Tuesday, November 3, 2020
The Student Newspaper of Jones College Preparatory High School
Volume 6, Issue 1
Low participation in virtual 5k Annual fundraiser in transition
ONTO THE OLYMPICS Diverse Learners listen to Special Olympics Gold Medalist Lucy Meyer last Feb.
CPS announces Special Education returns in-person Most Jones students remain remote for start of quarter AVA THOMPSON ‘21 Editor-In-Chief LEO NECHELES‘22 Associate Editor, Print Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Janice Jackson announced in a press conference that Special Education students will return to in-person learning in early Nov. However, high school students will remain remote through at least the end of the calendar year. Jackson said she is hoping for high school students to return in-person in “early” 2021. “[The goal is to] add additional grades as early as Jan.,” the official CPS statement said. “Later this year, the district will be engaging parents in other grades to assess their interest in returning to classrooms.” As for Jones, the school is still contemplating which methods are best to start phasing back in Special Education students. “We’ll also be contacting the families to determine which students will be able to come in,” said Powers. “Because that involves transportation and a number of other things so we’re prepared for those students and for the teachers and support staff to return building wise.” CPS instituted social distancing measures like temperature checks, mask requirements, hand sanitizing, and other PPE. However, CPS created protocol should any cases pop up at a school. “We report it,” said Powers. “First and foremost, we report it to CPS so that the relative offices are aware of it. We do the contact tracing. This is why it’s important
Do we have a clear idea of who is coming into contact with at home?” Powers said they have contract tracing available for athletics and the Special Education program. For athletics, Powers said it’s “easy” to see who comes into contact with whom and do testing. However, the general student population has not been informed of any Jones-related COVID-19 cases since April. In early Oct., an independent arbitrator ruled CPS buildings weren’t in “safe and healthful conditions,” and CPS cannot force clerks to return in-person. However, Powers said Jones should be in better shape than other schools. “We have a very good crew of people who take care of the building,” said Powers. “Our custodial crew and maintenance crew. We all know we’re in a modern building, both modern buildings, meaning that they’re easier to keep clean they’re easier to keep to sanitize and we have been on a regular basis so I feel very confident in the safety of the building itself.” Jones Chicago Teachers Union representative Anthony Cappetta said there needs to be adjustments before a majority of students and teachers can return to school. Some of the adjustments include smaller class sizes, updating cleaning vents, open windows, social distancing procedures, regular COVID testing for students and teachers and procedures around PPE. “It’s one thing to have individual teachers coming into the school building, but it’s another thing to then have 1000 kids or 500 kids in the school trying to keep everyone safe,” he s a i d . ucation (called Diverse Learners at Jones) cluster programs, Modern Cognitive and Severe and Profound, w h i c h c o n -
tain four teachers altogether. However, if a teacher doesn’t feel safe to go back, Powers said adjustments will have to be made. “It is possible, for example, that that class might be assigned a different teacher,” said Powers. “It could be a teacher from another school, for example, or it could be one of our own teachers, just reassigned to cover that responsibility.” The Jones Special Education chair, Robert Tucker Brown, declined an interview but said in an email he has not heard much from CPS about the plan to return. From a medical perspective, doctors are skeptical of the district’s ability to manage the virus and keep the number of COVID-19 cases under control, especially as winter approaches. “What worries me is, as we go into the winter season and can’t be outside as much, there will be more and more positive cases in the city, which should discourage us from going back to school,” said pediatrician Carrie Gosch. “This is especially true for teenagers who we know are more likely to spread the disease than little kids...it worries me.” Multiple students have cited their reluctant support for this reason to not go back, including Jones senior Andy Niser ‘21. Besides rising COVID numbers, Niser mentioned the poor logistics within Jones itself. “In terms of the health standpoint, I completely see where [CPS] is coming from,” said Niser. “If you look at it logistically with how large our school is and how narrow the hallways are, going in at the end of the quarter seems very difficult to do.” With CPS unlikely to return anytime soon, various seniors have marked their despair at the idea of not being able to return to Jones to finish out their high school journey. “I feel like this is one of my last opportunities to see friends and make my lasting impact on Jones. As a senior, It’d be nice if we get to go back for second semester because I feel like that’s really when the fun things happen,” said Danielle Oimet ‘21. “It’d be really sad if my last time at Jones was junior year in March.” Photo by Josh Blustein ‘20
SOFIA MOSER ‘23 Lifestyles Staff Due to COVID-19, the annual Jones 5K is now a remote weeklong window to walk/run five kilometers in and record movement progress via social media. Anyone can participate in the virtual 5k. Those participating have the opportunity to walk/run five kilometers anywhere they want to and are also provided with premade courses to follow for convenience. The virtual 5k costs $20 to enter and will take place from October 25th through October 31st. This modified format prompts a lower participation rate than years before. “Right now we have 120 people that have signed up,” said John DeSantis, chair and organizer of the event. “I think they have historically had between 400 and 500 participants by the time it was done.” This lack of participation in the 5k may be due to both a lack of student awareness as well as the new format that the 5k is in. “Was there something sent out?” said Jaiya Ovid ‘23. “I get a lot of emails in general related to classes and other things. I wouldn’t have heard of it if it was sent out like that.” Ovid said they were surprised that Jones utilized the 5K to fundraise for clubs and sports teams. They then said that they were not interested in participating. “I think the fundraising for different clubs sounds great,” said Ovid. “I think, for me, I’m not really sure I would commit to doing that right now, because during school and everything, it’s just a lot, and to prioritize that—it’s not something I’m really thinking about.” Similarly, other students have cited a general sense of disinterest in the event as a reason that they aren’t participating. “I got an email about it,” said Fidel Rosales, ‘23, “besides that, only one of my friends had told me about it.” Rosales represents many Jones students who hadn’t heard about the 5k until an email was sent out to students. Rosales said, “I don’t really go on runs or walks on my own time anyway, so doing one for Jones seems kind of forced.” If Rosales wanted to do the 5k, he would have to pay $20 as a fee to participate, something that deterred him even further from deciding to join in. “It costs money and I don’t like spending money,” said Rosales, “If I could just go on a walk or a run on my own, for free, why would I do it for Jones for $20?” Like Rosales, Andy Bustillos ‘23 was not keen on the idea of having to pay to participate in the 5k. “I’m not interested in doing the 5k at all. I’m not interested in the 5k because I don’t feel like paying money to go on a run that I can do myself,” said Bustillos. On top of a dislike towards having to pay to enter the 5k, Bustillos was also quick to point out the lack of socialization that this year’s 5k presented. “In previous years, where it’s been physical, with all of your friends there, I think that would be a lot more fun,” said Bustillos. “Going on a run by myself isn’t fun, especially if I’m paying for it.” Despite the lack of participation in the virtual 5k, DeSantis said he’s holding out hope, maintaining an air of optimism as the virtual 5k approaches. “We really want the large student base to participate, as the donations go to the sports teams and clubs for Jones.”
PAGE 2 Speak Out The next LSC meeting will be Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m via Zoom
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Implimenting racial sensitivity in classrooms The obstacles of talking about race in class ANA ROWLEY ‘22 School Staff
Due to the current political and social climate in schools, teachers are feeling the pressure to talk about race. However, implementing a curriculum focused on race and racial sensitivity has become a challenge in some AP classes and non-English and Social Science classes. Many teachers have made a conscious effort to gear their curriculum in the classroom towards current events, especially those concerning race and racism. “Conversations about race occur every day both in terms within the content [of the class] and also when making space and time for out-of-content things that just need to be discussed, especially in a social science space,” said AP Government and Honors U.S. History teacher Nora Bingham. Even departments beyond English and Social Science said they have made an effort to incorporate social justice into science. The entire biology department has teamed up in an attempt to include social justice into their curriculum. “In my Honors Biology class, we spent a few class periods on environmental injustice and environmental racism,” Nichole Lowery, an AP and Honors Biology teacher, said. While teachers can select whether or not to discuss topics of race in their classes, administration provided teachers with different tools to have these conversations. One tool Jones teachers have been given by administration is training workshops, provided by CPS. Lauren Vrettos, Aquatics and P.E. teacher, believes that CPS has done a good job providing ma-
terials for teachers to use regarding these subjects. The teachers, who have had conversations about current events as it pertains to race and racism, report that participation during these conversations varies across the board. Vrettos claimed she gets “100%” participation in Nearpod, and maybe “70%” in the chat or unmuting. AP Lang teacher Brady Gunnink has also made use of online platforms to create a safe space for his students.
“I give students space to talk about their thoughts and reactions,” said Gunnink. “If they want to write in the chat, if they want to speak about it directly in class; [even] if they want to write something to me separately.” As a way for students to communicate with
him outside of class about subjects like race, he gave students an anonymous Google Form they could submit to voice their authentic thoughts and feelings without fear of repercussion or judgement. While some classes may feel comfortable talking about race, this is not the case for every class. E-learning has made talking about these serious issues even more difficult. The challenge for many teachers is being unable to see students’ reactions to these conversations. “Knowing what to do with the people who don’t say anything is a huge challenge,” said Gunnink. “There are a lot of people who don’t participate. They just stay kind of quiet, and I don’t necessarily know where they’re at or what they need, so that’s another challenge.” Lowery explained that it’s even more difficult to have conversations about race in her AP classes. “It is more difficult because, in AP, I feel pressured to stick to straight content,” said Lowery. “There’s that kind of content pressure to prepare for a test; I feel like I don’t do a good job of integrating [racial conversations] in the AP class, at least until May.” Despite the challenges that e-learning presents, teachers are able to implement discussions and curriculum about race in the classroom. “[This year], the school seems as a whole– from the administration down– to be more intentional and try to respond to this better,” said Lowery. This doesn’t mean the execution has been perfect. Jones still hasa lot of room for improvement. “E-learning has made it much more difficult,” said Bingham.
Graphic by Fiona Kogan ‘22
Making a comeback
Student Voice Committee gets more attention amidst current events CARRIGAN GARRITY ‘22 School Editor With rising awareness of the issues BIPOC students face at Jones, the Student Voice Committee (SVC) has grown in size and impact. The SVC is an organization in all Chicago Public Schools dedicated towards representing the students to their administration and other people in power. “Student Voice Committees are organizations that are designed to act as a mediator between students and the leadership of the school and offer a direct line of communication for students who want their voice to be heard by those in positions of power,” said interim sponsor and Social Studies teacher, Laura Strickland. “The goal of SVC is to provide a platform and wellknown mechanism by which students know that their voice is being heard and that they have an active say in influencing the school and decisions made within.” This year, the SVC’s presidents, Simone Jones ‘21 and Izzy Pareja ‘21, said they plan to focus on instances of racial insensitivity. “This year we really wanted to focus on making Jones feel like a safe and comfortable environment for people of all backgrounds, especially considering everything that’s been happening lately,” said Pareja. “It seems like this is the most important issue to tackle at the moment.” The surfacing of the Jones BIPOC Instagram page caused many students to share their stories, and in order to represent these students, Jones and Pareja plan to create a better relationship with the school’s administration. “We felt it was a huge part of Jones to
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address this because over Instagram it’s very clear that the relationship between students and administration and students and teachers is not where you want it to be,” said Jones. Because students said to have seen the issues with the administration doing seemingly little to coach about racial insensitivity, the interest in the SVC has grown, even in a remote setting. “It was kind of confusing and a little bit concerning how it would work out, but so far it’s been really good just based on the social media output and utilizing other clubs, like demographic clubs, to spread our word that we’re here,” said Jones. Not only does the SVC deal with the news circumstances because of the pandemic, but they also are experiencing a change in sponsors. However, they said they are using it as an opportunity rather than a setback.
“Of course at first we just said ‘Oh well. We’re going to have to find someone new’ and took baby steps a little, but it’s good that we kind of have a clean slate,” said Jones. Even with these trying times, the SVC had their first meeting to officially get to know the students they are representing, especially with their influx of new members. “We have had our first introductory meeting, which was very productive. We discussed issues we want to address in the future and committee norms,” said club member Railey Montgomery. “The turnout for the first meeting was great and we hope to see even more people join and be able to speak their mind.” Graphic by Adrian Zamudio ‘21
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Ava Thompson ‘21 Leo Necheles ‘22 Simone Garber ‘22 Fiona Kogan ‘22 Doniya Boyd ‘21 Sam Tedrowe ‘21 Carrigan Garrity ‘22 Whitney Shurtliff ‘22 Ana Rowley-Matthews ‘22 Norah Hendrickson ‘23 Sofia Moser ‘23 Amara Alexander ‘21 Maddie Fitzgerald ‘22 Guinevere MacLowery ‘22 Akira Sinnott ‘22 Xochimilco Cortez ‘23 Gabi Josefson ‘23 Josh Lazar ‘21 Nikola Bilaver ‘21 Thomas Cleland ‘21 Adrian Zamudio ‘21 Makai Singleton ‘22 Ryan Maggid
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PAGE 3 FUNds The next Friends of Jones board meeting will be Nov. 12 in the library
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Alice in a virtual wonderland Drama students produce play remotely AKIRA SINNOTT ‘22 Lifestyles Staff Since COVID-19 is still keeping most at home, the students in the Jones Drama program had no fall play and were left to their own devices. Diana “Midge” Makowski ‘21, Anneliese Haberkamp ‘21, and Mila Mussatt ‘22 decided to do their own, independent play, Alice in Wonderland. “We knew if we didn’t do it, it wouldn’t happen,” said the show’s producer, Makowski. “We just decided that we would do it so people could have that outlet.” Makowski says the filming process will most likely be through Zoom, and the final production will premiere on YouTube in early November, before Thanksgiving. “COVID really hit the theater community quite hard and out of nowhere,” said Mussatt, the stage manager. “We had just lost Carrie, which was a very difficult thing to deal with.” The three students said they didn’t want to lose another play, especially since last year’s musical, Carrie was canceled one week before opening night due to COVID. “We didn’t want to lose another show,” stated the tech manager, Haberkamp. “[But] it’s obviously very different in the virtual space”. Actors and actresses such as Jenna Thomas ‘22, who will play The Frog Footman, said she knew the fall play’s cancellation “was probably going to happen” but had faith that Jones’ theater kids would figure something out. “I was kind of sad because I like being involved in the productions,” said Julie My Thai ‘22, who will play Dormouse. Although Hamberkamp said the production has a budget of “zero dollars” and “no stage”, the trio said they are using all the resources they have to make the production happen. “It’s changing the way that Tech is done a lot,” said Haberkamp. “Which is pretty much everything but the actors”.
Haberkamp said there will be no “building a set” or people making costumes, it’s all virtual so tech is a more “central part to the show” this year. “ [ I think] it will be harder to get underclassmen into the theater pro-
gram in the coming years,” said Thomas.“However. “I am so grateful that Mila, Midge, and Anneliese are making a virtual Alice in Wonderland outside of Jones”. The production of this virtual play has enabled freshmen to be able to connect with and join the theater community that exists at Jones. “It seemed like a good way to meet new people,” said Alice Kadsan ‘24, who plays Alice. Kadsan said she wanted to get involved in the show because she “loves theater” and has some background in it from her previous school. “I didn’t really know what the fall play was or that it wasn’t happening,” she said. “But, I’m delighted that students found a way to put on a show!” The three ladies in charge said they are “so excited” to have actors help bring the show to life. “It’s been really great to see everyone come together again,” said Mussatt. Alice in Wonderland is the second student-led play, after last year’s production of Peter and the Starcatcher. With the usual director and Jones drama teacher, Brad Lyons not being in charge of the show, the students said they have been able to pick up positions that did not previously exist for students. “Director and producer are typically Lyons’ job,” said Haberkamp. “And, you know, it’s giving us an opportunity to do that, that’s something that we wouldn’t normally have a chance to do.” The students that are a part of this production and participating in it have been able to shape the show how they want it to be. “It’s a time that we have to push things that we have found to be important,” said Mussatt. “And be able to use what we’ve learned from Jones to build something that we want.” Graphic by Fiona Kogan ‘22 and Akira Sinnott ‘22
Creative for a cause
Students use art to advocate for Black Lives Matter GUINEVERE MACLOWRY ‘22 Lifestyles Staff
This summer, many teenagers attended protests or donated to Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizations. Since teens have limited political influence, several inspired Jones students said they have been using their art to advocate for BLM. Cole Francis ‘22 started a small business in June called “Rejuvenated Jeans.” He takes jeans from his clients and works with them to create an artistic vision for their piece of clothing. He then paints personalized pieces. For payment, he said he donates half of his proceeds to causes that support the BLM movement. “Fifty percent of the proceeds are currently going to different BIPOC organizations, and just organizations that I really feel could use support, especially at this time when racial tensions are so high,” said Francis. Some teens have said they feel a responsibility to uplift Black Indigenous People of Color’s (BIPOC) voices after several videos of police brutality went viral this summer. Young artists, such as Francis, said they want to raise awareness and donate money to cause
that they are passionate about. “I always just thought, what can I be doing right now?” said Francis. This is a question so many teens have asked themselves this year. When videos of police brutality are being broadcasted all over the country, many young people wonder how they can make a difference. Protesting seems like the obvious answer, but COVID-19 has made large gatherings extremely dangerous. “It was really difficult at the time also, because my parents would not allow me to go out and go to any of the protests, just because they were worried about the pandemic and how it would affect big populations of people, just all congregating in one place,” said Francis. Despite not being able to vote, getting creative and starting a small business is a way for teenage artists to make political change and spread awareness for BLM. “I just really want to see the whole atmosphere change with how people view a lot of these communities because I feel like the light has been diminished in a lot of these communities,” said Francis. “And I just feel like we can be seen in such a more positive light,” Francis isn’t the only student who used a small business to advocate for justice; Ria Slater ‘21
said she raised money with her independent jewelry making business for the very same reason. Slater started Curly Cue Earrings back in April of this year, an Etsy jewelry business where she makes earrings out of craft wire. Slater said this started as a creative outlet, but after the death of George Floyd and the proceeding protests, she proceeded to use her platform to raise awareness and funds for BLM. “I felt like as a white person, I had to do way more than just like talk about it on social media,” said Slater. “And since I had a sort of small platform, I decided to just make little BLM earrings that spelled out BLM, and I didn’t take any of the money from it because that would have been horrible as a white person to just appropriate that saying, and take literally money from the death of black people.” Advocacy through her small business was Ria’s way of informing her audience of t h e issues that meant a lot to her. By selling a product geared towards young creative people and donating the funds to organ i zations fighting against racism and p o lice brutality, more teens are becoming educated about these issues. “I donated everything to campaign zero, which is an organization that uses their funds to try and implement study based solutions to police brutality,” said Slater.
Photos courtesy of Cole Francis ‘22
PAGE 4
PAGE 5 Day off! No school Nov. 6 for School Improvement Day.
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TOP TIER Jones is a National Blue Ribbon school for the third time
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Teen starts independent youth political group Another point of view
Republicans give different perspectives on Jones culture JOSHUA LAZAR ‘21 Sports Editor
*interviewee name replaced by fictional name in respect to their privacy Some conservative students said their voices often feel drowned out in Jones’s political culture. Before and during the pandemic, Jones students tend to have views that align with the Democratic party but also voice Liberal/Leftist views. “Overall, I have not really openly expressed my views because I know they aren’t as popular here at Jones,” said moderate Republican Jeffrey Brown* ‘23. Brown said he prefers not to express his views publicly but if he were to express his views, people would be understanding. “I think that if I was to be more open about them, people would at least tolerate it,” said Brown. “I would expect most people would tolerate or just give me their opinion, and then just keep it simple, if I were to be more open about it.” With that said, Brown still said he should not speak openly in class the majority of the time, even if he disagrees with another student. “For example, today in a class, we were talking about classroom norms about not saying offensive things towards each other,” said Brown. “Obviously I agree that we should not say offensive things, but then I wanted to go and say that certain people are a lot more sensitive than others.” Even though Brown said he thinks people would be accepting of his views, Alex Porter ‘22* said he has noticed that people do not take well to his views, causing him to feel uncomfortable speaking out in class. “I am not public with my views so I am not catching flack for them or anything, but I’ve noticed people don’t take kindly to ideas I believe in,” said Porter. “It doesn’t make me feel any less safe, but it’s just kind of awkward but when you know no one really agrees with you.” Porter said he would be treated differently if he were to be more open but does wonder if people would eventually accept him and his views. However, he liked the Republican Club, which provided a safe space for Republicans to share the perspectives. “I don’t know if people would eventually come around to it or not, but I think I would definitely be treated differently, especially at first,” said Porter. “We used to have a Republican club at Jones, but there’s not one this year, so there’s not really a safe space or anything for us, and I know there are other Republicans at school.” In class, Porter has even been told he is in a safe space but has found that, when he or another student disagrees with the general student body, they are not treated well. Overall, Brown would be okay talking about his viewpoints with most other students, because of the tolerant student body attributed to Jones. “Jones, as a school, is already pretty tolerant of different views, and, even though there’s a lot of really loud people that might try to shut down opposing views, I think, for the most part, people at Jones are willing to listen,” said Brown. Another Republican, Michael Martin* ‘21 similarly to Porter, is also uncomfortable with speaking his views and prefers to keep the fact that he leans more conservative quiet. “I guess what causes this is the very majority liberal student body, which is what me and maybe others would consider to be the reason to be more quiet,” said Martin. For Martin to want to speak out more and be more open, he believes that Jones students should not be as judgmental and, instead, more open-minded about other people’s views. “I feel like students should make sure that they are not as judgemental and not assume things of people just based on if they are conservative or liberal,” said Martin. “You can be conservative and still have some liberal views on certain issues.”
Students start citywide political group amidst pandemic
GABI JOSEFSON ‘23 Lifestyles Staff
Mia Staczuck ‘22 started Youth 4 Politics Now in April, an organization that aims to get more Chicago area high schoolers involved in politics. “The overall goal is to redefine politics for young people so it’s more accessible for them and it’s easier to get involved,” said Staszcuk. “I’ve always been really interested in politics, advocacy and volunteering and looking at the human side of politics--not the corrupt or partisan part.” Staszcuk said she wanted to form a political group for high school students for a long time and started Youth 4 Politics Now when she found free time during quarantine. Stazcuk said she wanted high school students involved in the upcoming presidential election since not everyone can vote. Due to launching the group amidst the pandemic, they meet over zoom and a few in person events as well (with all attendees wearing masks at all times), while spreading word of the group through social media.. The organization said they are currently advocating four initiatives: environmental reform, education reform, safety and equity, and diversity in the political system.
Under those initiatives, Youth 4 Politics Now has had in person events, including a park cleanup. Also, the group put up signs in Bridgeport and interviewed residents in an effort to educate about the Black Lives Matter movement. They have also organized a pen pal program to help support the U.S. Postal Service. Stazcuk had the idea of Youth 4 Politics Now a while ago and always wanted to start a group to get teens involved with politics. While the goal of Youth 4 Politics Now was to increase the number of high schoolers in politics and volunteering in different communities, another focus is to create a social group where members can hang out and meet people who share similar interests. Staszcuk thinks that it’s a great way to meet new people across Chicago. Shirley “Yamali” Rodas ‘23, joined Youth 4 Politics Now and has participated in several of their events, including an event that helped educate people on the BLM movement in the Bridgeport neighborhood. “We did receive a lot of backlash including people who ripped up the stuff we had hung up. But it made sense because it was a pro-police area,” Yamali said. “I just want to help our people get a better life in the future and Youth 4 Politics Now is the beginning of other things I can do.” Youth 4 Politics Now said their group is very di-
verse, attracting people from many places in the Chicago area and people who identify with many different minorities. “I don’t have exact percentages based on the people who I contact online as I don’t know their race, but it is mostly Hispanic and white as the majority and followed by black and Asian,” Staczuk said. “It is important that when we’re advocating for specific issues that impact minorities, that we have voices from them so we’re not speaking for them and generalizing things,” Staszcuk said. Youth 4 Politics Now said they are doing its part to make sure everyone who is able to vote has a chance to and knows about the different candidates. They claim to educate young people on policy and candidates and help new voters get registered. “I feel that at the moment, we, meaning people of color, don’t have enough voices in the government and when we do, it’s not an accurate representation of all of us,” said Rodas. “I think the government should have more women, younger people, and BIPOC.” Youth 4 Politics Now is also working with another group, the Jones Young Democrats Club. Harry Atkinson ‘22, is the leader of Young Democrats Club and also a member of Youth 4 Politics Now. “We are trying to connect the bases of Youth 4 politics Now and the Jones Young Democrat club and it’s raised attendance for both clubs, especially Young Democrats,” said Atkinson. “A lot of people in my club joined through Youth 4 Politics Now.” While the group doesn’t identify with a specific
political party, they do lean liberal when it comes to social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare, and social services. Even though many group members said they are liberal, they do have a fair share of conservatives. While political parties may be important for some groups, for Youth 4 Politics Now, it’s about doing things to help people and social justice. “We don’t really talk about anything political, I think the things we are doing is human decency,” Staszcuk said. While Youth 4 Politics Now may work with the Jones Young Democrats Club, “It’s not about either party, it’s for young voices,” Atkinson said. Getting more high schoolers involved in politics and doing social justice was always the goal for Youth 4 Politics Now, not political affiliation. “My personal hope for the future of Youth 4 Politics Now is that we can inspire teenagers to get more involved in politics and normalize teens having a say in the policy made that impacts them,” said Staszcuk. Regardless of who wins the presidential election, Youth 4 Politics said they will continue to stay active in local politics and try to improve youth political involvement. They said they are going to continue to hold events that work towards environmental reform, education reform, safety, equity, diversity, and fresh perspective in politics. “Just giving teenagers the opportunity to express themselves and their ideas in an encouraging environment that can help them achieve what they think would truly improve society,” said Staszcuk. Photos courtesy of Mia Struszcuk ‘22
Mailing in the vote
Jones seniors voting first time during pandemic SAMUEL TEDROWE ‘21 Lead Reporter
Whether via using mail-in ballots or going to the polls in person, Jones seniors said they were not deterred from voting by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the nationally-hit record of early voter turnout, which comes to more than 53.8 million voters, seniors have expressed an urgency within their ballots brought on by issues such as Covid-19, climate change, and immigration policy. Deborah Holton ‘21 said these issues are important to her and she plans to vote in person on Election Day. “I’m excited to vote, but I’m scared overall,” said Holton. “[I’m also voting] to, on a state level, make sure that the senators we’re picking actually represent us, because they really do impact what [policies] we want passed.” Both incumbent Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) of the U.S. Senate and Illinois candidates for the House of Representatives will be on the ballot, alongside local and Illinois State Senate races. Holton is involved with the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health. “I’ve been a part of trying to get two bills passed,” said Holton. “One was the Reproductive Health Act, and it did get passed, and the other is the Parental Notification of Abortion, and that is yet to be passed.” Mail-in ballots have also become more conventional as an option for those who feel unsafe voting in person. Andre Balanzar ‘21, who voted in person during the primary elections and mailed in his ballot for the general election, said more seniors should take advantage of mail-in. “[Eligible seniors] should do mail-in, just because it’s safer and COVID doesn’t spread as much,” said Balanzar. “I’m voting [by mail] because I think it’s the right thing to do, so that I can get my voice heard.” Despite casting his ballot early, Balanzar said he was dissatisfied with the candidates’ response to climate change. “It’s very important because the world is kind of dying, and neither of the candidates really seem to put that as their primary focus,” Balanzar said. “I would say Biden has the more progressive [climate position], but, even then, it isn’t that much. He keeps saying that he won’t ban fracking, even though it’s terrible for the environment, and both of them won’t support the Green New Deal.” Balanzar’s family joined him in voting by mail for the general election. For Holton, she said COVID-19, immigration and health care are pressing issues for her. “My stepfather is a Mexican immigrant—he is here legally, even though that doesn’t really make a difference—and it’s amazing to me how we treat these people who are coming here for justice and equality, and how we’re treating their children,” said Holton. “Instead of making sure they’re matched back with their families, we’re just putting them in the foster care system, a system that’s already broken.” Maya Resnick ‘21, who plans to vote in person on Election Day, said she didn’t experience much difference in her current voting experience than the normal voting experience. “I don’t think COVID has specifically impacted [the voting process] for me too much, especially because it’s easy for me to get to my polling place,” Resnick said. “I can walk there, whereas if I had to take public transportation, it would be harder. I [got registered] online, and it wasn’t too difficult, but I did have a hard time knowing if I was actually registered or not after I completed the form.” Holton said she was confused with her online registration when she went to the polling place. “It was pretty organized and only took me about 15 minutes,” said Holton. “I had registered online, but for some reason it didn’t really go through, so I had to refill my information. It was okay, because there weren’t too many people there.” Alongside Balanzar and Holton, Resnick said her vote represented something important to her specific to the political moment.
Graphics by Fiona Kogan ‘22 Column by Ava Thompson ‘21
PAGE 5 Shoot! Girls basketball will play Southshore Nov.18 at Jones
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT NOVEMBER 3, 2020
Pandemic Picks
Netflix’s movies can’t strike a chord with today’s teens, but their TV shows can
Pandemic picks
Netflix’s movies can’t strike a chord with today’s teens, but their TV shows can.
Award winning television show Stranger Things focuses on a small town, Hawkins, Indiana, and the strange happenings that occur there. With each brilliantly shot scene, filled with interesting color contrast, the viewer is drawn in. Not only is the show well cast with a set of young and brilliant actors who have been catapulted to fame by the show, the plot has remained engaging and consistent throughout each season of the show.
As one of Netflix’s arguably best upcoming shows, the Umbrella Academy’s second season released this summer of 2020 to wild success. It features a diverse cast of “misfits” with superpowers who were schooled in the Umbrella Academy to eventually save the world. While I don’t want to give too much of the show away, it is one of my favorite Netflix originals and certainly one of my favorite shows in general. The cinematography is stunning, the soundtrack is incredible, and the cast does a phenomenal job of portraying the storyline.
Elle and Lee, two best friends trying to get through high school together, still adhere to a set of rules they created when they were six. For example, “Rule #9: Relatives of your best friend are off-limits.” proves to be difficult for Elle, as she thinks Lee’s brother Noah is, “stupid hot.” This unrealistic movie’s culture includes a prom budget equivalent to the Met Gala’s, a high school dropout who fights each week that somehow gets into Harvard, and the O.M.G girls (Olvia, Mia, and Gwendolyn), a “stereotypical” portrayal of high school girls inaccurate to the time of the movie. Overall, all of this made the movie un-enjoyable to watch.
This highly talked about movie on the surface appears to be well made, but underneath there are a plethora of mistakes and stereotypes that make it both cliche and a waste of time. The movie is formulaic, and incorporated various things that clued me into this. Noah Centineo seems to be the main ingredient in all high school Netflix rom-coms, which is largely what I attribute the success of the movie. Aside from that, there is nothing remarkable about it. With a subpar plot, the unpopular girl meeting a popular boy who can only learn from each other, this movie does not stand out to me. Lastly, you can clearly see the director struggling, as most do, to create a culture that classic movies like “Mean Girls,” “Clueless,” and “Legally Blonde” did, defining a generation. However, it falls short of meeting those standards, and while the movie arguably has several memorable moments, it doesn’t achieve its original purpose.
With only six episodes a season, this underrated Netflix original series paints a portrait of a more relatable high school. Set in 1990’s Northern Ireland, it focuses on a small group of teenage friends as they attempt to make their way through school. What I loved most about this show was how realistic both the characters and dialogue were. While the plots were rather eccentric, as is typical of satirical shows, and they were both funny and tasteful.
The movie’s premise is that a very “tall girl” can’t seem to find a boy at school to date, though her best friend Jack Dunkelamn pines after her. Riddled with uncomfortable dialogue, cringe moments, and stereotypical characters, the only moment I grudgingly found charming was the film’s ending moments, as it’s revealed Dunkleman has been carrying around a milk crate for years just in case he needed it to to kiss Jodi at eye level. However, it was outweighed by the “Guys and Dolls” musical scene, beauty pageants, and classic line, “You think your life is hard? I’m a high school Junior wearing size 13 Nikes.” Men’s size 13 Nikes.
Beat that.”
Graphic by Ava Thompson ‘21 Photos courtesy of Netflix
PAGE 6 6 FT Please Keep your distance and wear your masks!
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT NOVEMBER 3, 2020
Doing all we can
An endless blur
Activism on social media is just confusing teens MY VIEW LEO NECHELES ‘22
With the development of social media, activists have learned methods of spreading valuable information. A rise in social media use throughout quarantine has led to a sudden increase in teenage advocacy known as “repost activism,” or “slacktivism.” This new trend, consisting of thousands, or even millions of reposted images intended to invoke change, has managed to involve more teenagers than ever in social and political issues. As great as it is to see social media used for a notable cause, in the grand scheme of things, this new trend is actually slowing various social movements. In a study done by the Pew Research Center, 37% of adults admitted to sharing racial equality related content on a social networking platform, while as little as 6% of those adults actually attended a protest or rally and only 7% contacted a public official to express their opinion. Additionally, people who signed petitions only showed an increased intent to sign future petitions, not to participate in protests or other civic actions. Sure, social media has helped spread awareness to certain issues and causes, but to what extent? With no correlation to protestors or donations, slacktivism has proved to be a disservice to concrete activism. Signing an online petition may produce feelings of animosity at the time, but in reality, there is no actual change until you put in the effort to do so. Not everyone can be, or needs to be an activist… and that’s okay. It takes lots of time and effort put forward to fight for a noble cause and produce change. However, if you’re going to continue reposting for a new social issue each week, forgetting about past issues as each new one comes around, please stop. If you want to be an activist, great, the world needs you. But please, pick one issue and stick with it. Dive deep down. Convince others to pursue it with you. Educate people in person, not with social media. Be the change yourself, don’t try to make social media do the change for you. And finally, most importantly, change the world… the right way.
New wave of social media activism achieves more than ever MY VIEW DONIYA BOYD ‘21
We are in the midst of one of the largest civil rights movements in American history. Gen Z played a large role in creating that movement, and social media has been our handiest tool. America is a large and complex country, and that unfortunately comes with many problems. At the forefront of the current movement, we see Black Lives Matter activists, advocates for the LGBT+ community, and rallying calls to end the crisis at the border. But, these just scratch the surface of the social problems we have in the US. That’s why, despite its fast pace, the constant stream of new issues on our feed is essential to the success of these movements. Of course, when you see 10 different posts, one after the other on your social media timeline, you aren’t expected to fully grasp the weight of all of them at once. But, this rapid spreading serves another purpose. By exposing people to more issues, we increase the chance of them finding ones they are passionate about. Social media activism has helped me find the issues I am most interested in and passionate about. I took those topics, did my own research, and developed my own stance in support of the issues. Not everyone is an activist. It definitely takes a lot more than sharing posts to be an activist. But simply being aware of these issues, even if your understanding is minimal, leaves us a whole lot better off than if we didn’t know the issues existed at all. Making an effort to care about those affected, some of whom may even be your peers, is an important part of being a good member of society. Without social media, there is no doubt that the marches wouldn’t have been as big, the petitions wouldn’t have as many signatures, and many more gofundme’s would have missed their goals. The way in which we can spread information rapidly to millions of people on the internet is something newly unique, and we should take full advantage of it.
No dancing around
How teachers can effectively have the race conversation
We recognize that this is a time like none other. Living through a pandemic, seeing the civil unrest unfolding over our nation’s racial inequities, and watching a high-stakes presidential election unfold, we scramble to make sense of it all. From the influx of loaded headlines on our television screens to the constant political theater being portrayed on our handheld screens, this isn’t something we can easily block out. It’s all around us, signaling that now is the moment for change. Many people are wondering what they can do to help. People have encouraged social distancing and mask-wearing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Social media users have shared an endless stream of petitions to enact change against racial inequalities and spread awareness about a variety of topics, including the motion to defund the police and the presidential candidates’ platforms, and tirelessly protesting against social justice issues. While this work is remarkable, we need to remind ourselves that this is a movement, not a moment. Too many people’s engagement with activist groups such as Black Lives Matter has significantly decreased. How can we keep this important conversation going beyond the presidential election and beyond 2020? It starts with school. School is meant to teach students everything they need to know to succeed in today’s modern world. The Jones administration has repeatedly
received backlash for their lack of response towards racially insensitive incidents that have happened on campus. During summer LSC meetings, students and alumni have pushed the Jones administration to come up with an effective anti-racism plan. Recently, the school has been implementing part of its anti-racism plan in class-
rooms and Eagle Labs. While this is a great start, the conversation seems very one-sided. Typically, students of color have been leading these conversations. While it is imperative that we amplify and listen to the voices of students of color, everyone needs to be involved in this conversation. And who better to look to facilitate these conversations than teachers. We’re all too familiar with the awkward silence surrounding these conversations about race. Students are so careful to politically correct that they disassociate themselves from the discussion. Teachers can be the ones to help educate students on this topic and guide productive discussions. But first, they have to know how to approach the subject. This is where teacher training comes into place. As a part of professional development training, Jones should further educate teachers on essential terms to the race conversation, such as “microaggressions” and “gaslighting.” Non-BIPOC teachers should also learn how to actively engage in the discussion, but not overpower the words of BIPOC students. Teachers should stress the importance of all students addressing instances of discrimination and emphasize that the discussion about race is one that everyone needs to be involved in. By providing resources to educate non-BIPOC students on how to approach race in society and creating more opportunities to learn about different racial groups, Jones will be moving in the right direction. Students should graduate with the ability to solve a quadratic and be a part of the movement to dismantle oppressive systems in our society. That’s the difference between a moment and a movement. Graphics by Fiona Kogan ‘22
PAGE 8
JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT NOVEMBER 3, 2020
No School November No classes Nov. 19 due to Parent-Teacher Conferences
CPS winter sports not able to practice
Jones winter sport athletes face major disadvantages, setbacks JOSHUA LAZAR ‘21 Sports Editor MAKAI SINGLETON ‘22 Sports Staff
swim teams to practice with each other like other Illinois high schools. “It’s really about how much work we put in if we get back in the water, but we’re going to definitely have a disadvantage against schools who are prac Winter is coming, and that means winticing everyday,” said Dante Ragazzter sports competitions are on the way for boys ino ‘21, a member of the swim team. swimming, bowling, and boys and girls bas As for bowling, the team has ketball at Jones. However, CPS has not been been forced to practice on their own time clear on how exactly winter sports will work and money, without the involvement of this year, or if winter sports will happen at all. Jones. On the other hand, seperate teams For boys basketball, Illinois High School are meeting up and able to practice on Association gave schools in Illinois an extra 20 the budget of their respective schools. days between the beginning of school and Octo “I think that there’s alber 31st. However, CPS did not allow its teams ways external factors, so mayto come together and use those contact days. be a little bit,” said bowling team “We can only worry about what we member Xander Mitchell ‘21. can control. We had 20 contact days in the sum Mitchell- believed this could easimer, and we used those, and I thought that ly have a negative impact on the group responded well,” said boys varsihow well the team does this season ty basketball coach Richard Kavalauskas. “We have an older team led by a tight-knit group against other teams that have been practicing through their schools. of seniors that I have a ton of confidence in.” FREE THROW Eric Minogue ‘21 shoots free throws at practice during Nothing is set in stone yet for any of For girls basketball, none of the teams prac- 2019-2020 basketball season these winter sports on whether or not ticed together as a full team over the summer. girls varsity coach Nicholas Teich. “Our team is young, hunteams will in fact be having a season. They met up amongst themselves outside of school to try to build camaraderie within the group. gry, and tough. We will play anyone, anytime, anywhere.” However, these kids are taking matters into their own For boys swimming, the team has faced the same hands by doing anything they can, while also being safe, to “To quote our Varsity Captain, Bailey Zalewski, has. CPS did not allow try to build a sense of family within their teams and clubs. ‘We are going to do the best we can with what we have,’ said challenges that boys basketball Photo by Amara Alexander ‘21
Soccer and volleyball delayed to spring COVID-19 changes sports schedules NIKOLA BILAVER ‘21 Sports Staff
future of their programs. Both this fall “We had a really really and last spring, every talented freshman group sport has been impacted [last year],” said Zubb. by the pandemic. Due to “We’re gonna be okay.” COVID-19, volleyball He said the team culand soccer have been ture and skills will condelayed from their usual tinue to hold up, even time of fall to spring, as with the challenges the the IHSA and coaches strike and the pandemic focus on the health and has made. Shittu agreed safety of their athletes. with that statement, dis “I was actucussing how he met up ally a little relieved with his teammates safely that they were going to throughout the pandemic. push the season back,” “There’s a couple of said girls volleyball times in Dec. where we coach Casey Feeney. all met up and we are Feeney said he is fine playing around with very safety conscious each other,” said Shittu. about the precau As for volleyball, tions for COVID-19. Feeney was worried about “It’s bethow the freshmen class ter safe than sorry, I has not had a season yet. have a friend whose “There’s kids who parent passed from maybe would have [COVID-19], so it is a learned to love the real thing,” said Feeney. sport and would have The delay was still started playing club devastating for many who would have exof the players, escelled,” said Feeney. pecially the seniors But, FeeSPIKE Danielle Ouimet ‘21 spikes ball during dig pink game last fall against Northside for both volleyball and ney has a lot of confidence The coaches understand that when the season will soccer. However, playin the former sophomores who are now Juniors. ers devoted to the sport will continue to play and in- start, there are going to be differences from before, but that “We have a really strong group of sophoteract with their teammates through other means, by the safety guidelines are a necessity in these times. When mores that are now juniors, that I think are going to talking to teammates virtually, and through club sports. these sports start again, safety will be the first priority. bring up the level,” said Feeney. “There were a lot vof “I would feel horrible if somebody came “I’ve been playing since August for a club sophomores that were looking to make good contributeam, said boys soccer team captain Qudus Shit- into the volleyball gym and spread it, and some- tions on varsity last year, so I’m really looking forward tu ‘21. “So that’s like practice four times a week.” body lost a family member because of it, so like to seeing what they look like as juniors and seniors.” The coaches said they are fo- at the end of the day,” said Feeney. “Safety should Zubb said the interview was a “wake up cused on keeping their athletes safe. prevail here, and we’re doing the right thing.” call” to himself to check how the team members But another concern is about how freshmen ath “I would rather stick to the health profes- were doing and to prepare for the upcoming season. sionals, and the guidelines of people that are very letes from last year will adjust, as they already went through “School is the most important thing, peknowledgeable and that have studied [COVID-19],” an interrupted season due to the CPS teacher’s strike. They riod,” said Zubb. “But I want them to sucsaid head coach of the boys soccer team Paul Zubb. might not be as prepared to participate in a further affected ceed and have a memorable high school season.” season. However, the coaches aren’t as concerned for the Photos by Joshua Blustein ‘20