Volume CX Issue 5

The Parker Weekly, Page 1

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The Parker Weekly Happy Winter Break!

Volume CX, Issue 5

December 17, 2020

NO MORE NOVICK

GEARS OF RACISM

Head of Intermediate and Middle Schools To Leave Parker in July

Dr. Tricia Rose Speaks as 2020 D’Rita and Robbie Robinson Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Speaker

By Tess Wayland

A

sistant Principal Ruth Jurgensen’s departure last spring left a vacancy within the administration that is still open, and now the school will have two holes to fill in the coming year. On November 12, Principal Dan Frank announced via email that John Novick, Head of Intermediate and Middle Schools, is leaving Parker at the end of this school year. Starting July 1, 2021, Novick will serve as the Head of School at North Park Elementary School, an independent PreK-8 school also located in Chicago.

In his eight years at Parker, Novick believes he’s grown as a person and an educator through his relationships and the values of the school. “I learned more in eight years working here than I did in the previous 25,” Novick said.

Novick first became aware of the opening at North Park last March, before the school closed for remote learning, and officially applied last July. “I’ve been an Assistant Head of School, I’ve been an admissions director, I’ve been a development director, I’ve been a teacher and a coach,” Novick said. “Thirty-three years in, I probably have 10 years left, and so the opportunity to be a Head of School is one I didn’t want to pass up.”

Frank was notified in the fall that Novick was in the process of applying.

After a round of in-person interviews and socially-distanced campus visits as a finalist, Novick was officially offered the position in November.

A search committee made up of administrators and faculty, with input from the Board of Trustees, is working to find Novick’s replacement, who is due to start in July. The team will likely start meeting candidates, with an interview process modified for COVID-19 protocols, in January. The job posting on Parker’s websites says the school is “seeking a dynamic progressive education leader with strong administrative experience and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion to be our next Head of Intermediate and Middle Schools.”

Though Novick is not on the committee,

Continued on page 14

By Jacob Boxerman Holiday painted windows from 2018 in the second-floor gallery hallway. Photo by Sofia Brown.

WINDOWS LEFT UNPAINTED

Freshman Window Painting Postponed Due to COVID-19 Spike

O

By Emma Manley

n one December morning every year, students, parents, faculty, and staff walk into Parker and are greeted with freshly painted holiday windows that the freshman class and their families created the night before. This year, the Parker campus will be closed during December, and the windows will remain unpainted.

The annual tradition was canceled after Parker moved to fully online learning due to a spike of COVID-19 cases in Illinois.

Freshman students and grade heads decided to postpone window painting until April, though they will not be holiday themed.

“As with most traditions, I think there will be a mixed response. Some families will be relieved that now they don’t have to make a tough choice about whether or not to come in, and others will be upset that this tradition is not happening in the normal way,” freshmen grade head Cory Zeller said.

Before the announcement that Parker would close the building, grade chairs created four different options for window painting. Three of the options included in-person window painting in different ways, and the fourth included painting at home on Zoom and mailing the paintings in. All of these plans would have had the paintings on display at school for students, parents, and faculty to see. “It’s a chance for the freshman class to give the school a gift, which is decorations for the holiday season,” Zeller said.

After learning that window painting

could not occur this holiday season, students had the opportunity to present ideas and vote during graderoom. One idea included delaying window painting until the next fall. Others included doing an event on Zoom where families painted on paper.

Freshman Naomi Gross suggested having students paint at home on plexiglass instead of paper. “My grade heads were talking about the possibility of doing something on paper that got taped to the windows and while I liked the idea, I thought something like a clear sticker or plastic-type thing could make the experience more like we had imagined or remembered from previous years,” Gross said.

Students voted on whether to do window painting on Zoom or to postpone the event. According to Zeller, Zoom was not a popular choice. “They seemed less interested in another Zoom event,” Zeller said. “We’ve been on it for so long, so anything virtual seems to be not very popular.”

The idea ultimately chosen was to postpone window painting. Freshman Davu Hemphill Smith suggested having window painting in April. “I am very excited that they chose my idea because it allows us to continue the freshman tradition even though it’s been delayed,” Hemphill-Smith said.

“I said that the window painting should be postponed to April because that is around National Window Day, and with a name like that, it was at the perfect time for window

Continued on page 14

F

rom a book-lined office on Monday, December 7, Dr. Tricia Rose, this year’s D’Rita and Robbie Robinson Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Speaker, addressed topics of systemic racism in her talk titled “How Systemic Racism Works in an Era of ‘Racial Equality,’” held on Zoom.

Rose spoke for an hour to an audience of nearly 500 about her analysis of the deep issue of systemic racism facing our country through her “five gears of focused research” —wealth, education, housing, criminal justice, and media––and how they connect to form what she refers to as a “tremendous and flexible and crushing, frankly, apparatus.”

Rose is the Chancellor’s Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Special Initiatives, and the director of Brown University’s Center for Study of Race and Ethnicity in America. She is a scholar of “post civil rights era black U.S. culture, popular music, social issues, gender and sexuality,” according to her personal website. Rose has a BA in sociology, as well as a Ph.D. in American Studies, and has spoken on a number news outlets, including PBS, CNN, and NPR. Rose hosts a podcast, “The Tight Rope,” and has published three books, including “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America,” which the publication “Diverse: Issues In Higher Education” named one of the top books of the 20th century.

In her talk, Rose explained her “five gears” methodology for analyzing and discussing systemic racism. “It connects one sphere of society to another to another to another. That is to say, the police cannot alone be responsible for systemic racism.

They would be one piece of the puzzle if and when they are participating in a discriminatory way,” Rose said. “And so understanding systemic racism … requires not only grasping the details of the specific discriminatory practices and the inequalities

Continued on page 11

The Parker Weekly, Page 2

T he P arker W eekly

“The Weekly” is supported by an endowment created in memory of Brad Davis ‘98 “Weekly” Staff ‘96-’98, “Weekly” Editor-in-Chief ‘97-’98

Visit us at parkerweekly.org

In this issue:

staff

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Online Editor News Editor Features Editor Opinions Editor Photo Editor Political Liaison Culture Critic Culture Critic Columnist Columnist Columnist Columnist Cartoonist Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor

Zach Joseph Julia Marks Nick Skok Tess Wayland Jacob Boxerman Emma Manley Sofia Brown Gabe Wrubel Grace Conrad Leila Sheridan Scarlett Pencak Lilly Satterfield Rosey Limmer Spencer O’Brien Denise Román Grayson Schementi Maddy Leja Samantha Graines Max Keller Alya Satchu Eden Stranahan

The Editorial Board of “The Parker Weekly” consists of the Editors-in-Chief, Managing Editor, News Editor, Features Editor, Opinions Editor, and Online Editor.

Letter From The Editors

Hi Parker!

Happy Holidays! It’s been a wild year, for sure, and we hope that you all are just as excited as we are for 2021 (and all of “The Weekly” content to come!) We are positive for a wonderful new year!

We are so thrilled that we were able to publish and mail out this issue. We miss the constant printed publication and hope that this was a wonderful holiday surprise!

Please congratulate all of our amazing writers for their hard work these past few weeks. Be sure to check out Alya Satchu’s piece on Virtual Pride Week and Samantha Graines’ piece on the Turkey Drive. Also, please be sure to also check out our website, parkerweekly.org, for even more content, all organized by our Online Editor, Jake Boxerman.

Love,

Zach, Julia, and Nick

writers Zach Joseph ‘21 Julia Marks ‘21 Spencer O’Brien ‘21 Denise Román ‘21 Alex Schapiro ‘21 Grayson Schementi ‘21 Nick Skok ‘21 Jacob Boxerman ‘22 Sofia Brown ‘22 Emma Manley ‘22 Tess Wayland ‘22

Sadie Gallagher ‘23 Samantha Graines ‘23 Sophia Jones ‘23 Max Keller ‘23 Sophia Rosenkranz ‘23 Alya Satchu ‘23 Eden Stranahan ‘23 Lucy Wrubel ‘23 Arjun Kalra ‘24 Harry Lowitz ‘24

contributing faculty Faculty Advisor Faculty Advisor

Kate Tabor Eric Rampson

Quote of “The Weekly” “21!” — Nick Skok “20 what?” — Ava Ori

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Letter to the Editors

The Parker Weekly, Page 3

IN RESPONSE TO “IN RESPONSE TO ‘THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION’ BY SOPHIA JONES” BY ELI MOOG

By Grayson Schementi Dear fellow readers,

This election was a bad situation, and to portray it as NOT one simply shows a lack of understanding of America’s electorate and of President- Elect Biden’s policies.

But let’s start with politics. There is a reason that an overwhelming majority of incumbent Presidents win reelection (only 11, including Trump, have lost). After all, they have the Presidential seal, Air Force One, an uncompetitive primary, and the ability to control the 24/7 news cycle. So, when it came time for the primary, Democratic voters understood this. But, look, I am not writing this to relive the primary, even though I just brought it up for no reason, but to address a portion of Eli Moog’s letter to the editors, “In Response to ‘The Best of a Bad Situation’ By Sophia Jones”. That line is: “to address a line in Sophia Jones’s article ‘The Best of a Bad Situation’. That line is ‘Biden’s America won’t be a great America.’ I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement.”

I wholeheartedly disagree with Eli’s disagreement. I say this because America is hurting right now. Thousands of Americans are dying every day from a deadly disease. America’s economy has been knocked to its knees. And America is facing a reckoning with systemic racism. Arguably, these crises were not made for any man alone. No one man can solve them, let alone President-Elect Joe Biden. Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, his career has included a stint as a public defender and two terms as Vice President to America’s first Black President.

This unique experience has NOT prepared President-Elect Biden to lead our nation on the topic of race as working for one black dude does not prepare you to lead our nation on the topic of race, and this experience has NOT prepared President-Elect Biden to continue America’s attempt to finally live up to an equal and just nation as he would rather work with segregationists to pass something bipartisan than take a stand based on principle alone.

Let’s not forget, though, that by his side will be a history-making VP, who is the embodiment of the American dream and locked up nonviolent minority drug offenders at an incredibly high rate, thus preventing others from achieving the American dream in their own lives because they smoked pot.

When it comes to our economic recovery, President-Elect Biden approaches the issue thinking about Wall Street, as they are his donors, not about working Americans, like his childhood friends from Scranton. And that’s important because for the past four years, President Trump has been solely focused on a similar demographic -- occupants of Mar-a-Lago.

When it comes to COVID-19, Joe Biden is going to listen to the scientists and make informed public health decisions. But like many other politicians in American history, he is defined by loss, giving him unbounded empathy, which he will use to reach out to every family that has lost a loved one while still not providing every American affordable health care. He will restore the president’s position as a moral leader, and in doing so, maintain the status quo that allows people to experience great loss in the first place. Under his leadership, I am confident the same number of lives will be saved as under any other presidential candidate, a vaccine will effectively be distributed as it would under any other presidential candidate, and we will return to an equally corrupt America once this pandemic ends at the same time that it would have ended under any other presidential candidate.

But most importantly, I think President-Elect Biden has a chance to restore America’s place in the world, keeping our feet on the world’s neck, and restore America’s confidence in our government’s ability to not pass anything because we prefer stability over progress.

I understand this may be a really really easy prediction to make, as partisan politics will always exist unless we decide that, hey, maybe they shouldn’t, but it’s time that Washington returns to regular, gridlock, partisan, swampy, big-money, racist, warmongering “order.” If we continue on our current path of delegitimizing our institutions when they don’t fit us, or making bogus rules so the President can send us into a war in Iraq, then we won’t succeed.

The moment Democrats start playing dirty by not letting a coronavirus relief bill pass the house for purely partisan reasons, we become no better than Sen. McConnell or President Trump. President-Elect Biden understands that, and it’s why he supports Nancy Pelosi.

He campaigned on the promise to restore the soul of America, and yet a significant portion of his voters “settled” for him. Joe Biden does not carry the soul of America and his campaign slogan has zero policy implication.

Finally, in my opinion, President Obama was a so-so president. And Joe Biden will be another so-so president, one who will use his mandate to get moderate or conservative lite policies to get things done and restore America’s soul, something that he does not carry and suggests no policy decisions that would actually restore the soul of America. He will not be our FDR, Washington, or Lincoln. Joe Biden is not a revolutionary. Under a Biden-Harris administration, America won’t be perfect. End of sentence.

Joe Biden will be better than Trump in every conceivable way. Joe Biden will be one of the greatest leaders in the world for the next four years. He is a man of honor and integrity. But Joe Biden, and America, can be the greatest country on Earth and still be miles and miles and miles from the goal. We can be better. We can be so much better. Joe Biden won’t take us there. But he is what we settled for.

Have something to say about what was published in this issue of “The Weekly”?

Email our Managing Editor at twayland@fwparker.org and write a Letter to the Editors to be published in our next issue!

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Parker News

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ROCAH WINS DA POSITION

Parker Alum Mimi Rocah is Elected District Attorney of Westchester County

By Harry Lowitz

On November 4, the Mimi Rocah for District Attorney Campaign released a Press Release, announcing Rocah’s election as Westchester District Attorney (DA). Mimi Rocah ‘88 won 63% percent of the votes (200,921 individual votes), easily beating her opponent, Bruce P. Bendish, who had dropped out of the race in September but still appeared on the ballots.

For 16 and a half years, Rocah was the Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York prosecutor.

She also served as Chief of the Westchester Division for the Department of Justice where she worked under U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and the Obama administration. She has earned multiple Department of Justice awards.

Rocah worked as a Distinguished Fellow in Criminal Justice for the Pace University School of Law. She was also a Legal Analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. Rocah was active in her community, working with her children’s school and with several organizations, all according to her website.

The June 23 Democratic primary gave

Rocah the Democratic nomination. She was running against the incumbent Anthony Scarpino who beat Bendish in 2016.

Scarpino conceded the election over three weeks after the primary due to the close election results as well as the unprecedented influx of mail-in votes that slowed down the counting.

Also on November 4, Rocah announced the leaders of her transition team as Zachary W. Carter and Leroy Frazer, Jr., both widely respected New York law enforcement veterans according to the transition website.

As DA, Rocah will be the lead prosecutor of Westchester County and she will choose how law enforcement interacts with the community. This responsibility manifests in allocating resources and directing focus to certain types of cases. She will also have the power to give previously closed cases another review.

Prosecutors determine how people who have been arrested are tried or not tried in court. Clinical Professor of Law, Legal Director of the Children & Family Justice Center at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and fellow Parker classmate

of Mimi Rocah, Alison Flaum ‘88 brought up the example of teen drug arrests which have significant racial disparities. The local prosecutor of Cook County made the decision to not “throw the book at” or sentence or charge kids who have been caught with drugs.

“I think where I see Parker’s ethic of community and citizenship really manifesting in Mimi’s career is what we all learn at Parker about speaking up when you see something wrong and being part of the solution, identifying ways to make the world better,” Flaum said.

Rocah’s issues page of her campaign website lists eleven specific causes that Rocah is committed to working on. These include a “plan to address police misconduct” using the law to stand up to crimes against workers, and her environmental justice agenda. “I think what people want to see are candidates who are embracing change,” Rocah said to “The Journal News”, a local newspaper in Westchester.

The third issue outlines Rocah’s commitment to a “restorative justice approach in Westchester DA’s office.”

Restorative Justice centers around the idea that justice does not necessarily mean punishing someone who has committed a crime but rather how the person who committed a crime can repair their harm and make things right. “It sounds pretty obvious but there are plenty of places where prosecutors are not open to these kinds of alternative ways of thinking about what justice means,” Flaum said before noting Rocah is “absolutely in support” of restorative justice.

Flaum described Rocah in high school as a bold leader with integrity who was an outspoken upstander when needed.

The campaign’s press release finished with the following quote from Rocah, “As Westchester’s DA, I will work to keep everyone in our community safe, stand up for the rule of law, confront bigotry and hate at every level, and make sure Westchester District Attorney’s office works for all of the people of Westchester. Let’s get to work.”

To l e a r n m o r e a b o u t R o c a h ’s background, visit parkerweekly.org to find ‘20 Ian Shayne’s article “Parker Alumna Shines on National Television”.

TWENTY YEARS OF TURKEY

The Annual Turkey Drive Continues Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Samantha Graines Turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and various forms of vegetables are the meal that many people sit down to every Thanksgiving. The delicious meal that takes place on Thanksgiving is a luxury, as not all families have that level of food security.

For the past 20 years, Upper School history teacher Kevin Conlon has partnered with the Midwest Workers Association, the MWA, to help families have food for the holidays.

Conlon organizes a turkey drive every year where members of the Parker community are encouraged to bring in frozen turkey or any non-perishable items. Although the turkey drive looked different this year due to COVID-19, it still occurred.

The Midwest Workers Association is an organization that is based in the South Side of Chicago, and its goal is to help some of the lowest paying workers in Chicago.

The donated items directly go to members of the MWA. In addition to the drive, they also have an emergency pantry. Conlon is a strong proponent of MWA’s work. “It creates a sense of neighborhood unity, and the people involved are the most selfless people I have ever met,” Conlon said.

The work that the MWA does is important every year and improves many families’ Thanksgivings, but the drive is needed more than ever this year due to the coronavirus. “They have more people who have food emergencies because they have lost their jobs,” Conlon said. “They are not getting checks to keep them afloat.”

Parker families took part in the annual Thanksgiving food drive. Photo courtesy of Kevin Conlon.

As the holiday season was approaching, Conlon was trying to figure out how the turkey drive would happen this year as the Upper School is remote. He did not want to burden his colleagues who were teaching in school because it is already a stressful environment.

Conlon was planning on utilizing the 75-minute in-person advisory day that was supposed to occur for the Upper School on November 19, but that ended up being cancelled due to the rising coronavirus cases in Chicago. Despite this setback, the turkey drive was rescued when Parker Parent Association co-chairs Nichole Charfoos and Cat Adami volunteered to utilize the Parker Parent Association to collect donations.

Charfoos was first introduced to the

turkey drive when her daughter, senior Isabella Charfoos, mentioned it to her.

Charfoos thought that it would be hard to get the necessary food this year with members of the community not being in school, and the demand for the food was even higher this year, so she wanted to get involved.

Charfoos and Adami wanted to help, so they introduced the drive at a Parker Parent Association Meeting and through many emails. “We were honest that we needed people to step up, and we needed help and they answered that call,” Charfoos said.

“They brought many of the items listed and then some.”

The socially-distanced food drive took place on Wednesday, November 18, the last day that junior kindergarten through

seventh grade was at school. There were two different options of time slots where families had the chance to donate turkeys or non-perishable items on November 18.

“At drop off, they had a box for donations across the street from Parker, on West Grant place. Then, at pick up, they had a second round of donations,” Conlon said. Conlon additionally was in the alcove on Thursday, November 19 to collect any items from members of the community who wanted to donate, but he could not come on November 18.

The targeted audience for the turkey drive was all JK-12 students and their families, and participants range from JK students to eighth-grade students to just parents. “People got excited to do something that was tangible, and we saw all ages,” Charfoos said. “Kids were involved and they helped us to unload the cars.”

Junior Emma Manley dropped off nonperishable items at Parker to help support the turkey drive. Manley initially was planning on doing it with her advisory, but when advisory day was cancelled she still decided to participate. “I always want to help and I felt like this year was a really good chance to do that,” Manley said. Manley donated cans of vegetables and stuffing, her Thanksgiving favorite, to the MWA. The excitement was not limited to the

Continued on page 15

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COVID Cancellations

The Parker Weekly, Page 5

MASK-ETBALL

Parker Upper School Basketball Season Postponed due to COVID-19 On Friday, December 13, 2019, students, parents, alumni, and fans all entered the DePaul McGrath-Phillips Arena for the annual “White Out Game,” decked out in blue and white apparel, holding signs, and cheering on the two Parker basketball teams that played that evening. This Parker-beloved event will not occur on Friday, December 11, 2020, as previously scheduled. Due to COVID-19, the basketball season has been put “on pause” until further notice.

According to Director of Athletics Bobby Starks, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) categorized each sport in a level of risk, from “low-risk,” to “medium-risk,” to “high-risk,” each rank determining at what condition athletes could practice and play. From there, the Illinois High School Organization (IHSA) created guidelines for each sport.

For the six fall sports that Parker students participate in (tennis, golf, cross country, field hockey, soccer, and volleyball), three of them were deemed “low-risk” -- noncontact sports tennis, golf, and cross country

By Julia Marks

could not compete -- allowing those against other teams. athletes to hold However, with the non-contact spike of COVID-19 practice, intracases in October, on team scrimmages, October 27, Illinois and intraGovernor J.B. conference or Pritzker deemed intra-league play. basketball a “highHowever, field risk” sport and put hockey, soccer, the sport “on hold.” and volleyball A g a i n s t were all deemed Pritzker’s guidelines, “medium-risk” the ISHA announced and have been on October 28 that postponed. basketball would Parker ’s still take place on Upper School November 16, and winter sports Payton Pitts looks for an opening at a varisty ( b o y s a n d g i r l s basketball practice. Photo courtesy of Payton Pitts. individual schools could decide if they basketball) normally begin at the end of October or early wanted to follow the IHSA or Pritzker. On November, and this year, were supposed to November 11, Starks announced through start on November 16. Initially, basketball email that the basketball season would begin was ranked a “medium-risk” sport, on November 30, holding only non-contact meaning that teams could hold non-contact practices.

“Safety is the number one issue for practices and intra-team scrimmages but

us,” Starks said. “We’ve always said we are going to follow the science. We are going to follow our city and state mandates.”

However, shortly after this decision, Pritzker ordered a statewide stay-at-home advisory, including “Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigation,” on November 17, in response to the new wave of cases. On November 19, the IHSA paused all winter sports and activities, in response to Pritzker.

“As a result of the new guidance from the Governor’s office and the IHSA, all Illinois high school athletic programs, including Parker’s, are postponed until further notice,” the email from Starks said, on November 20.

Junior and Varsity Girls Basketball Captain Elsie Rattner is disappointed but understanding of the postponement, noting the aspects of basketball that make it dangerous to play: sharing one ball, playing inside, and being a contact-oriented sport. “It’s expected, and I think it’s the right decision health wise,” Rattner said.

Continued on page 15

ADVISORY DAY FOR UPPER SCHOOL CANCELLED Why This In-Person Event Didn’t Occur

By Sophia Jones On November 10, Head of Upper School Justin Brandon sent an email to the Upper School informing them of an inperson Advisory Day meeting on the 19th.

The day was divided into four 75-minute advisory periods, with advisories meeting in their classrooms or outside. Social distancing and masks would be mandatory as well as temperature screenings at the doors.

With the Upper School fully virtual, students looked forward to in-person events but were also apprehensive due to the rapid rise of cases in the city. 17 percent of the Upper School students said that going wasn’t worth the risk of catching the coronavirus, and 16 percent said the day shouldn’t have been planned in the first place with the pandemic raging in the city and cases surging.

“I was planning to go,” junior Elsie Rattner said. “I missed seeing people outside of my social circle, and I missed being in the building. I knew that the administration would have good precautions for COVID-19, so I wasn’t worried about that.” Almost a third of the Upper School agreed with her, saying that they were slightly worried about the virus but not enough to keep them from attending.

Sophomore Phoebe Friedman agreed.

“As long as people wore masks and stayed socially distanced, I think it would have been fine,” Friedman said. “I saw a statistic saying that 1 in every 15 Chicagoans have

the coronavirus. That’s scary. I totally understand why people wouldn’t want to go, and they shouldn’t feel like they’re missing out by staying home.”

Although students could be in contact with adults and higher risk groups, teachers are at a much higher risk of suffering from the virus. “Teachers had the right to stay home if they’re concerned about their health,” Upper School history teacher Susan Elliott said.

“So it wasn’t mandatory. I was planning to go, and I was excited to be back and see everyone.

I was surprised when I heard some people didn’t want to go.”

Advisory Day was created to help the Upper School students feel like a community again and boost the mental health of those who might be feeling lonely with online school. While students thought this was an admirable goal, reality fell a little short. “It’s just one day,” Friedman said. “I know that online school has taken an emotional toll on me, but how much can one day really do? I miss seeing a diverse group of people every day, and I see my advisory through Zoom anyway.”

Advisories consist of a small group of people who students already are talking to twice a week. For students who don’t have friends in their advisories, the prospect of over an hour with them wouldn’t be exciting. “I personally love my advisory,” Rattner said. “But I know that there’s a lot of people who don’t feel the same way, and to them 75 minutes with their advisory isn’t something they’d want to do.”

But most of the Upper School felt that the Advisory Day itself wasn’t the reason they weren’t e x c i t e d . To accommodate for the day w i t h o u t c l a s s e s , extra classes that would normally meet on Thursday were added to the other four days. The extra classes made the school day longer.

Almost half of the students in the Upper School described the schedule as “awful,” with only 7 percent saying that they liked it. “The schedule wasn’t ideal but I see why they did it,” Friedman said. “I don’t know what else they could have done to keep us on track that week.”

Rattner suggested asynchronous learning as an option. “We could come back

“I was planning to go, and I was excited to be back and see everyone.

I was surprised when I heard some people didn’t want to go.”

from the building, watch some videos and do some work,” Rattner said. “That way we could have a normal schedule but still get through material on Thursday.”

With the coronavirus cases rising, both Rattner and Friedman questioned the decision to hold the Advisory Day late in November, rather than earlier in the year when the cases were lower and the weather was warmer. “I feel like they missed a window,” Friedman said. “We could have been outside when fewer people had COVID-19, but now it feels more dangerous.”

For students who are in contact with higher risk groups, meeting indoors may not be plausible. “Personally, I’m not in regular contact with high risk people,” Friedman said. “But I know that many of my friends are, so they have to be more careful. I’m not worried about getting the virus myself, but I am worried about passing it on.”

What the future holds for in-person plans is on both Friedman and Rattner’s minds. “We’re in a bad situation,” Rattner said. “What people want for in-person events isn’t realistic. I want to see my friends that I don’t see in my classes or outside of school, and I want to see my friends in other grades, but that isn’t possible right now.”

“I think that the administration is trying hard,” Friedman said. “I know that they’re bringing up the conversation of what we can do and how we can be more connected.”

The Parker Weekly, Page 6

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Remote Learning and Finals IRRELEVANT OR IMPERATIVE?

Academic Consistency Resolution Passes with 85 Percent Student Support

By Sofia Brown As a lively debate in Student Government plenary came to a close, a majority of participant’s Zoom voting dots turned green as 85% of the student body voted in favor of passing the newly proposed Academic Consistency Resolution.

The resolution outlines a series of requests from the Upper School student body directed to the faculty in an attempt to standardize teaching procedures across the board. The included topics ranging from the timing and platform for posting homework to the appropriate time to take tests outside of allotted class periods.

The introduction of the resolution states that during both remote and in-person school, “teachers have sometimes lacked consistency in time of homework posting and format,” and that this resolution means to “reaffirm unsaid remote-learning and homework rules, making it clearer for both students and teachers.” On Friday, November 13, junior and Student Government Media Manager Mia Bronstein sent out the contents of the resolution to the Upper School

Faculty and Staff in a kindly-worded email.

Many students were eager to engage in this newer Student Government process.

They first got a chance to voice their opinions and give feedback in a student-run Senate, where the resolution g a i n e d momentum.

It was then officially brought up in Plenary weeks later.

A platform for submitting suggestions was also made available via a Google Form sent out in an email, which reminded everyone that “the purpose of this is not to complain. It’s really to create some ground rules so homework and classes can be managed a bit better.”

This was the first Student Government resolution not initiated by a student-Cabinet member and the second one created overall.

“It was a really good way to start off the resolution process,” sophomore and Student Government Parliamentarian Jack Kahan said. “Because it wasn’t entirely unanimously popular, it really gave way to a lot of good, healthy debate and discussion a r o u n d amendments.”

According to Kahan, a majority of Cabinet was surprised by the amount of debate over this resolution. Though a majority supported it, there were also strong arguments made against its passage.

The different opinions and proposed amendments ended up helping revise their original draft.

Kahan emphasized the good intention behind the requests, saying that “none of the teachers were maliciously doing anything

“My opinion is that as a teacher, we’re flying blind. We’ve never done this before, so the more feedback, the better,”

wrong or purposefully making it harder for the students. It was just sometimes I think they didn’t know exactly the procedure they should be following, and I thought that this was a great way for just a ‘heads up’ for everyone across the board about what they should be doing.”

Upper School history teacher Susan Elliott shares a similar perspective on the matter. She was a Student Government Faculty Advisor at the time of the resolution’s passing and witnessed the student debates held in Plenary.

“My opinion is that as a teacher, we’re flying blind. We’ve never done this before, so the more feedback, the better,” Elliott said. “I’m supposed to be giving you feedback and teaching you how to take feedback positively, so it would really be ridiculous if I didn’t take feedback positively.” She later noted the importance of learning the reasons behind students’ anxiety in order for them to learn more

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A NORMAL FINALS WEEK DURING A NOT-SO NORMAL SCHOOL YEAR How Final Exams Will Work in 2020

By Max Keller “Got Stress?” could be the slogan for every finals period at every high school, college, and university across the nation.

Every semester, students are tasked with various assignments and assessments to demonstrate mastery of a semester or entire academic year’s worth of learning.

Any student that tells you finals are no big deal is either taking classes that are far too easy or is in denial. Finals during a global pandemic that has fundamentally altered the entire educational system takes that stress to an entirely new level. That level of stress is where Parker’s Upper School students find themselves as the end of the first semester approaches.

At the beginning of the school year, “The Weekly” published an article about grading during remote learning. In that article, Sven Carlsson, Middle and Upper School Director of Studies, stated that “the grading policy for remote learning is that we will be using standard letter grades.” As it was unknown whether the Upper School would return for in-person learning during the first semester, the grading policy for remote learning did not address final exams.

With the end of the semester approaching, and Upper School Head Justin Brandon’s October 16 announcement that the entire semester would be completed remotely, Upper School students are left to wonder what it means to have a remote finals week and how these finals will impact semester

grades.

Just as the remote learning grading policy was unchanged from an in-person school year, the Administration does not intend to make changes to the final exam period for the virtual school year. Finals week will be the “same as in years past; exam week is a time for final assessments, presentations, reflections, or activities. The week before exam week should be a review week,” Carlsson said. “This decision did not come without serious discussions. A proposal to eliminate exam week was floated through various departments and ultimately revealed a diversity of faculty opinion rather than consensus,” Carlsson said. “As there are so many different things happening in classes during final exam week, introducing a new, blanket approach (no final assessment period for any projects, exams, reflections, or activities) did not seem in the best interests of teaching and learning.”

While students may believe that “normal” finals conducted remotely during the first ever full semester of remote learning is not consistent with their always-changing school environment, “the final decision to leave exam week unchanged came from the US Office,” Carlsson said. This came “after hearing from department chairs about the diverse needs/desires of their faculty, and teachers are, as always, able to decide how they want to conclude the semester.

Again, that means final exams may be

exams, project presentations, reflections, simulations, or something else.”

Longtime Parker English teacher Mike Mahany shared that “there was not a departmental discussion, but we were sent surveys by both the department and the division about our preference for a traditional finals week or a “regular” week of school. I don’t know the specifics of the results, though I think that we landed on the traditional finals week,” Mahany said.

For his various final assessments, Mahany does not intend to make any significant changes to what he would assign during inperson school. “I’m doing a few different things for finals.” Mahany said, “The ninth graders are doing one-on-one Write Club style debates about various first semester issues. The juniors in American Lit are probably going to do a debate of some kind; I’m in the process of coming up with the debate topics. The same might be true of the Science and Fiction class that I teach with Mr. Zhang, but we are still in the planning stages about that.”

French teacher and Department CoChair Cynthia Marker shared a similar view.

“Teachers are very sensitive to the demands placed on learners in Zoom classes and appreciative of students’ overall amazing efforts to remain engaged and committed to daily lessons,” Marker said. “In the language department, we have tried to determine the best ways to highlight the semester’s

achievements and build students’ confidence in speaking and writing via a variety of final projects. These may take the form of special presentations or, in some instances, more traditional written assessments according to your level of study.” When asked if she would be keeping her final assessments consistent with those in years past, Marker said she would be “designing presentations that exhibit conversational skills and decrease preparation involving screen time.

“Normally, I would be more inclined to have you conduct research projects such as the Google Virtual Tours of France and Paris we did in French I and II last year... But now, I’m trying to be much more aware of the tricky balance students have to maintain in all classes with regard to screen time.”

Despite the stress of remote learning during an ever worsening pandemic, the Administration is not taking any new or different steps to support students suffering from exam anxiety. When asked how Parker would help students suffering from extreme anxiety, Carlsson said Parker would try to ensure “that students know that their teachers are available (and when/how to talk with them about their learning, stress, preparations, etc.), leveraging advisory time and advisors to have conversations about stress and anxiety that allow for feelings to

Continued on page 12

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The Parker Weekly, Page 7

Giving Thanks

COVID-19 THANKSGIVING EXPERIENCE How Parker Students Adjusted Typical Thanksgiving Habits to Accommodate to Pandemic Precautions

By Lucy Wrubel As a virus began to circulate months ago, no one suspected the effects it would have on parts of the year such as Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season. Suggestions were made to quarantine, remain indoors, and to go in public only for the necessities.

Some people still stick to these rules, but others are becoming more and more impatient with the deadly virus as month after month goes by. Are the rapidly rising Covid-19 numbers enough to keep families apart on a day meant to bring them together?

There were 11,509 new cases of the coronavirus on Thanksgiving day this year in Illinois. That number is before any spike that could have been caused by large group gatherings on that day. During the weeks after Thanksgiving, scientists are expecting a surge, and statistics are still playing out to reflect the role that the coronavirus played. In regards to the ethical values and beliefs of families this year, many people

have different views. This November, different moral compasses played a role in the decisions that either deemed it safe or dangerous to travel or gather with others outside of your immediate family or coronavirus bubble.

“I think it’s different depending on people’s family and health situations,” freshman Audrey Fuder said. “If people gathered in large groups without taking into account the COVID-19 situation, I think that it is a bit irresponsible.” Junior Jack Zoller agrees. “I think as long as people travel in a safe manner, meaning quarantining before and after along with routine testing, it is okay,” Zoller said.

Third grader Thea Jones also stops to take different risk levels into consideration while evaluating the option of celebrating Thanksgiving as one typically would. “I wish I could have travelled, but then again it is kind of irresponsible because if you

are going to someone older than you like a grandma or grandpa, it can be unsafe for them,” Jones said.

Due to Thanksgiving typically being a family-centered holiday, these exact thoughts were taken into careful consideration as families determined their plans this November. “Usually, our entire family comes to town and we have dinner all together either at my house or my cousin’s house,” Zoller said. “But sadly this year, we couldn’t do that, but I am thankful I was able to safely spend thanksgiving with my immediate family, and one other family who are really close friends of ours.” While Zoller wasn’t able to continue his typical Thanksgiving traditions, he is very happy that he was able to find a safe way to spend it with an alternate small group of people that he also cares about.

Fuder and Jones had nearly identical Thanksgiving experiences. “Usually we go

to my grandma’s house in Michigan and other extended family members come as well, but this year in order to keep everyone safe I stayed at home and spent the day with my immediate family,” Fuder said.

Jones relates to this experience, because she usually visits her grandma in New York with her family, but this year to be safe, she spent Thanksgiving with her immediate family.

For the most part, everyone seems to be taking the required measures, not only to ensure safety for themselves, but also to protect others. Outside of the Parker community, coronavirus safety levels remain consistent. Zoller, Fuder, and Jones all reported that all of their relatives spent Thanksgiving with their own immediate families as well. The three students and their families will be spending the remainder of the holiday season at home to continue practicing safe habits.

SPREADING THANKS

The Seniors Create a Gratitude Campaign for the Community

By Harry Lowitz At the top of the Senior’s Gratitude Campaign website page, 36 of the Parker seniors are waving happily in a video.

Further below, there are 70 messages of gratitude that have been posted on the site.

The senior class and their grade-heads have created a Senior Gratitude Campaign that aims to spread thanks across the Parker community during this stressful and disconnected time.

Usually, during the first few months of the school year, the seniors would be working on their County Fair booth. Last year, the senior class introduced a haunted house activity to the fair which required a lot of work, according to Senior Grade Head and Upper School Choir Instructor, Emma Castaldi. This year, County Fair has been postponed until March of 2021, which freed up a significant amount of grade room time, allowing for another project to take place.

According to Castaldi, at this time of year, seniors are very busy with college admissions-related tasks. Because of that added stress, the grade heads wanted to do a new project that would not be “overwhelmingly taking up too much time” for the seniors.

The grade-heads focused on spreading gratefulness because November is a time for thankfulness and being leaders in the community as the oldest grade. “We want to show the Parker community that we’re all very thankful for each other and that we’re all going through the same stuff,” senior Will Ehrlich said.

The grade heads used a grade-room

period to hold a brainstorming session to come up with ideas for projects that the seniors could feasibly do to make an impact.

That brainstorm resulted in the idea of a message board which is what they decided to create. “We were very limited in our options, but I think it was a good choice,” Ehrlich said.

The message board has its own page on the official Parker website. The primary page has messages of gratitude from the seniors and then that page links to a page where other people in the community could share messages. The community page has over 25 messages from students and faculty who wanted to share.

Freshman Wren Dudney posted a message thanking her math teacher, Wendy Olt for being a good teacher during online learning. When asked about her message, Dudney said she was happy to have a place where she could express gratefulness in such an easy way to teachers she felt were not being given enough thanks.

The video on the Senior Gratitude Campaign website page was created during grade room. The video starts and ends with several Zoom grids of seniors waving to their cameras. “It’s not easy to see the senior class altogether at all now,” Castaldi said. So instead, they wanted to create some images of the full grade. The video also included seniors explaining the page and inviting the community to interact with it by reading a script that the grade-heads had drafted.

“This gratitude statement can be written or recorded,” senior Rohan Dhingra said as

the fourth speaker in the video. “Feel free to submit a statement of yourself or work on this project with your class, department, or family.”

Other videos were created in small groups to be sent to different groups of Parker students and faculty, inviting them all to add to the message board.

The message board was started off by the senior class all posting their messages of gratitude. Castaldi described a variety of people that seniors were thankful for ranging from a specific friend to the collective maintenance staff.

Castaldi explained that because this is a very frustrating time where everyone has a list of things that they are unhappy about, it is important to “take a step back” and recognize the things and people that you are lucky to have and grateful for.

“Usually we don’t have to see our community, we just feel it and it’s around us and it’s right there,” Castaldi said, “so these kinds of things, like a message board, is a creative way where we can kind of still visualize and experience a community.”

Senior Ada Collins recommended that people post on the message board because of the simple joy that it is equipped to share.

“It’s just a really great opportunity for people to come together, express gratitude,” Collins said. She noted the significance of expressing gratitude for being part of the Parker community and enjoying all that it has to offer.

Ehrlich hopes that the message board will bring people together as it allows the

Parker community to express gratitude for their relationships.

Castaldi explained that this kind of senior year was unexpected, even after last Spring, when COVID-19 had already come into effect. The grade heads sent out a survey to the senior class to get a feeling of what they cared about and what they wanted this year to look like.

Castaldi was surprised to see that seniors had taken the time to write out their thoughts when the survey asked if there was anything else they wanted the grade heads to know. She noted that seniors went into this year with a positive attitude and have maintained that feeling but it has been hard and they are experiencing a lot of doubt struggle, especially relating to the college process.

The senior grade heads have tried to be as accommodating and comforting to the seniors as possible, attempting to signal dedication to the class of 2021’s senior year experience.

Collins explained that seniors had mostly “accepted” this year and they have “come to terms” with the situation. She thinks most students are doing ok and are hopeful for some time together next semester, but are also focused on safety.

Ehrlich noted the disappointment of missing his friends and the atmosphere of being at school with the community.

“The reason this gratitude campaign is so effective at a time like this is because we can all just kind of be together without really being together,” Ehrlich said.

The Parker Weekly, Page 8

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What’s Happening at Parker CONNECTIONS DURING COVID-19

Spanish Four and Five Start an Exchange Program With Quilmes High School in Buenos Aires, Argentina

By Arjun Kalra ZoomPals make great friends, and language seems to be no barrier. Students in Advanced Spanish Literature and Advanced Latin American Literature, taught by Upper School Spanish teacher and senior Grade Head Yadiner Sabir, have developed a correspondence with Argentinian students, and the connection goes beyond exchanging email.

“I met Ms. Sabir when I started working with the academy in North Carolina, she was my counterpart there, which was our, Quilmes, introduction to exchange program,” Fernanada Eguinoa, English teacher and Head of the exchange program at Quilmes High School, said.

“When the pandemic hit us all, I had to think of how I could somewhat recreate the experience my students would have in my classroom speaking Spanish to me, since it is much more limited in an online format.

Given that none of us could travel, I reached out to Fer and proposed the idea of a Virtual exchange and we got things going right away,” Sabir said.

The correspondence with Quilmes High School in Buenos Aires started in

September. Each student in the two classes is paired with a student in Argentina.

“My teacher, Ms. Sabir gave each student the email of a student in the exchange school so we started talking,” senior Julia Polsky said. “At least for me, I speak to them in Spanish, and they respond in English, so we can both practice while also just getting to know them.”

T h e students were assigned projects to complete with their exchange partner. “We’ve done a few projects, group projects, where we present on something. Like we had a project on the planet, and we’ve done them on other topics,” Polsky said.

The first assignment, on the environment, was meant to show how much they all had in common.“We gave

them a picture of a sick earth and asked the students to answer why it was sick,” Eguinoa said. “They gave us responses like the environment and about the oceans but also about social issues, common issues we all face no matter where we are.”

One of the aims of the assignments was for both students to get to know someone from so far away and understand the different cultures. “ T h e most valuable thing that I am getting from this experience is the chance to meet new people from a different country and being able to share things from our lives, our likes, cultures, traditions, etc,” student at Quilmes High School, Gaudalupe Moreira, said.

“It’s really interesting to see what kids from other cultures, literally halfway around

“Over the past few months we have become friends, and I think I’ll continue to talk to them even after we are no longer required to.”

the world, do,” Polsky said. “It’s cool to see that my partner from a totally different part of the world has a very similar life, listens to a lot of the same music, watches some of the same stuff, and just is very similar to us.”

Because of the flipped seasons, the program came to an end in early December when the students at Quilmes go on summer break, however, that doesn’t mean that the correspondence will.

“I like speaking with my pen pal,” Polsky said. “Over the past few months we have become friends, and I think I’ll continue to talk to them even after we are no longer required to.”

As the program ends, there are several things linguistically or otherwise that students got from the program.

“What students get the most is the things that books can’t teach, the fluency, the informal, colloquial language that isn’t as common in the classroom,” Eguinoa said. “ I believe this is an opportunity that you don’t get everyday, so I’m very thankful for the experience and for the partner that I got,” Moreira said.

OFF, ON AND OFF Looking Into the Rocky In-School Experience for the Parker Eighth Graders

By Sadie Gallagher From in-school, socially distanced, and masked, to at home and online, the eighth grade class has moved their learning environment many times. Going into the 2020-2021 school year, the Lower, Intermediate, and Middle School students were granted in-school learning. Every day, the eighth grade would go with masks and social distance rules in place, like the rest of Middle and Lower School. Through the first half of the first semester, the eighth grade had four cases in just around three months. The students m o v e d on and o ff o n l i n e school, readjusting constantly.

As they i n c h e d towards the middle of the first semester, the eighth grade teachers made the decision to move the class fully online.

Eighth grader Gemma Franco went online twice. “The last time I went online it was only supposed to be for two weeks, but now it is until January,” Franco said. “The

first case that happened shocked me because everything was so different and everyone was adjusting to the new environment.”

Eighth grader Jane Lennon said that finding out there was a new case was scary.

“When I first found out, I didn’t know if I could have been exposed,” Lennon said.

In the eighth grade four cases occurred, but three of them happened around the same time. “The first time my parents got an email during the night about the case and me moving online,” Franco said, “but I think the teachers and students transitioned well into online.”

Eighth G r a d e english teacher D a v i d Fuder said the first transition was the hardest one. “We weren’t given appropriate time to prepare for the switch to remote,” Fuder said, “and teaching remotely using an in-person schedule had its difficulties for students and teachers alike.”

Lennon said it was annoying the second

“The first case that happened shocked me because everything was so different and everyone was adjusting to the new environment.”

time because the grade had only been back for around a week. “I don’t know if when we came back from our two weeks online I really saw any change to make anything safer, but truthfully it was pretty safe to begin with,” Lennon said.

Lennon says she would prefer for school to be inperson, but for the situation they were in, it made sense. “I think it was a smart choice to move online because the coronavirus is getting pretty bad, and our grade had a good number more cases than other grades in school,” Lennon said. Lennon still hopes to go back in January. Franco, on the other hand, doesn’t agree with the choice to go online because no cases were developed from school. “In the future I do hope we all go back because it will further everyone’s education,” Franco said, “and personally, it will help me learn more and be more productive.”

Fuder believes that teaching in-person makes communication and collaboration

challenging due to masks and social distancing. “Being remote presents different distractions and tech issues,” Fuder said, “but I like the more intimate feeling that comes with r e m o t e learning.”

While online, Fuder is able to see all of his students’ faces in close p r o x i m i t y, allowing their discussions to have greater depth and more effective communication overall.

As of now, the eighth grade is scheduled to return to school in January after December break. Franco, Lennon, and Fuder all seem hopeful for a return but know it must be safe. “I’ll approach it with new ideas and plans for making it as effective as it can be,” Fuder said, “but regardless, this journey has been a reminder of how much I value the progressive nature of education that we had pre-pandemic, and I’m confident this experience will sharpen us as educators for the future.”

“In the future I do hope we all go back because it will further everyone’s education, and personally, it will help me learn more and be more productive.”

The Parker Weekly, Page 9

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Playlist of “The Weekly” HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

By Alex Schapiro

The full mix can be accessed at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/03BwiQD0VC0d2EsNTornYV or by scanning the code below.

THE CHANUKAH SONG

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

by Adam Sandler

by The Jackson 5

JINGLE BELL ROCK

by Bobby Helms

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

by Frank Sinatra

LINUS AND LUCY

by Vince Guaraldi Trio

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

by Ella Fitzgerald

by Gene Autry

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME

by Stevie Wonder

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS IN HOLLIS

by Run - D.M.C.

by Michael Bublé

DREIDEL SONG

JINGLE BELLS

by Nick Jr. Winter Wonderland Cast

by Frank Sinatra

NOTHING FOR CHRISTMAS

by Slim Jxmmi, Rae Sremmurd, & Ear Drummers

ALL I WANT FOR WINTER CHRISTMAS IS YOU WONDERLAND

by Mariah Carey

by Bing Crosby

CHRISTMAS IN HARLEM

YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH

by Kanye West, CyHi The Prynce, Teyana Taylor

by Tyler, The Creator

SILENT NIGHT

SLEIGH RIDE

MA-O-TZUR

by The Temptations

by TLC

by Blackmore’s Night

The Parker Weekly, Page 10

Holidays & Colleges

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CHICAGO AND COVID: A HOLIDAY UPDATE

Chicago Continues The Regulations And Precautions Set In Place From the Fall In a city where the holidays are greeted with cold weather, people might add a new item to their winter wardrobe this year: the face mask. As reported by ABC 7 news, “People are looking to remember this holiday season with pandemic-related merchandise. According to Etsy, face masks alone have reached $264 million in sales.”

As the holiday season approaches quickly, COVID-19 numbers continue to rise rapidly. Chicago has experienced a surge in COVID-19 numbers and has approached the concern in numerous ways, one being several new regulations and precautions instituted across the City and State.

The city has proposed the need to create new regulations and precautions. In midNovember, city officials created different sets of rules in regards to safely managing the coronavirus and trying to reduce the number of cases present in both the state and the city.

A Stay-At-Home advisory was issued on November 16th by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

In addition to the Stay-At-Home advisory, Tier Three regulations were put into effect by Governor J.B. Pritzker on Friday November 20th, reinforcing certain mitigation efforts.

As of November 18, the City of Chicago COVID-19 Dashboard states that the positivity rate for the city is currently at

By Sophia Rosenkranz 15.3%. The new rules set in motion in midNovember created challenges and obstacles for the city as the precautions considered many different fundamental aspects of life.

School Nurse Anne N e l s o n described how the holiday season will impact the coronavirus pandemic in Chicago. “So I think we are going to see an increase in hospitalizations and a couple of weeks after that we are going to see an increase in deaths, and it’s sad because we’re so close to the vaccine and kind of putting an end to this at least starting in December,” Nelson said.

Nelson described how people “deserve to have a nice holiday, but not at the expense of other people, and by other people,” Nelson said, “I am thinking of nurses and doctors that work in the hospitals. My heart goes out to them because they, you know no matter how hard they work, people are still going to die.”

Nelson also mentioned the pattern in

which health care professionals “are getting sick too, not necessarily with COVID-19, just from being exhausted.”

She mentioned how traveling will have a large impact this y e a r. “ I definitely think you should stay where you are.”

As the holidays approach and 2020 comes to an end, Nurse Anne commented about what she has learned during the duration of the pandemic. “I have also felt through myself personally, a new sense of purpose. I felt like okay, I have a new job now. My job is not school nursing.

My job is public health nursing with a school focus, and I felt like I was, really. It was a very pivotal role for me that made me feel very good, and I also felt very supported by the medical community at Parker,” Nelson said.

Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy located in Lincoln Park has also experienced challenges regarding the coronavirus and

“I am thinking of nurses and doctors that work in the hospitals. My heart goes out to them because they, you know no matter how hard they work,

the holidays. The Assistant Manager Aaron Victoria at Pharmaca has noticed some trends.

“I think that, as expected and predicted by the experts, the holidays are going to make it more difficult to control the number of infections. As humans, we are torn between spending time with our loved ones during the holidays and staying safe by isolating ourselves,” Victoria said.

While the holidays are impacting the cases of the coronavirus, the coronavirus is also impacting the holidays.

“We are shopping differently, sharing differently, gathering differently (zoom), and, sadly, many of us have empty seats at our tables,” Victoria said.

Pharmaca has also experienced changes regarding business and sales.

“Our particular pharmacy has seen a drop in sales at the retail end of the business. However, our online platform is experiencing record sales this year and specifically this holiday season,” Victoria said.

Victoria also noticed trends in shopping as customer traffic has changed in the physical store and has shifted to the online

Continued on page 15

ZOOMIVERSITY? A Look Into Applying To College All Online

By Eden Stranahan

With the tap of a Zoom link and after spending a couple minutes in the waiting room, one is greeted by up close faces within the perimeter of rectangle boxes. This is the process all students go through daily for classes, meetings, and extra curriculars. The same is true for all things college. Typically students would spend their breaks from school driving, flying, and staying with older students for the weekend to best experience real college campuses and life. This year, a tour takes place through the lens of a computer screen in your room. This aspect of the college process is one of many that has changed for high school students this year.

Senior Zoey Blickstein has experienced what it’s like to apply, tour, and decide what college to attend online. “This year was definitely hard to navigate,” Blickstein said. “So much of the process starts over the summer and second semester junior year.

Being online is pretty difficult.”

Junior Mason Gardner has less focus on physically submitting applications, but also said that not having an in-person connection or ability to tour is the most difficult aspect of his process so far.

Mathew Garchik, another senior, agrees

with Gardner. “This year I didn’t get to visit any of the schools that I’m applying to,” Garchik said. “I also feel like I haven’t gotten as personal of a connection over Zoom with college counseling.”

W i t h college tours being the most different element of the college process, online tours have been implemented a s a replacement. “ I h a v e n ’t gotten to experience what I would experience if i did go to those schools because I didn’t get to go physically,” Garchik said.

“My first step was going to a lot of schools’ virtual tours,” Blickstein said.

“Some of them are really, really old which isn’t helpful. An advantage is that I can do

it on my own and take my own time and not feel rushed by anybody and write something down if I need.”

All three students agreed that not being able to visit campuses in person was the biggest loss to this year’s college process.

“Not going in p e r s o n to visit schools is definitely this year’s biggest difference in the application cycle compared to previous years,” Garchik said.

Blickstein utilized YouTube as a big research tool during her college application process. “Some schools have their own YouTube channel, and it’s really interesting to see what the school puts out that they

“Not going in person to visit schools is definitely this year’s biggest difference in the application cycle compared to previous years,”

want you to see and to compare it to videos made by students of what these schools are really like,” Blickstein said. “You can find a lot of people on Youtube with videos like ‘What They Don’t Tell You About Penn State’ as an example. They tell you things admission officers would never tell you or even just what residency hall you want to live in freshman year.”

As a junior, Gardner hasn’t done as much work on the college process thus far. This year’s limitations have created fewer opportunities to meet with college counseling and focus on college in general.

“I’ve been working on some self taught ACT stuff,” Gardner said. “Other than that, not much, as we haven’t been in person or had as many opportunities to meet with college counseling.”

As the days get shorter and colder, more colleges are sending out their decisions to seniors who have spent the last year applying, researching, and touring online.

“It felt really crazy to hit submit application for the very first time,” Blickstein said.

“It’s always a really happy feeling getting acceptance though.”

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More Features!

The Parker Weekly, Page 11

PARKER’S VIRTUAL PRIDE

Pride Committee Introduces the First Virtual Pride Week

By Alya Satchu

As the Parker community entered the building during Parker’s Pride Week in 2019, they were handed colorful beaded necklaces that they wore throughout the day in celebration. Over the course of the week, students and faculty attended assemblies and Q&A sessions that focused on the stories and advice of LGBTQ+ members ranging from the Parker community to all over the world. This year, 2020 Pride Committee Heads, sophomores Daniel Silets, Samara Boyd, and Kiran Matthews, adapted to the new format for educating the student body virtually.

“The process for doing a virtual Pride Week was challenging. We wanted to still retain our goals of following community and creating a safe space for members of the queer community at Parker,” Matthews said. “While doing that virtually it can be difficult, but we had some good meetings and a lot of good ideas of things that we could do to bring people together and to forge that bond between allies and members of the queer community at Parker.”

Parker ’s Pride Week takes place annually, and every day of the week represents a different color of the Pride

The 2019-2020 Pride Committee Heads at Committee Fest. Photo courtesy of Will Ehrlich.

Flag. Monday was red and symbolized life.

The Pride Committee hosted a virtual Zoom meeting focused on what it means to be an LGBTQ+ ally and how allies should go about supporting their friends, family, and peers who might identify as being a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Being an ally is being educated about qeer topics and queer issues but also just being there for someone who comes out to you,” Silets said. “It’s also being educated

enough and comfortable enough to call out people that say something that you know is homophobic or offensive.”

Tuesday represented the colors of orange and yellow, symbolizing healing and sunlight. The second day of Pride Week welcomed a visitor that works to benefit the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago. A virtual meeting was held in which Reyna Ortiz from Chicago House Social Services Agency (Chicago House) attended. The main focus

of Chicago House is to underpin those affected by HIV/AIDS and provide a level of healthcare, employment, and housing support to the LGBTQ+ community. Ortiz grew up as a transgender woman in school, and the backlash and homophobia that she received growing up, she ended up becoming Prom Queen of her high school and is currently working to help members of the LGBTQ+ community across Chicago.

“I think Reyna Ortiz was a really good conversation that we had because she’s transgender, and not a lot of people at Parker know what’s like to be transgender and especially what it was like for her growing up,” Boyd said.

The third day of Parker’s Pride Week, Wednesday, represented the color of green which symbolizes nature. Brian Richardson, spoke with the Parker community within a Zoom meeting. Richardson works at Lambda Legal, a nonprofit organization working to succeed in achieving civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Lambda Legal works to accomplish this goal through “impact litigation, education, and public

Continued on page 15

GEARS OF RACISM Continued from page 1

in one area of society, but also knowing how they work in interlocking ways.”

Rose used the “gear” of housing as an example to demonstrate the interconnected nature of systemic racism. Beginning with the history of redlining, with a special focus on Chicago, Rose explained how home lending and appraisal descrimination begin to affect not only generational wealth but also educational funding.

Properties in Chicago, Rose explained, that were deemed more desirable by the Federal Housing Administration in the 1930s gained far more value over time, compared to property that received a “D” rating due to their high Black populations.

“And what else goes up,” Rose said, “are property taxes. So what happens over time is these values go up, up, up. But what property taxes do, is they fund our public educational system.”

Rose continued by connecting underfunded public education to the criminal justice system, speaking about racial disparity in school punishment, especially in schools with fewer resources. “Schools that struggle with resources and with students who are facing lots of challenges have a highly punitive model,” Rose said.

“What we see is a culture of punishment for behavior that would in other settings … not be considered terribly dangerous or problematic.”

Statistics Rose shared from the U.S.

Department of Education and non-profit racial justice organization the “Advance Project” showed that, despite evidence that both white and Black students misbehave at the same rate, Black students are expelled at four times the rate of white students, and also account for 42% of referrals to law enforcement.

“These disparities are what push kids out of school, punishes them, and sends them a strong rejecting, criminalizing message.”

The talk also touched on topics such as how systemic racism is made invisible by insisting on the existence of a true meritocracy, or by “not seeing color.”

The D’Rita and Robbie Robinson Speaker series, established in 2018, previously featured speakers such as writer and commentator Charles Blow and University of Pennsylvania professor Howard Stevenson, and focuses on discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Dr. Rose was initially contacted by former Assistant Principal Ruth Jurgensen prior to her departure at the end of last year. “She had known of Dr. Rose’s work, and thought, obviously, quite highly of it, and pursued it

and made those arrangements,” Principal Dr. Dan Frank said.

“Part of the takeaway is to facilitate educational understanding for students and adults … we’re all students of America, and we have a lot to learn,” Frank said. “I’m very grateful to the Robinson family for having established this as an ongoing l e a r n i n g experience for all members of our school committee and beyond.”

One attendee was Parker parent Mosea Harris.

Harris, who is Black, said that while much of the information was not new to him, he enjoyed Rose’s talk and appreciated the empirical evidence and Dr. Rose’s “five gears” approach.

“For me, for a lot of people, I would assume that we know something is going on, and we don’t stop and dwell on it,” Harris said. “You just keep working, and you just keep doing and maintaining your sense of hope, and humanity … But there’s an issue.

It’s real good the way she was able to present it and clarify and show examples, and show what it really means.”

Harris also thought Rose’s discussion was particularly pertinent in 2020. “The

“For Parker to have the ability to have such compelling thought leaders like Dr. Rose, to speak to our community is really quite lucky,”

term systemic racism is something that was part of the discussion over the last few months of political discussion. I heard some politicians come out and say, well, there is no systemic racism,” Harris said. “But with the kind of work that she did, it shows that there is something within the system that has these adverse effects.”

Frank hoped that other audience and Parker community members would also find value in the talk. “For Parker to have the ability to have such compelling thought leaders like Dr. Rose, to speak to our community is really quite lucky,” Frank said. “It’s really clear why she was selected. … Just the depth of understanding that she has about our society, and the key and vital issues about race and equity and justice are really compelling.”

Rose closed her presentation with a final discussion of the metaphorical gears of systemic racism. She suggested that one could “slow down this process by jamming in some kind of screwdriver or wrench,” and that by slowing down one gear, the whole system might be slowed.

“If we can find the pivot points, if we can find these intersections … we stand a chance at reversing the gears,” Rose said.

“We can slow them down and perhaps begin to turn them the other way, so that we’re in the business of producing systemic opportunity.”

The Parker Weekly, Page 12

Colonel Columns

LET’S GET REAL FYI: The Holiday Spirit Still Lives

Visit us at parkerweekly.org

I’M PRETENDING YOU ASKED My Thoughts on Senior Complaints

By Denise Román

By Spencer O’Brien

Comic by Maddy Leja.

On my morning jog last week, I noticed that my neighbor hadn’t started decorating his house with wreaths, colorful lights, and the giant inflatable snowman that attracts the entire neighborhood. My Snapchat memories are full of my friend, Aliya, singing holiday songs in the Parker fourthfloor art gallery while we’re finishing up our homework. My burgundy and pine sweaters that I usually wear during the holiday season haven’t been worn. Lately, I haven’t been finding myself in the holiday spirit.

Peppermint, gingerbread, and cinnamon candles aren’t on sale. Target holiday commercials aren’t popping up as often on TV. It almost feels like the whole world took a pause from the holidays, and isn’t unpausing until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Before the coronavirus, I used to get excited about the holidays. I looked forward to ice skating in the Maggie Daley Ice Skating Ribbon with family and friends. I’m a horrible ice skater, but my favorite part about ice skating was seeing the Christmas lights hung at the ends of the rink. It was a tradition in my family to attend the Christmas lightning ceremony, so I’d look forward to it in early November.

More than anything, I looked forward to seeing my grandparents who traveled from Mexico City to Chicago. Now, the pandemic has changed many aspects of the way I’m celebrating the holidays this year.

My grandparents are no longer able to visit since traveling is considered high-risk, so a Zoom call during Christmas and New Year’s will be taking place.

The Chicago Christmas lightning ceremony took place without any spectators, but I live-streamed it since Mayor Lori Lightfoot set up a virtual holiday program.

Recently, The Mayor’s office announced

that there won’t be ice skating at Millennium Park because it’s a high-risk activity.

Despite not being able to fully participate in these holiday traditions, I’ve decided to keep my holiday spirit alive.

It’s easier to be pessimistic about not being able to fully enjoy the holidays this year than to look forward to them. I’ve come to question what the holidays mean to me, and what I’m grateful for during a pandemic.

Sometimes, I forget that the holiday spirit lives within me, and the many traditions that I’m missing out on aren’t as relevant when I think about why I’m not doing them.

For example, I won’t be able to see my grandparents during the holidays, but I know that they’re not visiting for both their safety and my own. The holiday spirit is what I make of it. I can choose to be upset over what I’m missing out on or think about how I can make the holiday’s just as special as before. After weeks of questioning whether I should decorate my room for the holidays, I started putting up my Christmas tree and lighting my peppermint candles.

Furthermore, I’ve started to spread the holiday joy to friends by giving them holiday Netflix recommendations. Just because there’s a global pandemic happening, it doesn’t mean that the holidays are canceled.

The holiday spirit still lives!

Whatever holidays you celebrate, I encourage you to stay positive. All of us are missing out on something this holiday season, but it’s important to keep our holiday spirit alive. More than anything, it’s important to appreciate the people and things we have this holiday season. So, enjoy the holidays safely and to the fullest potential. Watch a holiday movie, create a Spotify playlist, decorate your house, and think about why the holidays are important to you!

Anyone doing the musical this year?

I am. Besides an absurdly hard (and I guess rewarding?) dance audition and a really pretty audition song, but, also, I’m not a tenor so it wasn’t exactly easy, it’s going to be a pretty fun time. I’m hearing a lot of complaints that it’s too impractical or that it’s supposed to be a REAL musical and not a cabaret, but really I’m just happy something is happening at all.

I went to the arts discussion breakout room and got to hear A LOT of complaining about the musical this year. I sound like a broken record here, but Parker students complain a lot. Too much in my opinion. Why don’t we just appreciate the fact that literally no one is GLAD COVID-19 is happening, and be grateful that teachers are even taking the time out of their day to spend a ton of time making a musical happen for us.

And sure, this is not how I’d spend my ideal senior year. I’m well aware of the fact that no matter what, I’ll be doing my senior year musical alone in my basement whilst I sing my heart out to a screen. Screens don’t give applause. But to all the people out there who won’t stop telling me that this isn’t the way they want their senior year to go -- I KNOW. You and the 3.7 million other seniors due to graduate this spring are pretty much all feeling the same way.

Just because you have to do school remotely does not mean that the school (or anyone for that matter) has to bend to your will or do what you want.

Sure, there are 3.7 million seniors who have to do virtual, but there are 52.7 million other students in America who are equally as unhappy that school is virtual and 3.7 million teachers across America who I can guarantee are more unhappy than all of us combined. Teaching grumpy high schoolers must not be fun in person, so I can’t imagine what that must be like during virtual.

Maybe this is just me complaining.

Who am I to tell you how the rest of America feels. BingBong. Maybe I’m just done listening to people be unhappy about Parker being virtual when the other option is literally getting COVID-19 and quite possibly dying because of it.

All in all, nothing we do this year is going to be the ideal way we’d like it to be done. Like I said before, I’d really rather not spend my entire senior year in my basement in front of a screen -- but if that stops me from getting COVID-19, then honestly, so be it.

FINALS

Continued from page 6 be shared openly and strategies discussed, and, as always, making sure Learning Resources and Counseling departments are equipped to do their work and share their expertise with students.”

With little change coming to finals week, students are left to wonder why the dramatically altered school year has not resulted in a change in grading or finals. “With the pandemic, this year is different than any other year at Parker and around the world. Yet finals haven’t changed and are set to go ahead like everything is normal and the world hasn’t changed. We are in a global pandemic, so everyone has to adapt to the uniqueness of the circumstances, and that includes the administration altering finals week,” sophomore Wyatt Chatalas said.

Senior Matthew Gordon’s view was similar. “I hope they don’t do finals. It will be bad for student’s mental health,” Gordon said. Freshman Sarah Matthews echoed a nearly identical stance to Gordon and Chatalas’ opinions. “I feel like having normal finals during a very un-normal time isn’t conducive to our learning. We had to cut so much out of the curriculum this year because of online learning, so having finals as if we had learned everything isn’t fair,” Matthews said.

Despite the likely backlash from students, Carlsson made very clear that Parker remains dedicated to helping students succeed. “My faculty colleagues are very serious about their craft and their disciplines, to be sure, and they are arguably even more serious about the progressive principle of ‘the child and the needs of the child’,” Carlsson said. Marker shared a similar sentiment, recognizing that virtual school isn’t easy. She wanted to “extend a heartfelt thanks to all [students] for being the best student body ever!

Your good humor, level-headedness, creativity, adaptability and genuine enthusiasm for learning continue to make one of the strangest years ever an enjoyable and productive experience.” Based on Carlsson’s statement that “your teachers care about your well-being and you as a whole person, not just your performance or the work you do in their classes,” Parker students will face the normal finals week, during a global pandemic, with the reassurance that Parker’s goal of student success has not changed.

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More Columns!

THE JOYS OF LIFE Corn Syrup.

By Grayson Schementi This week, I am doing a column on something very near and dear to my heart.

In fact, it’s in my heart RIGHT NOW! It’s the thing that keeps the corn industry in business (seriously, who eats corn) and it’s the thing that keeps children up until 3 a.m. screaming about BANANAS!: Corn Syrup.

Corn Syrup is a game where one... nevermind, that’s Chess. (Column three, read it, I was right!) Corn Syrup (I’m not supposed to capitalize Syrup, but I did it anyway) is officially known as “glucose syrup.” It’s the liquid/solid version of glucose with a little bit of maltose and some oligosaccharides. That basically means that it’s putty-sugar mixed with more sugar.

Now, you’ve also probably heard of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the opposite beverage of Hydrogen Hydrogen Oxygen. HFCS is also called “glucosefructose,” because it combines fructose and glucose.

Pretty selfe x p l a n a t o r y.

The FDA states that it is a “safe” ingredient for manufacturing.

Yay! However, the FDA won’t let it be called “Corn sugar” because it has too much fructose and the FDA wants everyone to know that High Fructose Corn Syrup.

We should probably go over the six main sugars. There’s the three basic ones: glucose, fructose, and galactose.

GALACTOSE! It has such a good name.

And then you can combine glucose and fructose to make sucrose, and, if that glucose comes from corn starch, it’s called HFCS. There’s also glucose + another glucose which is called maltose. And then there is glucose + GALACTOSE and that makes lactose. You might be intolerant to that one.

Back to corn syrup, the process to make it is...how would you say...JOYful. Ok. So. You separate corn kernels from the cob.

You wet mill it. What is that? It’s when you have one of those big mills, and then you drench it in water.

Then you take 2.3 litres of this wet milled corn, and you suck the starch out of it, 947g worth of starch TO BE SPECIFIC! And then you stir that up into one kilogram of corn syrup. You know what else is loosely related to the number 947? Chapter 947 of the Ohio Laws and Rules that discusses Property Identification (I’m not supposed to capitalize that, but I did it anyway.) And you know what that means? Corn Syrup, just like Kiwis, is in the Big Leagues.

Corn syrup is found in tons of things

The Parker Weekly, Page 13

EDITORIAL Don’t Mistake the New Year For A Reset Button By “The Parker Weekly”

that bring joy to people the world over.

THE WORLD OVER! Applesauce has it. Cranberry sauce has it. Pickles has it.

BREAD HAS IT! What? WHY!? But do you know what else has it? TWIZZLERS. Story time: Twizzlers, made by Y&S Candies Inc., of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a “licorice-type” candy created in 1929. The company itself was founded in 1845 when, if William Henry Harrison had remained not-toxically masculine and also alive, he may have been president instead of James K. Polk. Twizzlers are “licorice-type” because there isn’t actually any licorice root in Twizzlers. Also, licorice comes from a root, who knew?

Story time: In Student Government, there is something known as Senate. This is where all students who choose to participate meet at lunch, share food, and discuss pressing student government issues like Senior Month or Finals. However, this year we aren’t allowed to share food, and are also not at school. :( Luckily, Senate has found a work around! (auto-correct wants me to say “The Senate,” but I didn’t do that). Senate sends 20 dollars worth of food to four random lottery winners each week, paid for by Student Government.

Two weeks ago, I won, and I ordered 20 dollars worth of Twizzlers from 7-Eleven.

Now, is this a good use of Student Government money? I would argue yes.

But this does bring up a larger question about how Parker spends its money. Luckily, Parker is a school and also a not-for-profit, meaning all the non-classified stuff is free on ProPublica for anyone to research. And I recommend doing so. All you have to do is open up Google, and type “Francis Parker ProPublica.”

I think it’s important that we understand, for instance, how much the maintenance team gets to redo parts of the school, and whether that money would be better spent ensuring there is sufficient, genderbalanced diversity across the grades of the school. I think it’s important we are at least financially literate in regards to how our own not-for-profit school is run, if we’re not going to be taught that in school. (This could be its own column, but we should be taught financial literacy in school).

Let’s commit ourselves to learning more about how Parker spends its money to make sure that we are spending it well.

Deal?

“I think it’s important we are at least financially literate in regards to how our own not-forprofit school is run.”

It’s not lost on anybody just how chaotic 2020 was. Before the pandemic, the wildfires in Australia were out of control and tensions between the US and Iran led the nation to believe we were in for WW3. Since then, we’ve experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, major earthquakes across the world, and even the threat of murder hornets.

It truly has been an eventful year, especially in our lifetimes, so much so that the “New York Times” magazine branded it the “ Wo r s t Ye a r Ever” on their latest cover.

As we approach the end of the calendar year, however, we on The Weekly have noticed that a number of people have expressed the idea that 2021 will somehow erase all the events that have happened since January 1. This sentiment of everything fixing itself once the clock strikes midnight is damaging for a number of reasons, especially in regards to the progress we have made amidst the pandemic and chaos.

We must first emphasize that the coronavirus is not operating on our school schedule. Come January 25, we need to accept the idea that we may still be learning remotely and social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. Making irresponsible choices to hang out with your friends without taking the necessary precautions, despite a vaccine existing, is both damaging to yourself and selfish to those who cannot take the same risks that you can.

The social isolation that came out of the various quarantine phases left more time for self reflection, whether it was wanted or not. We hope that you use this time to reflect on the kind of person you want to be in the new year.

Furthermore, as the Black Lives Matter protests have shown us, the path to fix systemic oppression and inequality is not as simple as one tweet on social media or an Instagram story post to go with your theme. Real, systemic change needs to be made in order for this oppression to cease to exist, which means we cannot allow the movement to be overshadowed by whatever happens in 2021.

Our generation had the opportunity to participate in and influence the outcome of a major presidential election, yet the same political enthusiasm that many had expressed pre-November 3 seems to be lacking as we head into the winter. Just because Joe Biden has been elected the 46th

President does not mean you can go back to ignoring politics and not worrying about the state of our nation. If the past four years have taught us anything, it is that we need to continue to stay engaged in politics and use that momentum to cause real change for our generation, and many to come.

To many, a new year means resolutions, and we on The Weekly would like to challenge you to add another resolution to your list for 2021. It is simple: do not pretend like the new year means anything other than a change in your calendar.

2021 is not magical, nor will it miraculously fix everything that has come to light in the past twelve months. Don’t go into 2021 thinking everything’s resolved, but try to maintain a positive outlook. Remember when we all thought “2020 is going to be my year?” Well, try and make 2021 your year while keeping in mind what you’ve learned.

For this reason, we ask you to resolve to not forget what we experienced in 2020, and to resolve to use those experiences to shape your actions in the years to come.

“This sentiment of everything fixing itself once the clock strikes midnight is damaging for a number of reasons.”

@theparkerweekly

@theparkerweekly

@The Parker Weekly

The Parker Weekly, Page 14

Continuations

NOVICK Continued from page 1 he will meet and converse with candidates and eventually help facilitate their transition to Parker. “I just think you should run through the tape,” Novick said. “The school has given me a lot, and I owe it to the school.

But there’ll be a transition process at some point, where I’ll need to spend some time with the new incoming Intermediate and Middle School Head so that they have some knowledge from my vantage point and they do what they want with it.”

Novick’s transition to North Park has already begun, as he is updated by their outgoing Head of School, Dr. Randy Needlman, along with their Board of Trustees, on the operational and strategic goals of the school.

Novick noted that North Park is both smaller and younger than Parker, starting in a church basement when former Chicago Public Schools parents wanted a more “creative education” for their children.

Though Parker and North Park have their own distinct cultures, N o v i c k believes they share similar values. “It’s important to North Park that kids leave the school prepared to have a broader impact on their school community, so the learning isn’t just for their own personal success,” Novick said. “That resonates really well with Parker’s mission.”

The search to fill Former Assistant Principal Ruth Jurgensen’s spot is also ongoing, meaning there are two vacancies in the administration that need to be filled.

“We just opened ourselves up to that opportunity,” Frank said. “We find really excellent educational leaders, and we’ll do it again.”

Frank has confidence that this turnover won’t adversely impact continuity within the administration but instead will help them examine their current approaches.

“It’s so important for any institution, and particularly one like Parker with a number of us who have been here for a long time, to appreciate what new and fresh eyes on the scene can bring,” Frank said.

Though Frank believes both searches present strategic opportunities for the school as Parker visualizes their long-term future, he expressed appreciation for Novick as his colleague. Frank described Novick as someone with gifts of what he calls the head, hand, and heart, characterizing him as “warm, earnest, curious, intelligent, practical, self-reflective. well organized, very fluid, easy writer, excellent editor, and

always trying to see what could help.”

In his time at Parker, Novick has completed a number of projects that Frank outlined in his email to the school community, though he emphasized none were accomplished by him alone. “Every single one of them really required an entire team of people, whether it’s a department or group of colleagues in the Intermediate and Middle School or my admin colleagues, and were often informed by students,” Novick said.

In his eight years at Parker, Novick expanded extracurriculars in his division by helping launch the Intermediate and Middle School Dean of Student Life position, now held by Traveres White. He developed academics by increasing Spanish instruction in the intermediate school and re-organizing the eighth grade Math department to include an accelerated track. Along with the Middle S c h o o l leadership team, he developed the “Special Topics” program that educates on socialemotional learning, covering topics such as mental health.

Frank noted that Novick also helped in “tripling the number of faculty and staff of color working in grades four through eight,” according to the email.

Novick views his work integrating “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” into the curriculum as one on-going project he hopes to continue working on before his departure, noting that he believes his own cultural competency and sense of racial identity as a white man have grown during his time at Parker. “We launched a new Intermediate School program for heritage speakers of Spanish that goes live next Wednesday,” Novick said. “Just last year, we launched a new Asian Asian-American Alliance group.

This year, we launched an affinity group for Black African-Americans in the Middle School.”

To continue that work, Novick hopes Parker hires someone who can be their authentic self and isn’t a carbon copy of him. “Is it somebody who has philosophical compatibility with the school’s mission?

Do they really believe the needs of society determine the work of the school? Do they really believe in the key tenets of progressive ed –social-emotional learning, cultural competency, intellectual engagement that’s inspirational on some level?”

Frank expressed gratitude for Novick’s contributions and his commitment to

“The school has given me a lot, and I owe it to the school...

I’ll need to spend some time with the new incoming Intermediate and Middle School Head so that they have some knowledge from my vantage point and they do what they want with it.”

WINDOW PAINTING Continued from page 1

painting.”

Planning for the window painting to run as usual had started before the school closure was announced. “There was a week where we actually thought we were doing it, and we had the paint delivered, and we were starting the process of assigning the windows,” Zeller said. “And we did have students reach out to us whose families were uncomfortable with them coming into the building.”

Illinois reached 10,000 cases of the coronavirus in November and is in Tier Three of the resurgence mitigation plan. In this tier, all non-household gatherings are not allowed. “It’s upsetting because I was excited about it, but at the same time, I think we all understand that it’s the safest choice with the cases spiking again,” Gross said.

Usually, students bring in family members to help with their window and socialize with others. “I get to meet all of the freshmen parents and families and siblings and grandparents and babysitters, and it’s really fun for me to get to see the bigger picture because I really only interact with students,” Zeller said. “It’s always nice to meet them and see the dynamic, like who’s painting or ordering the other people around, so that I will miss.”

Many students with older siblings have had the chance to do window painting during the normal time. Gross has attended two window paintings with her older sisters.

“It’s kind of sad since I was excited to have it be my year with my ideas, but I’m also grateful that I’ve been able to do it in the past,” Gross said.

Though window painting will not happen as it does every year, the freshmen and grade heads are still working to create a window painting event that will decorate the school. “The wonder and the amazement of coming in the next day and having it transformed overnight is really magical, so I hope we can still accomplish that,” Zeller said. “I feel like what we need now more than ever is a little bit of magic and goodwill.”

Parker’s philosophy, as well for the team of faculty he leaves behind. “The colleagues who are in the Intermediate and Middle Schools are all really talented educators, caring people, and they will provide the real strength of continuity as we move forward,” Frank said. “I’m very grateful to them for everything they’ve done and will be doing as we search for a new Intermediate and Middle School Head and then welcome and orient that person to join the great parade.”

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CONSISTENCY RESOLUTION Continued from page 6 effectively in class. The pandemic has been socially-isolating for many people, but there is also anxiety that arises from the new learning and teaching styles.

Upper School physics and chemistry teacher John Paul Iaconianni appreciated the clarity and respect towards teachers that he felt was evident throughout the resolution.

“It is very clear the students do appreciate and recognize that it’s a lot of work to sort of shift from a traditional way of doing this job as a teacher to remote,” he said. “I think it’s a very fair and reasonable ask.” Iaconianni also mentioned the meaningful impact that the 85% student approval had in backing the requests, as opposed to individual emails between students and their teachers.

However, 15% of the student body voted against the passing of the resolution, largely claiming that it was unnecessary and micromanaging the teachers. In Plenary, senior Ada Collins was one of the vocal students who made their thoughts against it clear.

“Parker’s teachers have been doing a phenomenal job of teaching via Zoom, so this resolution, which called out the most diminutive issues, was completely irrelevant and could have been summed up in an individual email,” Collins said. “Though the intention may have been simply to establish an understanding between students and teachers, it came off as ungrateful and privileged.”

Many people also had opinions which fell in between the two distinct sides. Upper School history teacher Dan Greenstone found it helpful to hear what the students were thinking and agreed with a majority of the requests made. However, Greenstone says he will continue to use Google Classroom instead of the Portal because it works better for his class.

“I am highly confident that our students are able to figure out what their assignment is in my class, and I know that that’s true because they have been and continue to do so,” Greenstone said. He believes that if a student hasn’t taken his class, their opinion on the matter is a little less relevant. “I think it’s totally fair for the student body to make their requests, and teachers have a responsibility in a school that’s based on democratic education to listen to the voice of the students, but the ultimate decision in a progressive school of how to run a classroom should be with the experienced teacher.”

T h e s t u d e n t b o d y ’s g e n e r a l recommendations are out in the open, and it’s now up to the teachers and their students to determine any resulting changes. Though the direct impact of the resolution will vary from class to class as the pandemic continues, the standardized set of guidelines will still remain applicable once in-person learning resumes.

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HOLIDAY UPDATE

More Continuations

Continued from page 10 platform.

“Even though the online shopping trend had been gaining strength, COVID-19 has accelerated this process and pushed shoppers more than ever to buy online rather than in_person shopping. In-store sales have also shifted dramatically towards the supplement and Health department; away from makeup, hair and skin care,” Victoria said.

Through the Millennium Park Christmas Tree is back, there is no ice skating this winter. Sophomore Lily Moss is a long-time attendee of the Millennium Park Ice Rink “For many years in the winter I have gone with friends and skated at the Millenium Park Ice Rink, but sadly due to COVID this outdoor rink in the middle of the city is closed,” Moss said. “Although this one is shut down altogether, like many other activities in the city, the ice ribbon at Maggie Daley Park is open, but under different rules where if you want to go you must make a reservation and pay $5.”

The holidays this year will look different because of the virus’s presence, and there are different strategies to celebrate safely, highlighted by Nelson, such as the use of Zoom, baking, and letter writing.

She also mentioned the uses of igloos that are seen throughout the city, providing an option for dining.

Through baking, Nelson explored new ways to connect with people she would usually be with during the holiday season, acknowledging the different aspect this year’s holidays will have.

“I made several pies and brought them to people that I normally would see on Thanksgiving, and that way I felt like I became part of their celebration,” Nelson said.

PRIDE WEEK Continued from page 11 policy work” according to the Lambda Legal website. Richardson spent the meeting educating the attendees on the mission of Lambda Legal and asking LGBTQ+ trivia questions to engage his audience.

Junior Ava Rosenberg attended Wednesday’s meeting out of personal interest. “I thought that it was really valuable to listen to, and I thought everyone there was really respectful,” Rosenberg said. “There weren’t too many people there, but you could tell that everyone that went wanted to know what was happening and was paying attention, and I think that that is the best way to have these meetings because then

BASKETBALL Continued from page 5

“Obviously I’d like to get to play because that leaves me with only one more year. I definitely feel bad for the seniors.”

Senior and Varsity Boys Basketball Captain Elliot Landolt agrees. “Obviously, it’s sad,” Landolt said. “As a four year senior this was kind of my year to be on top and to be in a position of leadership was an honor. I’ve really wanted to do my teammates proud, and I think that given the circumstances, it’s really difficult because it’s hard to prove yourself when you are not in the room with these people.”

On December 14 the IHSA is holding a board meeting to reevaluate the state of winter sports. However, one issue that arises for athletes during the pandemic is the potential overlap of postponed sports.

Starks also noted the potential overlap with sports seasons for travel athletes. “For the greater good of everybody just giving folks the opportunity to play this year they had to make that tough decision,” Starks said regarding the choice of the IHSA to not push basketball to the spring. “There’s not enough calendar room to push it. If basketball moves to another season, it really complicates things.”

Rattner, a three-season athlete, is also concerned about the potential conflict of overlap of sports. “I don’t think it’s fair to make people choose,” Rattner said.

“Especially since basketball is such a small team already.”

Additionally, Starks, Rattner, and Landolt all noted the impact of this decision on the student body. “There’s the social aspects and benefits that you receive being in school, having those social interactions, it’s the same thing for after school and extracurricular,” Starks said. “Kids aren’t getting that social interaction... Nothing beats coming to practice, sweating, and having fun with your teammates everyday, making those connections.”

Rattner agrees. “I’ve noticed a huge

difference in my work ethic,” she said.

“Without having sports and something to channel my energy into and getting the mental break of getting some sort of workout in or some sort of exercise in definitely is impacting my focus.”

Rattner and Landolt are both feeling the impact of not having a “White Out Game” this year.

“Not having that excitement really gets rid of something to look forward to which is needed in times like this,” Rattner said.

Landolt agreed, especially noting that the excitement around the “White Out Game” is not only about the game but the activities surrounding it, including excitement videos, wearing jerseys to school, and the general energy of the community.

Although basketball will not occur in its usual winter schedule, Starks is hopeful that the season can take place later. “Hopefully we are able, maybe in January, maybe in February, we are able to get back on the court,” Starks said. “The minute we are able to get back and have practices, we are going to be working hard to do so in the safest way possible.”

Even though the season may eventually occur, Landolt believes it may not be the same as normal. “There is not going to be a single team that is at the competitive level that they would be given the regular season,” Landolt said. “It’s difficult to stay in shape, it’s difficult to play basketball right now...

You’re still going to play teams that are better or worse than you. You’re still going to have competitive matches, it just won’t be at the level that might be expected in a regular season.”

In the meantime, Starks is hoping to engage the teams through Zoom meetings as much as possible and is hopeful for eventually holding in-person activities. “I’m hopeful that we can provide some athletic opportunities in person,” Starks said. “If we can do that, I would be so excited.”

you get a smaller group of people that care about it instead of a larger group of people, where sometimes it may be disrespectful.”

Thursday, the fourth day of Pride Week, represented the color blue which symbolizes serenity. Throughout the week, the Pride Committee gave students the opportunity to submit images of an outfit that represents the daily color. Despite the fact that there was no specific event on Thursday, students were once again urged to send these photos to the Pride Committee Instagram account.

Friday, the fifth and final day of Pride Week, represented the color purple, symbolizing spirit. To conclude Pride Week, the Pride committee hosted a movie showing, featuring the popular 2018 film: “Love, Simon.” The film follows Simon Spier, a gay and closeted seventeen-yearold who forms a connection with one of his classmates online. The Parker community was encouraged to log on to a Zoom meeting

at 2:30 p.m. where the movie was shown.

Throughout the week, the Pride committee did many things to cultivate a sense of community in a virtual setting. One of these ideas included Zoom backgrounds for members of the Parker community to use throughout the week. The background featured the colors of the Pride flag and an indication of whether the user was an LGBTQ+ member or ally.

“It was a small touch but a really really cool idea that we came up with,” Matthews said. Over the course of the week, Pride Committee also included a “historical spotlight” in their emails. The historical spotlight accentuated LGBTQ+ figures in politics such as Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender state senator.

The historical spotlight also highlighted renowned events in LGBTQ+ history, such as the Stonewall Riots.

Silets described the overall

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TURKEY DRIVE Continued from page 4

parents and the Upper School. Younger students at Parker were also excited to have the opportunity to be involved in the drive.

“We had little kids who were so thrilled,” Charfoos said. “There were little kids carrying big turkeys and bags of stuffing.”

Volunteers collected 50 frozen turkeys and many non-perishable items. “On a good year, 50 turkeys is fantastic,” Conlon said. Conlon delivered the collected nonperishable items to the MWA and the turkeys in two separate trips as it was too much for one trip.

Charfoos was thrilled that she was able to help the cause and would love to be involved in years to come. She saw the community rally together in a time of tremendous need. “The sense of being able to finally do something in this challenging time to help someone else and to help a bigger community, it felt really good,” Charfoos said. “I think that is why it was so successful.” Charfoos believes that the Parker community took advantage of this opportunity to do something that will impact the larger Chicago community, and they showed much generosity doing so.

Manley’s experiences this year participating in the Turkey Drive makes her want to be a part next year. She believes that the turkey drive is easy to do. “It is three steps: get the stuff or tell your parents to, put it in a bag, and go to school,” Manley said.

“It’s really simple and I encourage others to do it.”

Conlon also believes the drive was successful due to the community’s wish to do good deeds after the events of this summer. “We are a city that has a large history of segregation and racial problems, and since the murder of George Floyd and the mainstream of the Black Lives Matter Movement, more well-off Americans and white Americans, in our city that has so much tension, wanted to help out,” Conlon said. “They felt like this was a way they could help out, and connect to the city more.”

Like many other things in 2020, the turkey drive adapted this year, but that did not change the dramatic positive effects that it will have on many families in the Chicagoland area. “Given the conditions, it worked out so much better than I would have imagined,” Conlon said. “I am so grateful to the Parker community for stepping up. It was really cool to see that.” attendance from the Parker community in Pride week to be successful, “I would say the meetings were great, turn out was really nice and I think the Parker community showed up,” Silets said. “It was really nice to see that people wanted to hear these people’s stories.”

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