him focused on hisan grades. he attended students.

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Photo by ASHLEY WALKER

Darriean Robinson, a sophomore at King College Prep, feels being at school with girls is a major distraction.

School psychologist Amanda Hirsch, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education believes that singlesex schools are beneficial to girls’ selfesteem for classes in which statistics indicate boys are better academically.

“Single-gender schools can be very good.

It depends on the individual child and what his or her needs are,” she said.

According to experts, the environment of a single-sex school appears to be providing a more encouraging and helpful place for students to expand. Students aren’t as discouraged when it comes to their surroundings.

“Honest, I hate attending a same sex school,” said Eric Smith, a senior at Mount Carmel High School. “It is aggravating being surrounded by males all of the time.” But Smith added that being at the all-boys schools has helped him to achieve a 4.47 GPA, mostly because there are no girls around. “There is really nothing to do in an all-male school other than work. It forces you to focus on your studies,” he said.

Whether same-gender or co-ed, students and stakeholders agree that it’s all about choosing the academic environment that will lead to success. That, most agree, is a choice to be made by parents and students, individually. r

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All year-round COMMENTARY Lindblom goes 365 and I've learned to love it

By Naida Langdon Lindblom Math and Science Academy

W

hat do those numbers mean?

Well, they are pretty important to me.

Here’s why: last year, Lindblom Math and Science Academy ranked 107 in academic performance in Illinois.

Today, it is ranked at 43 and is listed among the Top 50 highest achieving schools in Illinois.

Get it now?

What accounts for Lindblom’s skyrocket to success? In part because it switched to a year-round calendar in 2005, which was a big accomplishment for Lindblom.

I should know. I am a proud sophomore of Lindblom, which has 800 students, who are mostly African-American and Hispanic.

I personally enjoy year-round schooling.

I am out of school when my peers are not.

Instead of a long summer break, I enjoy frequent breaks throughout the school year.

My parents often tease that it seems I’m out of school more than I’m in school. It seems that way to me, too, but actually, I attend school for the same amount of time as students on a regular Chicago Public Schools calendar. It’s just set up differently.

Kyla Strickland, 16, a sophomore, also enjoys Lindblom’s year-round school calendar.

“I like it because this way I don’t have time to forget everything I learned before the long summer,” she said. “I get better grades.”

The three-month summer break usually causes students to forget what they learn during the school year, some education experts say, requiring remediation, which prompted education officials and

parents to begin exploring education alternatives. As a result, year-round education is becoming more and more popular.

CPS officials are considering switching all schools to year-round calendars but say nothing is final yet. As of earlier this year, there were 247 CPS year-round schools. The number rose from 195 in the 2009-2010 school year and from 132 in 2008-2009, according to the Chicago Public Schools. Some schools that have made the switch include Corliss, Robeson, Tilden and Morgan Park.

Chicago is not alone. In the fall of 2007, the latest figures available, 2 million students were enrolled in 3,000 year-round schools in 46 states, according to a survey conducted by the National Association for Year-Round Schools.

Oftentimes the true meaning of yearround schooling is misconceived. People often think that it means that students attend school all 12 months of the year, but what it actually means is that students attend class the same amount of days as other public schools students. The calendar is just organized differently.

Some critics complain that parents with children in elementary school do not have anywhere to leave them during the numerous breaks while they are at work.

There are no summer camps in the winter, leaving it completely up to parents to make costly childcare arrangements.

But Nora Berdelle, an AP psychology teacher at Lindblom Math and Science, says she enjoys the year-round calendar because it makes her job easier. She also says “this schedule allows her to travel and beat the rush of families going on spring break.”

Another criticism of year-round schools and selective enrollment is the work load, though I don’t mind because I aspire to attend a top university. I want to become a lawyer like Andrea Zopp, the president of the Chicago Urban League.

My courses should prepare me well to achieve my goal. I take a total of six classes: Geometry, History of Chicago, Chinese 4, Language and Composition, JROTC and Biotechnology. These are all honors-level courses. I usually spend four to six hours on homework each night, granted that some of that goes to Twitter and texting. I generally don’t get a lot of homework nightly, but we are always working on some kind of project or paper in addition to whatever small assignments we do get nightly.

The basic setup of Lindblom’s schedule is you are in school for two months and then you receive two weeks off. We begin school in early August and go until the last week of September and then we have two weeks off in October. After that, we attend school for the last two weeks of October and for most of November, with the exception of Thanksgiving break.

We are in class for the first two weeks of December, but then we have the rest of December off through the first two weeks of January. We are in school in January and February. We then have two weeks off in April and after we return, we remain at school until the middle of June. We then get summer break, which lasts for about a month-and-a-half.

Every school is different, but I have experienced firsthand the effectiveness of year-round schooling at Lindblom. For that very reason, I am sold on the calendar. From 107 to 43! Yes! r 33

REPORT CARD

BFFs? No, Mom! No easy way to balance parenting with friendship

By Telicia Gathings Dunbar Vocational Career Academy High School

W

e hear it all the time: “Teens are out of control.” They ditch school, curse the teacher and don’t take education seriously. Others break curfew, talk back to their parents, smoke and even drink. It may not be the teen’s fault. Should the parent who wants to earn the teen’s trust by being the best friend share the blame?

Parents are starting to take the bestfriend role too far by adding their child to the popular social network Facebook.

Teens say it is embarrassing when parents comment on their wall post. To curb parents’ enthusiasm, teens are blocking parents from Facebook to prevent them from seeing their posts. They don’t want Mom and Dad to be a BFF. Photo by TELICIA GATHINGS

Talisha Dudley, 16, with her mother, Jacqueline Dudley, spreading the love.

“Me and my mom talk about boys, but I wouldn't be friends with my mom on Facebook because I don't want her to hear me curse," says Desirea Epps, 16, a sophomore at Dunbar Vocational Career Academy High School on the South Side.

Although some teens think that they can be honest with their parents and tell 34

them everything, others believe there is a limit to what you should tell your parents. Where does friendship end and parenting begin? Talisha Dudley, a Dunbar junior, draws the line at sharing everything. “No way, because certain stuff that I tell my friends I wouldn't tell my mom,” the 16-year old says. “I talk to my mom about school and family...personal issues.

I would not talk to my mom about sex or boys because I feel that should stay a secret from your mom.”

Blurring the line between friendship and parenting doesn’t mean a parent has given up the role of mom or dad. Successful parents do both. "I think it’s OK to be friends with your child, but there is a limit,” says security guard Telicia Peeples, the mother of a 17-year-old boy. “For example, being friends with your child gives your child that security that they can come to you for any advice. If something is wrong in their life, they can come and talk to you about it.”

Parents who take friendship too far and don’t provide values or rules risk their child developing behavior problems. “I think parents should provide guidance because there is a line between the way you talk to your friends and talk to parents,” says family specialist Renee Jackson, director of training and development at Raising...The Next Generation of Leaders, a family advocate program in Chicago. “A parent should be your confidante and role model.”

Jackson notes that several forces influence a teen’s behavior, ranging from raging hormones to the community in which he or she lives. “They use the Internet and television as a support system,” she says. “I would add my child on Facebook because it allows me to monitor her and if

I see that she is cursing and putting inappropriate things on there, I would give her a warning. As far as blocking me, I would tell her to delete the page.”

“

I think parents should provide guidance because there is a line between the way you talk to your friends and talk to parents... A parent should be your confidante and role model.”

– Renee Jackson Director of training and development at Raising...The Next Generation of Leaders

Boys appear to prefer to be best friends with their fathers instead of their mothers. “Yes, I am best friends with my father,” says James Johnson, 17, a student at Perspectives Leadership Academy High School. We talk about sports, old memories, even girls,” he says. “I tell my father everything I tell my friends. I would befriend my father on Facebook because he wouldn't discipline me but my mother would be too strict."

More parents should be friends with their child because it creates a stronger bond between the relationships, but there is a line you shouldn't cross when talking to your parent.

I have a mom who is my best friend.

Although I tell my mom everything, she still teaches me right from wrong and guides me down the right path, even if she sometimes comes on too strong.

You can have dozens of friends but only have one mother. r

WWW.COLUMBIALINKS.ORG

The

n-word Students and teachers talk about the offensive

By Alan Peck Mount Camel High School

I

n February 2012, Chicago schoolteacher Lincoln Brown filed a lawsuit against Murray Language Academy after being suspended without pay for five days for allegedly teaching the n-word.

Brown claimed in October 2011 that he used the n-word after two students were passing notes with rap lyrics that contained the word. Brown alleged that he was trying to teach the word in the context of the novel “Huckleberry Finn” so that he could show students the hatred behind the word.

However, Brown’s lesson came to a halt as the school’s principal, George Mason, stepped foot into the classroom. The Murray Language Academy principal charged Brown with “using verbally abusive language to or in front of students,” in addition to “cruel, immoral, negligent or criminal conduct or communication to a student, that causes psychological or physical harm.”

In regards to the lawsuit, Robyn Ziegler, Chicago Public Schools director of communications, issued the following statement: “The Principal determined that the way the teacher used the word was improper and imposed a short suspension. . . . The teacher has received sufficient due process. In our opinion, his federal lawsuit is without merit.”

Brown defended his actions in regards to him teaching the n-word. Brown said that students should understand the historical negativity behind the word, and that it is never too early to start and teach. The

earlier, the better, he said in an interview.

“I think for a middle school student, that first encounter with the word never leaves you. I think that teacher is practicing a kind of ignorance that I find really excusable. People have been fired for using it; lawsuits have been initiated over it. I think that’s really a type of innocence—a threeyear old’s type of innocence,” said Emily Bernard, a Professor at the University Of Vermont, and author of a 2005 article titled “Teaching the N-Word.”

Bernard said she understood that Brown was trying to teach an issue that other teachers may be afraid to touch, but to apply it to young kids could be emotionally damaging for them.

Photo by ALAN PECK

"When the word [n-word] is said to me, being angry about it is not the solution. Enlightening the ignorant is the solution." – Michael Reid, sophomore at Mount Carmel High School

Teaching the n-word has long been a controversial issue, even within the context of “Huckleberry Finn.” The novel mentions the n-word 219 times. The word bothered Alan Gribben, a Mark Twain Scholar, so much that last year he decided to edit out the word and replace it with “slave” in his recently released edition of the classic book.

Gribben said having the slur in the book is just too insensitive for the new classroom, but not everyone agrees.

“I think changing it is absolutely arrogant, and categorically wrong. You don’t go back into a book and change it. That is wrong. That is disrespectful, seeing literature as a whole,” said Bernard.

She also goes on to say that she is appalled that the racially sensitive words were edited out, and was surprised that

the publisher would even allow that.

Bernard’s concern is that if people start selectively editing out language how soon will it be until we find ways to “vandalize” other works of literature.

Michael Reid, a student at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, however, agrees with Gribben’s edits.

“I don’t want to read degrading materials.” Reid said. “The same way I wouldn’t listen to rap artist Little Wayne degrading women, I wouldn’t want to read that type of material because it would make me feel uncomfortable.”

Reid, as an African-American male, said that he has heard the n-word being used towards him in a derogatory manner.

“It made me feel ashamed. However, I didn’t necessarily feel anger, because it’s not the solution. I was raised in a way to accept others ignorance, and being angry just doesn’t fit the criteria to solving anything. Enlightening the person, and helping them understand the word is the solution.”

Michael said that his first time hearing the word was not traumatizing, because it opened his eyes to the wider world.

“In today’s society, you have to be sensitive to others. The more sensitive you are, the more you can connect with people,” Reid said.

Dawn Glunz, a teacher at Chicago’s Lincoln Park High School, said there is value in talking about the notorious word.

“I find it very interesting and important to discuss the use of the n-word in today's everyday vernacular. Whether it is in music lyrics, movies, or amongst one another I always like to hear various students' perspectives on how the word is used today,” Glunz said.

When she teaches “Huckleberry Finn,” which she said she’s been teaching for 17 years, she tries to give her students the historical context of the word and to help them understand how words change throughout history.

“I may also discuss the age of the piece and that the word may have been more acceptable, though still inflammatory, for the time period and or location. I also remind students that I or whoever may be reading is doing just that — reading another's work.” r 35

VIOLENCE

A show of

force Teens say more police officers are needed to fight crime

By Kevin Morales Lane Tech High School

W

ith the rise in homicides throughout the city during the summer of 2012, some residents have concerns about the Chicago Police Department’s performance.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel promised to add more police to the city’s beats when he took office in May 2011 to provide more assistance to crime-ridden neighborhoods. While this story was being reported, Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced on Aug. 31, 2012, that 50 federal agents will be coming to the assistance of Chicago police and the Department of Justice will also be upping its support of the city’s violence reduction initiative, ABC Chicago reports.

“We are going to be employing the strategy of working on the worst of the worst, the two degrees of separation, which we have explained,” McCarthy said. “It is a social networking that has to do with the people who are most likely to be involved in homicide.”

The focus of the initiative, launched in January 2012, is on reducing narcotics and other vice violations through increased foot patrols, street and vehicle stops and more aggressive enforcement of existing warrants, based on the principle that more minor offenses “encourage

36

violent and criminal activity.” Emanuel said the initiative has already reduced violent crime in the city’s Woodlawn and East Garfield Park neighborhoods, where it was originally implemented, according to NBC Chicago.

A fall 2011 investigation by the Chicago News Cooperative showed the distribution of police officers in Chicago’s 25 police districts did not appear to correspond with areas that had high levels of violence.

Some of Chicago’s younger residents have various opinions about the police force and its effectiveness in handling the recent problems based on their own experiences.

Some sympathize with the police. Others, however, are not pleased with how violence is being handled.

Marven Mehu-Osunbor, 18, lives in Hyde Park.

In 2011, about 206 police officers were stationed in the 21st Police District, which includes Hyde Park.

Mehu-Osunbor feels safe in his neighborhood. Only one homicide has been reported in the Hyde Park neighborhood since the beginning of 2012, according to the Redeye Chicago homicide tracker.

The tracker is a frequently updated map that uses information from the Cook

County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Breaking News Center.

But Mehu-Osunbor said the police are not doing enough to resolve the problems outside of his neighborhood.

“Any violence that goes on here, about 80 percent of it, is not done by adults,” Mehu-Osunbor said. “They’re little kids shooting each other. How are you not catching them? They need to do more.”

Mehu-Osunbor said the police officers are also human and can only do so much at a time.

“I don’t hate the police,” he said. “They can be just as scared as we are.”

Derick Garcia, 16, who lives in the Irving Park community, has seen his neighborhood transition from a problematic area to a calmer residential area.

“A couple of years ago, there used to be some gangbangers a few houses down from me, but then [the police] cleaned them out. They’re gone now,” Garcia said.

In 2011, there were a total of 202 police officers in the 17th Police District, which includes Garcia’s Irving Park neighborhood.

Garcia said he is not convinced the police are doing the best they can to curb violence outside of his Northwest Side community.

WWW.COLUMBIALINKS.ORG Photo by KEVIN MORALES

The station of Police District 16 services Jefferson Park neighborhood which has reportedly been one of the safest neighborhoods in the city.

“It doesn’t seem like they’re doing a very good job if stuff like this keeps happening,” Garcia said.

Garcia said public places should have more security and surveillance to help curtail violent and illegal activity.

“

Any violence that goes on here, about 80 percent of it, is not done by adults.

They’re little kids shooting each other."

– Marven Mehu-Osunbor 18, Hyde Park resident

“There needs to be more patrols,” Garcia said. “I barely see any cop cars.”

In addition, Garcia said he thinks the police force needs to distribute itself more evenly.

“Don’t take away any (police) from places that are already safe, but add to places that need the help,” he said.

But some teen residents such as Mario Fuentes Jr. said the situation is out of the

police’s hands.

“It’s just something the police can’t help with,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes, 15, lives in Albany Park where he said people have to be careful when going to certain parts of the neighborhood.

“You never know what you’re going to find, or who you’re going to find,” Fuentes said.

Like Garcia’s neighborhood, Albany Park is also located within the 17th District where a total of 422 violent crimes were reported in 2011, according to the Chicago News Cooperative.

Albany Park and Irving Park are located next to each other— an example of how one neighborhood differs from the next.

State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford (D-8th) said there needs to be a better relationship between the police and the communities they serve.

“What we need most is that police have sensitivity in the community that they work in,” Ford said.

Ford acknowledged the smaller police force at work, but he said he believes they can get the job done.

Ultimately, there will never be enough police to solve all the crimes, Ford said.

“If the community feels a better rela-

tionship with the police, then they’ll call when they’re needed,” Ford said.

No one from the CPD’s Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy division, which partners police with community members to help fight crime in a given beat, returned Columbia Links’ repeated attempts for comment for this story. r Photo by KEVIN MORALES

Derick Garcia, who lives in the Irving Park community, has seen his community get better but he still thinks "there need to be more [police] patrols."

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VIOLENCE

CeaseFire on

the frontline

Ex-gang members help to interrupt—and Cure Violence—on the West Side

By Lily Moore Northside College Prep High School

W

est Garfield Park is one of Chicago’s struggling neighborhoods where violence is high.

From January to Aug. 1, 2012 there have been 10 homicides in the West Side neighborhood, according to data from Redeye’s homicide map of Chicago, which pulls data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Breaking News Center.

And across Chicago, the murder rate is about 36 percent higher than the same first six months last year, according to a July article in the Daily Beast.

Organizations such as the YMCA, BUILD Inc. and CeaseFire, among others, are working to combat violence in the city.

CeaseFire often hires ex-gang members to work in West Garfield Park and other neighborhoods such as Englewood and Auburn Gresham.

Derrick House, an outreach worker with CeaseFire’s West Garfield Park branch, used to be in a gang.

He ended up on death row, because he 38

was accused of being involved in a murder. He was able to get out on an appeal after serving 22 years behind bars.

After his release, House said he was finished with a life of crime.

When he saw some kids in his West Side neighborhood making the same mistakes he did, he said he wanted to help.

“How can I tell them to slow down if I don’t slow down, if I don’t change my ways?” said House.

From his own experience with violence and counseling the children who were victims of it, House said he understood how kids became involved with gangs.

“They’re watching what they see [around them],” said House. “If somebody else is [involved in the violence] they’re going to do that, too.”

House said he also knows why it’s difficult for kids to get out of gangs. It has a lot to do with peer pressure, he said.

“Wondering what your friends are going to think, wondering if they’re going to care about you after that, wondering if they’re still going to be around with you after

that—that is the hardest part about leaving a gang,” House said.

The only way to help kids fight the status quo is to show them what is right and wrong, he said.

It appears CeaseFire, renamed Cure Violence, has made a positive impact on the community.

A 2008 U.S. Department of Justice evaluation of CeaseFire found shootings and killings dropped more than 28 percent since the program entered West Garfield Park in 2000, among other improvements.

“It’s a kind of collective over here in the West Garfield Park area,” said Marilyn Pitchford, program manager of CeaseFire’s West Garfield Park branch. “The law enforcement has stepped up their presence; we’ve stepped up our presence.”

The CeaseFire method is known as the “public health” approach. It interrupts the transmission of violence, and then works to change the behavior of the people involved along with the community, according to information on its website.

“Something comes up, someone you

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don’t disagree with, it’s OK to disagree,” said Pitchford. “Your first instinct shouldn’t be fighting, pulling out weapons.

This is the way to combat it, changing the behavior, changing the norms.”

The CeaseFire program is made up of links and connections to organizations in the community. It connects the kids involved to resources, such as housing and social services, that will help them get away from the violence.

Pitchford and others with the violenceprevention group also sets up relationships with clergy and police officers.

CeaseFire doesn’t go into schools to teach kids about conflict resolution and anger management, however.

Joanne Bieschke of the Cook County Youth Services Department said she thinks anti-violence education is important.

But kids need the message at home too, she said Layne Jackson, a near West Side resident, said she also believes in violence education.

She’s spent some time teaching art at Marwen, an after-school program that provides free art education to children of low-income households.

Jackson said art teaches kids about what else they can be. They don’t just have to be gang bangers, she said.

“They learn some skills, but they’re learning life lessons too,” said Jackson.

“They’re learning that people can talk to them and they’re learning to interact.

They’re learning a lot about themselves as individuals.”

Pitchford said she's sure of CeaseFire’s method. But she said she wishes there were more services available for kids at CeaseFire.

“There’s so many limits to the amount of services we can provide,” said Pitchford.

“We should have the services here. Whatever type of training, all trades. I’d like to have training programs and some type of services already at CeaseFire.”

Pitchford said the lack of funding is the main reason this would be difficult.

“We don’t have the resources,” said Pitchford. “We get a lot of guys with great ideas looking for someone with the money to make it happen, but we don’t always have it.” r Ameena Matthews (left) and Cobe Williams of CeaseFire were featured in the 2011 film "The Interrupters."

VIOLENCE

Dad's not at home A strong, present father can make a difference

By Aaron Polk Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep High School

S

chool systems that have more kids with absent fathers have a higher rate of violence compared to other schools, some anti-violence advocates say.

“Young men and women who are without a mother or father, for whatever reason, are already at a disadvantage,”said Katy Groves, clinical supervisor of the Youth Service Project, a non-profit organization that provides programs that promote non-violence and anti-bullying.

State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford (D-8th), whose district encompasses portions of the West Side of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, never knew his father and, according to statistics, that put him at a disadvantage.

“A father gives guidance and discipline,” said Ford. “Their presence is powerful.

Not to take anything away from women, but it’s something about having a strong male presence.”

Ford was able to push through the adversity of not having a father and became an influential Illinois politician.

But some teenagers without fathers, especially males, said they don’t have the same drive Ford has.

Giovanni Garcia, 19, lives in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago on the South Side and said he’s frustrated with his absent father and how society views him. He lives with his mother and admits to “being in trouble” more than he should.

“My father has never been there for me,” said Garcia. “He’s a low life. I mean if everyone looks at me and automatically assumes that I’ll end up just like him, I might as well give them what they want.”

Garcia said he is tired of being judged and stereotyped.

“As soon as people find out about your

40

[negative] background, they rule you out of any chance at success,” said Garcia.

“My mom is doing a great job. I don’t need him.”

Social service organizations such as UCAN, Youth Service Project and the Southwest Youth Collaborative, among others, designed programs to advance the lives of teenagers like Garcia.

Domestic issues such as absent fathers are the stepping stones to more serious problems later such as violence, said Groves.

“They become socially isolated,” she said. “They’re labeled as ‘bad’ or ‘highrisk’ and are basically set up to believe that they’ll never become anything positive in life.”

Norman Livingston Kerr, vice president of UCAN, an organization that strives to build strong youth and families, said children with absent fathers need help that they are not necessarily receiving or being offered at home.

“We shouldn’t be surprised,” said Kerr.

“Youth are in pain and haven’t been given a safe and logical way of releasing this pain.”

But, Kerr said, it’s not their fault.

“It doesn’t make sense to give up on them at the first sign of adversity.”

A common trend between children with absent fathers is a lack of hope, but there are people willing to help.

Programs that offer mentorship to children who need it most have been able to fill some of the void lost by their absent fathers. Their collective mission is to take what once was a disadvantage and turn it into motivation.

“Children who have faced trauma in their lives also have the potential to be our future leaders,” said Kerr. r

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Popularity contest Programs vs. peers: It's a tough balancing act to save a life

By Aaliyah Gibson Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

P

eer pressure and the lack of positive role models in a young adult’s life can lead some youth to turn toward violence and illegal activity.

“Young people often lack mental stability and responsibility due to the lack of adults in their life,” said Rebecca Janowitz, a council leader of the Justice Advisory of Cook County, which works to implement juvenile justice reform, among other public safety efforts.

Chicago has one of the highest murder rates, and programs such as BUILD, Inc. and Southwest Youth Collaborative, among others, work to help the city’s youth strive for success.

Various factors can impact whether a young person may become involved in illegal activity, but adults and the surrounding community play one of the larger parts, said Janowitz.

“Young people easily fall into the trap of a group’s perception of who they should be,” said Janowitz.

Stereotypes can also impact youth’s view of the world around them.

“Neighborhood stereotypes are automatically thrown upon young children,” said Sonia Diaz, program director at Southwest Youth Collaborative. “We see a group of kids sitting on the stoop and what’s the first thing that we think? ‘These kids are up to no good.’ ” But, Diaz added, young people are not always a threat.

Communities, large or small, help mold a child, said Connie Rhodes, programming coordinator of BUILD, Inc. “The community plays a huge role,” said Rhodes. “Sometimes, young people don’t have access to see what’s beyond the community, and if a lot of violence takes place in it, it’s all they know.”

After working with three different youth programs in various states in the U.S., Rhodes said she’s witnessed how communities can impact a child both positively and negatively.

“If you’re growing up in a certain neighborhood where negativity is a main factor, it’s difficult to change how others, and even you, should view yourself,” said Rhodes.

Joanne Bieschke, director of Cook County’s Youth Department, said no love at home can lead to youth joining gangs to fill that void.

“It’s not always easy to be the success story,” Bieschke said. “You have to have someone positive around you constantly motivating you. It takes a lot of strength to not follow the people around you.”

Bieschke said some young adults in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs do not have expectations to live long because they have witnessed others their age die at the hands of street violence.

“It’s sad to say, but because of that, it becomes easier to just go with the flow,” Bieschke said. “The unspoken pressure

takes its toll again.”

Rising above pressure is an issue for some, but for Rachel Gray, a poet and member of three different youth councils, the path toward success is the only option.

After getting involved freshman year with BUILD, five years later Gray has graduated from the BUILD’s program but still continues to help. In August, Gray will start school at Northwestern College in Bridgeview.

“I started to write about situations I was going through in third person and trying to put myself in other people’s shoes,” said Gray. “Violence was one of the things that I could really write about.”

With lines such as, “I walk down the block, someone is shot before me,” and, “Got used to drive-bys. That sound is a lullaby,” Gray does not ignore the issue of violence in her neighborhood, Cabrini-Green, but instead, works with others to end it.

Gray works as a youth mentor at Becoming More and is a member of Brand Council and Youth Council— all build programs.

“I like that they’re dedicated to making a change and put their best effort so that kids that start in the wrong foot end up on the best foot,” said Gray.

Helping youth steer clear of violence is not impossible, Rhodes said.

“The youth needs jobs and educational resources, not to mention safe places to go,” Rhodes said. “We’re working to make that possible.” r 41

VIOLENCE

Targeting the look Like Trayvon Martin, teens are judged by their clothing

By Herman Rhoden Hales Franciscan High School

J

ustin Clanton, 16, a junior from Hales Franciscan High School, was taken into questioning by police last fall at the corner of Champaign and 49th Streets. The reason: he wore a black-hooded sweatshirt.

Clanton was hanging out on the corner when he stopped by Chicago police officers and questioned about local gang activity. But as they began searching him, he opened up his jacket, revealing a polo shirt with the Hales Franciscan crest on it.

Once they saw the crest, Clanton said, the officers let him go with a warning.

“At first I was confused and afraid,” Clanton said. “They only told me that there was an incident with gangs com-

42

mitting crimes wearing red and black.”

In a growing trend, teenagers are becoming the primary targets for harassment by both sides of the law, be it the gang members on the streets or the authorities patrolling them. And this treatment stems not from who the teen is or who they are involved with, but what they wear.

From hoodies to specific colors, clothing has led teenagers to become targets. In perhaps the most sensational example in recent years, Trayvon Martin, a 17-yearold, was shot and killed in February 2012 following an altercation with George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch coordinator for a gated community in Sanford, Fla.

Authorities contend that Zimmerman, who was later charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death, confronted Martin because he didn’t recognize Martin and he looked suspicious. At the time of his death, Martin was walking toward his father’s nearby townhouse wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

“No one should be judged immediately, harshly, or in a negative fashion simply because of his [or] her appearance,” says Dr. DeMarquis Hayes, assistant professor of educational psychology at the University of North Texas. “However, we don't live in an ideal world.”

Indeed, Hayes says that African-American men are more likely to be targeted, accused or arrested for a crime. And for

WWW.COLUMBIALINKS.ORG

“

I don't see anything wrong with hip-hop dress or expressing yourself, but I do think we should always be mindful of the image we are sending.”

– DeMarquis Hayes Assistant professor of educational psychology, University of North Texas

some law-enforcement officers, that first indicator of suspicion can come from what someone wears.

“So as it applies to appearance or ‘swag,’ yes we all . . . make quick judgments. Black, white, red, whatever,” Hayes added. “Is it due to concern for safety, prejudice, racism, or just the fear of the unknown? As an AfricanAmerican man, I know for a fact that if I dressed in ‘hip-hop clothing,’ I would get a different reaction [or] look than when I dress in a shirt [and] tie.”

William Hooks, a judge assigned to felonies Criminal Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, agrees.

While Judge Hooks focuses on the evidence at hand in a criminal case, he does urge defendants to dress up for the occasion. [“It’s] how things are,” the judge says.

“It’s cosmetic, it’s unofficial, but sometimes you need to be judged for the way you want to give off an appearance.”

There is precedent for this sort of profiling, says Kevin Morrow, assistant dean of students at Hales Franciscan High School in the Kenwood neighborhood. Back in his day, gang members wore their hats in certain directions as a sign of gang affiliation. You are a Gangster Disciple if your hat tilted to the right, a Vice Lord if it tilted to the left.

But nowadays, Morrow believes it’s not the clothing that makes the teens targets, it’s the teens themselves.

Gangs recruiting at younger ages, coupled with violent incidents in the schools, have led to teens becoming a focal point for police investigations.

What they wear, he says, is secondary.

“Youngsters will always wear something that could represent something, or something that could be personal to what they love to wear, which is fashion,” Morrow says.

Javis Lowe, 18, a senior at Hales

Franciscan, knows that all too well.

Lowe was hanging out with friends when they were pulled over by police.

But this time, it was Lowe’s friends, not him, who wore gang-affiliated colors.

Lowe says his parents wanted him to stay away from his friends even though they weren’t part of a gang. They drew unwanted attention from police.

“At times, I wouldn’t hang out with my friends,” he says. “I didn’t want to see that happen but at the same time, should I disobey my family or betray my friends?”

In the end, Hayes says, the onus falls on teens. They control what they wear.

It isn’t fair and certainly not right, but for now, it’s how the world works.

“I don't see anything wrong with hiphop dress or expressing yourself but I do think we should always be mindful of the image we are sending,” Hayes said. “Every time you cross a street and see the ‘Don't Walk’ sign, we don't have to then decide whether it's safe or not.

We have learned to just not cross the street.” r

Celebrities in hoodies: Kanye West (above) and Justin Bieber (below) and fans.

Photos courtesy of IMDB PRO

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FIT FOR SUMMER

Veggies on wheels Fresh Moves is a mobile oasis in an urban food desert

I

t’s a scorching midsummer’s day and the Fresh Moves bus is parked right outside of Columbus Park on the West Side of Chicago. With giant fruits and vegetables painted over its hull, the bus is nearly impossible to miss. Inside, the vehicle’s missing seats are replaced with shelves of produce on both sides and a cash register at the end. But on this day, the sidewalk is empty and so is the bus; no one wants to test the heat. The staff passes the time talking and laughing. The mobile produce market is having a slow business day.

That’s usually not the case for Fresh Moves, the first and only non-profit mobile market in Chicago and perhaps one of the few in the country that allows customers to shop year-round.

Partners Steve Casey, Sheelah Muhammad and Jeff Pinzino founded the mobile market last summer to fight food deserts. “[Fresh Moves] started from some activists who were concerned about health

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and food related illnesses and the lack of access to produce in communities.” says senior project manager Dara Cooper.

The entire market functions on an emptied-out public bus donated by the Chicago Transit Authority. With the money raised from donors, the bus was renovated to hold the kind of produce section you’d find at a regular supermarket. With its wide selection of fruits on one side and veggies on the other, the bus regularly visits such neighborhoods as Columbus Park, Lawndale and Garfield Park. The mobile market sells approximately $1,000-$4,000 worth of produce per week, according to Cooper.

Mobile markets have been around for a long time and are found in several other cities like Oakland and Kansas City.

However, most of them are not as unique as the Fresh Moves bus. “This is the first time a public transit bus has been converted into a grocery store.” says Cooper.

Being able to fit people within the

By Shawn Wong Kenwood Academy

vehicle also gives customers the opportunity to shop despite the weather outside, allowing Fresh Moves to combat the issue of food deserts year-round. “We wanted to make sure our vehicle was larger,” says Fresh Moves board secretary Sheelah Muhammad. “Big enough for people to get on and off and actually have shopping experiences.”

According to a 2006 report by researcher Mari Gallagher on the impact of food deserts on public health in Chicago, food deserts are defined as ”areas with no or distant grocery stores.”

Because people in food deserts do not have access to healthier food options, they are forced to eat at fast-food restaurants or corner stores. This puts their health at risk with issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

One of the reasons food deserts exist is because most grocery companies are only designed to sell and make a profit, says Malik Yakini, chairman of Detroit Black

“

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You really can't solve the problem (lack of healthy food) without interrupting the standard of living and quality of life of the communities oppressed."

– Malik Yakini Chairman of Detroit Black Community Food Security Network

Community Food Security Network.

Food deserts are usually communities where residents have low income and cannot afford to shop at such major grocers. Yakini says that those companies only want to open a store in a community where they can profit rather provide lowincome residents with healthy food.

And food deserts are only part of a larger problem. “The crisis of lack of food access is connected to the social economic condition of oppressed communities throughout the United States,” he says.

It does not just boil down to communities lacking access to fresh foods. They do not have access to a lot of things, including transportation and quality schools.

“You really can’t solve the problem without interrupting the standard of liv-

ing and quality of life of the communities oppressed,” Yakini says.

Yakini advocates for a more-sustainable answer to food deserts; for now farmer’s markets and mobile markets help create a greater access to food.

But while mobile markets are popular, their long-term sustainability has yet to be proven. Most mobile markets in the United States are based on a model created by People’s Grocery in Oakland, Calif. “They almost created a template in which other people looked at to emulate,” says Yakini. However, People’s Grocery is not a financially viable model because people still need to go to another store to buy other household products. Because of that, Yakini says, People’s Grocery struggles to sustain itself. Other mobile

markets may find themselves suffering from the same problem.

Still, there are perks to running a mobile market, the most obvious being the ability to reach more people in different communities. Running a traditional market is a lot more expensive and still only serves one neighborhood.

With a bus, Fresh Moves can tackle the problem in not just one area, but anywhere that needs it. “They talked about opening a corner store, but it would still not serve the greater [needs] of the food desert,” says Fresh Moves bus driver Sacha McLeod.

Eventually, Fresh Moves hopes to begin serving the South Side with another bus but that initiative is still in the works, according to Cooper. r

CTA donated a bus and the founders of Fresh Moves retooled the inside with a full fresh market.

Photos by SHAWN WONG

FIT FOR SUMMER

It’s the right choice Three on a roll to fitness: Pushing past the obstacles

By Damien Foster Manley Career Academy

Alethea Toni Alethea Toni’s breaking point came the day she and her boyfriend of eight years broke up.

Wanting to get her life and body back in shape, Alethea, 25, of west suburban Bellwood, joined a gym with her brother and started exercising.

Through diet and exercise, Alethea lost 15 pounds. And while she’s happy with the progress, she says it’s not indicative of her progress.

“I could have lost more,” says Alethea, who works in energy-regulation sales for 46

Spark Energy. “I couldn’t because I had to recover from a bad car crash.”

Alethea cites a couple of reasons for being overweight. Most of her family is big, she says. She also admits that she ate poorly, either buying junk food like nachos or cooking fattening dishes at home.

“I was left home a lot, so that gave me easy access to cook and eat anything that I wanted to,” she says.

When her relationship ended, Alethea decided it was time to change her life.

Along with going to the gym, Alethea started drinking more water and stopped snacking late at night.

Saran Dunmore

Is it any wonder she’s never thought of taking a break from fitness?

“I never had the thought of giving up,” she says. “I love it so much’’.

Ruth Meridjen In 10 months, Ruth Meridjen has lost more than 50 pounds, dropping from 210 to 160. But more important, she has become a stronger person emotionally.

Ruth went through a rough patch after her parents divorced. She felt depressed and angry. She ate to feel better.

“I was just eating away,” says Ruth, 24, a telemarketer who lives in Rogers Park.

So was her mother, who also put on the pounds following the divorce. Once she noticed her mother’s weight gain, Ruth realized she was getting heavier. She became uncomfortable with the new weight. She knew it was unhealthy.

A fitness trainer. A television personality. A football player. OK, lingerie football player. Saran Dunmore is all this and more.

But she couldn’t have accomplished any of those feats without once being a little 4-year-old girl who loved to move around with her dad.

Since then, Dunmore has been on the path of staying healthy.

“My father was the reason that I started to work out at young age,” says Saran, 37.

Born and raised in Chicago, Saran grew up the youngest of three girls to two “very active parents.” Soon, Saran’s father designed a routine for her and her sisters that included push-ups, sit-ups and calf raises.

Ruth Meridjen (before and after): In 10 months, she dropped from 210 to 160 pounds, mainly by dieting and Once she started exercising, Saran was hooked. She loves what exercising does for eating healthily. her, both mentally and physically.

Though she wasn’t a regular gym-goer ‘‘The benefits of working out for a long before, Ruth forced herself to work out. period of time are a healthy body and And despite a nagging knee injury, she got mind,” she says. back to playing soccer regularly, a sport Her love of fitness has taken Saran far. she loves.

She is a member of the Lingerie Football “It’s getting better,” she says off the knee.

League’s (LFL) Chicago Bliss squad and Slimmer and happier, Ruth says her bighelps obese teens lose weight on the MTV gest goal now is getting her mother in the show, “I Used to Be Fat.” gym. “We’ll motivate each other,” she says. r Photos courtesy of RUTH MERIDJEN

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ow more than ever, black people need to get healthy and fast. The data recently released by the NAACP isn’t pretty.

Five out of 10 African-American females are obese (53 percent). So are nearly four out of every 10 males (36 percent).

Almost two out of every five AfricanAmericans suffer from hypertension (39 percent for men, 43 for women).

Nearly 4 million African-Americans 20 or older suffer from diabetes.

The numbers are worse when compared to other groups in the United States.

Blacks are nearly twice as likely to contract diabetes as whites and 30 percent more likely to die of heart disease.

Trying to get healthy can be a problem for those who have a hard time working out.

Sometimes, people don’t have access to fitness centers or healthier food. Sometimes, people doubt themselves and struggle to find the motivation they need.

But getting healthy can be a good thing for the mind and spirit. It gives people the strength to stay focused on their exercise routine and fight through the exhaustion.

After all—no pain, no gain.

Here are three people who work it, day in and day out.

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A few more

pounds

Being heavy doesn't always mean you're not healthy

By Victoria Susberry Lindlom Math and Science Academy

N

o one likes surprises from the doctor. But that is what happened during what I thought would be a routine physical the school board requires of all students entering the 9th grade. I was told the normal weight for a 5-foot-2 girl is 104 pounds, and at 117 pounds, I was 13 pounds ‘‘overweight,’’ according to a growth chart.

I have never considered myself overweight. In fact, I actually consider myself quite healthy having recently made 100 pounds in 7th grade.

Just as I began to accept that I was overweight and that there wasn’t much I could do about my size, I saw “America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments,” a documentary by Darryl Roberts on what we think we have to look like to be healthy and the lengths we go through to be thin.

Roberts takes on the diet craze and the billions spent on America’s obsession to be thin. In particular, Roberts singles out the BMI (Body Mass Index), which he would rather refer to as the Mass Hysteria Index, as contributing to unhealthy body images. The BMI formula uses your height and weight to calculate body fat.

The website Troubled Teens 101 reports that 14 percent of U.S. teens are overweight, according to the BMI, which says you’re overweight past 26. Many people are now classified as overweight and obese because the original BMI was 28.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that 16

percent to 33 percent of youth are obese.

It should be noted that the basic formula for calculating BMI in children also considers gender and age (2-19). Even baby fat and puberty can impact the number.

For me, this was an eye opener. After talking to him, something Roberts said stood out: “Teens need to know that there is no one else like you, you are special and unique.”

Photo by VICTORIA SUSBERRY

Martiara Fleming, 18, a freshman at Northern Illinois University, falls into the obese class at 215 pounds and a BMI of 39.5.

Saran Dunmore, a fitness expert on NBC's Channel 5 and personal trainer on MTV's “I Used to be Fat,” weighed in on how we as teens can get more healthy and fit. “It’s not about being thin; it’s about being active and eating healthy,” she says.

In their search for role models, teens need

to look for people who can help them develop a healthy self-image and not to unrealistic models in magazines.

Erica Reed, a nutrition expert at a Women, Infants and Children's center, agrees that you can be healthy without being thin. Not all athletes are thin, but it’s clear that they are fit, she says.

What did four teen girls have to say about their health and their BMI? Sydney McIntosh, 17, a senior at Curie Metropolitan High School, weighs 210 pounds and thinks she is healthy because she dances and walks. Not so fast; her BMI of 35.3 says she is obese. Martina Fleming, 18, a freshman at Northern Illinois University, falls into the obese class too, at 215 pounds and a BMI of 39.5.

At 14, Rebecca Bowman is tall and thin at 130 pounds and is certain that she is healthy. The Lindblom Math and Science Academy freshman’s BMI of 23.4 proved her correct.

But 20-year-old Martiara Fleming, at 98 pounds, who lives on a diet of junk food and is often sick, suspects she is not healthy. According to her BMI of 19.1, the Northern Illinois University junior is at a normal healthy weight.

Go figure. No, seriously go figure your BMI at: apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/. As you can see, you do not have to be thin to be healthy and being thin doesn’t always mean your health is in line with what it needs to be.

Like Dunmore says, “It’s about how you feel in your body.” r 47

FIT FOR SUMMER

Title IX , Age 40 Athletes off to college on unconventional scholarships

By Taylor Nazon Trinity High School

W

hen most individuals think about collegiate athletic scholarships, the sports of basketball, baseball, football, soccer and softball generally come to mind. This, however, only partially reflects the types of scholarships that are offered. Surprisingly, scholarships can be won for sports like lacrosse, cheerleading, rowing, bowling, fencing, archery, mascoting, rugby, water polo, skiing and more. Although these sports don't receive as much attention as the traditional ones, they are equally, if not more, competitive and require the same level of dedication.

For more than 40 years, Title IX has benefited female and male athletes from a wide range of sports. Although the focus is generally on the more popular playing fields, there are many unconventional sports that have put countless athletes through college.

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Riley Newman, a sophomore at Cornell University, was recruited for rowing.

Although Cornell does not give out monetary scholarships, he was accepted into the prestigious Ivy League school based on his athletic talent.

According to Newman, Cornell’s practice requirements are rigorous: As a team, they are required to practice at least 10-11 times a week. Mid-season the team practices seven days week for about three hours. In addition to that, they also have three weight-lifting sessions a week that last for about an hour and a half each. If that isn’t enough, they sometimes even have extra morning practices decided by the coach at random.

“Even though 11 practices may seem like a lot, almost everyone on the team sneaks in another couple practices a week as well on their own time,” said Newman, who graduated from Oak Park–River Forest High School.

For the team, that comes out to anywhere from 10-14 practices a week and adds up to about 25-30 weekly practice hours.

The competitiveness and difficulty of receiving scholarships from more traditional sports can sideline some athletes’ dreams. Some never consider that though they can hoop or whop a powerful spike over the volleyball net—competitive and popular collegiate sports—it could be their bowling prowess that punches their ticket to college.

According to athleticscholarships.net, only 74 bowling scholarships are offered per year. This fact made avid bowler, Jordane Frazier’s, four-year bowling scholarship to Howard University that much sweeter.

Interestingly enough, Frazier claims this is a sport she never expected to play in college.

“I didn't even know they had bowling

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“

I didn't even know they had bowling programs that offered scholarships, especially not at HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)."

– Jordane Frazier Student, Howard University

programs that offered scholarships, especially not HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), until [my senior year in high school],” said Frazier.

Without the gender equality opportunities created by Title IX, female athletes like Frazier would not be able to rely on their athletic skills to get them into college. The veteran bowler couldn’t imagine where her life would be if Title IX never existed.

“I wouldn't be at Howard or any school out of state, for that matter, and I think that says a lot considering all the wonderful opportunities being a Howard student has granted me so far,” she said.

There are infinitely more stories like

Evans, a Trinity High School graduate, became one of 286 females that athleticscholarships.net says receives NCAA Division 1 softball scholarships each year. Bolton, a Marist High School graduate, also headed to U. of I. next fall, was one of 342 females the website says gets NCAA Division 1 basketball scholarships each year.

Bolton admits that her sport is “super competitive” but she always knew she would be playing basketball in college.

Unfortunately, thousands of girls her age with similar collegiate aspirations never receive that elusive scholarship that would grant them the same opportunity to play in college as she did.

Photo by TAYLOR NAZON

Jordane Frazier received a bowling scholarship to Howard University.

Newman’s and Frazier’s: college athletes using unconventional sports to get them to college. However, there are millions of children unaware of these opportunities. Luckily some teens do find ways to compete with thousands of others their age and win scholarships.

Nicole Evans and Lea Bolton are two of the lucky ones. In accepting a full ride to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign starting the 2013-2014 school year,

Basketball coach Edward Strizel of the all-girls Trinity High School in Oak Park encourages young athletes to explore the option of taking up more unknown sports where scholarships may be less competitive and more attainable.

“We have many ladies [at Trinity] playing such sports as golf in our program today and it is encouraged. I believe whatever path gets a young lady to college is the way to go,” the coach said. r 49

FIT FOR SUMMER

SIBLING CHIVALRY Seeing a different life through the eyes of siblings with disabilities

By Matthew Wettig Lane Tech High School

F

or a majority of teenagers, it can be enough responsibility keeping track of their daily tasks, but for teens that have siblings with disabilities, “responsibility” can have a whole different meaning.

Sheila Swann-Guerrero, a recreational therapist, said she believes that siblings of people with disabilities have “a greater understanding of life.”

Swann-Guerrero has been working as a recreational therapist since 1983, and has been a director of Chicagoland sibshops since 2001.

Sibshops are programs for siblings of people with disabilities, which aim to provide help through recreational activities, peer support and education.

“From what I’ve seen in my 11 years of sibshops, siblings tend to be more patient, more responsible and more mature,” she said.

Maddie Brennan, a sophomore at Lyons Township High School, said that she

50

believes that having a sibling with a disability has made her more empathetic toward other people. Brennan’s 13-yearold brother Connor was diagnosed with autism at two years old.

“Having [Connor] as a brother has given me an opportunity that most other people wouldn’t have,” Brennan said. “I feel it helps to make me more understanding with other people. I see someone on the street and I don’t necessarily judge them; people don’t always know what’s going on.”

She said that although going out in a public setting is hard with Connor, it is the only way that she is limited with his disability.

“Yeah, it is hard having to babysit your 13-year-old brother, but he is my brother and he is who he is and that isn’t going to change,” she said.

Maria Meija is a mother of two. Her 10-year-old son, Carlos, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old.

Meija said that she believes that her son having autism has been a major learning experience for her daughter, as well as everyone in her family. “[Carlos] likes to hold our hands in public, and he’s at an age where people will stare if we’re in the store or somewhere, and he’s holding hands with my daughter,” she said.

“At first she was embarrassed about it, but she’s come to accept it, and ignore the people who stare.”

Meija said that even though she tries not to give her daughter too much responsibility, everyone has to take up more of a responsibility when a family member has autism.

“Autism isn’t a disease like Down syndrome where everyone’s needs are practically the same. It’s a spectrum disorder where everyone’s needs need to be tailored to the specific person,” she said.

Emma Kosnik, a sophomore at Trinity High School, said that she is “used to the

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craziness” that having a sibling with a disability has brought into her life.

Kosnik’s 15-year-old brother, Andrew, has Down syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

“We can’t go out to eat with him.

Because of his OCD he eats really fast, and coupled with being out in public, it doesn’t really work,” she said.

“I also have to act like I’m the older sibling when I’m really not, and do things that someone else my age wouldn’t have to,” Kosnik said.

Joe Luzadder, a junior at Whitney Young High School, said that having a sibling with a disability has helped him in understanding what other people are going through, and to not judge others. Luzadder’s 10-year-old sister Anna has Down syndrome.

“I can understand what they are going through, and that things aren’t always what they seem to be on the outside,” he said.

“I don’t have much more responsibility than someone else, but there are some

disadvantages to her disability,” Luzadder said. “Things like road trips take longer, and we have to be much more careful walking in busy areas.”

For Melanie Dabrowski, a junior at Elmhurst College, having a sibling with a disability has made her life more difficult and left her not as free to do things that she likes.

Her 15-year-old brother Nathan was also diagnosed with autism when he was two years old.

“I remember when it happened. My mom came home crying. Both my parents almost didn’t believe it and [they] wanted to fight the diagnosis,” Dabrowski said.

She said that going out in public with Nathan is very hard, but he has gotten better about it over the years.

“I remember going to parks with him when he was young, and when it was time to go he would be screaming and crying, banging his head on the cement.”

Dabrowski also said that although his behavior may not always be the best, she believes that having a sibling with a dis-

ability has positively impacted her life.

“I don’t know where I would be without him,” she said.

“I wrote about Nathan, and how he has made me grow as a person, for my college entrance essay, and I truly do feel that he has made me who I am.”

Swann-Guerrero said that people with siblings with disabilities can sometimes have a different outlook on life.

“Over the course of someone’s life, people develop coping mechanisms. In siblings of people with disabilities, they tend to develop this earlier, in my opinion, leading to a different view on life,” Swann-Guerrero said.

She also said that although the positives greatly outweigh the negatives, there can be negative effects on siblings.

“Later in life, siblings can be used to putting other people first, and this can lead to them potentially being taken advantage of. Siblings need to learn to sometimes put themselves first and not sacrifice for the sake of someone else,” Swann-Guerrero said. r

Joe Luzadder (far left) and his sister Ann in front of their home. Maddie Brennan (bottom left) takes her brother Connor to Barnes & Noble to get a book after one of his therapy sessions.

Photos by MATTHEW WETTIG

FIT FOR SUMMER

BUMPING

HEADS

Concussions on the field hitting high school athletes

By Joshua Jones Walther Lutheran High School

C

oncussions account for 9 percent of injuries among high school athletes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Concussions among high school athletes in the state of Illinois are considered by many coaches and parents to be an epidemic.

“The state has done their job. It’s time for coaches and trainers to step up and do theirs,” said Bruce Tuomi, head football coach of Walther Lutheran High School in Melrose Park. “I truly do believe that concussions are a huge problem in this state. We need to do something to help control them.”

Concussions are often ignored, according to Tuomi, because players don’t want to report them, trainers often ignore them and coaches often let players play with them.

“I personally have not let a player play with a concussion, but I have seen other coaches let their players play, which is bad because it puts the kid in danger. As coaches, it is our job to protect kids, not hurt them.”

Trainer Dhafir Curry said: “When a player brings a concussion to me, it is my job to treat them. I help train athletes, but if they are too out of it to train, or play, I have to hold them out. Players don’t like it,

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but it’s my job.”

Dhafir believes that trainers must bear some of the fault. “Trainers don’t put forth as much of an effort as they should to stop players from playing with concussions.

We know the dangers they cause, but [some] let players do whatever they want.

They love the game, but their safety is most important.”

Frank Caputo suffered two concussions which sidelined his high school football career..

Frank Caputo, 17, of Walther Lutheran High School has suffered two concussions.

He had to stop playing football to avoid suffering any further brain trauma.

“The experience was horrible. I took a

hit to my head, and it completely took me out of myself. I had a headache, I couldn’t stand up straight, I wanted to go to sleep, but I couldn’t,“ Caputo said. “I couldn’t remember as far back as breakfast.”

Caputo returned to football after the first concussion. When he suffered the second concussion, he decided that it was best for him to end his football career. He doesn’t regret his decision, but he wishes his career could have lasted longer.

“I think as players we have to report concussions to our trainers and coaches.

Even if you think you have head trauma, or you had your bell rung, report it. Your safety is more important. Get better so you can get back to dominating on the field.”

Caputo said.

The idea that concussions are not that serious of an injury is a complete falsehood.

During an 11-year study done by researcher Andrew E. Lincoln of the Sports Medicine Research Center at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, football accounted for more than 50 percent of all concussions and it had the highest incident rate.

“The problem has to be dealt with,” Tuomi said. “If something isn’t done by coaches and trainers soon, football can become even more dangerous to players and parents than it already is.” r

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Sick and nowhere to go Minority families find quality healthcare elusive

By Alan Muñoz Lincoln Park High School

C

urrently, the U.S. is undergoing great financial struggles and therefore is unable to provide its citizens with sufficient access to healthcare.

Most recently the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this year. It is the country’s first successful attempt at universal healthcare coverage.

Like the nation as a whole, Chicago is also struggling to provide sufficient access to healthcare to all of its citizens.

Some of these problems include inadequate access to medical supplies and proper health education to ill patients.

According to a study done by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, about 30 percent of Hispanics and 20 percent of blacks lack a source of healthcare, while less than 16 percent of Caucasians struggle with the same problem. Additionally, the study found that Hispanic children are nearly three times as likely as non-Hispanic white children to have no usual source of health care.

Chicago is a very racially diverse city and, as such, race has become a great factor when it comes to inequity in access to healthcare. Because of this, different communities are under conditions in which they do not have access to the same types of treatment to help them overcome ailments.

Irene Perez, 58, lives in Irving Park on the North Side. She has two sons, both prediabetic and suffering from ailments associated with hypertension. Fortunately, they have access to a free public clinic, the Old Irving Park Community Clinic.

Mrs. Perez, like many of the regular patients who attend the clinic, is Hispanic and struggles with low-income. “My experience at the clinic has always been to my satisfaction. I trust the doctors and they help me stay healthy,” she said.

The importance of trust within the relationship between patients and their doctors is great. This contributes much to the healthcare experience of individuals. When there is no doctor that one may visit and consult with, that person might be discouraged about the healthcare system and thus might not want to visit a healthcare professional anymore.

But, not many communities in Chicago are so fortunate to have access to quality and affordable healthcare. So how are teens dealing with the issue of healthcare? Being that most teenagers are students and do not pay for any kind of healthcare, they may find themselves oblivious to the issue, which affects them as well. Communities that have access to healthcare, as well as good schools, tend to be much more secure when it comes to public health.

This is typical of many suburban Chicago neighborhoods. Through education, teens learn about ways to stay well, become aware of the issues affecting them and their communities, and have a better chance to retain employment, thus being able to afford healthcare.

Increased access to healthcare, along with education, in minority communities would decrease the percentage of illness plaguing them. The challenge with this is the large amount of money needed to

provide such care—especially during a recession.

Sufficient access to healthcare is a building block for any healthy, self-sustaining community. Healthcare specialist Karen Hunter, who works for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, said that the three main determining factors of low access to healthcare are race, education and income.

“Your race is in part biological and in part social. When we talk about someone’s health, we’re often talking about physiology and biology - your main ethnicity, your genetic makeup ... this is a big factor. Ethnicity plays into social life ... the way you’re brought up and your beliefs also play a factor,” Hunter said. r Photo by ALAN MUÑOZ

Ruth Perez and her husband, Fernando, with their sons Fernando Jr. (left) and Ivan (2nd from right) are fortunate to have access to a free public clinic. Not every poor family in Chicago does.

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FIT FOR SUMMER

Karyn’s on

GREEN REVIEW:

A vegan restaurateur creates meatless wonders

By Andrew Rivera Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

K

aryn Calabrese set out to find a better way of eating after seeing her family afflicted by cancer and diabetes brought on by an unhealthy diet.

Along her journey of testing and reinventing the way she ate, others sought her help. So she began holding a healthy potluck in her house once a month to teach people about how to be healthy.

Her vision has grown into three vegan restaurants in the Chicago area and a fourth one in the works. And she has a new book, “Soak Your Nuts: Cleansing with Karyn: Detox Secrets for Inner Heal-

54

ing and Outer Beauty.”

I had the opportunity to eat at one of her restaurants this summer. The food at Karyn’s on Green is fantastic and the meals intended to take the place of meat are mimicked perfectly by her chefs.

The food is very healthy so you can eat it without feeling guilty. She has been serving her great-tasting healthy foods for 20 years, so she must be doing something right.

You are greeted by flamboyant employees who are glad to help seat you. Walkins are welcome but on busy days you

might be waiting two or more hours for a seat. Reservations are recommended.

When seated you can enjoy the ambient music which enhances the relaxed mood in the restaurant. The music is subtle enough to allow for conversation but not too low where it is barely audible.

The scenery features a small waterfall and many Buddhist statues, helping the patrons feel more at ease.

The presentation of the food was simple yet elegant on geometric white plates and saucers. The fries were warm, savory and bursting with flavor and well seasoned.

Brussel sprouts placed on the opposite side of the fries were the greens of the dish. They were grilled to crunchiness, the greenish yellow color making them appealing.

The buffalo chicken wrap is the center of the dish. The buffalo chicken with tomato, spinach, red onion and ranch is encased in a honey wheat tortilla with a skewer right in the middle to hold it all in place.

The flavors fuse together to make something truly amazing. It really tasted like bits of fried chicken but it’s really tofu.

It truly is the star of the meal.

The service at the restaurant is average with servers coming by every so often to see how the meal is going. There is a chance that you may meet the owner, Karyn herself, who is living proof of her philosophy.

This a great place to have brunch or dinner with friends and family. Whether you're looking for a healthy place to eat or a great-tasting upscale eating establishment, Karyn’s on Green, 130 S. Green St., Chicago, is worth it.

I give Karyn’s on Green three stars out of four.

Excellent! ...........................................................

Great! ...................................................................

Alright .................................................................

Not good ...........................................................

Columbia Links sat down with the owner of Karyn’s on Green for an exclusive interview about her restaurant and lifestyle.

What inspired you to open a restaurant?

People would come up to me about illnesses like diabetes and I would teach them how to make meals to help cure them, but some were unable to cook the food by themselves and asked me to cook

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the meals for them and eventually it turned into a restaurant business.

Where did you learn to cook?

Every Sunday after church I would cook with my grandmother to feed the people who showed up to mass. So I learned how to cook from my grandma after church on Sundays.

What is your favorite dish at Karyn’s on Green?

At Karyn’s on Green, if I’m cheating, it’s the crab cake sliders.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I wanted to be a dancer, an actress and a model, and I was a model, a dancer and an actor so I’ve done everything I’ve ever dreamed of.

Do you have any tips for people who want to open their own restaurant?

Yes, you should work at other restaurants and start small. Even do some pop-up restaurants. Just know what you're doing before you do it. r

What made you want to write a second book?

I’m all about getting the message out so with my second book, a cookbook, you can eat food at the restaurant and you can cook what you like at home.

Who do you want to cook for the most and why?

The president because he can get the message out that being vegan is the way to go to for all Americans.

How did you come up with the name for your book “Soak Your Nuts”?

I wanted the name to be memorable and make people smile. It also is a tip because when you soak nuts, their flavor is brought out and they taste good.

If you weren’t cooking, what would you do for a living?

Dancing for sure. I wish I could sing to go along with my dancing but I would be a dancer.

What is the theme for your next restaurant?

Well, for my next restaurant I want to focus on fast food—healthy and tasty fast food.

Spinach and endive salad with watermelon radish (below) is a light starter at Karyn's on Green. Crab cake sliders (above) are Karyn's personal favorite.

Photos courtesy KARYN'S ON GREEN

POETRY CORNER

Makings of a POEM S

ex. Some call it pleasure. I call it greed.

Why would they use me? My body?

I guess I became their hobby.

They tried me and I let them.

Like a fish on a hook go and catch them.

Addicted to the expectation, wired by the frustration.

Bounded by the temptation.

I was a prisoner.

I screamed God help me please.

If my body was a temple why were the gates open free?

These are a few lines from my poem, “Behind the Walls,” written from the perspective of rape victim.

Not many people have things that they’re passionate about but I, Samlaree Birch, am very passionate about poetry. Writing is not just an art form, but a way of life for me. Putting your thoughts forward is great.

Through a pen and paper is where my thoughts come alive. I can be walking down the street, see a homeless man begging for change and suddenly my mind

starts running.

Even though I have not experienced what they have experienced I can write an entire poem as if I have gone through what they have gone through and walked 10 days in their shoes.

My inspiration comes from what I see and what I hear. Musical artists such as Adele, India Arie and Lauryn Hill have sparked my interest and thoughts in touching and reaching out to the hearts of the reader and or listener.

While Adele and Lauryn Hill talk about their past hurts and steps that they’ve taken in their lives, India. Arie is a free spirit. With the fusion of the three, I develop a spark of thoughts.

It’s like a train as my thoughts travel on the track. At times it stops but all the while just keeps on going.

I remember when I wrote “Behind the Walls.” On that day it was rainy and gloomy outside. I remember feeling down and sad, a feeling that I wasn’t used to having.

By Samlaree Birch Lincoln Park High School

As I started to examine the real reason I was sad, I called one of my friends who had been going through a situation that slightly reflected how I was feeling at the time.

As I listened to her story of how she felt unclean, dirty, misused and mistreated, I realized that I too felt the same way—for her. Even though I was not the victim of rape, I saw that the same elements of how she felt related to me.

I felt her pain, I saw her hurt and because of that I wanted to tell her story through my eyes because I felt exactly what she felt.

My ability and passion for writing is greater than I can explain. The process of how I am inspired and how my thoughts are constructed is also quite difficult to put into words.

But I believe that my inspiration is wired

by God, that He gives me my words. My true passion is to be the unsung song and the voice of the unheard.

My goal is to tell their story through a creative process . . . poetry.

Photo by SAMLAREE BIRCH

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Through Colored Eyes P

oetry is a lyrical part of many people’s lives, and Columbia Links alum Ashley "Urban" Walker fits that group, one stanza at a time. Columbia Links sat down with Ashley to discuss her selfpublished poetry books and the inspiration behind them. A graduate of Lincoln Park High School, she is currently a freshman at Harold Washington, one of the City Colleges of Chicago.

Where does the inspiration for your poetry come from?

A little bit of everything. I’m never really inspired by just one thing. Usually it’s my emotions at the time or something that I see that would inspire me to write. Other than that, I would sit down with a pen and paper and just start going. Really, I never have a specific inspiration.

Sneak PeEk

What was the last thing that inspired you for one of your most recent poems?

Well, I was listening to a YouTube rapper that my little sister was introduced to – Chief Keef and Jojo and 2Chainz. It inspired me to write my poem “I’m Tired.”

It’s, like, I’m tired of the teenagers who actually are doing something positive, getting no recognition, but then these teens who are out there doing the same thing, a pattern of disobedience and bad behavior, and they get money.

Why did you publish your poems?

My first book, I was going through a lot.

I was a junior in high school and I was having a lot of pain, you know, emotional, physical and family pain, and I used to write to get it out. My mom was like, I used to read it to her because that’s my mom and I share everything with her. She was like, “You better publish this stuff before someone steals your excellence, your genius,” and I thought she was joking around with it. So, I compiled the poetry that I could find because I have poems around the bedroom just sprawled out everywhere and I published it to shock her. It was more

Free Bullet Two shots...

Followed by the wailing of a siren.

And I lay-body dazed by fright.

Wondering will I make it through the nigiht.

Red Lights flashing through the window.

Shadows of bodies running in the street.

My generation taken one by one into the dark.

In this world, I pray I live to make my mark.

Someone child is dying on my footstep. Cause when Photo by CAROLINA SANCHEZ

like a “Ha-ha, I listened to you.”

Who are you hoping will read your book?

Anybody who is going through emotional ups-and-downs and the trials of life. Anybody who’s feeling, like, down, especially with the suicide rate going up, it’s like, you don’t have to take that route, because it does get better. r

the lights go out demons play.

Two shots echo in the cold November wind. Tonight God please don't let someone life end.

But begin- a revival of our hurting nation. Try to bring back Christian participation. Ye, Listen! The problem is not what we should seek.

But a solution by ones whose souls are meek.

Lets all make a difference before we find The blood that stains the ground is mine 57

Live What You Love Derrick Milton

Marketing Communications major.

American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Minority.

Darryl holliDay

Journalism major. Paid reporting internship with Chicago Sun-Times.

caren oliver

Fashion Studies major. BET’s Lens on Talent Fashion Competition winner.

Blair Mishleau

Digital Journalism major. Fellowship with International Radio and Television Society Foundation – MTV Networks.

The largest and most diverse private, non-profit arts and media college in the nation, Columbia College Chicago is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. Columbia offers a well-rounded education tailored for creative and motivated students preparing to be part of the world’s next generation of artists and innovators.

Paige klone

Television major. Midwest EMMY, College Student Production Awards: “Long Format (Fiction and NonFiction)” for TV Dept./Freq Out.

ua htiw oi yteic

tony Merevick

Journalism major. Internship through American Society of Magazine Editors – O, The Oprah Magazine.

colum.edu

photo: Jacob boll (’12)

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