Image by biverson via Flickr. South Loop, Pritzker Park

The South Loop Historical Society at East-West University announced its first annual multimedia history competition today.  Prizes include $250 for a four- to 12-minute audio, visual, video, or combined multimedia history presentation focused on the history of Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. According to the Society, South Loop is  bounded by Congress Parkway, the Chicago River, the Stevenson Expressway, and Lake Michigan.

Three winners will receive a monetary prize, an award certificate, featured recognition on the South Loop Historical Society website ( www.SouthLoopHistory.org ), and a chance to introduce their entry in a live awards presentation open to the public on Wednesday, April 13 in the East-West University Fourth Floor Auditorium.

You can’t lose because everyone who enters a work that follows the guidelines will receive a free one-year membership in the South Loop Historical Society.

Get working, because these multimedia histories are due at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 17.

The South Loop Historical Society (SLHS) is a nonprofit virtual history museum that exists in digital form only at SouthLoopHistory.org.

The mission of the organization is to connect community residents to the rich and vibrant history of Chicago’s South Loop. They hope to create a framework so area students have an opportunity for scholarship, research, and nonprofit management experience in a virtual setting.

“The South Loop Historical Society is grateful to the E.R. Bauer Foundation for providing this grant to make this innovative multimedia competition possible,” said SLHS Acting Director John C. Thomas. “The South Loop is the Midwestern headquarters for innovative media arts students and professionals from all over the world, and we hope they’ll apply and demonstrate their talents to further illustrate the history of the neighborhood to their neighbors, friends, visitors, and potential employees.”

Marisa Sepulveda said she sends her daughter, Karolina, to St. Francis de Sales High School on Chicago’s Southeast Side because the school offers “a true perspective on good morals and religious beliefs.”

Sepulveda said the small high school, which has 265 students, enforces “a lot of discipline and teaches values and morals.”

Tuition at the school is $600 per month, which Sepulveda said poses a financial hardship for her. Her older daughter, now in college, also attended St. Francis.

Nevertheless, Sepulveda said she will always be glad she has sent both her daughters to a Catholic school. She did not elect to have them attend the local public school, Washington High School, at E. 114th Street.

Sepulveda is one of many parents in Chicago who struggles to afford the tuition for their children’s Catholic school. Some parents say attending the local Chicago Public School simply isn’t an option for them; they select a Catholic school for its traditional education and exposure to Catholic teachings and values. And after many years of declining enrollment, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago reports that Catholic schools are now holding their own.

Ryan Blackburn, marketing director for the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools, SAID 90,000 students attend Catholic schools in Chicago. That number is dwarfed by the 400,000 students in the public school system, making Chicago the third largest system in the country following New York and Los Angeles.

Blackburn said Catholic schools in Chicago last year lost 550 students, but that is a smaller drop than in previous years, when they shed 3,000 students every year during the past decade.

“The reason for the smaller loss of students is that the schools are getting better at telling their story,” he said. “They are getting better at telling why they provide great options — a value-based education, a high quality education and a great network of parents.”

Mary Ramirez, principal at St. Francis, said the school has lots to offer.

“We’re not close to closing, because we are a vital element of the East Side community, as well as the Archdiocesan Catholic School system,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez has worked at St. Francis for 26 years and has served as principal for three. She said she has seen dramatic changes in the school. “When I first started teaching here, there was more than twice the number of students,” said Ramirez in an e-mail.

She attributed the drop in enrollment to recent tuition hikes.

Sepulveda said she agreed, adding, “The tuition in a little bit high, and parents cannot afford it in today’s economy. It is very difficult to pay the tuition. It is a struggle because you have to make a lot of sacrifices.”

Ramirez said the school has lost enrollment because of other factors as well, including the development of magnet and charter schools across the city. In 2004, Mayor Richard Daley announced Renaissance 2010 — his plan to close dozens of poorly performing schools and create 100 new ones, most of them charter and contract schools, by 2010. These new schools are drawing students from private academies, according to the CPS website.

Other competitors to the Catholic schools are the secular private schools like the Latin School and Francis Parker, both on Chicago’s North Side.

Chicago educates a high percentage of its children in private schools, but about two out of three private school students in Chicago attend Catholic schools, according to AllBusiness.com. In 2000, Chicago ranked third among the 10 largest cities in the United States in the percentage of high school students attending private schools, according to AllBusiness.com.

In this competitive environment, Ramirez said that the school has to make up for revenue that has been lost because of the drop in enrollment She said St. Francis depends more on help from corporate donors and other outside funding sources.

“We have to increase our PR and attract more corporate sponsorships to assist families in affording tuition,” said Ramirez. “I believe that St. Francis de Sales is a truly special place that provides a wonderful educational and family experience for young men and women, and I am proud to be able to say I work here and I strive to be a good leader.”

Sepulveda’s daughter, Karolina, is also glad to be attending St. Francis. “I feel comfortable in the environment of the school,” she said. “I think it does provide a better education because being in a Catholic school teaches you morals and good manners that you have to use in the real world.”

A minor who lives on Chicago’s North Side and decides to come out can find support and information at several locations. Lakeview’s Center on Halsted is the city’s first community center geared toward homosexual Americans, and is located in a neighborhood recognized as the nation’s first officially-recognized “gay village.” The center offers after-school and weekend youth group meetings. At Howard Brown’s Broadway Youth Center (3179 N. Broadway), LGBT teens have the option to receive counseling, STD testing, shower, or just hang out (hours are varied).

The Chicago Public Schools’ online Student Policy Handbook was modified in late July 2010 to include gay-bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination. This means that, at least on paper, young LGBT Chicagoans should feel protected in any public school.

Because LGBT youth often face hostility from their classmates, several gay-straight alliances (GSA) have been in existence in Chicago for more than a dozen years. The first such group was formed at Whitney Young High School, in 1996. Lane Tech, Senn, Mather and Walter Payton College Prep high schools have GSAs. The South Loop’s Jones College Prep, itself headed by an openly-gay principal, began its own GSA in 1999.

But what about Chicago LGBT youth on the South Side? Though the resources aren’t as out in the open, they are there.

Currently, there are high school GSAs near the Back of the Yards at Curie Metropolitan (4959 S. Archer) and Thomas Kelly (4136 S. California) high schools.

To the east are the University of Chicago Charter Schools. According to Math Department Chair Joshuah Thurbee, Woodlawn School (serving grades 6-12) will be starting an LGBT after-school program next month. Additionally, there is a “Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays” (PFLAG) chapter at 5400 South Kimbark, to support LGBT youth who need assistance in educating those in their lives on what’s happening to them.

Education is the key, says Peace And Education Coalition Alternative High School Principal Brigitte Swenson. Creating a safe learning space for LGBT youth, she said, is “not just a North Side issue.”

Peace And Education Coalition Alternative High School provides a safe place.

The Peace And Education Coalition Alternative High School has two campuses: Upton Sinclair, located at 4946 S. Paulina, and Second Chance, at 4747 S. Marshfield. Though their main purpose is to serve under-achieving students who are “farmed” out of the larger public schools because they are 20 or 21 and haven’t graduated yet, Swenson says that LGBT students do seek them out.

“They may not say that the reason why they weren’t successful with their traditional high school was because of their sexuality,” Swenson said. “But they will have other reasons that contribute to it: family problems, or not having a consistent place to live.”

“We see everything,” Swenson continued, “and sexuality is a huge issue. I think that some kids don’t even know that they’re struggling with it, they can’t even verbalize it.”

Violence, gang and otherwise, is a big issue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood; the Peace and Education Coalition schools have a zero-tolerance policy as a result. Swenson said that during her 13 years in the program, she’s seen only about one act of violence a year. The students involved were usually withdrawn from the program, serving as a deterrent to the others.

“You’ll hear a lot of talk in our program about, ‘You’re not worth me getting kicked out of this school, so I’m just going to forget it,’” Swenson said. “And I tell the kids, ‘If that helps you save face, then that’s fine.’”

And LGBT discrimination? “The staff and the school are really communicative with the kids, and if we hear things that are happening, we don’t ignore it. We bring it in, we do a ‘sit around the table, let’s talk about this … What does this mean?’”

Nearby, Holy Cross Church (4541 S. Wood) and Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation both also offer assistance to LGBT youth without publicizing this service. They provide counseling and resources to young people struggling with violence, bullying and homelessness — all issues that touch LGBT youth.

On the P&EC’s collaboration with Holy Cross, Swenson said, “I think what you’re going to find in this neighborhood is a lot of tolerance. We’re dealing with a lot of different kids with a lot of different issues. If we have a young gay student who is struggling, people are going to reach out to help him. And the church — not this church — isn’t going to turn its back.”

P&EC LGBT students’ feedback indicates that they feel safer in a smaller school environment, if not a bit more ostracized. But, Swenson said, things are changing.

“It’s more of a curiosity thing. Maybe it is that ‘South Side versus North Side’ thing; they are kind of sheltered. But more and more we find kids who speak out in class, on tolerance and understanding: ‘My cousin is gay,’ or ‘my sister is a lesbian’… Usually when there is talk, it’s about ignorance, and then we try to make an effort to educate the kids.

We say, ‘this school is here for everybody.’”

Related articles

• LGBT Community Mourns String of Suicides (chicagoist.com)
• Dan Savage Tells LGBT Youth “It Gets Better” (chicagoist.com)

Mallory Sohmer, a 2006 film studies graduate, screened her documentary “The Living Documents” at the Ferguson Memorial Theatre, 600 S. Michigan Ave., to an audience of approximately 40 people.

“The Living Documents” chronicles a Nicaraguan attorney, Maria Acosta, and the death of her husband, Frank. Acosta is involved in the privatization of land for Nicaraguan natives, thus trying to stop the selling of this land over the Internet. This controversial work is exactly what led to the death of her husband.

After the screening, hosted by the Student Alumni Association, Sohmer discussed the documentary and her reasoning behind it, while also speaking about her post-Columbia career.

According to Sohmer, she got the idea for this documentary while still a student at Columbia. This documentary started out as a project for one of Sohmer’s film classes called Indigenous Film Making.

“We had to come up with stories to write a treatment on,” said Sohmer. “I found an article on Frank’s murder. I graduated and the story stuck with me. This is the kind of work I wanted to do.”

According to Sohmer, “The Living Documents” was three years in the making. During the filming, Sohmer spent a month in Nicaragua conducting interviews and gathering footage.

“It was a great learning experience,” Sohmer said.

Sohmer’s documentary was screened at the Chicago Latino Film Festival and all throughout Nicaragua. It has also been shown numerous times on the Documentary Channel.

During the discussion, students were encouraged to ask Sohmer questions about her film career, and she had much advice to offer.

The number-one advice she shared was to meet with others in your career and to gather a team.

“Build a network of people,” Sohmer said. “Find people who want to do the same projects you want to do.”

Sohmer also said that she wished she had been better rounded in other studies, such as journalism, to help her in film making.

Sohmer has been working freelance for the past year while also building her own client-base. As of now, she has no plans to make another documentary.

Photo by: Jackson A. Thomas

The Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC,) 1751 W. 47th St., is one of the oldest nonprofit community organizations in the United States. The council serves a great area of Chicago’s South Side and neighborhoods within the community. Residents of these communities experience high unemployment, juvenile delinquency, poor housing and education problems.

The BYNC after-school tutoring programs offer children and students with potential the hope they need to dismiss negative images and stereotypes of the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

According to David Lopez, a tutoring instructor in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, the BYNC’s programs are designed to aid students from local schools and help them improve in their homework and study skills.

Lopez said the program focuses mainly on math and reading because these are the subjects he and other volunteers find students need the most help in.

“When we get the report cards, we actually assess what they are doing good in and they are doing not so good in,” Lopez said. “Most the time, like 80 percent of the time, we find math and reading to be the bigger problems.”

While most would assume an after-school tutoring problem would strictly serve students who are close in proximity to the building it is held in, BYNC is not confined to providing help to only those in the neighborhood.

“A majority of students come from local schools,” Lopez said. “We have about 18 students [who] attend here we are currently serving. An average of between four and five [come from] Lara, Hedges, Chavez and Hamline. Other schools we serve are Uno Charter schools. A few students do come from there, such as Marias El Sego, Alexander Graham, Dallas Academy. We use to serve a school by Gold Coast too.”

Lopez said children in this neighborhood need tutoring because of the peer pressure put on them and violence in the neighborhood. Many students have a hard time paying attention or staying focused on what is being taught.

“It can be hard to actually find the time do homework in a violent area,” he said. “It becomes a little difficult, and some students can become inattentive when they are at school.”

Lopez said the after-school tutoring programs were created more than 10 years ago, and they came about because a necessity from students they were actually serving was seen.

“We’re an agency that provides tutoring, after-school computer classes and after-school dance classes. There was a need for students who were in those programs, so out of that came a need that was filled in.”

Samantha Raynoso, a secretary for BYNC, said the programs aim toward children who are between the ages of 8 and 13 years old and are divided into three different groups: 8- and 9-year-olds, 10- and 11-year-olds and 12- and 13-year-olds. She said third- and fourth-graders usually come in from 3 to 4 p.m., fifth- and sixth-graders come from 4 to 5 p.m. and seventh- and eighth-graders come from 5 to 6 p.m. There are a few high school students who come as well, and it’s all based around a class-like structure.

Lopez oversees the process and development of all the students who attend, and he said he has certain volunteers who come in to help. He said some are actually students who have been in the programs before, completed part of or majority of the programs and have moved on to high school.

“They usually come back because they like the program so much,” he said. “Now they want to give help to other students who are here, and some might need community service hours to graduate.”

Although the Back of the Yards neighborhood is predominantly Hispanic, Lopez said the council doesn’t discriminate against anyone, and other students from other ethnic groups have come into the programs in the past. The council does have open registration, so a student would easily be able to join the tutoring programs.

“Students just need to come in and fill out an application,” he said. “The space is kind of small, but we try to take in as many as we can because it’s quality versus quantity.”

They were not there to just see the school. They were standing in line for one of the best high school educations in the country.

Jones College Prep, located at 606 S. State St., is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best high schools in the country. Jones graduates 99 percent of its senior class, compared to just 50 percent of Chicago Public Schools as a whole.

Jones has a  diverse student body: 30 percent Hispanic, 25 percent white, 25 percent black, and 14 percent Asian-American and the  highest percentage of low income (free/reduced lunch) students among the top performing schools according to Principal Powers. Jones would rank second to Lane Tech when it comes to low income students who are top-performers academically. (See links regarding Jones relative to other CPS high schools at the end of the article.)

“We help to make sure our kids really appreciate diversity,” said Jones College Prep Principal Dr. Paul Powers. “We provide a safe, secure environment where kids from many backgrounds can come together and succeed.”

Powers said one of his biggest initiatives at Jones is building relationships. Jones has a summer program, Freshman Connection, for incoming students to help them prepare for their first day of classes.

Jones also has a program to take students to visit colleges campuses. Some of the schools recent graduates have attended are the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Hampton, a historically black university in Virginia.

Jones has a student body enrollment of 850, and incoming freshman students occupy approximately 200 of these spots. With the long line to get inside, many students will have to look elsewhere to get their high school education.

“I believe our school is particularly attractive due to the size and its location in the South Loop,” said Powers. “We have students coming from all over Chicago to attend Jones.”

The school also actively recruits students to attend Jones. Staff visits more than 150 elementary schools each year.

“I was sold when I talked to the staff and was told that they want every child to succeed and they are there to help make that happen,” said Local School Council member and parent Pamela Holtzman. “We wanted a diverse environment for our daughter’s high school experience. Her grade school was that way, Chicago is that way, the world is that way.”

However, Jones College Prep wasn’t always the school it is known today. It started out as a school for business.

“The transition actually went from Jones Commercial, to Jones Metropolitan (1982), to Jones Academic Magnet (1997) and finally Jones College Prep in 2001,” said English teacher Christine Malebranche. “It was a very exciting time: Teachers were re-interviewed for their positions, those who were chosen to work with the new program received extensive professional development, curricula were developed, and an atmosphere of collegiality existed that was unique to the situation.”

According to the Jones website, this evolution represents changes in educational trends and demographics in Chicago’s South Loop.

Malebranche said every day at Jones is a unique experience. She attributed this to the students and programs available at Jones.

“Classes start as early as 7 a.m. and it is not unusual for students to be in after-school activities until 6 p.m. that evening,” said Malebranche.

Although Jones is still a high school, Malebranche acknowledged it isn’t like anywhere else.

“Those of us who have been at Jones in its many incarnations have a saying: ‘We are Jones,’” said Malebranche. “We’ve always been a different kind of school, have always had our own style, and have always been able to be proud of being a part of a school with a long and proud history.”

Related research on Jones’ standing:

http://www.jonescollegeprep.org/ourpages/auto/2010/11/5/52988043/10-29-10.htm

http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1854961,top-100-high-schools-1009.article

“This excessive regime is boring our kids,” Lewis told Huberman, referencing the 23 required assessment tests administered to students throughout the 170-day school year. “This mind-numbing load on teachers and administrators is sucking the souls out of our schools.”

“A teacher that is not engaged is what sucks the life out of our schools,” replied Huberman. “The testing wouldn’t even add up to two days.”

Lewis said the tests are resulting in a “loss of collaborative spirit” among teachers and students, and that their continued use “only hurt and maim people.”

Huberman replied that the tests are “meant to empower teachers” by providing insight on each child’s strengths and weaknesses. The test results allow teachers to adjust homework assignments accordingly, thereby “improving collaboration,” he said.

After several minutes of argument during which the two interrupted each other mid-sentence, CPS President Mary B. Richardson-Lowry intervened, suggesting that they find a time to discuss possible solutions and bring them back to the board for future discussion.

“I trust the two of you can do that,” she said.

Although Huberman insisted the tests are necessary to ensure a quality education, some experts disagree.

Dr. Donald R. Moore, founder and executive director of Designs for Change, a 33-year-old organization dedicated to researching and developing reforms for urban schools, says there are basic flaws in Chicago’s use of standardized tests.

Moore said the steadily increasing number of required tests in Chicago’s public schools take so much class time to prepare and administer that teachers are pressured to teach what is on the test rather than focus on a curriculum resulting in lasting educational success.

“It limits the flexibility and creativity of teachers,” said Moore. “We found the more they obsess about the test, the less we find long-term achievement among students’ grades.”

Not all teachers agree with Lewis and Moore, however.

Rashida Restaino, a middle-school teacher at Providence Prep in Englewood for the last five years, said incorporating standardized questions into homework assignments has proven successful with her students. It teaches them study habits, critical thinking, reading comprehension and data analysis skills necessary to do well on both the tests and in class, she said.

“It might be more work on you as a teacher taking the time to generate these kinds of assignments,” said Restaino. “But it’s going to benefit the kids in the long run, and if you aren’t in it for the kids, you might as well consider a different career.”

CPS spokesman Frank Shufpan said the follow-up meeting between Huberman and Lewis is pending based on both of their schedules.

“They’re obviously both very busy people,” he said.

VOYCE students

“Si se puede!” – or “Yes we can!” –  was the anthem chanted by Albany Park residents in the crowded basement of Our Lady of Mercy Church on Sept. 30, as the Albany Park Neighborhood Council celebrated 10 years of community activism.

The room was full of youth in green T-shirts ready and willing to create a change, not only in their own lives but in their community. Gov. Pat Quinn and other elected officials attended the anniversary meeting to hear the group’s concerns.

Founded in 2000 with the belief that people have the ability to learn, act and reflect together, the Albany Park Neighborhood Counci has strived to create a community where problems are solved by the residents themselves.

As one of the most diverse communities in the Chicago area, Albany Park is composed of 80 percent immigrants from more than 50 countries who have found a way to put differences aside to come together and face their community’s issues.

One of the hot topics during the anniversary meeting was whether or not funding for the VOYCE program under the Put Illinois to Work Act would be continued.

VOYCE: Voices of Youth in Chicago Education is one of the most successful programs implemented by the APNC,  said Diane Limas, an APNC volunteer and board member.

VOYCE is a youth-led collaborative that brings students between the ages of 14 to 18 together with teachers and parents to discuss and implement solutions to promote school reform. The program has involved more than 150 people at Roosevelt, Von Stueben and Mather high schools.

Approximately 50 youth in the program and numerous other graduates of VOYCE participated in the 10-year anniversary convention. Out of these students was Noeme Roman.

Roman, 18, started as a youth member of VOYCE three years ago in her junior year at Roosevelt High School. She began by going to the VOYCE office and from there started to attend meetings and retreats. Her involvement in the organization continued beyond her own self-interest when she attended an APNC meeting with Rodney Renim, where members discussed securing more government funding for the program. Roman told Renim why she thought VOYCE should receive more government funds, and asked him to make that happen. Roman says that the experience was “incredible.”

Looking back on her time and involvement with VOYCE, Roman, now a freshman at DePaul University, says, “I wouldn’t have made it to DePaul without the APNC.”

In response to APNC members’ demands for more funding, Quinn, said he would “look at the requests tonight, and do my best.”

“We will make the will of the people, the law of the land,” he promised.

Residents said they would wait to see whether Quinn would indeed secure funding for the VOYCE program and other community needs. Group leaders said they are overall confident their concerns will be addressed.

“We are very positive about the outcome of our event tonight,” said Limas. “It was important that our voices were heard and I am hopeful that the governor will look into our requests.”

Under Daley’s plan, which was announced Oct. 13 at a special City Council meeting, $120 million will be borrowed from the parking meter lease funds, leaving $76 million remaining in that account. In addition, Daley said no funds would be used from the Skyway reserve account to balance the budget.

Daley also proposed declaring a $180 million TIF surplus, which, in addition to providing the city $38 million toward balancing the budget, would also give $90 million to the struggling Chicago Public School system.

“The fact is TIFs work,” Daley said.

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42^nd) agreed with the TIF surplus proposal, citing the assistance it would provide to CPS.

“It’s declaring a surplus and then basically sending that increment, those tax dollars back to the original tax bodies. Fifty percent of the money from TIF would go to the Chicago public schools,” he said. “So declaring a TIF surplus actually does a tremendous bit of help to Chicago public schools while also helping the city stabilize its budget.”

In order to balance their own 2011 budget, CPS will have to reduce after-school programs and decrease funding for magnet programs. CPS will also be unable to restore the 1,000-plus central office and citywide jobs cut since February 2009.

CPS spokesman Bobby Otter said $90 million would be significant for CPS, but he would not speculate further as to how the money will be spent if it is approved.

Reilly also emphasized that TIF funds are generally used to subsidize development plots in neighborhoods, and, since private development has been slow, those funds should be put to other uses.

“No one’s developing. So that increment’s sitting there and these funds aren’t used. There are no plans.  So in the short term, we should surplus an extra year or two the majority of our balance,” he said.  “Those funds replenish every year and within 18 to 24 months we’ll get that money back. During these very difficult times, we shouldn’t be letting a billion dollars sit in TIF funds.”

Rachel Weber, a professor of Urban Planning and Development at University of Illinois at Chicago, cited the city’s lack of regulation and transparency when it comes to TIF policy.

“This area of allocation is one of the least regulated and least transparent, so the city has a lot of discretion in how it uses those funds and you know, the determination as to whether those funds are indeed surplus,” she said.

Weber said the mayor’s plan to declare a TIF surplus makes sense as a temporary solution to the budget deficit.

“In this case, where I think there’s sort of growing hostility to the city’s TIF program and certainly a serious budget crisis and deficits on the part of the city, that it looks like a relatively painless way to fill that budget gap to some degree,” she said.

Ald. Robert Fioretti (2^nd) did not share Reilly’s enthusiasm for Daley’s budget plan.

“It’s a budget that gets by. It borrows heavily on the future. Next year will be a very difficult budget that faces the city,” said Fioretti, a mayoral candidate.

The City Council has until Dec. 31 to vote on the proposed budget.

Still sore from back pain that landed her in the hospital, King sat on the steps of a modest two-story home on the 4700 block of West Race Avenue, smiling, eating ketchup-covered fries and quizzing some kids.

“The doctors found some nodules in my back. They’re not cancerous or anything. I’ll be all right,” said King, tape still on her right hand where her IV had been.

And with that, King led five kids up the stairs and into the work area for Young Creative Minds, a three-year-old program she started to keep children from the negative influences in the Austin area.

“My main focus/vision when I started YCM was to inspire and help these kids go to college. I wanted to change their mindset and create a dream for them, a goal,” said King. “I accomplished this by setting up a tutoring program to help kids improve their grades and raise their test scores, training the kids in skills they can use to help the community like landscaping, going to free or discounted events like concerts downtown, exposing the kids to activities that highlight their heritage and, most important, teaching them about their rights which they in turn share with their parents.”

King devotes much of her life to the teenagers who come to YCM seeking solace from difficult circumstances. “We started going to church, helping people in the community, cleaning vacant lots, cleaning elderly peoples’ yards,” said King. “Then one day, the Westside Health Authority noticed us on one of our cleaning trips and offered to help us out. That is how I got my first grant.”

“Danette started coming to the meetings set up by Every Block A Village and has been a subcontractor under the Austin Safety Net Works grant,” said Natasha Sewell, youth employment coordinator at the Westside Health Authority.

King came to Austin as a teenager in the late 1980s seeking refuge from abusive situations in group homes. She credits her godmother for being a constant source of support. And through overcoming her adversities, she remains optimistic in her ability to help others in her area.

“The kids, ages 5 to 10, are part of the tiny tots group. They are the newest batch of Young Creative Minds,” said King, 35, a pre-law student at Harold Washington College. “I started mentoring teenagers (ages 13 to 18) when I started this group three years ago. But I found that a lot of people did not have a place to send their younger kids for tutoring/mentoring after school, so I started taking in the young ones in the neighborhood.”

Kyeshia Louis, 19, a medical assistant student at Coyne College, started coming to YCM for counseling three years ago.

“Danette made me feel like I could open up to her. She did not judge me,” Louis said. “Danette helped me get back on my feet. She really helps discouraged children by building them up and focusing on their strengths. And she teaches us to do the same for others. Nobody leaves anybody behind here.”

Westside Health Authority collaborates with Danette on the Austin Safety Net Works Youth Employment Program, Sewell said, where kids learn responsibility as well as business skills.

“Every summer, we send Danette eight to 10 youth that are hired as part of a youth beautification project,” she said. “It is important for them to know it is a real job and that they will get paid for the job they do. Danette makes them understand that.”

“Our motto at Young Creative Minds is S.M.I.L.E. I teach the kids that before you can smile, you must have Self-respect, Motivation, Integrity, Leadership and Education,” said King. “Seeing the kids smile every day is what makes me happy. I want them to grow up knowing they can turn their dreams into reality.”

Last Wednesday, Oct. 13, more than 200 people crowded into the Humboldt Park Field House to be part of the Humboldt Park Smart Communities launch of its new community portal. The event, which had more than 12 tables staffed by Humboldt Parks Smart Communities organizations and selected technology vendors, showcased both some of the extraordinary work taking place in Humboldt Park and the promise of the increased collaboration between community residents, agencies and local elected officials.

To continue reading and to watch the video, click here.

Educating people of all ages would be the most efficient way to curb violence on Chicago’s Southside, according to Ald. Carrie Austin.

Ald. Carrie Austin (34th)

“We’re trying to work at the core of why our areas are so violent now,” said Austin, 34th Ward alderman and chairwoman of the city council’s budget committee. Austin, 61, talked with a Columbia College journalism class Monday morning.

“We have to teach them a different way of having to react; that’s education,” said Austin about the young people in her ward.

The 34th Ward gained national attention in September 2009 after the beating death of a Fenger High School student was caught on a cell phone camera.  Austin said the incident was not related to Fenger.

Apathy is a major cause of violence in the 34th Ward because the only future the children see for themselves is in drug trafficking and gang activity, Austin said.

“When you try to tell a young man who is pushing drugs [to] earn an honest dollar, what do they tell you? ‘I make more in a day than I can in a whole entire honest week,’” she said. “How do you get that individual away from that kind of mind set?”

According to Austin, the school system is in place to turn youth away from drugs and street violence. She said she works closely with the school principals of the 34th Ward to ensure they have everything necessary to educate their students.

Education should not stop with children, she added.

“Most of the young people that we target have not always had a good upbringing. That’s education of the parents,” said Austin. “You can’t put all the blame on the child.”

Austin said parents need to be taught how to raise their children properly.

A mother of seven, Austin grew up across the street from the Cabrini Green housing projects and attended Chicago public schools on the near North Side of Chicago.

“I’ve been on the South Side longer than I’ve been on the North Side, but my roots come from the north,” said Austin. She said she has lived in the 34th Ward for 40 years.

Austin said she never planned to be an alderman, but fell into the job after the death of her husband, Lemuel Austin, who was alderman at the time of his death in 1994.  She had served as ward secretary under her husband.

Austin began her political career in 1971 as an election judge. She was appointed chairman of the Budget and Government Operations Committee by Mayor Richard Daley in May 2007.

Looking toward the mayor’s race, Austin said she was “devastated” when Daley announced last month that he would not run for a seventh term. “I had the rug pulled out from under me when I heard the announcement,” she said. “I feel [Daley] is sympathetic to the city and knows its heartbeat.”

She added that Daley is “not perfect,” but everyone is “subject to mistakes.”

Austin questioned whether mayoral contender Rahm Emanuel has an existing network of support in Chicago. She praised Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart for his handling of the Burr Oak Cemetery, where employees were caught selling grave sites and removing the remains of people buried there without the knowledge of their family members.

Austin attended DePaul University and said she was “a breath away from becoming a dietician” but had to leave school to take care of her children.

“My intent was to be the best mother, the best wife that I could be,” said Austin. She said she raised her seven children “pretty much by myself.” She has 28 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Austin said she was very proud to see the opening in June of the Marshfield Plaza Mall on the city’s far South Side.

One of her aides, who declined to give her full name, called Austin a “strong advocate for her community. She has fought hard for the economic engine of her community. She’s a uniter.”

Bond said in a phone interview recently that while most schools without libraries do have a “books section” in the classroom, they do not have access to a librarian.

While having librarians in all the schools would be beneficial to teachers and would help to balance their workload, the school system’s current financial restraints would not allow for it, she said.

“There are so many constraints right now with budget cutbacks,” she said. “We’re doing pretty good to even have a teacher available to monitor and to be in the classroom and multi-task.”

Currently, Bond said, students do generally have access to computer labs and online technology, but it is their teacher, and not a designated aide or librarian, who monitors and assists the students online.

In one of the more prominent battles currently being waged against CPS, parents and residents at Whittier School in Pilsen continue to protest by refusing to leave a building on school property that they want converted into a library. On Oct. 7, the city council ordered CPS to halt demolition of the field house. The protesters had been appealing to CEO Ron Huberman with no results.

Ald. Patrick J. O’Connor (40^th) said if necessary, Chicago public libraries would suffice in place of a school library.

“It wasn’t designed that all schools had to have huge libraries because we actually have a library system that is located geographically to serve a lot of schools,” he said.  “So I’m not sure that whether or not there is a library in the building is an indication of whether the building is a good educational center or not.”

He went on to say that having a library was not necessarily key to the success of a school.

“I think the real issue is if they’re going to be looking at school improvements as we have been in the past, you put what they need … It might not be a library they need. They might need a lunch room; they might need an activity center,” O’Connor said.

But Gail Bush, director of the Center for Teaching Through Children’s Books, said libraries are crucial in schools.

She said the way students obtain and sift through knowledge has changed dramatically compared to when O’Connor was in grade school.

“When he was a student, he had to answer the question. Now the students have to question the answer,” she said. “Sources he used were vetted … now sources are vetted by students.”

Bush said this is where younger students need the most help: expanding their research skills, both online and off, developing appropriate online behavior, and determining the credibility of a source. These are all valuable skills that Bush said teachers just don’t have time to focus on.

“In many ways the librarian has become the technological instructor,” she said. “Teachers can no longer close their door and think they can teach students everything. That door has to be open to the librarians whose job is more critical than ever.”

In November 2009, the Illinois attorney general’s office conducted a Cyber Safety Survey of nearly 4,200 Illinois youth from 3^rd to 12^th grades, in an attempt to better understand what communication technology they use and how they use it.

The results indicated that students were an average of 12 years old when they started their first MySpace/Facebook page and an average of 11 when they received their first cell phone. Nearly one-third said they had Internet access on their cell phones.

Beginning with the 2009‑2010 school year, the Illinois School Code states that “a school district must incorporate into the school curriculum a component on Internet safety to be taught at least once each school year to students in grades 3 through 12.”

But Bush said teachers are overwhelmed as it is, and this additional Internet safety teaching will be difficult to accomplish without the assistance of a librarian.

“They (teachers) already have the curriculum they need to cover, so who’s going to do it? It’s not going to be fully developed if you don’t have a school librarian helping to implement it,” she said.

Zebra mussel, sea lamprey, round goby – they’re household names when it comes to Great Lakes invasive species – but which one is the worst for the ecosystem?

That’s what the “Great Lakes SmackDown!” will find out.

We chose eight of the Great Lakes’ most formidable invasive species and we’ll pit them against each other in “lake fights” over the next few weeks. We’ll introduce the contenders – including weight class, fighting skill sets and other information. But you make the  case for which  is the most ecologically destructive for the lakes.

Read more here.

Second- and third-graders from the Academy for Global Citizenship brought giant peace doves to the festivities in downtown’s Daley Plaza, while McCutcheon’s choir sang “This Day of Peace” and “Make a Difference” for the lunchtime crowd in Daley Plaza.

Peace Day in Chicago has been celebrated annually since 1978 and focuses on building peace in ourselves, our families, schools, communities, cities, nations and the world.

Here are images from the event.

A student from the Academy for Global Citizenship holds up a wing of one of the giant doves they created for Chicago's Peace Day event. Photo/Sarah Ostman

Flags are presented during the ceremony at Daley Plaza. Photo/Sarah Ostman

Academy for Global Citizenship students attend Peace Day. Photo/Sarah Ostman

McCutcheon Elementary students get ready to perform. Photo/Sarah Ostman

McCutcheon students sing at Peace Day. Photo/Sarah Ostman

A student from Holmes Junior High School hold up the wing of a dove. Photo/Sarah Ostman

A dancer performs at the Peace Day event in Daley Plaza. Photo/Sarah Ostman

A dove head is left behind after the crowd disperses. Photo/Sarah Ostman

They sell the art at local festivals and events to support their income, while sharing the wealth with other parents. Some have even found jobs teaching classes through the program, like Maria Rosa Martinez, the instructor of the arts class, who said her courses prepare parents to get ahead.

“It’s a way for people to create their own business and get a hand with work to become independent artisans,” said Martinez.

The Resurrection Project funds the local after-school program, “Elev8 Chicago.” Elev8 is held for both students and adults during the school year offering afternoon classes that range from art and yoga classes, to basic computer and English courses.

Elev8 Site Coordinator Luis Bermudez said five different schools throughout Chicago offer similar after-school programs, including Ames Middle School in Logan Square and Reavis Elementary School in Hyde Park. Bermudez said the art class at Orozco was designed to create economic opportunities for parents while building a stronger school community.

“Like The Resurrection Project, it’s a holistic development. It’s not enough to provide an after-school program for kids,” said Bermudez. “The idea is to see the family as a whole by partnering with other organizations. That’s all part of Elev8, and the art component is just part of something larger.”

What once started as a small art class of 10 parents almost three years ago has grown to classes of 180-some adults.

Sonia Zamora, parent-leader and volunteer at Orozco, said although the art classes are free, the cost to run the arts program can be pricey when adding the materials, such as corn flour, baby oil, paints and chemicals used to preserve the ceramic. The overall cost to run the adult after-school program is $20,000 a year, and $28,000 to $30,000 for the student program.

“It’s expensive to do this kind of workshop, and sometimes the school doesn’t have enough funds,” said Zamora.

Resurrection Project Board member Raul Hernandez said if the funding from local organizations and help from other programs in the community were not available, this opportunity for parents and students would not be possible; companies such as Atlantis Philanthropy and Northern Trust have donated thousands of dollars to the project. He said with these alliances through organizations, churches and local businesses, The Resurrection Project is working to place more programs in the community, but help is limited.

“Funding is hard to come by, and it’s been a struggle for us to get those funds,” said Hernandez.

Resurrection Project Executive Director Raul Raymundo said it’s a joint effort from the community and groups like Elev8 that make these types of programs possible, and he hopes to see more classes. He said The Resurrection Project is partnering with schools like Orozco to bring resources that provide opportunities for parents and students to better themselves.

“Elev8 has improved our quality of life at many levels but, most important, it has given us an opportunity to grow as parents to be able to help our children succeed academically and beyond,” said Zamora.

The Resurrection Project also funds community investment in subsidized homes, rental housing for seniors and community facilities, such as day care. For more information how to get involved in these programs, or to help fund this organization, visit www.resurrectionproject.org.

The new program, spearheaded by Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Schools, will provide mentoring programs for 1,500 high school students and 390 “school community watchers” at 13 designated high schools, and support the creation of a “Culture of Calm” in 38 high schools where students are most at risk of violence, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

“This is an effective use of the $25 million in stimulus money,” said David Simpson, director of counseling at Youth Guidance, one of the approved vendors to implement the mentoring program.“Funding a program which can help build relationships with difficult children is the only way of stopping them from dropping out of school.”

Simpson said this initiative is the first step taken by Youth Guidance and CPS towards implementing mentorship programs. His organization, which has been working with CPS since 1969, is a non-profit group geared towards assisting children overcome challenges associated with inner-city life through after-school programs.

In February 2010, CPS hosted a bidder’s conference where RFPs (request for proposal) for counseling programs were accepted from non-profit, church and private organizations and foundations. The CBOE and a Blue Ribbon Panel Committee chose 20 of those bidders to fulfill mentorship duties in 13 high schools designated as “high-risk” by the Chicago Police Department. CPS will now assign 50 to 100 students to each organization for counseling and guidance, bringing the mentor/student ratio to 1:20 for bigger organizations and 1:5 for small ones.

Wendell Floyd, a counselor for boys at William R. Harper High School in Englewood, said more mentors in the program will translate to a more hands-on approach to counseling and, in the long run, help build deeper personal relationships between mentors and mentees. Before the program was implemented, Floyd’s mentor/student ratio was 1:45.

“I was stretched pretty thin,” said Floyd.

“I’m happy to partner with CPS to bring consistency to students’ lives,” said Trisha Kholodenko, assistant pastor at New Life Foundation in Humboldt Park. “These children (at-risk youth) lack stability in their home and school and need role models besides their teachers. It is important for them to have mentors who treat them holistically by helping them find permanent housing, inspiring them to stay in school and assisting them with employment. They need to know their mentors want them to succeed.”

“CPS wants its mentors to be a permanent fixture in students’ lives. This has to be a long-term commitment in order for it to work,” said Joshua Gray, deputy of violence prevention initiatives for CPS. “Since the federal stimulus money will run out at the end of September 2011, we are looking for other mechanisms, like the foundation community of Chicago, to tap for funds to support the growth and development of this mentorship initiative.”

The 13 high schools designated as “high-risk” based on crime data, active gang conflicts and violent incidents involving CPS students are: Thomas Kelly High School, Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Manley and Marshall High School, Robeson Achievement Academy High School, Richard T. Crane Technical Preparatory High School, Harlan Community Academy High School, Farragut Career Academy, South Shore High School, Percy L. Julian High School, William R. Harper High School, Roberto Clemente School and Hyde Park Career Academy. These schools are concentrated in the South, West and Southwest Side communities of Chicago.

Student-led mentorship programs are also on the rise. Voices of Youth in Chicago Education is a collaborative of seven different neighborhood organizations whose work focuses on using upperclassmen to mentor freshmen and incoming freshmen in at-risk high school communities.

“Freshman year is the most crucial time in high school. Achievement and attendance improved after freshmen went on freshmen retreats and attended mentorship programs that addressed their social and emotional needs,” said Moneer Damra, a VOYCE mentor for boys and a senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Northwest Side of Chicago. “Because of VOYCE programs, attendance went from 55 percent to 65 percent in a year.”

Damra, who spoke on behalf of VOYCE at the CBOE meeting last week, has been working to convince CPS to fund its mentorship programs. VOYCE has invited top CPS officials to attend presentations of results-driven programs it has implemented in several at-risk high schools. Damra said they have been stood up or turned down by CPS officials on several occasions.

“I feel like CPS does not believe in youth-led movements like ours. They would rather spend money on programs that don’t work,” said Damra. “Our program results show that it works. The $130,000 in funding we are requesting will go towards programs that will break the culture of mediocrity among the youth of today. It will show them that good enough is not ok. You need to do better in order to succeed.”

In a victory for two youth organizations, Chicago Public Schools has agreed to establish a grievance procedure for students experiencing violence, harassment or discrimination, and to pilot a program training security guards to use principles of restorative justice in their work.

Both organizations had campaigns that promoted the restorative justice approach – emphasizing accountability as an alternative to zero tolerance and punitive discipline – as a more effective approach to reducing violence, said Sam Finkelstein of GenderJust, an LGTB student group that protested at CPS headquarters and at CPS chief Ron Huberman’s home to demand a grievance procedure.

To continue reading click here to be directed to Curtis Black’s Newstips Blog.

Senn H.S. Chicago. Image by t3mplar see flickr.com

Members of the Senn High School local school council elected a new contracted principal to replace retiring principal, Richard Norman.

Lincoln Park-resident Susan Lofton was awarded a four-year contact on July 1. Prior to coming on board as Senn’s interim principal in May, L

ofton was an assistant principal at Steinmetz High School.

Senn is an open enrollment, neighborhood school drawing students from Rogers Park, Edgewater and Uptown. While the school offers many ac

celerated paths for students, incoming freshmen living within the school’s neighborhood boundaries do not have to test into the school, unlike magnet high schools.

To continue reading click here to go to Lake Effect News.

Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School (3730 N. Oakley Ave.) is about to get a new and improved playground. This week Principal Sandra Caudill and Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) broke ground on the new play lot, which will be installed by Chicago Public High School students. They are part of CPS’ Groundbreakers—a youth initiative playground program—and are employed by the city under the supervision of Groundbreakers director, Felicia Ramos.

Students, faculty and community members dig at the site of the new play lot at Bell School. Photo/Ald. Eugene Schulter

Read the rest of the story by Cody Prentiss, Center Square Journal

A report from the Newstips Blog:

As new and old reports at Catalyst and Gapers Block indicate, CORE’s victory in the recent teachers union election reflected the group’s activist orientation and commitment to grassroots organizing, in schools and with communities.

“We energized the grassroots,” said one CORE member.

CORE came on the scene two years ago and immediately provided a citywide organizational structure for a movement against Renaissance 2010 that had yet to gain much traction.

Before CORE, small community and education groups committed to the  original school reform agenda of parent empowerment and improving neighborhood schools – along with parents at separate schools scrambling desperately to oppose closings in a very short window of time – had been limited to school-by-school struggles.

CORE was crucial in forming the Grassroots Education Movement, which gave the movement against Renaissance 2010 a citywide scope and strategic vision.

Arne Duncan left for Washington and Ron Huberman took over at CPS last year as CORE and GEM’s first drive against closings crested, and in response to protests and the exposure of faulty CPS data, Huberman decided to take six schools off the closing list.  It was the first time anything like that had ever happened.

This year, another anti-closings campaign — which won the support of several aldermen — forced Huberman to admit “the process is flawed” and to take six of fourteen school closings and turnarounds off the table.

On its website CORE attributes these victories to an approach which “built partnerships with our natural allies and empowered members to stand up for their profession, their jobs and their schools.”  Activism, organizing, coalition-building.

In remarks Saturday morning at King College Prep, CTU president-elect Karen Lewis made it clear that defending against the attacks on teachers and on public education which underlie much of the current “reform” agenda is high on her agenda.

“Today marks the beginning of the end of scapegoating educators,” she said.

She railed against “corporate heads and politicians” who “have never sat one minute on this side of the teacher’s desk” and “do not have a clue about teaching and learning.”  But “they’re the ones calling the shots, and we’re supposed to accept it as ‘reform.’”

Asked if she had a message for Mayor Daley and schools chief Ron Huberman, she said, “I want them to appreciate what educators do.”

(CORE has posted Lewis’s remarks, and WBEZ has audio.)

First, though, comes discussions over Huberman’s proposals to lay off teachers and raise class size, and Lewis called on CPS to disclose “all the financial details” of how it spends its money — including vendor and consulting contracts– including how charter schools spend the taxpayer money they get, “because to date, we have not seen charter schools’ financials” – and including an estimated $250 million a year in TIF money that would otherwise be going to schools.

She called on Daley to put his political weight behind an effort to end the state’s overreliance on property tax funding for schools and the drastic inequities that result from it.  And she rejected the notion “that access to high quality education for all children is a luxury that we simply can’t afford.”

Karen Lewis\’ comments at a June 12 press conference

Going to prom, signing yearbooks and attending graduation are all part of the high school experience. But about 4,400 teens each year don’t reach these milestones because they die from suicide.

The 25th Chicago Police District is working with community youth to discuss ways to prevent this silent epidemic that is the third-leading case of death for teens.

Last week, a youth forum on teenage suicide was held at the 25th Area District headquarters at 5555 W. Grand Avenue. Officers Cynthia Flores and Anne Zamzow hosted a group of 15 students for a frank discussion on an issue that receives little attention and is often misunderstood.

“On any given day, you might miss the signs,” Zamzow said.

The officers welcomed Ginny Trainor, business development director at Riveredge Hospital, to lead the three-hour presentation and discussion. The students, who ranged in age from 8th graders to high school seniors, had the chance to get together, socialize over pizza and talk honestly about what Trainor calls a “taboo topic.”

The group watched a short film “Choices” that explored the case of two teens who contemplated suicide and the steps their friends took in trying to help. The teens shared their reactions and debated whether the friends of the two teens took the right measures in intervening.

“Teen suicide is important, and there isn’t a lot of education,” said John Tacuri, a freshman at Lake View High School.

And teen suicide isn’t just something we see on TV or in movies, said Eric Ellstion, a freshman at Steinmetz High School. It’s a very serious problem, Ellstion said.

Even though Tacuri and Ellstion attend different schools, they both said they would tell their track coaches if one of their friends at school was showing signs of suicide.

The world is different for today’s teens than the generation before, said Trainor, but adults should try to remember how challenging those years can be and not be so quick to dismiss what teens are going through.

“We have to remind ourselves what it felt like as teenagers,” said Trainor. “When kids are feeling suicidal, they feel they’re not being heard.”

And teenagers themselves should also be aware of the signs their friends might be exhibiting, Trainor said.

“If you have a friend who’s depressed one day and all of sudden happy another, that’s a day you should be concerned,” said Trainor. “Sometimes you have to be willing to risk a friendship; if you don’t say anything, it’s something that can weigh heavy on you.”

It’s really hard to ask for help, said Trainor, but teens who are suicidal often reach out in ways that might not be obvious. Four out of five people who complete suicide have previously attempted suicide in the last 12 months, said Trainor.

In 70 percent of cases, the person told someone within one hour of their intention to commit suicide, Trainor said.

It is crucial to know the warning signs, said Trainor. Some of those signs include:

• Suicidal threats – this doesn’t always mean outright statements but comments such as, “It doesn’t matter I’m here.”
• Previous suicide attempt/s
• Sudden changes in behavior, like a drop in grades or loss of interest in activities
• Depression
• Final arrangements – this might include telling others the songs someone wants played at the funeral or who should or should not attend
• Making rounds – making a point to say goodbye to the people who are important to the person
• Giving away prized possessions

Teens who feel suicidal need people who will truly listen and willing to step in, said Trainor. It’s important, she said, if you feel your friend might be suicidal to be direct and insist on the truth.

Trainor has presented at groups like this one over the past year and said she’s excited by the opportunity to reach out to schools across the area starting this fall. This September, she has eight trainings already lined up, thanks in part to a new suicide prevention bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly earlier this year.

The bill, HB4672, will provide at least two hours of training to teachers and other school personnel, working with students grades seven through 12, to identify the warning signs of suicidal behavior in teens and the appropriate methods of intervention.

Illinois is the fifth state to pass the Jason Flatt Act.

Teens shouldn’t have to go through this alone, and there are places to go to for help, Trainor said. These people might include a favorite teacher, parent, clergy member, guidance counselor, medical doctor or other trusted adult, she said.

If you or someone you know needs to talk, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Riveredge Hospital Assessment and Referral Department at 708-209-4181.

Article from  AustinTalks.org.

Youth Guidance Resource Coordinator Ben White said he was inspired to create this condensed version based on the popular African-American play “The Wiz” because he wanted to stress the importance of believing in yourself for his students.

“As the kids learn it and they understand it, even if it’s subliminal, they’re saying it over and over and over again,” said White.

Youth Guidance works with students in 50 Chicago Public Schools, providing after-school programs for at-risk youth. White said while the two-year old program at Parker has been successful, it has faced a few challenges with keeping some students enrolled.

White said when many of the students join the Youth Guidance program, they are introverted and “living in a box.”

“They don’t know if they are going to get laughed at or ostracized because they are doing something a little different,” said White. “We’re getting them out of that box.”

Playing the role of the “Wicked Witch Eveline” has been “life changing” for seventh-grader Briana Johnson. Johnson said prior to joining Youth Guidance, her life was unstable.  However, the program has allowed her to make friends and let her personality shine.

“When I came here, I got all excited and stuff and … started showing what I can really do with my life,” said Johnson.  “I felt like I got it. I can do this and it kept building and building up. So it’s a great level of confidence I have right now.”

During practice, Johnson dominated the stage as much as she was engrossed in her role as “Evaline.”

The demand of performing an hour-long play and his students’ response to that demand has encouraged White. He said he has noticed his students are able to focus more and apply recently learned memorization skills to their studies.

Through performing drama, White said, the students could face challenges in their lives and gain necessary tools to overcome them.

“It’s about the message. It’s about what the Wiz says,” said White. “If you believe in yourself, then that’s the key. It’s all about believing in your heart the things that you can do.”

“The Wiz that Wuz”

Thursday, May 20 at 4:30 p.m. at Parker Elementary Academy, 6800 S. Stewart St.

Tickets are $2

For more information, call 773-535-3375

Members of the South Loop Local School Council asked for a contribution of $2,500 per family for the fall program to offset the district’s recent budget cuts. The funds are expected to secure a full-time teacher for the program, but because the contributions are optional, Principal Tara Shelton said she fears most parents won’t pay.

“It has to be all or nothing,” Shelton said at the school council meeting Wednesday. “If we don’t do this, we will lose the full-day kindergarten program and our teacher.”

The CPS budget cuts are expected to have a negative effect on the school, which is already struggling to fund various programs, Shelton said.

“We have the bare minimum financing you could possibly imagine for a public school,” Shelton said. “We really have to beg, borrow and steal to make this happen because of the budget cuts.”

The announcement came as a shock to parents whose children are already enrolled in the 2010-2011 kindergarten program.

Emily Farr, a concerned parent, said it isn’t fair for some parents to donate the money, while others won’t.

“Some parents are going to wonder why they’re paying for another person’s child,” Farr said.

The proposal requires parents to pay in full by July 1. The school needs a donation of $73,600 to employ a full-time teacher, which means at least two-thirds of parents will have to pay. And because the majority of parents can’t afford to donate, it’s “a big pill to swallow for parents who will,” Shelton said.

“If there’s a surplus, parents will be refunded,” she added.

Lynne Pieper, whose children also attend South Loop Elementary, said she agrees with the proposal but said officials need to reduce the amount of money they’re seeking.

“I think if you’re going to do it, you need to ask for less and publicize it more,” Pieper said. “Be bold; ask for the money.”

Newsletters for the fall program will be sent during registration period, when parents will be notified of the changes. Shelton said she hopes parents will look beyond the dollar signs and contribute to a program that will benefit the school as a whole.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the request for additional funds came from the Chicago Public School board. The request came from the South Loop Local School Council. ChicagoTalks regrets the error.

Teach-in/Organizing Meeting
Hosted by Students and Teachers Fight Back!

Join Students and Teachers Fight Back! on Facebook

Saturday, April 17, 1 p.m.
3334 W. Lawrence #202
(Brown Line – Kimball Stop; 81 Bus)
Call 773-463-0311 for more info
Click here for directions

Click here for more information.

The event is designed to educate attendees about this issue. Hear ANSWER’s detailed educational discussion on the causes, scope and effects of the “budget crisis” in Illinois and Chicago. If you are persuaded to take action, there will be a brainstorming and organizing session to help stop the budget cuts, layoffs, tuition hikes, clinic closures and more.

“Tax the Super-rich – Make them Pay” and “Education, Health Care, Housing and Jobs are Rights” are some of ANSWER’s slogans. If you don’t know about the issues, this is one way to get educated, and then you can decide whether to take action.

Portage Park, one of the safer neighborhoods in Chicago, has started to see a surge in gang activity; largely because of Carl Schurz High School, the area is now considered gang infiltrated, said Gerard Staniszewski, president of the Portage Park Neighborhood Association.

“I don’t want to kid anyone and make them believe that it’s as bad in other neighborhoods, but it is the largest [amount of gangs] we have seen in years,” said Staniszewski.

What makes gang presence in Portage Park so surprising is the neighborhood’s quiet atmosphere and its proximity to the northwest suburb of Niles. The Chicago suburbs aren’t typically known for gang activity, and many residents who live in Niles and Portage Park say they aren’t aware of the problem.

Piotr Topor, a 10-year resident of Portage Park, said he has noticed gangs but doesn’t think anything of them.

“From my experience it’s pretty safe,” he said. “I’ve never found myself in any danger.”

Staniszewski said part of the problem is that the community is blind to the gang increase. This could be because police in the 17th District, which stretches from Belmont Avenue north to Devon Avenue and from the Chicago River west to Cicero Avenue, try to take care of problems quietly and efficiently.

“We have seen an increase in tagging, but the police react very quickly,” Staniszweski said.

The common gangs at Schurz are said to be the Bloods and Crips, Staniszewski said, but smaller crews and gangs tend to branch out. Since the neighborhood has a larger elderly population than youth, the number of gangsters is still fairly small.

Usually gangs are known for fighting, vandalizing, drug dealing and pick-pocketing, but in Portage Park, the biggest threat they bring is tagging, according to David McNaughton, the 16th District commander.

“We stop them, we find out what’s going on, what they’re doing in the neighborhood,” McNaughton said. “We instruct them that type of behavior is not allowed here in our district.”

The 16th District has a special section on its Web site where residents can send pictures of the tagging so police can deal with it quickly.

If there are problems at home or school, troubled teens can get help at the Youth Outreach Center, located at 6417 W. Irving Park Road.

Ellisette Villegas, a treatment counselor at the Youth Outreach Center, said gangs are not the only issue the center deals with. Language barriers, single parent homes, mental health, runaway, grief and loss, poor decision-making and anger management are other problems she sees on a regular basis.

“More communication at home with parents-parent involvement along with consistent counseling” is the most effective way to combat gang recruitment, Villegas said.

Villegas said the center does see evidence of gang activity.

“Some clients will come in wearing specific colors or even talk about their own involvement, even though we explain to clients from the beginning that we prefer they leave that issue outside of the agency, especially if they are in a group setting,” Villegas said.

Villegas said some male gang members are troubled because of the absence of a father figure. Others have even more heart-wrenching stories.

“There have been clients who have been shot due to being involved or affiliated with gangs,” said Villegas. “Sometimes we have clients who have witnessed gang-related shootings, so there is some trauma to be dealt with. We as counselors usually find out about these events afterward and would then process with them.”’

Gangs typically start as a small crew, but through recruitment and addiction to drugs and the excitement of fitting in, they expand into a criminal entity that is hard to break. Many cities even have special police units to combat gangs in certain neighborhoods. Residents of Portage Park don’t have to worry about special units yet, but if the problem isn’t taken care of with swift action, some say the gangs could take over.

Gangs are a combination of three things, says Jack Murphy, director of security at Wright College: “Environment plays a role, a maturity aspect is there, and influence.”

The 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department said the best way to eliminate them is through swift action.

“Don’t put up with it,” Murphy said.

But since winning first place in her age group in a community-wide spelling bee last year, Sherron, 10, is now like a rock star.

“Everybody is nicer to me at school,” said Sherron, who won a computer and trophy for correctly spelling the word “cookie.” “When I won I was like, ‘I feel great,’ loud and enthusiastically. I was really happy.”

The buzz is spreading through Austin once again that the 2nd annual Spelling Bee is coming up on April 8, 9 and 10, at the Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St. Registration packets have gone out to 23 neighborhood schools. Today — Saturday, March 20 — is the sign-up deadline.

A spelling bee in Austin was the brainchild of teens at Young Creative Minds, a nonprofit organization run by and geared toward troubled kids ages 13 to 19. The group was founded by Austin resident Danette King, who said she was beaten and raped as a young girl. King, 35, said she often looked for love on the streets, having her first of seven children at age 14.

So when she became an adult, King wanted to create a place where she could sit down and talk with kids, one-on-one, without disclosing anything to their parents. When the neighborhood’s Avalon Management, a real estate managing and developing firm, gave her a place to meet in the basement of one of its buildings and the Austin Safety Net Works kicked in $25,000, she was able to fulfill her vision.

What started with one kid and a flier became dozens of kids, all in dire need of help. King created the acronym she implements in the program: S.M.I.L.E., which stands for “self-respect, motivation, integrity, leadership and education.”

“These are things that I wanted as a child, but I didn’t get them,” said King, whose husband, Brian, is event promoter and sponsor seeker. “These are the very same children that went through the same pain I went through.

“But they can look at themselves now and smile, they’re not angry any more,” said King, who’s working on a book about her experiences called “Behind Closed Doors.” “They have goals, dreams and they respect themselves now.

“That’s what I’m pushing for with S.M.I.L.E,” she said. “Those things will take them anywhere they want to go in life.”

Last year’s spelling bee drew approximately 50 kids from nine schools. Entertaining at that first event and at the upcoming one is Blaze On, a 24-year-old hip hop artist who called the spelling bee a “positive” in a community where many kids are without outside resources or outlets and often have drug addicts as mothers, fathers and relatives.

“You gotta do whatever needs to be done that’s positive to help these kids learn,” said Blaze On, who lives just outside Austin. “There are a lot of people who don’t have it in their hearts to reach out to kids, but they need a role model that really cares. They don’t have anything.”

King said the three-day event keeps kids off the street. Winners receive a mini laptop computer, and King said she hopes to take first-place winners to Springfield to visit the state Capitol. Even those who don’t win walk away with a little something, such as movie tickets.

“It’s a good sense of accomplishment and it feels good,” King said. “All they need is someone to listen.”

May Community Academy’s Principal Roger Lewis agrees. Lewis said after Parker won last year, he got to know her and she now leads the school’s morning announcement. May Academy also had an eighth-grade runner-up last time, Savanna Young.

“We try at May to celebrate the small successes,” said Lewis. “This makes them (kids) feel good in the community, as opposed to all the negativity of living in the community.”

Lewis said the event instills confidence in winners such as Savanna and Sherron. For Sherron, the spelling bee was sweet as honey.

“I loved it,” she said.

House Bill 4647, which passed the House 112-1 last month and is currently awaiting a vote in the Senate, would force Chicago Public Schools to start a hotline to collect anonymous tips from people who might otherwise fear reporting crimes to the police. The hotline would be run by the Chicago Police Department, which would investigate each call.

Rep. Chapin Rose (R-Charleston), the only representative to vote against the bill, said this is just another unnecessary expense the state can’t afford.

“We already have this program. It is called 911 and Crime Stoppers,” Rose said. “The state of Illinois is broke. We don’t have enough money to pay our teachers. Our school districts are broke and waiting on back payments. We don’t need this. If there is an immediate threat to someone’s life, we should be dialing 911, not some 1-800 number.”

Davis disagreed. She said students will not call 911; they will not seek out a police officer because they are afraid of the repercussions of being a “snitch.”

“There must be a way for students to call and anonymously report any incidents of violence that they have heard about,” Davis said. “We need to have a way for our children to reach out and report violence without being afraid for their safety.”

Nineteen CPS students have been killed this year, 15 by gunshot, said CPS spokesman Bob Otter.

Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Services, said there is no guarantee that a hotline will work, but said it will be largely dependent on how well the hotline is promoted.

“School hotlines are just another piece of the puzzle. They are an extra tool for school officials and law enforcement,” Trump said.

If passed, Illinois will join 10 other states that have similar violence prevention hotlines within their cities, including Florida, Michigan and Georgia. Rochelle Finzel, program manager at the National Conference of State Legislators, said besides Colorado, there is no state that has passed legislation on a statewide hotline.

Illinois, along with most states, doesn’t necessarily need a hotline, said Elena Calafell, executive director of Illinois Center for Violence Prevention. Instead, the state needs to implement a comprehensive plan that involves all entities working together to curb violence, she said.

“The statistics are clear: Youth do not turn to adults, instead they turn to their peers,” she said. “Having a mechanism or vehicle for the students to report violence anonymously is a great idea, but it is a very small part of the puzzle and one that I don’t think will be utilized a great deal.”

Some supports say an anonymous tip line would help get around a community “code of silence” that often stifles law enforcement efforts.

“There is a fear that young men and women have and they won’t break the code of silence, even if it’s anonymous,” Tio Hardiman, director of Ceasefire Illinois said. “They are always afraid someone is going to find out that they snitched. We have to change those mindsets before these programs will work.”

Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) didn’t agree. She said if there was concern, the bill wouldn’t have overwhelmingly passed.

“If this is something that the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Public Schools, among other entities, don’t agree with, it would be a surprise to me,” she said. “I would have thought they would have made their concern known to someone. Obviously they didn’t. The vote was 112-1.”

The Chicago Police Department and Chicago Public Schools declined repeated requests for comment.

Trump said ensuring students’ safety needs to become a priority again.

“We have to put our money where our mouth is,” he said. “It is one thing to say that school safety and violence prevention is the top priority, but that has to be reflected in the budget, otherwise it is more rhetoric than priority.”

Ron Holmes, a spokesman for Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago), a co-sponsor for the bill in the Senate, said there has been a lot of support for the bill, and they expect it to see it on the calendar this week.

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