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The Parker Weekly, Page 1
The Parker Weekly Happy Fall!
Volume CX, Issue 2
DISTANT SIBLINGS
NURSE’S OFFICE: COVID-19 EDITION
Big Brothers and Big Sisters Continues By Harry Lowitz
O
n September 11, the class of 2021 walked together around an empty field wearing their new blue Big Brothers and Big Sisters t-shirts. It is a tradition at Parker for the senior class to walk around the gym or field to commence the Big Brothers and Big Sisters (BBBS) Morning Exercise and the full year of connecting with younger grades. Due to COVID-19 and the high school currently being off-campus, BBBS will have some new challenges this year with how it is able to run. BBBS is a long-standing Parker tradition where seniors are assigned to a younger grade or class, and they become those students’ big siblings and visit them about once a month. “Most likely that will be virtually, and we are still ironing out all of the details on how that will work,” Dean of Students, Joe Bruno said, “but the main spirit, theme, and tradition of Big Brothers and Big Sisters will still be very evident.” According to World Languages and Cultures Teacher and Senior Grade Head, Yadiner Sabir, seniors will work with the Kindergarten through 8th-grade faculty to put BBBS into their schedules and figure out what “support” the Big Siblings can offer. “We want to give teachers two weeks or so for them to settle...And we’re hoping that at least once a month, I hope it would be more, but at least once a month the Big Brothers and Big Sisters will get to do something with their little siblings,” Sabir said. Last spring, after Parker went remote, the class of 2020 made videos for their little brothers and little sisters. Bruno predicted that those methods would likely continue this year. Sabir was confident that the seniors would be capable of making this year meaningful for younger students. “This is a very creative class, so I’m sure they will find ways to connect,” she said. As usual, in late June, Bruno sent a Google Form to the incoming senior class, asking about preferences for what grades the seniors would like to be Big Siblings for and if they had a relative or important person with whom they wanted to be paired with. The seniors were then placed in their first or second choices, and their placements were announced on September 11th, before their in-person event.
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October 7, 2020
How the Nurse’s Office Has Changed With the Pandemic By Samantha Graines The Belden buildings, photo by Caroline Skok.
BUILDIN’ ON BELDEN
Parker Purchases 317-325 W Belden Building Following Controversy By Tess Wayland
P
arker is due to expand their Model Home both beyond its current acreage and student body size after their purchase of the apartment buildings at 317325 West Belden Avenue. On Wednesday, September 16, Alderwoman Michelle Smith hosted a community meeting and Q and A over Zoom with Principal Dan Frank about the project, following the announcement of the sale on September 10. Also representing the school was Parker Board member and architect Chip Von Weise and Parker Attorney Langdon Neal, who specializes in real estate, zoning, and land use. Both are Lincoln Park residents who have been helping to flesh out the project in its early stages of development. After its completion, the school will be able to phase in 80-100 new students. A broker representing the home-owners of 317 approached Parker to ask if they’d be interested in a bulk sale of the building. “Not one individual apartment at a time, but if all of us together, we wanted to sell, and whatever those protocols are, would Parker be interested,” Frank said. According to the school, 100% of home-owners wanted the sale to take place. The consensual purchase of 317 comes after prolonged controversy about Parker’s plan to buy units in the Belden by the Park, or 327-335 W Belden, in order to gain a majority in the residential board. Belden by the Park filed a lawsuit against the school, and that litigation is still pending according to Neal. The school’s focus has shifted for the
time being, though they will continue to own the previously acquired units. Belden by the Park is being set aside, at least until the 317 project is completed, which will take about a decade. “We have a long vision of what we can do for the school’s interest, so there’s no rush,” Frank said. Von Weise presented rough plans for the conversion of the building into a school space, with a key commitment to maintaining the look, feel, and landscaping of the Belden streetscape. Besides the addition of a glass atrium for increased energy efficiency, the facade of the building will remain the same. Much of the development process will also depend on whether parts of Lincoln Park West are turned into a landmark district. A clear glass bridge will connect the new building to the current school, the only part of development that is not “as of right,” meaning that it’s the only part of the development plan that needs city approval. The new building is set to include different collaborative work spaces, ceramics, robotics, and technology studios, administrative offices, and a roof terrace. New classroom space will allow for the school to gradually expand its student body from 936 to around 1036 over a 4-5 year period. After public discussion via the instagram account @fwpanonymous, Parker has come under fire for both its lack of student diversity and its internal culture of racism and classism. Frank described this expansion as “aligned with Parker’s mission.” The school’s goal is to use these
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W
alking into the office, everything looks different. There are no kids inside. There are reminders to stay six-feet apart from your classmates. Everyone has on a mask. This is the reality of a school nurse office amidst a global pandemic. For the Parker students who returned to school this month, the narrow, welcoming Nurse’s office, headed by School Nurse Anne Nelson, looks and runs differently from how it was left in March. The most evident change in the nurse’s office is visible as soon as one walks into the building. “Outside in the alcove we have a waiting area. It is chairs separated by large pieces of plastic that are six feet apart,” Nelson said. The “waiting room” in the alcove was added because the dimensions of the Nurse’s office, long and skinny, did not allow for students to be safely socialdistanced. “Instead of the kids coming in and sitting down, I have them wait out there. I then go out and see what they need and see who should come in first,” Nelson said. In addition to the waiting area, room 283, located next to Nelson’s office, is temporarily stuffed with personal protective equipment. Parker’s administration is currently in the process of hiring a new nurse to work alongside Nelson. They will be operating out of room 283. “There is not room for the two of us to be together, sixfeet apart. We would be bumping into each other,” Nelson said. A new nurse needs to be hired to replace former School Nurse Jessie who moved to Downers Grove with her husband and her two daughters who are under the age of three. “I am very sad that she left. We had a nice relationship, so I am missing her,” Nelson said. To help find a new nurse, Human Resources contacted different organizations. Nelson has already interviewed various candidates, and the group is currently working on how to proceed in the hiring process. They are trying to find a nurse who meets the time requirement that they need.
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The Parker Weekly, Page 2
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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
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.
writers Zach Joseph ‘21 Rosey Limmer ‘21 Julia Marks ‘21 Spencer O’Brien ‘21 Scarlett Pencak ‘21 Denise Román ‘21 Alex Schapiro ‘21 Grayson Schementi ‘21 Lilly Satterfield ‘21 Leila Sheridan ‘21 Nick Skok ‘21 Jacob Boxerman ‘22 Sofia Brown ‘22 Emma Manley ‘22 Tess Wayland ‘22 Lydia Blasko ‘23
Ana Franco ‘23 Sadie Gallagher ‘23 Samantha Graines ‘23 Max Keller ‘23 Sophia Jones ‘23 Nate Manilow ‘23 Sophia Rosenkranz ‘23 Alya Satchu ‘23 Owen Stepan ‘23 Eden Stranahan ‘23 Lucy Wrubel ‘23 Suhani Aggarwal ‘24 Riya Jain ‘24 Benjamin Kagan ‘24 Arjun Kalra ‘24 Harry Lowitz ‘24
contributing faculty Faculty Advisor Faculty Advisor
Kate Tabor Eric Rampson
Letter From The Editors
Hi Parker! Happy Fall! We are offically out of back-to-school season (which is both happy and sad), and gearing up for the cold weather Chicago always brings. Our staff worked incredibly hard these past few weeks to produce some amazing content for you all. Make sure to check out Emma Manley’s article on homecoming and Lilly Satterfield’s article on students’ and teachers’ thoughts on going back to school. Now, more than ever, we are grateful to have a wonderful website (and Online Editor), and we are able to still send out the monthy paper. In addition, we have lots of excting online-only content (that you will not find in this virtual paper), so please be sure to check it out! We miss you all tons! Love, Zach, Julia, and Nick
Quote of “The Weekly” Ms. Haber: “What have been some things that help you deal with Zoom fatigue?” Zach Joseph: “Advil?”
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The Parker Weekly, Page 3
Playlist of “The Weekly” COLONEL PARKER’S BIRTHDAY By Alex Schapiro
The full mix can be accessed at https://open.spotify.com/ playlist/7oXZC2j9XNfaYUHdOpCpfs?si=p7UfPfolQ8qo6syd4F705A or by scanning the code below.
FRANCIS FOREVER
EMBRYONIC JOURNEY
I GOTTA FEELING
by Jefferson Airplane
by Black Eyed Peas
DEMOCRACY by Leonard Cohen
CELEBRATION
IN DA CLUB
by Kool & The Gang
by 50 Cent
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
by Mitski
by Stevie Wonder
EDUCATION
YEAH!
by Freddie Gibbs, Madlib, Yasiin Bey, & Black Thought
by User, Lil Jon, & Ludacris
BIRTHDAY (REMASTERED 2009) by The Beatles
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!
The Parker Weekly, Page 4
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HOCO & Seniors NO-CO?
Homecoming Sporting Events Continue Despite Postponed Dance By Emma Manley
Students dressed as memes, twinning with their classmates and teachers, wearing wacky clothes, throwback outfits, and Parker spirit wear filled Zoom classes the week of September 21. Usually that week leads up to annual homecoming sports games and the homecoming dance. This year, it looked different. Like other Parker traditions, the homecoming parade was replaced with a video, and the homecoming dance was postponed. Despite the changes, cross country, golf, and tennis were still celebrated that week with games and a video. Tennis had their homecoming matches on September 25 against Latin. Senior captain Julia Auerbach scored 6-3, 2-6, 8-10 in her singles match. Freshman Riya Jain scored 3-6, 3-6 in her singles match. For the doubles matches, senior captain Amelia Hoerr and sophomore Caroline Skok scored 1-6, 2-6, junior Mia Bronstein and senior Aliya Spieske scored 4-6 1-6, and junior Chloe Shah and senior Lilly Satterfield scored 6-3, 4-6, 10-12. Golf had their homecoming match on September 24 against Northridge Prep. Sophomore Henry Weil (42) and Hudson Lin (42) lead the Colonels during the homecoming match, followed by senior captain Nick Skok and junior Evan Ehrhart (45).“It was a really fun match and a great way to end my golf career at Parker,” senior Matthew Garchick said. Cross country had their homecoming
meet on September 16 and September 30 at Lake Forest Academy. On September 16, senior Ada Collins placed second in the Girls Varsity race. “I never planned on running a cross country race for my senior year homecoming, considering I’m a field hockey captain, but it was nice to be able to participate in a sport this fall, and I’m content with the race I ran,” Collins said. Volleyball, field h o c k e y, a n d b o y s s o c c e r, which usually occur during the fall, have been moved t o F e b r u a r y, because those sports are categorized as higher risk by the IHSA. Cross country, golf, and tennis have been categorized as low risk. There are now four sports seasons, with fall sports broken up into two. “We have less teams right now, so the student-athletes that are part of one of our three teams are more highlighted,” Athletic Director Bobby Starks said. “We’re able to get to know those teams a little bit better than normal.” Players are required to wear masks and social distance as much as possible. Buses
have to be less than half capacity, and there cannot be any spectators at the homecoming games. “I think it’s been going as well as it can go, and I think our coaches and studentathletes have really adjusted nicely to all the new kinds of restrictions and guidelines that we have to adhere to to be able to compete and practice,” Starks said. “Having those huge changes to our normal routines is tough to adapt to, and I think our coaches and student-athletes have done a really good job.” Students in JK through fifth grade created posters to support the athletes. Parents were encouraged to send in videos and photos for the Homecoming video, and community members could send in photos cheering on the athletes. “No matter what, we will celebrate our student-athletes in some way,” Starks said. The Homecoming MX was released as a video on Friday, September 25. The video featured photos from the fall athletics season, and videos of Starks and Assistant Athletic Director, Amber Scott. Coaches
from the cross country, tennis, and golf teams all spoke about the season. Seniors on each team shared a video of themselves talking about their experience in the sport and playing. “I’m grateful we have a homecoming and that will be memorialized on video,” Head Coach of Cross Country and Track and Field Minnie Skakun said. “This is a historic sports season for our school, and Athletics has found a way to capture that.” Unlike athletics, the dance is postponed due to social distancing restrictions. “I’m really disappointed that we can’t all be together, especially since it’s such a big thing about senior year is just spending these last moments with your school friends and the community that you’ve grown up in,” senior Emily Simon, Student Athletic Council (SAC) and Social Committee head said. Upper School Coordinator Rolanda Shepard and PE Teacher Pat Pagnucco have been the Social Committee sponsors for seven and almost thirty years, respectively. During their tenures as Social Committee sponsors, neither have had to cancel or postpone homecoming events. “When planning events and planning things to keep the student body engaged, we’ve been pushed to a different extreme,
“We have less teams right now, so the student-athletes that are part of one of our three teams are more highlighted... We’re able to get to know those teams a little bit better than normal.”
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SENIORS ON CAMPUS
Parker Finds a Way to Bring Students Back to the Building By Nick Skok Many senior traditions seemed unlikely to happen once Parker announced all Upper School students would begin the year remotely. Traditions like walking around the gym during its own Morning Exercise, senior pictures, Country Fair, and the 12 Days MX were likely cancelled. But on the night of Friday, September 11th, one of those traditions was continued in a COVIDfriendly manner: Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS). Over the summer, senior Grade Heads Yadiner Sabir and Emma Castaldi, along with Upper School Dean of Student Life Joe Bruno and Head of Upper School Justin Brandon, talked about how to reimagine senior year. Their focus was to maintain as many traditions as they could with the current climate. The first event they planned was an effort to bring all of the seniors back to Parker for the first time together since March 13th. There was an event planned for each grade to return to campus, starting with 12th grade and then in descending order of grade
Seniors celebrating social distant at the senior grade-wide event. Photo by Zach Joseph.
from there. “We want them to be fun events where students are able to come together and just hang out with one another for a little bit. We still need to be masked, we still need to stay six feet away…” Bruno said. “We want to make this [senior] year as special as possible. Not that we don’t care about the other grades, not that those events will not be special, but there are a lot of senior year
events that we want to try to incorporate in some way or another.” Earlier on the day of the event, Bruno sent an email to the class of 2021 with Big Brothers Big Sisters assignments. The only information given was which class or grade everyone was assigned to, not about how the system will work this year. Seniors were also split into two groups based on
their BBBS assignments, and were to stay in those groups for the remainder of the night. Upon arrival, students’ temperatures were checked along with their answers to symptom questions, then they were sent to the courtyard. The three hour event began with Sabir and Bruno passing out blue BBBS shirts to every senior. Following that, the time was used for socializing throughout the courtyard in a socially distanced way. Seniors were mingling groups often, and not always social distancing, so Sabir and Bruno had to frequently remind the students to follow protocols. “All the adults were very nervous about bringing the seniors back on campus… I am very happy with how it turned out,” Sabir said. “Keeping the distance was hard for everybody, but I think the students were responsive when they were approached about maintaining distance.”
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College! Electives!
The Parker Weekly, Page 5
ONCE IN A QUADRENNIAL Elections Elective is Back in Session
In a year where the United States has seen vast racial unrest, a world pandemic, devastating natural disasters, and the passing of an influential Supreme Court justice, political tensions are high. Given these circumstances, the 16 seniors enrolled in the 2020 Elections elective will have much to discuss as the year progresses. Every four years, this popular elective appears in the course catalog for one semester. Taught by Upper School history teacher Andrew Bigelow, the class focuses on “both the theoretical as well as the practical,” according to the course description. The course examines the US presidential election, smaller local elections, and the very roots of democracy. In addition to discussion and reading, students are required to perform at least 10 hours of fieldwork outside of the Zoomroom. In previous years, students’ hands on experience have included canvassing, knocking on doors, and working in campaign offices. However, due to COVID-19, this year students will have to rely more on virtual forms of service such as phone banking, working online for a candidate or initiative, and participating in various forums. “I think I’m just going to try and split up my time between a specific candidacy like
By Sofia Brown
Trump V. Biden, Photo courtesy of BBS news.
Biden but also a more general organization in order to promote voting,” senior Grace Conrad said. Some students are also experimenting with safe ways to volunteer in person. “I’ve registered to be an election judge for this upcoming election,” senior Bodie Florsheim said. “I will also be sending postcards to various swing states in favor of the candidate that I prefer to win. So, hopefully that will make a difference.” Bigelow has invited a number of outside organizations to visit the class. Recently, the students were visited by supporters of Gov.
Pritzker’s Fair Tax plan, and Bigelow hopes to eventually meet with their opposition. The class will also be working closely with Rock the Vote, a nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C. that encourages the younger generation to vote. In addition, the class is trying to contact with high schoolers in New Jersey to hear different perspectives on the election from students’ point of view. Because the class is primarily based on ever-changing news, there is not a set agenda for each day. “I am trying to find the most up to date information, homework
assignments, readings and articles and clips,” Bigelow said. “So every day is a brand new day.” Given the polarized political climate, the course aims to examine multiple perspectives. “We spend a lot of time looking at polls,” Bigelow said. “And so we’ve looked at what’s a conservative poll, a moderate poll, a liberal poll, and what’s an aggregate poll versus a single poll.” This year is Bigelow’s third time teaching the Elections class, after taking it over for former Upper School History teacher Martin Moran in 2008. In 2016, Bigelow also taught a class on the Democratic and Republican primaries. Because the presidential elections happen just once every four years, it’s a rare opportunity for Parker higher schoolers. Bigelow has specialized goals for the students who are enrolled in the class. “The main goal is just to support the mission of our school, and that is to create lifelong educated, participating citizens,” he said. “And the goal is for these kids to become active in their communities, not only just get out and vote, but to be social justice advocates who have zero tolerance for intolerance and become engaged and spread the wealth of their education to their peers to their families and to make sure that people who do vote are educated.”
COLLEGE COUNSELING DURING COVID-19 How College Counseling is Developing Concerning the 2020-21 School Year By Alya Satchu and Tess Wayland
Following high school, many students go off to pursue their interests at colleges and universities all over the world. But to get there it requires hard work, dedication, and college counseling. According to the Parker website, Parker describes their college counseling philosophy as a way to keep students “from becoming overwhelmed by the college search, application and selection process in a way that steals their high school years away from them.” In previous years, Parker has provided upper schoolers with in-person college counseling gatherings individually and along with families. For the 2020-21 school year, all college counseling gatherings have switched to occurring virtually. In some cases, this has been an improvement. While school was in person, there had been numerous instances when students who were typically upperclassmen would come to visit the college counseling office on multiple occasions during a short period of time to ask questions. “There were some students who we would find would come in weekly, not just to hang out but to ask a question and to get
more information,” Director of College Counseling, Susan Weingartner said, “which meant that sometimes you didn’t have time for kids who never came in.” Formerly, Parker college counselors would put sign-up sheets outside the college counseling office intended for students to sign up for time slots during their office hours to ask a question or receive information. Slots would fill up so rapidly that some students wouldn’t receive the chance to meet with a counselor until well after the time they initially intended to schedule. The college counseling team has now begun to take advantage of the fact that school is remote, and seniors now only attend previously scheduled college counseling gatherings. An example of these are scheduled check-ins for their college essay. Information is also frequently given to students through grade heads, advisors, and faculty. Weingartner admits that the number of student meetings could be unequal. “Sometimes you wouldn’t see a kid all year, so that would be zero,” Weingartner said. “Sometimes you would see a kid so often that you’d be ready to say ‘I can’t help them
anymore.’ Normally those people would also talk to their advisor, their teacher, and someone else, so in some ways, they had too much information.” As well as individual meetings, there was also information discussed during graderooms, Morning EX’s, essay workshops, financial aid meetings, and more. College counseling at Parker is now trying to monitor how many times they meet with students individually and try to make time for every student equally, although students who need to add additional supplements to their application, such as an audition, require more time with college counseling. An average number for the amount of times counselors would meet with students (specifically seniors) through scheduled individual meetings would be around three over the course of the school year. Students also tend to stop into the college counseling Zoom link during virtual office hours to ask a question or receive information. All meetings with colleges and universities have become successfully virtual. Over one hundred colleges
and universities visit Parker and host informational meetings for upperclassmen to attend. Seniors can miss up to six classes in order to attend these meetings and juniors can miss up to three. As much as college counseling is an exciting process for many, it can likewise be very exhausting, even for parents and guardians. Parents or guardians have made complaints about the college soundeling process. “There are always complaints,” Weingartner said. “Everyone wants what they want and the college process doesn’t always bring out the best in everyone. People’s children -- that’s the most important thing to them always, and you can’t blame them. My children are the most important thing to me. But, they can’t all be the most important, each individually to us.” Whenever there is an issue raised by a parent or guardian, Weingartner and the college counseling team always address these concerns. Weingartner also clarified that the college counseling team has to
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The Parker Weekly, Page 6
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Returning to Parker
OPINIONS ON RETURN TO IN-PERSON LEARNING Parker Teachers Present Mixed Opinions on the Return to in-Person Learning By Lilly Satterfield
Lower and Intermediate School Spanish Teacher Karen Liszka begins each of her classes by asking her students how they are doing. She takes an informal thumb poll, asking students to give her a thumbs up if they are doing well, a thumbs down if they aren’t, and anything in between to represent their current mood. Most days she can expect to get a majority of positive responses, but not this year. This year Liszka has been overwhelmed by the number of students who give her a thumbs down, showing that they aren’t doing too well. “There have been a lot of physical changes,” Liska said. “But it is hard to tell about the mental, emotional, and social changes that go on.” With JK-8th grade back in the building five days a week, Parker has had to greatly change the way school functions from previous years. Each day, when over 600 students and faculty enter the building, their temperatures are taken and they are required to answer various screening questions. In the Lower and Intermediate schools classes have shrunk from 18-20 students to less than ten. In the Middle school, students are taking classes in spaces such as the Kovler Library, gymnasiums, and the Diane and David B. Heller Auditorium. Teachers are balancing teaching to their students who are in-person and to those who are taking
classes virtually. Many can be seen wearing a microphone to amplify their voices in order to reach students who may be over 60 feet away from the front of the room. Over 500 students can be found social-distancing each day, sporting CDC approved face masks, and adapting to the new changes that come with attending school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Junior and Senior Kindergarten students have three different learning options this year: to do a full day of in-person learning, all remote learning, or do half-days in person and the rest of the day from home. These kindergarten classes have been split in half, creating pods of eight to ten students who take classes apart from each other each day. Senior Kindergarten teacher Dana O’Brien teaches about half of her students in her classroom, the other half in a makeshift classroom in the cafeteria, and four students completely virtually. O’Brien has found herself running back and forth from each classroom space, teaching each lesson twice, and trying to be there at all times for each student. All of the new protocols that Parker has put in place - the reduced class sizes, mask wearing, and social distancing - have been for the safety of the community, which O’Brien greatly appreciates. “I feel like all of the protocols are in place,” O’Brien said.
“However, there is just that feeling that my life is in the hands of the families who send their kids in.” In the Parker middle school, classes look a bit different. Instead of reducing class sizes like the lower school has done, middle school students are taking classes with 18 students, but in unconventional spaces that satisfy the social distancing requirements. Students are taking class in atriums, science labs, various gyms, and hallways. Desks are spaced six feet apart, and each student is required to face forward, sitting at the same desk all day. Each middle school grade is broken down into four sections, much like prior years. This year, the main difference is that students stay in the same classroom all day and their teachers come to them. Seventh Grade History Teacher and Department Co-Chair Anthony Shaker is among one of the many middle school teachers who has had to adapt to this new protocol. Instead of teaching from his room, Shaker must rotate between four different classroom spaces each day to teach his students. “Teaching is definitely a different kind of teaching than I have ever had to do before,” Shaker said. “Before, I had my room and my technology. Kids came to me and I had so much more control over the environment.” In the middle school, students who
chose to do school remotely dial in to each of their sections classes, and view the lesson on Zoom through a webcam set up at the front of the room. Middle school teachers wear bluetooth earpieces to be able to communicate with their remote students, and must balance the students in front of them with the students who are online. “The farthest kid is probably over fifty feet away,” Shaker said. “Whether it is eye contact or nodding, with the masks and with the distance, it is hard to make sure that you are connecting with all of the kids.” With all of the protocols in place and the lack of informal teacher-teacher and teacher-student interactions, many teachers feel like they are in an empty building each day. “I never realized how much I get from teachers popping in my room and just checking in,” Shaker said. “That’s gone, and it’s really sad.” O’Brien is glad she is able to provide a safe learning environment for her students but has felt the weight that comes with teaching such young kids in such unique circumstances. “I think the kids are having a blast and are glad to be back. They are adapting to the new normal really well,” O’Brien said. “I feel like for the teachers it is super exhausting. We are all running on empty for sure.”
THE INSIDER VIEW
A Look Through The Eyes of Students and Staff Going To School By Sadie Gallagher COVID-19 is beginning to feel like the normal l to many Chicagoans, but with the start of the school year splitting ways, Lower School in-person and Upper School online, people are curious. Those who can’t experience the start of their 2020-2021 education at 330 West Webster Avenue want to know how the classes are going, how the schedule works, or if the social distancing is really being implemented. Many Upper School students are jealous they aren’t entering the school every day, but not even the Lower and Middle School students are returning as usual. On July 10, the school announced in an email to parents and guardians from Principal Dan Frank that the Upper School will begin remotely. It stated that Parker wants all students, K-12, back for in- school learning, but “this model is not safe enough for us to put in action given the current public health vulnerabilities to COVID-19 for this particular age group.” That news was only for the Upper School, and as the email continued, it said “we have planned
1st grade teacher Ms. Joebgen and her students on the playground. Photo courtesy of Ms. Joebgen.
for a safe return to campus for all Lower, Intermediate, and Middle School students.” Sonia Pettinelli, a rising sixth grader, thought her first week was okay. “We haven’t been doing any work because it is mostly just meeting the teachers, but I will be going in every day starting September 14 which I’m very excited for,” Pettinelli said. Meeting back with her after the first three
days of in-person learning, “school has been good. When we go into the school, they take our temperature and every day our parents fill out a health form,” Pettinelli said. She explained how in the classroom the desks are six-feet apart and while moving, teachers try to keep students distanced. Pettinelli takes her classes in the science wing, room 183, and all the other
sixth grade classes are around that area. Although the other classes are so close, “the only time I can see people from other sections is before school, and when talking to people in my section, we sort of yell across the room,” Pettinelli said. Coming back to school, students are in person every day, from 8:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. Eighth grade English Teacher and Grade Team Leader David Fuder said he is excited to be back in person with his students and colleagues, especially after so long, but “I’m anxious about how it’s all going to work.” “I wish I could say that I felt greater confidence in the health and safety plans laid out by the administration and its committees, but many of them seem confusing and difficult to follow.” His worry is that although the school provided and worked hard on a plan that looked good on paper, it may not hold up well in practice. Seventh grader Ari Deutsch described
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The Parker Weekly, Page 7
Zoom It Up
ROBOTS OVER ZOOM?
How the Robotics Team Is Adapting to Their Hybrid Schedule
Groups of students from different schools sit together around their robots, the product of hours of work and planning. One by one, they test their creations’ skill in speed and accuracy, competing for the highest score. While this may have been a reality for past Parker robotics teams, due to several changes throughout the way that extracurriculars function, the specifics of this competition are unclear for the time being. Despite this, the Upper School robotics team is still continuing forward with their season. The contrast between the Middle School robotics program and that of the Upper School is evident to many participants. “In lower and middle school, we just did LEGO robotics, building robots out of different LEGO parts. In high school we use actual materials, metal and circuitry,” sophomore Jack Kahan said. “None of us really had any idea what we were doing and the difference was jarring. We were on our own. We had to figure things out by ourselves.” The Upper School robotics program at Parker is divided into two different teams, Team 9410 for incoming freshmen and other high schoolers who are new to robotics, and
Hundreds of profile pics looked through a Google Doc on Monday, September 21. It was the involvement fair, which was on computers this year instead of at school, like many other events that have been cancelled due to COVID-19. Instead of tables, club, affinity group, and organization heads opened up Zoom rooms, and students were able to visit different clubs without leaving their chair. Upper School Dean of Student Life Joe Bruno hosted the involvement fair over Zoom. Students received a Google Doc with club and affinity group names and a corresponding Zoom link. Students were able to visit various groups within the 45 minute fair and sign up for clubs and affinity groups. For Asian Alliance chair and junior Aidan Young, this is his second Club Fair where he has run a booth. “Obviously this year’s Club Fair looked different than the ones in years past,” Young said. “But I think the good work we started with Zoom starting last spring made us successful with hosting virtual meetings this year.” Many clubs have begun to meet remotely amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and shift to remote learning. Clubs including Model UN, Scholastic Bowl, and Poetry Club have had to adapt to meeting on Zoom. Some clubs hosted meetings remotely in the spring, such as Model UN. They are continuing to meet this fall with seven symposia scheduled on weekday afternoons. “Last year I was really disappointed after the international trip was canceled and I wasn’t very optimistic about doing Model UN over
By Sophia Jones
Team 3507 for returning members. In a typical robotics meeting, students would come in and get to work on whatever project they were building at the moment. “There wasn’t a lot of talking or debriefing,” Kahan said. “It’s very hands on. It’s hard to imagine how it would look virtually.” “Meetings are generally unstructured,” Star Rothkopf, a junior who runs the Twitter account for the team (@fwprobotics) as well as helping to design and build the robots, said. “We have a lot to get done and plenty of things are one-person jobs, so everyone mostly has their own agenda and we stay organized with checklists and communication.” “Everyone has a different role,” sophomore Drew Klauber said. “We have Builders who assemble the printed parts, Drivers who drive and operate the robot, and Coders who are responsible for creating the code to run the robot.” Klauber designs parts for the robots using computer-aided design programs such as Autodesk’s Fusion360. Robotics is operating during the 2020-
2021 school year through a hybrid schedule, partly virtual and partly in person. “Virtual meetings have felt completely different,” Rothkopf said. “We log on and we come up with ideas, go into breakout rooms to discuss them, and come back to share.” “In the virtual meeting we split off into meeting rooms of six and we do think tanks for different missions,” Klauber said. “We’re in the phase where everyone is coming up with ideas for different challenges.” The hybrid schedule that Robotics uses is unlike the completely virtual schedule of other Parker clubs. “You can’t really do Robotics virtually,” Kahan said. “You need to be there to build and practice with the robot. It’s possible to stay distanced, too, with masks and gloves, and nobody needs to get within six feet of each other.” However, the hybrid schedule is for practices only, as competitions will be held virtually. “I don’t think there’s any way for those to work,” Kahan said. “Maybe once there’s a vaccine - in the second semester? - but not for now.” The new way that the club functions
has affected the morale of the team in different ways. “Honestly, I’m feeling a lot less excited about robotics this year,” Rothkopf said. “There’s no fun workshop environment, and it’s been a lot harder for me to get inspired and motivated.” Others feel differently and are maintaining an optimistic attitude towards the club. “Robotics should be interesting this semester,” Klauber said. “I do think not being able to be in person is going to negatively impact our performance.” Kahan was a bit apprehensive as well, finding it hard to picture the interactive club and workshop partly online. “But I’m mostly excited about the upcoming season,” Kahan said. “I’m hopeful that we can figure it out and continue to have some in-person meetings.”
ZOOMING BACK INTO CLUBS Clubs Begin to Meet Remotely By Emma Manley
Zoom for my senior year,” senior Carter Wagner s a i d .
speaking skills even on Zoom,” Senior and
MOCHA meeting over zoom
Photo by Arjun Kalra “However, after my first Model UN Captain Alex two virtual symposia I can honestly say that Schapiro said. I love the pivot that the program has made.” The Poetry Club is holding meetings Model UN, which requires debating on Zoom. Prior to remote learning, Poetry world issues while representing a country Club met once a week. During the spring and working with other delegates, will remote learning period, Poetry Club did not follow the same format for symposiums meet but the meetings have returned this fall. while on Zoom. Students use the “raise Scholastic Bowl finished their season hand” function in Zoom to replicate raising last year before on-campus learning ended. a placard, and unmute to speak rather than Members are meeting on Zoom to practice, going up to a podium. For unmoderated where they can “buzz” in to answer a caucuses, where delegates usually can question by writing in the chat, or they can walk around to talk to other delegates, the send in their answer to Scholastic Bowl captains have been using breakout rooms. Coach and Upper School Math Teacher “We’re not gonna be in school at all so Ethan Levine. The first meeting was on this is going to be a great way to meet kids September 18. “I’m happy with how the from all sorts of different grades, and to gain introductory meeting went,” Levine said. insight, and it’ll still really improve public “We saw a lot of familiar faces and plenty
of new ones and I’m hopeful that a lot of the newcomers will find it enjoyable and stick with it.” For Scholastic Bowl, there was no doubt of whether to continue meetings this school year. “It would have just been too sad to take the time off,” Levine said. “I just thought as long as there was some opportunity to keep it going, we might as well try.” Levine and Schapiro think that there will be increased turnout for clubs that usually have weekend events or travel. Levine hopes that having virtual competitions will encourage more students to go to weekend competitions, since there will be no long bus rides. Model UN delegates, who have the opportunity to sign up for an international trip each spring, can participate in conferences around the world on Zoom. “What’s nice this year is that you can go to the conference every weekend, and the conference can be hosted in Italy one week, then Greece or Japan,” Schapiro said. Being at home on Zoom brings new changes, as well as benefits. “I hope that being in our own environments will make people more comfortable and improve their creative process,” junior and Poetry Club head Ava Utigard said. “I think it’s important for students to have an outlet to connect outside of the classroom, and I think clubs, organizations and affinity groups, really lend to the educational experience,” Bruno said. “I think Parker students are really rising to the occasion and showing their best selves and trying to make different things work.”
The Parker Weekly, Page 8
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Features
KINDERGARTEN DURING COVID
JK and SK Continue Education Amidst Pandemic By Ana Franco COVID-19 has put many schools in a tough situation and has made it hard to bring students back to their classrooms. As a JK-12 school, Parker has many students and not enough space or time to fit them all. Following distance protocols, Parker decided to bring the Middle and Lower School back to campus while leaving the Upper School online. Starting September 8, the Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten stepped back on campus with masks on. U s u a l l y t h e S K s t a r t s s l o w l y, transitioning into full days in order for the students to get a feel of what it is like to be at school from 8:10 to 3:10 instead of 8:10 to 11:30. With the coronavirus is still a consideration, students are unable to make that transition. The administration came up with a plan that will allow students in both JK and SK to have the option to stay longer, but it is not encouraged. From 8:10 to 11:45 the students are required to come to school and participate in pods of 10. The students don’t see anyone t h a t i s n ’t i n their pod. They are given one teacher per pod, and that teacher stays with them the whole day. Pods are located in hallways, the cafeteria, and classrooms. In the morning the teacher takes the students on a walk around the block using a walking rope. “We only stand like three feet apart when we go on walks,” said SK student Emme Warning. The students are also given snack time, and are allowed to take their mask off and eat their snack if they are socially distant from other students and teachers. The kindergarteners are also given the opportunity to play outside on the playground. According to Warning, they are allowed to do whatever they would like on the playground as long as they wear their mask. Some of the kindergarteners have struggles keeping their mask on. “Some kids in my pod don’t even pull their mask all the way up and their nose is showing,” Warning said. “If the teachers catch them, then they get in trouble.” The kindergarteners have the option to stay the full day, but if they choose not to,
they are dismissed at 11:45 a.m. The students who choose to stay the full day sit in the cafeteria and are monitored by the assistant teachers and Parker PM teachers. They sign into a school iPad and do online school work from school instead of home. This option is not encouraged due to the amount of time they won’t have their mask on. Since they will be staying the whole day, the kids need to have lunch, and will have to take their masks off. Many parents decided to keep their children home because they would rather they eat at home and not have the possibility of exposure to the virus while eating. Although most parents have decided to pick up their children at 11:45, the students who stay in the afternoon have more fun in the afternoon according to Emme Warning. Some parents say that the reason that the kids enjoy themselves more in the afternoon is because it is run by the Parker PM staff, and they play games and allow the kids to have more freedom. The coronavirus has pushed the teachers and students to adapt to uncomfortable situations such as eating and drinking throughout the day. Each student brings their own water bottle that they can keep at their table for whenever they need a water break. The snacks throughout the day are provided by Quest, the cafeteria staff. Each snack is individually wrapped and sealed. The snacks are handed out to the kids mid day. “I haven’t been inside the school,” Misha Geller, a parent of a student in SK, said. “But after reading all the emails, receiving a video about how to enter the school, and listening to what my daughter says about school, it sounds like the students don’t have freedom and are trapped in one space all day.” “As you know, my students are predominately four years old and they require consistent reminders to keep their masks on, so they are covering their nose and mouth,” Junior Kindergarten teacher Lisa Nielsen said. “Social distancing is most problematic. The children want to work, play and engage in conversation with their friends.”
“Social distancing is most problematic. The children want to work, play and engage in conversation with their friends.”
“My students are predominately four years old and they require consistent reminders to keep their masks on.”
WILL PARKER “COME TO THE FAIR?”
The Changes Parker’s County Fair Faces This Year Due to COVID-19 By Sophia Rosenkranz
“Come to the fair” is a well-known lyric from the song that is sung each year during the annual County Fair Morning Ex, a beloved Parker tradition. Parker however, like many schools, is faced with the challenge of COVID-19 and how to adapt many longstanding traditions throughout the year, like County Fair. For the 20202021 school year, County Fair has been postponed to March of 2021. County Fair is a tradition that gathers the entire Parker Community including faculty, staff, students, and parents. The Fair has booths from different grades, providing food, games and activities for the school. Traditionally, 10th graders are the organizers and planners of County Fair, assisted by sophomore grade heads Math teacher Vicki Lee and History teacher Andrew Bigelow. In years past, the planning for County Fair had to be finished by October, as it was the month County Fair was held. “Normally Ms. Lee and I work like five or six days over t h e s u m m e r, preparing and getting all of the vendors in place, contracts out, bills paid,” Bigelow said. “Sending emails out to all the different grades heads, all the different teachers, and faculty and staff, coordinating with maintenance, security, administration, and then when school starts, it’s all about meeting, meeting, meeting with the sophomores, the County Fair heads. We rely heavily on them.” Postponing County Fair created more time to plan. “We moved it to March so we have more time to figure out what’s happening, and to hopefully be at a point where we are in Phase five where we can have a bigger group of people that are assembling, because right now I think we’d only have 50 people,” Lee said. “So we’re going to have to become creative and see how things go as we get closer to the date.
We are trying to be really flexible with that.” Having the Fair be virtual was not explored. “We did not really consider that as a viable possibility,” Lee said. “It can’t be virtual because, like what would you watch? You could watch the first graders sing, but everything else is interactive, and it’s kids playing games.” “If things aren’t even substantially different, it would be like a social distanced one,” 2020-2021 County Fair head Rania Jones said. Having County Fair be postponed for five months can create new opportunities with more time. “I think the opportunity of actually having the sophomores have more time to think about it, and you know those what ifs, like, wouldn’t it be great if we do this for County Fair, wouldn’t it be great if we did this. A lot of times we already have everything so far in place by the time these ideas come to kids, and we’re not able to implement them,” Lee said. “We’re hoping that we’ll get some more inspirations from kids on how to do things that we’ll be able to implement because now we have time.” Bigelow explains that more time could benefit new teachers because they will have time to experience the essence of the school. Along with County Fair comes the County Fair Morning Ex, which highlights what activities or food each grade will be responsible for. Each grade contributes to the Morning Ex by presenting skits, videos or any creative way to present their booth. Along with the extra time for planning the postponed event provides, “It gives people time to plan a really good skit for the County Fair Morning Ex,” Bigelow said. “It gives people time to prep and plan whatever booth they are going to run.”
“We moved it to March so we have more time to figure out what’s happening.”
“We are putting on basically a party for the entire school community. And it is something kids look forward to. I think faculty and staff and parents look forward to it, but I know kids from JK through senior year.”
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Sports
PLAYING IN A PANDEMIC
Athletes Give Their Perspective on the Return to Sports By Riya Jain The 2020 fall sports have been limited to tennis, golf, and cross country. Parker athletes’ faces remain hidden behind their masks, playing the sport that they love while making the most of the time they have together. Athletes in the Upper School have already attended weeks of practice and a few matches. The girls tennis team started practices in mid-August, and players are required to wear masks at all times. During games, both teams use different balls and try their best to remain six feet apart. “Practice and matches are definitely different this year,” Girls Tennis Captain and senior Julia Auerbach said. “There’s definitely an overarching sense of COVID
related anxiety, but it’s been really amazing to see the team’s improvement and overall enthusiasm!” This year’s tennis season had a larger number of players compared to last year. Many students take the bus to practice and Parker faculty make sure everyone is distanced to and from the XS tennis facility on State Street. During tennis matches, which are always outdoors for safety reasons, the whole team wears masks on and off the court. Events such as the homecoming game, dinner, and senior night will not be the same, but players are happy that they get to compete. Co-ed cross country’s season started similar to tennis, with everyone
“There’s definitely an overarching sense of COVID related anxiety, but it’s been really amazing to see the team’s improvement and overall enthusiasm!”
1. Seattle Seahawks (13-3) Key Additions: SS Jamal Adams, TE Greg Olsen Key Departures: DT Jadeveon Clowney (TBD) The Seattle Seahawks have a record of 13-3 and have key additions of SS Jamal Adams and TE Greg Olsen and key departures from DT Jadeveon Clowney. The Seahawks are in prime position for another Super Bowl run, and I predict they take the NFC crown. I loved the addition of SS Jamal Adams, who, in my opinion is the best safety in the league. The Seattle secondary has now turned into one of the deadliest all of the NFL. I also agreed with the addition of TE Greg Olsen. Despite turning 35 in March, Olsen can prove yet another weapon on a evolving Seattle offense. I would have loved to see Seattle upgrade their subpar O-Line, and especially their disappointing D-Line, which would really take their defense to the next level. But despite their drawbacks, the Seahawks remain elite or very good in every other category. QB Russel Wilson is an all-time great, and if it wasn’t for his gradual slowdown at the end of the 2019 season, he would have taken home MVP. The weapons around Wilson remain balanced but effective. It includes a tremendous group of wide receivers: Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and Josh Gordon. The tight end group
required to wear masks while participating. “It’s been going very well,” junior and team member Owen Dudney said. “We’ve followed social-distancing protocols rigorously. Our first race is this week and I think we’ll do well, but there are limitations; we have a lot of new runners, but unfortunately not all of them will be able to come because of a cap on the number of participants in a race.” Before the coronavirus, more runners were able to compete, but now they are trying to cut that number for less exposure. But given that cross country is a non-touch sport, runners have been able to distance themselves. Co-ed golf’s season has also started, and because it is already a distanced sport, it has been running very smoothly so far. “I think that the golf season has
NFC PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS Predictions For The 2020 Season By Nate Manilow remains strong, with Will Dissly and Greg Olsen working as a dynamic duo. Leading into the backfield, with above-average running back Chris Carson expected to take a heap of the snaps. On the opposite side of the ball, the Seahawks linebackers and secondary has asserted itself into one of the most illustrious in the league. Linebackers feature, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. Wagner is coming off his 5th All-Pro selection, a record for the organization. He is debatably the best linebacker in the league. Wright is bouncing back off of career highs from the 2019 season. The Seahawks retain one of the most elite rosters in the league, and motivated by last years second round exit, their eyes will most certainly be set on the Super Bowl. 2. New Orleans Saints (12-4) Key Additions: QB Jamies Winston, WR Emanuel Sanders Despite the Saints receiving embarrassing and disappointing playoff losses throughout the past years, the team still remains formidable and competitive. The Saints managed to retain almost their entire roster, while luring in some more talent. Wide receiver Emanuel Sanders is
overall been going the best it can under the given circumstances,” senior and team member Rohan Dhingra said. “Although there are policies such as 24/7 mask necessity outside, even while socially distanced, I know that every faculty member associated with the team is trying their best to make the required adjustments to play. We have had matches and practices thus far with a team that is 40 students strong and my only hope for this season besides, of course, improving my own score and the team doing well, is that the postseason tournament will still happen.” So far, all sports have been running smoothly with practices only being canceled due to weather conditions. Based off of these three athlete’s perspectives, it seems like Parker has been transitioning well during the pandemic.
“I think that the golf season has overall been going the best it can under the given circumstances.”
on the last legs of his career, but he should still post quality numbers in the Saints receiving core. QB Jamies Winston was probably my favorite pickup from their offseason. In case QB Drew Brees gets hurt, he should be a more than qualified backup. The Saints have one of the most explosive offensive trios in the league: QB Drew Brees, RB Alvin Kamara, and WR Michael Thomas. All three could certainly be argued to be top five at their position. The Saints still have a quality offensive line, and their offense is extremely solid. On defense, it gets a lot worse, but they still maintain playmakers DT Cameron Jordan, and CB Marshon Lattimore. The team remains very good, but questions are arising if they can get it done in the playoffs. Can the Saints get it done? A lot of eyes are pressed on the Big Easy. 3. Green Bay Packers (11-5) The Packers fell just short of Super Bowl aspirations last year, losing in the NFC championship. But despite the desperate need to improve at key positions, they didn’t. The Packers drafted QB Jordan Love, who still hasn’t shown potential in practice. Despite the strange draft night occurrence, the Packers have
one of the most solid and reliable rosters throughout the NFC. They have stars/ superstars on offense like OL David Bakhtiari, QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Davante Adams, and breakout RB Aaron Jones. They also have an absolutely lovable defense, for example young pieces like SS Adrian Amos, CB Jaire Alexander, DT Kenny Clark, and formidable pass rush duo of Preston Smith, and Za’darius Smith. Despite this team’s pieces, I can’t see them repeating their “weak” 13-3 performance, which was aided by no major injuries and an incredibly weak schedule. Like New Orleans, an era is seemingly on the decline. The Rodgers era. Will they go out with another Super Bowl title? Or frustration and dismay. Title Town is watching intently. Dallas Cowboys (10-6) Key Departures: DT Robert Quinn After years of being stuck in mediocrity, I expect the Dallas Cowboys to take the NFC East title. Last year, the Cowboys received a lot of attention, seeming to be a rising, and upcoming team. However, they disappointed by going 8-8 in a horrific NFC East. The Dallas Cowboys want to win, and they showed it by locking up star WR Amari Cooper to a five year deal. They also franchise tagged starting QB Dak Prescott,
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Teachers
WHAT IS ON YOUR SUMMER READING LIST? An Inside Look at What the High School English Department Read This Summer
“What did you read this summer?” is a question often heard after school starts each year in early September. Teachers might ask students to answer the question and reveal why they chose the book they read. But, what do teachers read every summer when they have more time? And most importantly, why? Over the summer, English teachers read novels, essays, graphic novels, magazines, newspapers, and a plethora of other genres. Texts that were read during the summer even became new additions to coursework for students in the fall. Summer exploration of books often leads to new findings for a class. “I read a variety of books -- some are titles that I will be teaching for the first time, like ‘Sigh,’ ‘Gone,’ by Phuc Tran, and ‘Tomboy,’ a graphic novel by Liz Prince,” Upper School English Teacher Theresa Collins said. Collins is not the only English teacher who discovered new titles to put on the class syllabi. “I started reading some plays to shake up the Genres course a little bit, so I read ‘Sweat’ by Lynn Nottage which we are going to be adding to the curriculum,” Upper School English Teacher Cory Zeller
By Sophia Rosenkranz
said. “It was fun to read some more modern plays, and specifically ‘Sweat,’ which Lynn Nottage wrote to explore h o w Tr u m p won the last election. It was particularly interesting reading that as we are now in another election season -- just to think about the factors involved.” Upper School English Teacher Mike Mahany also added books to his curriculum. “And I read a book that I ended up using, that I am going to use for my American literature class called ‘Good Talk’ by a woman named Mira Jacob,” Mahany said. “I read a couple of books to prep for my classes,” Upper School English Teacher Matt Laufer said. “Shapes of Native Nonfiction” is one of the books he read to prepare for his classes. “It’s a collection of essays, personal
essays and other kinds by native writers and they were picked because they’re interesting in their shape, their forms, k i n d o f creative or experimental,” Laufer said. “ S h a p e s of Native Nonfiction” was his favorite. “Combination of really important, yeah, sort of cultural, social justice development for me as a teacher and a person, and then just beautiful writing, really weird, interesting, experimental creative essays,” Laufer said, “I read two books that are by Native writers and that is partly I think to kind of fix some blindspots of mine. You know, I just don’t know a lot of Native writers.” Besides finding new books for their classes, both Collins and Zeller take advantage of the summer for reading texts they might not normally read during the
“Summer for me is a time to read for pleasure, and I really enjoy having a text that I’m always reading”
school year due to time constraints. “I love reading magazines like ‘The Atlantic’ or ‘The New Yorker,’ which I don’t tend to have time for during the school year,” Collins said. Like Collins, Zeller enjoys what summer provides in terms of time to read. “Summer for me is a time to read for pleasure, and I really enjoy having a text that I’m always reading,” Zeller said. Zeller also took time to read a book with her son. “I read ‘Stamped’ by Jason Reynolds. My son and I read it together. Ibram X. Kendi wrote the original text. I was really curious to see how Jason Reynolds had adapted it for a younger audience,” Zeller said. Summer is also a time to explore in different genres. “I read some science fiction, I read a great, one of my favorite science fiction books I ever read, called ‘A Memory Called Empire’ which I loved,” Mahany said. Some English teachers engaged in book clubs or reading groups this summer as well.
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A NEW KIND OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Parker Creates New Professional Development Program For Online Learning By Arjun Kalra
When teachers had to suddenly switch to online education in the spring, many began different styles of educating, each of which had certain upsides and downsides. During the summer, teachers had the opportunity to collaborate to teach each other what worked and what didn’t. Thi s a p p r o a c h to profess ional development is new to Parker and differs considerably from the norm. The approach was introduced to Parker by Matt Brown, a parent who works for Inquirium. Inquirium is an educational design company which, among other things, has been working on different methods of professional development. “I am on the Education Council at Parker, and we were having a conversation a b o u t e-learning, and that combined with what I’ve seen with my own kids made me realize some of the challenges that teachers were facing in trying to create meaningful learning environments,” Brown said. “Given my background, I contacted Principal Dan Frank to see if I could help create a meaningful professional development program.”
Frank then passed the idea to Middle and Upper School Director of Studies Sven Carlsson and Lower and Intermediate School Director of Studies Barbara Hunt, who worked with Brown to create the “Teaching As Design” program. “We decided that the program would be most beneficial if teachers were not only learning from one another but also, using what they just learned, have time to work on how they could use this in their classes,” Carlsson said. Another pitfall of professional development is that it so often deals in the theoretical, something B r o w n didn’t want. “Another thing we wanted to do,” Brown said, “is making sure what was being presented was rooted in actual case studies of what happened in the spring or experiences that teachers had in the spring.” In years past a majority of professional development was taught by individuals outside the school. “It is just the progressive model that we teach in classrooms,” Carlsson said, “brought to professional development, something that was bound to
“We decided that the program would be most beneficial if teachers were not only learning from one another but also, using what they just learned.”
happen eventually.” Once the program details were finalized,
what didn’t, and how I brainstormed new ideas.” The effect of practicing the skill you just learned in professional development was very positive. “In a lot of professional development they give you a lot of information,” said Upper School Science Teacher Bridget Lesinski who attended multiple sessions. “But it can become overwhelming and because you haven’t applied any of the knowledge, so you’re less likely to actually incorporate it into your teaching,” said Lesinski. Many teachers brought different perspectives on how to do remote learning. Because of the unique circumstances that the training took place during and the unique style of “Teaching As Design,” many conversations that ordinarily would not have come up did. “One topic I wasn’t expecting to come up,” said Carlsson, “was the flipped method of teaching. This style of teaching, where students learn the material outside of class then in class you discuss the material, isn’t something I think would have ordinarily been discussed if it weren’t for online
“It is just the progressive model that we teach in classrooms brought to professional development, something that was bound to happen eventually.” an email was sent out to the faculty to see who would like to get involved. “When we sent out the invitation to join the program,” Brown said, “it started with just a few people trickling in, but then all of a sudden, a lot of people got involved.” The program kicked off on July 27 and lasted three weeks, devoting the mornings to teaching strategies and the afternoons to teachers coming up with practical ways to incorporate the idea into their classes. “It was incredible seeing the faculty work together in this way,” said Carlsson, “and led to some amazing conversation.” There were around 12 different workshops each led by different members of the faculty. “I led a workshop on teaching remotely in different ways,” Eighth Grade Math Teacher Timothy O’Connor said. “I basically described to my colleagues what things I had tried in the spring, what worked,
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Around Parker
BUSINESS LOSSES OF LINCOLN PARK How Have Stores in the Lincoln Park Area Been Affected by Covid-19? By Lucy Wrubel
Many small businesses in Chicago have closed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. If they haven’t closed outright, they have often taken a hit to revenue since March. This has led to a combination of mass layoffs and financial fragility. Chicago’s unemployment rate climbed to 18.9% in April with 16.3 million people unemployed. Many stores in the Lincoln Park area heavily depend on students from Francis W. Parker to bring in lots of business,such as Starbucks and Yoberri. Steve, a worker of five years at the Starbucks on Clark and Dickens said, “We have definitely seen a difference in how many customers are flowing in during the busiest times. A couple busy hours for us are around eight and two or three when a lot of students seem to be getting out.” Of course, students are just one part of the bigger picture. For customers going into Starbucks each day, the way business looks has changed tremendously since the coronavirus hit. “I think a huge part that has affected For most Upper School students, the transition back to online learning this year was difficult, though at least somewhat familiar. But for freshmen, joining the ranks of the upper school this year was a whole new challenge. Freshman grade heads Tyler Heidtke and Cory Zeller were tasked with the challenge of helping freshmen, both new to Parker and not, get ready for their first days of virtual high school and everything that comes with it. Historically, the freshman class takes a retreat to a summer camp in late August as an opportunity to both reconnect with old classmates and meet new ones. But due to COVID-19 restrictions, Heidtke and Zeller had to get creative with a digital freshman orientation. “We designed orientation around trying to take things from the retreat that we could use, and then implemented them virtually,” Heidtke said. “We split the students into teams,” Heidtke said. “One of the tasks we had them do is to name their team after an alliterative animal name, like the Goofy Gophers … corny stuff, but at least it got them bonding a little bit.” Heidtke believes that one of the biggest challenges for freshmen, in addition to acclimating to high school, is meeting new people. Freshman Riya Jain, who is new to Parker, says that she has found sports to be a valuable activity in her first weeks of high school, as it has given her an opportunity to get acquainted with classmates outside of Zoom. “The most difficult part is probably not being able to meet people, especially at first, because especially since not everyone
us is mostly everyone just coming in and for roughly two months, has yet to fully out for their drink. Pre-coronavirus, all day experience the full rush that the end of the there were plenty school day brings of people who with students would come in for from kindergarten a couple of hours to 12th grade. and sip a drink or “I have actually have a snack while talked about this studying, meeting with my coworkers with a friend, or before. During a taking a work call, regular school but this isn’t really year, especially Starbucks on the corner of Dickens and Clark as great an option during the fall, we Photo by Arjun Kalra anymore,” said get a lot of traffic in Steve. here. And now that school isn’t happening, Steve is thankful for the location of we can definitely feel the difference of how the Starbucks. “During the summer, there’s we have had to go to markets and really go always great business. There are people out versus people coming in to us,” said coming in and out constantly. It’s basically Nina. the perfect flow of business.” Yoberri is Yoberri is one of many stores that another store in the Lincoln Park area that have had to find alternate ways to bring typically gets a lot of student business. It business in during the pandemic. Usually, has also been affected in ways that aren’t Yoberri’s busiest times are “right after too threatening to Yoberri but definitely school, right before sporting events or right noticeable. after, and the end of the night around dinner Nina, who has been working at Yoberri time. Between family and students, that’s
FARAWAY FRESHMEN Freshmen Adjust to Remote High School By Jacob Boxerman
is new, you have to figure out how you’re going to meet people on your own,” Jain said. “Since I’m doing tennis, that’s a good way to at least get to know people … I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone not even doing a sport.” Freshman Krish Malhotra, who came to Parker in sixth grade, says that for him, socializing with his peers has not been challenging. Instead, learning how to manage his time has proved to be difficult. “Dealing with the time I have is difficult … they want you to get up and stretch during free periods. Then I’m also playing golf after school along with clubs and know, other meetings in between all this stuff,” Malhotra said. “So figuring out when to do homework and when to schedule certain meetings, has just has been a learning experience.” Both Jain and Malhotra would like to see more in-person events for the freshman class as a way to socialize and get to know a broader range of students. However, according to Heidtke, there aren’t plans for that in the future, as doing so is a “logistical
nightmare right now.” “Having more students in the building while your hours are condensed — so it’s just a lot, as much as we would love to do that,” Heidtke said. “We’re exploring all the possibilities, and gonna spit stuff out as it comes to us.” Jain thinks that some sort of in-person event would allow freshman a chance to connect with their peers, both with those new to Parker and not. “I feel like even just getting together in small groups to get to know each other more, so it’s not awkward in the breakout rooms or in Zoom classes, would make people feel a lot more comfortable,” Jain said. Binita Donohue, Upper School counselor, agrees that school over platforms such as Zoom limits the amount of spontaneous social interaction — such as students chatting in the hallway — which she believes is important for students and teachers alike, which can be difficult, especially after a lengthy summer recess. “The social isolation of summer has put
“I feel like even just getting together in small groups to get to know each other more would make people feel a lot more comfortable.”
definitely the majority of our customers here,” said Nina. “The two big contingents tend to be school and weather.” When the high school makes up over one-third of Parker, high school students taking classes online makes a huge dent in the number of students going to stores around Lincoln Park. Loss of typical business is an issue all around Chicago right now. Senior Ellie Buono lives in Bucktown/Wicker Park. “In the last couple of years tons of both small and big business stores have opened around us. It was always very fun to walk around to all the shops and go to fun restaurants. Since the coronavirus, many stores throughout Damen and Milwaukee have closed,” said Buono. Issues will continue throughout Chicago. “The vibes on the street have really changed, and things seem pretty sad when you walk around,” said Buono. While there are plenty more people out now due to warm weather and looser restrictions, the overall feeling of being in public has shifted for months and will not return to normal soon. us all in a place where this is the only way we can connect socially … Because we’re not in the hallway, you can’t just run into people, the way we usually do when we’re in person.” However, says Donohue, this limited social interaction has had a positive effect on work habits. “What ninth graders have been reporting is that they’re using their off class time pretty productively,” Donohue said. She believes that the absence of easy social interaction means that students are more likely to use their free time to complete work. “That is resulting in some positive feelings about their own academic abilities and time management, that kind of thing.” Though the negatives of remote learning do seem to outweigh the positives, especially for students new to Parker. Donohue says that freshmen new to Parker may be having a difficult time adjusting to Parker’s classroom environment, coming from a different background. “The norms at Parker in the classroom are that students will share their opinions. Certainly, by the time you’re in ninth grade most Parker students feel very comfortable if a teacher asks a question, just jumping in and saying what they think,” Donohue said. But if a student is coming from a school system where, says Donohue, “you don’t raise your hand and say, wait a minute, I don’t get that … the student who’s new interprets that as disrespect rather than normal.” While both Jain and Malhotra wish they could enjoy their first year of high school, neither are worried that they will not get to
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Motivation & Muffins
THE CAFETERIA DURING COVID-19 What the Cafeteria Looks Like During the Pandemic By Alya Satchu
Francis Parker’s Cafeteria. Last year had multiple service areas. Photo courtesy of Berglund.
The space once filled to the brim with hungry students that push and shove their way through crowds to get a slice of pizza can now only hold six to seven individuals at a time which includes staff. From the cafeteria’s dining area being used as a classroom for lower school students to having less than half of the Quest members remaining at Parker, the cafeteria has changed since the entire school utilized it in March. “Everything,” Executive Chef Zac Maness responded when asked the question of what aspects of the cafeteria have altered due to the pandemic. “Specifically, the servery is only open for faculty and staff to come in at lunch.” Only faculty and staff are permitted to enter the area where one would purchase food. This space within the cafeteria is open for the entire school day for those permitted to enter. Although, this area is now off limites to students of all grades attending Parker in-person. Lower and middle school students eat lunch in their designated classrooms or advisory rooms. It is preferred that if weather permits, classes will dine outside. The cafeteria’s indoor dining area exceeds the measurements of a Parker classroom, which deems it an appropriate area for students to learn. Two senior kindergarten classes now utilize the cafeteria dining area as a classroom. These classes are taught by Dana O’Brien and Nanci Moore. Each class utilizes half of the cafeteria. The other senior kindergarten class uses their classroom and the thirdgrade atrium as a class space. Junior kindergarten is split into different areas as well. Every kindergarten class is made up of pods. Pods are small groups of students in each class created to maintain social distancing protocols. In O’Brien’s class, there is a pod of six students and a pod of nine students. Every two weeks the pods switch between having class in the cafeteria and the classroom.
Moore describes this system as “challenging.” Although the two classes are utilizing the same space, they do have different schedules. When one class is doing a subject such as music, this can be distracting for the other class. Grades four through eight are the only grades receiving lunch from the cafeteria. These lunches are packaged and delivered to various classrooms. High school students that attend school for reliable wifi likewise eat their lunch in classrooms. Before arriving at school on Monday, students virtually indicate what they would like to eat for the following week if they are planning on buying lunch at school. Using cash is no longer permitted to buy lunches. Those attending Parker in-person are required to use their lunch codes to purchase packaged meals. Grades three and under are not permitted to eat lunch made by the school. Hot lunch does still exist although it is packaged and delivered to classrooms, not served in the servery. On September 10, Chef Zac described the meal plan for the day, “Some of the options folks are used to seeing we are still doing,” Maness said. “Chicken fingers, hamburgers, and mac and cheese were today, and pad thai is next week.” Students who receive lunch at school order their lunch for the week virtually. This way the cafeteria staff knows ahead of time what they have to provide for students. A current issue that has been occurring frequently has been that some student’s lunch orders have not been processing in the system. Parker faculty and staff are working to solve this technical difficulty. It could be the overall system has a malfunction, or the student or guardian fully submitting their orders. As of September 16, there were three to four orders that didn’t process. Although, the system is still being fine-tuned and there
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WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC How to combat Zoom fatigue By Lydia Blasko
The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on day-to-day life have been a challenge for the average individual, leaving many to sit alone in their house for months. But when summer came along, we were able to go outside, get out of the house and away from our families, and even meet up with friends if we wore a mask and socialdistanced. Summer gave everyone a chance to do what they wanted to do, whether it was to be productive or lazy. There was no wrong choice to make. Whatever gives you comfort in unsettling times was the right choice. But with a beautiful summer coming to an end and school starting, a new array of worries and difficulties arise, as well as some sour memories of online learning from last spring. Last spring we attended school online, which was stressful, and it was hard to stay enthusiastic, to say the least. However, from what I’ve seen so far, this year is going to be different. The teachers have been working relentlessly to try to make online learning the best experience it can be. Nevertheless, one thing that students might have a hard time doing is staying motivated. In these difficult times, staying motivated can be a really hard task, when you feel like there is no certainty and nothing to push you forward. But staying motivated is really important to learning. You have to be eager to learn about new topics, complete assignments, make good use of your time, and most of all, stay happy. It can be hard to motivate yourself, but there are ways to do it. There are methods that I use, that work for me, and will hopefully work for you. The first, most useful and versatile method, is setting goals. Setting goals for yourself can keep you engaged. No, your goal shouldn’t be to just stay motivated. Your goal should be something that you can accomplish. The best thing to do is to set at least one goal for the day that you have to complete so that you feel accomplished. The most important part of setting a goal is that you need to have a reward that follows it, otherwise you won’t do it. Even if you say you would still do it, deep down you know that’s false. The reward could be anything from making your favorite snack to going to get a cup of coffee from your favorite local coffee shop. The goal and reward system reinforces motivational behavior that sets you up for success. This actually trains your brain, much like a dog is trained to do a trick. Where the trick is the goal, and the reward is the treat. Just like training a dog, after repetition of these practices, it creates a habit of staying motivated.
Jane E. Brody, A Personal Health columnist for “The New York Times,” in the article “How to Maintain Motivation in a Pandemic,” recommends to “adopt a more positive approach by selecting goals that are attainable but still present a challenge.” Setting goals is beneficial and rewarding to everyone who is willing to try it. Another method, or a submethod, is to break a big goal into manageable and smaller parts. For example, a large assignment can be overwhelming and you might not even know where to start. A good way to approach it so that you stay motivated and don’t give up is to break the big task into smaller steps or parts. This makes your goal easier to wrap around your head and conceive a plan of attack. Another piece of advice is to simply take breaks. Doing so can give you a mental rest from the stream of information you’re taking in. The break can be anything that feels like you’re pausing from work and taking some moments for yourself. Examples include going for a walk, giving yourself a certain amount of time to be on your phone when you’re not in a class, meditating if you’re into that, going on a bike ride, doing a relaxing activity like sudoku and adult coloring pages, or really anything that recharges your mental battery so that you feel mentally prepared for the rest of the day. These activities take care of your mental and physical health, which are both important to staying motivated and healthy. The last method may seem like a simple one. It can be hard to do when everything seems negative, but you should try to stay positive. You might be thinking that it can’t be that hard, but sometimes we can get ourselves in a habit of thinking negatively without even realizing it. But staying positive is key to motivation because if you’re negative about everything, you won’t be motivated to do anything. Staying optimistic is definitely a great way to boost motivation and generally keep yourself happy. There are many ways to keep your head up and stay motivated during online school and the coronavirus pandemic in general. The great thing about these methods is that anyone and everyone of any age can use them! We are all going to need some motivation for this school year. There are going to be ups and downs throughout the year, but just like in the past we will get through it. The important thing is to do what works for you in order to keep yourself motivated, happy, and healthy for the ongoing school year.
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Adapting to the World
COLLEGES IN 2020 New Freshman Adapt to College By Suhani Aggarwal During the heat of the summer, students were getting ready to move into their new dorms and start a new phase of their lives. Usually during this time of the year, students return to or first arrive at their college campuses, but COVID-19 has taken a huge toll on the opening of colleges. In mid-March, coronavirus hit hard in the US and as a result, many universities switched classes to an online platform for the remainder of the semester. Now, for the fall term, colleges have two ways to continue: online classes or with some students back on campuses. Most universities are online and some college freshmen are debating whether an online only experience is worth it. Avani Kalra ‘20 was set to attend Northwestern University until she deferred for this semester. Northwestern was originally planning to bring the freshman on campus, but one week before move in, decided to only bring the juniors and seniors back. Northwestern gave students the opportunity to defer quarter by quarter. Kalra found an internship at New Moms which is a nonprofit organization in Chicago and a job working as the interview editor for “Another Chicago Magazine.” These opportunities aligned with her majors which are journalism and history. “Preserving my four years of college experience is very important to me,” Kalra said. Many other people are deferring a year as they feel that online college is not as fulfilling and the tuition is expensive, so one should make sure to get maximum value. “I was incredibly lucky to find an opportunity for this year and a path that makes sense for me,” Kalra said. The University of Michigan is one of the many schools that is bringing some of the freshmen on campus until Thanksgiving break. The school is taking many precautions for the students on campus including hand-sanitizer stations, frequent cleaning, coronavirus tests, and mandated masks on campus. University of Michigan 2020 graduate Ishan Goel is taking one in-person class in which there are ten
people in the classroom, and everyone is spaced out. “It’s more like listening to the lecture rather than interacting with others,” Goel said. Most students at the University of Michigan are taking online classes in the dorms using Zoom. According to Goel, not much is different in the dorms other than that students have to wear masks and are not allowed to eat in the mess hall during lunch. The University of Michigan has fully opened its campus since the time of Goel’s interview. Some colleges are doing full remote for the semester. One such school is George Washington University. Sophie Besold ‘20 is attending the university but is taking most of her classes remotely. She has anywhere from15 to 300 people in her classes. George Washington University is having a lot of small orientations for the freshman to get to know each other, such as yoga classes and small group discussions. “George Washington professors are trying their best,” Besold said. Besold thinks that what is happening with colleges is very unnatural and that meeting people is taking a toll since group chats and Zoom can’t change the feeling of meeting new people in person. “It is hard with professors in their sixties who don’t know how to use Zoom,” Besold said. She thinks that although during the pandemic meeting people has become hard, she sees herself becoming more self-sufficient. She is going to move into an apartment with a few of her friends from Chicago. Also, being online forces you to be on time for class and takes a lot of selfdiscipline. All colleges are closed in the city of Washington, D.C. due to the coronavirus cases in the area. “I am not sure what George Washington University is doing in the future,” Besold said regarding the university’s plans for the spring.
The Parker Weekly, Page 13
FIVE SAFE, SUPER FUN, SOLID FALL ACTIVITIES
Activities to Enjoy Outside of the Comfort of Your Home During the Pandemic By Eden Stranahan
“Preserving my
four years of college experience is very important to me”
“It’s more like listening to the lecture rather than interacting with others”
Kuipers Family Farm. Photo courtesy of EnjoyIllinois.com
Floating Cinema: Drive in movies have recently regained popularity because of their ability to easily social distance. Thus, in January the same concept of drive in movies will open up on the water in Chicago. This cinema will not open in the fall, but tickets are already available to book from Jan 1- Jan 8 and get excited about during the fall. The boats will gather around a large screen on the water at “a number of places around the city.” Organizers have said the movies will be a mix of ‘oldies’ and new releases. This is an experience unlike many others and follows all social distancing rules. The cinema will hold 12-24 mini boats and you can watch with up to eight people alongside you. Food and drinks will be available to enhance the movie watching experience. This would be a good family activity or you could go with a group of friends if you feel comfortable doing so. (free to prebook, price not listed yet) Biking: Biking is an activity that can be different each time you do it. In a city like Chicago, there are many places to go. With COVID-19 it doesn’t always feel safe to walk around the city as you may have before. Crowds downtown can be intimidating and walking down a packed sidewalk feels like a distant memory. This is why biking is a great alternative. If you’re missing walking around and getting some fresh air, this is the right choice. There are many great options for biking in the city. If you’re looking for a view of the skyline or lake the Lakefront Path or the Chicago Riverwalk are the best options. The 606 is a nice spot to bike through neighborhoods without being on the street and the North Shore Channel is perfect for those who live outside of the city. (free!) Apple Picking: 50 miles outside the city sits Kuipers Family Farm, a 230 acre apple growing farm. Upon arrival you will be greeted by a hayride to the orchard where the apples are. The orchard also holds a pumpkin patch and definitely has an all-around fall theme. The orchard follows social distancing rules and has adapted its procedures to ensure safety. If you’re looking for a place to go not too far outside the city that is specifically for the fall, this is it. A $10.99 per person admission
includes a quarter of a peck bag of apples. Workout Opportunities: Coronavirus has put limitations on what was once an easy trip to the gym. Early mornings and after work hours can no longer be crowded with people on machines, working out less than a foot apart. In July, many gyms capp their capacity at 10 people. However, there are still ways to get a workout in, and not just from your living room. Soulcycle is a company that was well known for their packed studios, close together spin bikes, and even high fiving during class. Now, those elements will be changed to ensure a safer environment. The classes will still be indoors, with new safety protocols including disinfecting and spacing out bikes. They also enforce “Rider Responsibility” which encourages “Keeping each other safe” through limiting rider contact and staying home when sick. Soulcycle classes cost $35 and can be bought in packs. Another workout opportunity is at Lakeshore Sport & Fitness in Lincoln Park. Leading up to the US Open Tennis Championships, USTA CEO Michael Dowse has described tennis as “the ideal social distancing sport.” Social distancing can be easily achieved (players spread six feet apart), especially during singles play because tennis doesn’t require direct person-to-person contact. Courts may be reserved up to one week prior to your desired playing time. Outdoor Dining: Although simple, outdoor dining is an effective way to connect with friends and enjoy a good restaurant. As summer comes to an end and fall starts up, outdoor dining will still be available at most restaurants. This option is obviously available all over the city and is highly adaptable. Some neighborhood options for outdoor dining include Avli Taverna (the Lincoln Park and River North locations are now serving saganaki, kabobs, whole fish and more on their patios), Homeslice (the patio at this popular Lincoln Park pizza place is open for reservations), and Summer House Santa Monica & Stella Barra (the back patio at Stella Barra Pizzeria, the front patio at Summer House and the Vitamin D room at Summer House are now open at 50% capacity).
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Virtual Upper School
SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES Discussing The Strain On Local Businesses in Lincoln Park By Owen Stepan
Imagine: after months of quarantine, the school finally re-opens. At the end of this hypothetical day, students leave school to have a late lunch. To their surprise, most local businesses are closed. Countless individuals lost their jobs because of COVID-19. Now, it is more important than ever to support local businesses to prevent this from happening. Supporting l o c a l businesses provides a significant number of jobs to the community. Supporting local businesses also helps build the local economy. Local companies are also more fuel-efficient because they have smaller carbon footprints than larger companies. Popular local business Yoberri, that
attracts many Parker students, struggled during the pandemic. Fortunately, Yoberri was deemed a “necessary” business, so they had the privilege of being open during the pandemic. However, Yoberri was having a challenging time selling goods to their nonexistent customers. “Although we got to stay open, nobody wanted ice cream. We were scared for our jobs, but we have started to bounce back ever so slowly,” an unnamed Yoberri employee said. However, other companies had much better luck during the pandemic. Wicker Park’s local grocery store, Olivia’s Market has been able to function properly amidst the coronavirus. “Many people from the neighborhood wanted to pitch in because they knew we were in trouble. We did not go through most of the problems other businesses went
“ N o w, i t i s m o r e important than ever to support local businesses to prevent this from happening.”
through. If it was not for our neighbors and friends helping us, I don’t know what could have happened,” Bill Maheras, Olivia’s Market owner, said. Local restaurant Velvet Taco struggled during the pandemic. “We had to close down for a long time, but when we opened back up, it was so cool to see all of the people lining up to order. We got to set up an outside area, and everything ran smoothly,” Velvet Taco worker Terry J. said. He wanted to stress the message that the coronavirus precautions should be taken more seriously. “Too many people come in and out, forgetting masks and blatantly disregarding about social distancing,” Terry J. said. He made it
apparent how difficult it is to succeed when nobody is taking the pandemic seriously. As the pandemic unfolds and more freedom is granted to all citizens, the Parker community needs to keep local businesses in mind. It would be such a shame to lose many longstanding businesses to the coronavirus. Chicago needs these businesses.
“We did not go through most of the problems other businesses went through. If it was not for our neighbors and friends helping us, I don’t know what could have happened,”
STANDARD GRADING IN A VIRTUAL CLASSROOM Parker’s New Grading System is a Return to the Old Grading System
On March 13, when Parker made the decision to close school due to COVID-19, there was an expectation that life would return to normal within a few weeks. It quickly became clear that the coronavirus would continue to impact all aspects of society, including schools. Even before Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-33 on April 30, 2020, ordering that schools remain closed through May 29, Parker had transitioned to a “non-negative” grading policy. Under this policy, grades earned during distance learning could not result in a lower grade than what a student had earned prior to the March 13 school closure. As Sven Carlsson, Parker’s Middle and Upper School Director of Studies explained in an April 3, 2020 email to all students, this policy was consistent with the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) recommendations of how to handle grades during emergency distance learning due to the coronavirus. With the 2020-21 school year in session and the entire Upper School learning remotely, Parker’s grading policy again requires attention. The emergency declarations and Executive Orders mandating distance learning, which lead to the ISBE recommendation for non-negative grading, have expired. The coronavirus pandemic, however, remains a significant factor in every aspect of life, including academics on every level. On July 23, 2020, ISBE issued guidance hinting at a nonnegative grading policy, as it would cause “no harm” to students’ well-being. However, ISBE also recognized that “grading policies
By Max Keller
are ultimately a local decision…and that districts reconsider their regular grading policies and procedures and implement or modify them to best meet the needs of their students.” As a result, Parker was once again free to determine the best method of student evaluation. Student evaluation choices are not as simple as standard letter grades or pass/ fail. When asked about grading models used by high schools, both public and private, Carlsson explained that there are four common high school practices: StandardLetter Grades (SLG), Standards-based Grading (SBG), Narrative Exclusive, or Ranges. SLG, the practice used by Parker before the coronavirus, is when students earn a letter grade between A and F. Another grading mode familiar to Parker students is SBG. This practice is used in some Science classes when “the knowledge and skills to be gained in the course are divided into demonstrable standards and students receive feedback in order to help them master the standards,” Carlsson said. The third model, the Narrative Exclusive, removes all letter grades and replaces the A to F scale with descriptions of student work in predetermined categories to track student progress. As an example, Carlsson referenced The Mastery Consortium. The final grading model, Ranges, reduces the options from SLG to some smaller number. Ranges include, but likely are not limited to, Pass/Fail, High Pass/Pass/Fail, and A/B, C/D, and F.
As a Progressive institution, grading and student evaluation is a frequent topic of discussion. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Parker was engaged with other institutions across the country to discuss whether an SBG model or some other combination of models, would be a more meaningful way to document student performance and mastery of topics and skills. Parker’s current SLG method, which Carlsson explained considers “individual circumstances and desire that students feel known and free to express the challenges, fears, and circumstances of their lives with students - and that they will be heard and that their words will have an impact - is very progressive.” With the understanding of these grading models, and without a clear mandate from ISBE and numerous questions from the Parker community, Parker is returning to the SLG model with modification. In a recently published question-and-answer document available to all Parker families, it was stated that “grades will be recorded using standard letter grades and documenting student work and attendance as was done when we were fully in-person.” The document lists a variety of pandemic related issues (illness, grief, family reasons) that may impact student performance and detail the need for individualized considerations of student performance and concludes by stating that “the grading policy may be revised should there be a change to the duration of remote learning.”
The decision to return to an SLG model was not based on a desire to move away from the realities of the pandemic. With six months of experience, both Parker students and educators are now prepared for the virtual school year. With this time and preparation, the implementation of pre-pandemic practices of more traditional grading policy becomes possible. “I’m not sure that it will last the entire year, obviously, but the grading policy for remote learning is that we will be using standard letter grades with the important qualification that we are sensitive to the challenges of remote learning for students. What is practically meant by ‘sensitivity’ is that, if issues related to technology/internet access or the pandemic inhibit a student’s ability to submit work,” Carlsson said, “adjustments will be made so that students are not punished in terms of their grade. This will most likely take the form of extensions or resubmissions, once the US Office is notified by a student or their family of the extenuating circumstance,” Parker is not alone in their decision to move away from non-negative grading and return to standard letter grading. Both Latin and Lab have also returned to standard grading, with the only exception being Lab’s opt-in pass/fail option. This move to standard grading also gives students and teachers a sense of understanding how to operate under the system used in in-person school. As Carlsson said, “since we’re using
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The Parker Weekly, Page 15
Opinions
I WENT TO THE ZOO DURING A PANDEMIC
My Experience Visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo By Julia Marks Like many Parker students, I have there was construction on many of the been to the Lincoln Park Zoo many times. indoor exhibits. Concession stands were I’ve visited animals during field trips, sat open as well as outdoor seating at the down in exhibits during evacuation drills, cafe. and ran through the gates for field hockey In some of the exhibits (the primate conditioning. exhibit and After spending gorilla exhibits), months cooped there is a nook in up inside of front of the glass my home window where and unable the animals to do any usually press up fun Chicagoagainst the glass, summer and the area is activities, I covered so it decided to take feels like part a trip to the of the exhibit. zoo during the These areas pandemic. tend to be the Unlike best for up close Signs and fences showing visitors the direction they should walk to avoid foot traffic. normal times, when views of the animals Photo by Julia Marks visitors can come to the and during normal zoo at any time they want, I had to make times, tend to be congested with lots of a reservation (for free) in advance for my people. At the gorilla exhibit, this viewing entry time for the zoo. Although the ticket area was closed off completely to try and did not have a restriction for how long prevent lots of people from being in close I could stay, there was a strict one hour proximity to one another. However, I was period for entry. For example, my ticket shocked to see that in the Macaque Forest was for 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. I could monkey exhibit, this area was open. There not enter the zoo at 10:59 a.m. nor at were at least a dozen people all close 12:01 p.m., but any time in between was together by the window to get a view of acceptable. Additionally, while selecting a the animal. There were a few zoo workers ticket I also had to specify which entrance roaming the park, reminding visitors of I would be using. the distance, but I was shocked that no When I entered, I checked in with one told this group of visitors to spread a worker at the entrance, who reminded out. me to maintain six feet of distance from Overall, I did have a pleasant other visitors and to wear my mask over experience in the zoo. Although the both my nose and mouth during my visit. navigation was a tiny bit tricky, I did feel I booked my reservation for a Monday safe and protected from other visitors. I morning and was shocked that shortly found that almost everyone in the park after my booking, that time slot was sold did follow the signs and arrows of what out, and I was even more shocked by how direction they could travel, but at the many people I saw in the zoo. Throughout majority of the exhibits, visitors were not my entire visit (which was a little under an properly socially distanced. I was able hour), I saw hundreds of people, however, to distance myself, however, if I wanted on a “normal” summer day, there could be a better, closer view of the animals, I twice or even three times as many people. would have had to be less than six feet While walking around the zoo, I had apart from others, and would not have felt to follow white arrows painted on the safe. During my visit, I had prioritized ground directing traffic, as well as signs my safety and maintaining six feet from that indicated which way would lead to other visitors in the park; however, if I an exit or to more exhibits. Navigating had prioritized getting a good view of the the area was reasonably easy if I just animals, I’m not sure I would have felt followed the arrows and signs, although, entirely protected. I do, however, applaud as expected, it did take longer to navigate the Lincoln Park Zoo for finding a safe through the park to reach an exhibit, since way to open that still allows visitors to I sometimes had to take an entire lap to experience the fun that the zoo has to reach an exhibit that was right behind me. offer. Many exhibits and activities were closed completely including the Helen Brach Primate House, Regenstein Center for African Apes, Foreman Pavilion, and also play areas and miscellaneous stands (face painting, henna, etc.). Additionally,
LESSONS FOR REMOTE LEARNING
How Unconventional Memorial Instagram Posts Shaped My Mind Shaped My Mind By Leila Sheridan The first week of school was inevitably met with countless prompts about how we, as students, are feeling about starting the year completely remote. While optimism feels uncomfortably forced and bright smiles are difficult to convey through a small square in the corner of someone’s screen, frustration has taken a front seat. Conversations with my friends always spiral into how much we wish traditions and normalcy could be restored for our final year at Parker. We talk about how we crave the experience of walking around the Big Gym, hand in hand, trailing behind bagpipes; we so badly want to reconnect with peers, cracking jokes and cramming in study sessions during Conference. So much of our dialogue has turned into what we are missing out on instead of focusing on the immense efforts the school is making to provide a safe, and as special as possible, learning experience. I understand that online learning is far from ideal, and it’s easy to feel disconnected and upset about how events are playing out. I’m not one to be entirely optimistic myself; I have had my fair share of partaking in negatively-toned conversations. There’s no doubt that physically being at Parker is unparalleled; students are given a safe space with much needed human connection and support. Being online doesn’t mean we have to lose the support, though. Sure, we might not have that physical human connection, but the care for the student body is there. I was recently drawn into a never ending rabbit hole on Instagram which helped shape my views on this lessthan-desirable situation. I don’t turn to Instagram as my main news source by any means, but I often find that personal anecdotes are conveniently accessible on the platform in ways that they may not be through more mainstream media outlets. One post in particular really resonated with me, and I think the broader message can be carried into a variety of life’s aspects-- especially our mindsets of online learning. The post shared a list of traditionally annoying or inconvenient moments that really happened to people on 9/11, causing
them to be late for work and in turn saving their lives. For example, the post reads “one missed the bus.” Another example is of “the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning. Before he got to the Towers he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a BandAid.” Most people would be annoyed at the fact that they missed their bus or have developed a blister, but those are the exact reasons why people are still alive to share those stories. I am not at all saying the magnitude of online learning is that of the occurrences of 9/11 because it’s not; online learning is a small inconvenience in our lives that could never even be compared to the despair and innocent lives lost in 9/11. However, the message of this post can be applied to how we are viewing our remote learning experiences: annoyances right now may lead us to a more positive future. When I think about how past seniors got to visit their little brothers and sisters for Big Brothers and Sisters or how they had the luxury of popping into the College Counseling office to ask a question in person, I grow slightly annoyed and frustrated that I don’t get those quintessential senior year moments. But then I remember: this is the time to embrace annoyance as a means of understanding that we are where we are supposed to be. Sure, things are different, but that does not mean that they have to be worse. The Upper School is definitely being challenged right now without spending our days inside the building, so embrace the awkwardness of this time and be extra grateful for connections with peers and teachers.
The Parker Weekly, Page 16
Colonel Columns
LET’S GET REAL A Reflection On Elementary School
I’M PRETENDING YOU ASKED Democracy! Who Needs It? By Spencer O’Brien
By Denise Román “Did you also get bullied in elementary school,” asked one of my students. I quickly clutched my chartreuse pencil and froze for ten seconds. My pulse quickened while memories of getting bullied in fourth grade flooded my brain. At that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to empathize with him, so I told him that I wasn’t bullied. How can you talk about your experience with someone, if you haven’t processed it yourself? Over the summer, I became an intern at the Vietnamese Association of Illinois. With other high school students from the Chicago area, we led a youth camp over Zoom. During those six weeks of camp, I was a fitness and art instructor. Before starting my internship, I had no previous experience with teaching nor working with kids. I was afraid that I wasn’t going to explain the art activities well or end up losing the attention of my students. Most importantly, I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to form a connection because I was older. However, my fear of not being able to form a connection with my students disappeared. During our snack breaks, my students would talk about struggling in school, being bullied, and staying home alone. Hearing their stories made me realize how much I had in common with them. There was one particular experience that spoke to me, as I had experienced a similar situation. Jason Romero, a rising sixth-grader, shared that he was often teased by his peers because he struggled academically. He often missed recess and assemblies to receive extra help. He was labeled as “troubled” by his peers. After enduring the verbal and physical assault he experienced, he started doubting his capability to do well in school, Jason started to refuse attending school and stopped completing his homework. It wasn’t until the end of the school year that he told his parents about the bullying. After hearing his story, I was reminded of the bullying that I experienced in fourthgrade. I was often told by some of my peers that I was “slow.” Every Thursday and Friday, I didn’t attend morning assemblies because my teacher would give me extra help on assignments. Once recess approached, I was teased for missing the assemblies. There were multiple times that I was pushed, shoved, and tripped. I even started bullying others because it helped boost my selfesteem. Just like Jason, I started doubting my capability to learn and strive. Attending
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school became burdensome by the day. When I started believing that I wasn’t enough or capable of doing something, my mind and body started believing it as well. My mother found out about the bullying after I came home with two scratches on my arm. It took multiple counselor visits and support from my teachers and family to recognize that I was capable not only of succeeding academically but in everything that I put my mind to. After reflecting on my elementary school experience with bullying, I was curious to find out if present high schoolers experienced a similar situation like mine. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, bullying is more common in high school than in elementary school. One out of five high schoolers reports being bullied. As a result of the bullying, these highschoolers demonstrated low academic achievement (struggled with school, received low test scores and grades), and perceived themselves in a negative way. Furthermore, early childhood bullying can affect a student’s selfesteem as a middle or high schooler. These statistics didn’t surprise me but demonstrated that no matter your age, bullying can affect your ability to believe in yourself. Victims of bullying, just like myself, can feel worthless, and not enough which can affect our selfesteem in the long run. Despite being bullied in elementary school, the memories of being bullied on the playground and classroom still manifest to this day. My memories manifest when I doubt my capability to complete an assignment or application. Bad memories are hard to erase, and I’m still healing as a senior in high school. If you’ve ever been bullied, you are probably still recovering from the emotional scarring that was left behind. I encourage you to ask for help if you’re finding it difficult to heal from your bullying experience. Surround yourself with people who are always willing to uplift you. Keep in mind that you are capable of succeeding, more than good enough, and worthy. Don’t blame yourself for the bullying or the negativity that you received in the past! You’ve got this, and you’re not alone!
“Victims of bullying, just like myself, can feel worthless, and not enough which can affect our selfesteem in the long run.”
Let us start with a little disclaimer. I’m a socialist, but I tell my parents I’m an everyday Democrat, so they don’t tell me I’m “just going through a phase.” Now let us move on. I had a whole plan of what this column was going to be about, but then I went to Student Government on Thursday and saw all of the blank screens on the Zoom and found some new inspiration. When my Zoom video is off, it’s because I’ve left the room. We like to pretend that we’re still listening or that we’re taking a screen break when the camera is off, but that is a lie -- 90 percent of the time when the camera goes off, so does my brain. I was ASTOUNDED (well, not really) by the absurd number of cameras that were off during the recent plenary session on Thursday. I mean, when we’re in person for Student Government, at least you could tell when people weren’t listening because they were on their phones or just not there, but over Zoom? No one can see anything. This then led me to the question -- if so many people aren’t listening in our mini-democracy, why should we keep it? Let’s entertain the idea that we don’t keep it. Democracy only works when all the members of the assembly CARE and WANT TO BE THERE. If I had a dollar for every time I heard “wanna skip SG today?” or “SG is stupid, why do I have to go?”, I would have a lot of money. The perfect democracy that we claim to have clearly is not as perfect as we think it is. Last year, about one-third of the student body eligible to vote in SG elections did -- that is not democracy. I myself voted. Don’t get me wrong, I was perfectly happy with the results, but that’s the problem. I’m one person, but since about one-third of the Parker student body voted, my vote counted three times as much as it should. Another issue is that we see the same 10 people on stage proposing things and arguing with each other every week - 10 people out of around 300 isn’t a democracy. But in theory, to keep them in check and to get anything passed, they have to get a majority vote. The problem is that no one listens and then all of a sudden it’s time to vote, and now I’m raising my hand only I have NO IDEA what I’m voting for because I
wasn’t listening in the first place. Then that got me thinking, if the same 10 people care so much about student government, why don’t we just give them all the power and walk away? It’s not like they’re going to get anything done. The biggest thing that’s happened in the four years of me being in SG is Senior Month. According to the recent polling, most seniors don’t want that to happen anyway. I’ll just jump to the chase - ten-ish people in power sounds a lot like this form of government called an Oligarchy. The definition of an Oligarchy is “a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.” The name might have a bad connotation, but in theory, it works here. Right? WRONG. Time for the other side of the story. First things first - Stanford does NOT want to see “Head of the Student Government Oligarchy” on a college application! I mean, that’s the only reason people get involved, right? (OH! SICK BURN, SPENCER) All jokes aside, casting away without democracy would be a foolish idea - here’s why. It teaches agency in the Parker youth, and it teaches students what a dysfunctional democracy looks like. Once a person knows how to break something, they can avoid doing it again in the future. Just because the Francis Parker SG Democracy doesn’t work doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good model and learning experience. When you think of Parker, you think of Embryonic Democracy, not Embryonic Oligarchy. A student government should teach students responsibility, and if they abuse it then so be it. They still learned a life lesson, intended or not. I’m sure you can tell I think just by reading this, but you should make your own decision. I’m not sure how much the type of government we choose for the student body matters that much, but you just read my thoughts on it. In the end, you have to decide for yourself whether you think our democracy is worth keeping or not.
“Then that got me thinking, if the same 10 people care so much about student government, why don’t we just give them all the power and walk away?”
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More Columns!
THE JOYS OF LIFE Dinosaurs.
By Grayson Schementi
The Parker Weekly, Page 17
A MICROSCOPE OF THE MODEL HOME To Pod Or Not To Pod
Hi everybody! I don’t know if you’ve heard, but all of the trees in California are on fire. That’s all I have about that, other than I think, besides the Colonel and the Eagle, Parker’s new mascot should be Flamboyant Flora the Forest Fire, in honor of our founding principal. Moving on, in honor of the collapsing economy due to COVID-19, today we are going to talk about another thing in history that ended up collapsing: The trees in California. NO SILLY! I already told you, we’re moving on. Today we’re actually talking about something different: dinosaurs. I want to preface something. I’ve never made this explicitly clear, but I am agnostic. What does that have to do with anything? Well, dinosaurs are only possible if the Judeo-Christian-Islamic God (Adonai, Jesus, Allah, WHOMEVER!) doesn’t exist IF you believe in God in the most literal sense possible. Because dinosaurs’ existence relies on evolution, and the Quintology? Pentalogy? WE NEED A NEW PARAGRAPH! So, is a series of five books called a quintology or a pentalogy? Our trusty friends at the crowd-sourced (I don’t know if that word applies, Mr. Bigelow says it a lot, and he’s smart) website Wordsmith.org says it’s pentalogy, but I was watching a video about the Ice Age movies’ accuracy and the p e r s o n in that video said quintology, so that’s what I’m going to use. The pentalogy of books related to God (The Torah, The Bible, The Quran, The Book of Mormon, and the Talmud (ish (but I’m bringing it up because, if you can’t tell from last week’s (month’s (this might be a record for most parentheticals in parentheticals in “the Weekly”)) entire paragraph about Hannukah, I am Jewish, and I haven’t learned about world religions since Mr. Shaker)) all talk about how God made the world, like, 5000 years ago and dinosaurs were around, like, 66 million years ago, so the only explanation is that the devil put them in the ground. Duh. But for all of us who do believe in dinosaurs, they were pretty freaking cool! Much like Chicago. And they seemed almost unbreakable! Much like Chicago. But then they all went extinct because of a meteor. :( Much like Chicago might. But it won’t be a meteor that kills us, it’ll be a pandemic. Specifically, this pandemic. Specifically, the COVID-19
novel coronavirus pandemic that requires businesses to stay closed, workers to stay at home, and made skyscrapers practically obsolete. Many people have been describing this pandemic as potentially causing a “financial extinction” to American cities. Not many, just a few, but I’m one of them. Because of this pandemic, the cities are becoming less desirable to live in, which will cause people to leave, which will cause businesses to change their models. Some have already gone out of business after having been forced to close. Some have changed their models so that everybody can work online, from their homes, and while some people will definitely want to return to the offices, others, who now know that they’ve been wasting time for years in one hour traffic to even make it to Wacker when they can easily work from home (look at that unconscious North Side bias seeping in there) and have no reason to make that commute anymore. Therefore, those businesses in the city that need those customers don’t get them anymore, meaning they shut down, meaning the appeal of the city is lost even further, which means we need more tax dollars to fix everything, which means, inevitably, we end up even broker than we already are, which then means that Chicago has became t h e Yu c a t a n peninsula 66 million years ago. That was one sentence. Now, you might be screaming at me, “Grayson, that’s such a hypothetical and slippery slope argument of you to make. You should know better. Aren’t you in Debate Club?” And to that I’d say, “Why, yes I am. You should join.” But I’d also say that the biggest dinosaurs grew up to be 39.7 meters! Do you know how big that is? The science teachers probably do (metric gang), but, to put it in perspective, the Liebherr LTM 1090-4.1 - Van Grinkel crane made by, of course, Liebherr, can extend up to 50 meters. But in this photo from trucks-cranes .nl, which, .nl is the ending for the Netherlands, the crane is extended to 39.7 meters EXACTLY! And do you know what that means? Just like Kiwis, Dinosaurs are also in the big leagues. But just because they could be so big doesn’t mean that something bigger couldn’t take them out. Chicago is the third most populated city in the third most populated country in the world. It’s in the country with the largest economy, the current global
“Now, you might be screaming at me, ‘Grayson, that’s such a hypothetical and slippery slope argument of you to make. You should know better.’”
By Rosey Limmer After Parker announced a fully virtual return to school for the Upper School, many, including the administration, were in search of unique ways to meet the social and emotional needs of isolated, BradyBunch-box contained students. Many parents and students wondered why similar poding to the Lower School could not be implemented for Upper School students. While Parker administrators had inboxes full of complaints, creative ideas, and questions about the operation of the Upper School, these bombardments have, in most cases, not resulted in answers, but some steps have been taken to bring more students on campus for different activities. Some groups of students, in search for a less isolated virtual class experience and everyday social interaction, have created pods of students who take online classes and eat lunch together. While not ideal, these pods still give students the ability to rebuild the social skills so many of us lost during COVID-19 and get a change of scenery for the school day. While pods are amazing opportunities, they are also not a possibility for a lot of students. I have heard stories of being able to hear the teacher from the class one student is in everytime another student in the pod wants to speak. This only adds to my list of worries of the efficiency and ability for students to learn within pod environments. Additionally, it can be challenging for students who are distracted to speak up and tell their friends, causing a hindrance in their learning. However, I am most concerned with the silence from the administration when concerns about poding are brought up, espe-
cially because we have an administration that enjoys involving itself in outside of school issues. I wonder why the school has chosen silence on this issue. Additionally, if this is something that the administration supports, why haven’t they provided support in helping students find pods or other alternative ways to be social. If the administration doesn’t support poding, or believes it is dangerous (due to the current coronavirus regulations), do they have the obligation to dissuade families from engaging in this behavior? Parker is also a school that prides itself on inclusivity. There is even a rule that all students must be invited to all b’nai mitzvah, so shouldn’t the administration worry about the exclusive nature of pods. What happens to the socially isolated student who doesn’t know how to speak up and get the human interaction they need to thrive? Additionally, a lot of concerns around social and economic equity comes up when students start poding. What about students that are immunocompromised or have immunocompromised family members? What about students who would be unable to obtain safe transportation to pods? Shouldn’t all students have the ability to return socialization to their education. The age of the coronavirus has presented numerous new ways to be cliquey and exclusive, the newest of which is poding. While keeping your circle small is best for your own health and safety, the exclusivity of it seems antithetical to the mission of our institution.
“What happens to the socially isolated student who doesn’t know how to speak up and get the human interaction they need to thrive?”
superpower (although, if people keep screwing with our elections, who knows?) But that doesn’t mean that the coronavirus, an unthinking, unkillable, lost little virus just looking for a home, can’t create enough economic strain on the city’s economy to make it collapse, whether through basic bankruptcy or just a massive loss in population. So, do I really think that Chicago is at risk of going the way of the dinosaurs? A little bit, yeah. Maybe, like, six percent chance. Very small. But still possible, and still sad. I love this city. It’s pretty, pretty cool (not as cool as Flamboyant Flora the Forest Fire) and I’d hate to see it go. But we need some smart leaders in power to make sure we stop being corrupt for no reason and also being inept, again, for no reason. SO! If you can vote, VOTE! Do your research. Learn about people who are fighting to save this city on the brink of collapse (it sounds so SCARY! I’m such a good fearmonger) And maybe, just maybe, we can keep Chicago around for another long while. Deal?
The Parker Weekly, Page 18
Class & Culture
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MAKE WAY FOR OUTDOOR MORE OR LESS SCHOOL? DINING How Often Should Each Academic Class Be Held? Chicago’s Steps to COVID Safe Dining By Scarlett Pencak One positive thing to come out of COVID-19 has been the improvement of outdoor dining in Chicago. Outdoor seating and patio dining is fundamental to Chicago summers, and as the city began to open up back in June, Governor J.B. Pritizker worked hard to bring this summer staple back. The re-opening of restaurants and bars, with outdoor seating, proved successful as customers and employees alike followed the parameters set by the governor. Rain or shine, Chicagoans were excited to get back outside and begin enjoying their summers. Areas like the Gold Coast and Fulton’s Market thrived with this new improvement, however restaurants with no outdoor seating continued to struggle. The Make Way program allowed restaurants in Andersonville to begin outdoor dining in a new way. Eater Chicago reported, “[The Make Way program] allows restaurants without patios to seat customers while increasing the capacities for restaurants already with outdoor options,” Ashok Selvam reported. As many restaurants struggled in the beginning of quarantine and were forced to close their doors, this new addition of street seating was able to get many restaurants back on their feet. The Make Way program has now expanded past Andersonvillie and has been implemented all around the Chicago area. The city has been blocking traffic from streets in popular areas to ‘make way’ for this outdoor dining experience. The city has been calling these Slow Streets and Cafe Streets. While the Cafe Streets have expanded the outdoor dining experience a Slow Street is for residential areas. John Greenfield wrote, “the city of Chicago’s proposal to build a permanent traffic-calmed ‘neighborhood greenway,” in his Streetsblog Chicago article. These two innovations to our streets came hand in hand in the end June. The Fulton Market area has a history of being filled with summer-hotspot restaurants, and it has been exceedingly busy now with it’s additional seating through The Make Way program and Cafe Streets. The Chicago Sun Times reports, “Fulton Market Street will remain closed seven days a week through December as part of an effort to expand outdoor dining to help struggling West Loop restaurants,” David Struett explained. Currently, Chica-
go restaurants are able to be filled to 25% capacity inside, thus, the extension of the outdoor dining with Cafe Streets in the Fulton Market area is essential. For restaurants like Swift & Sons on Fulton Market St. the Cafe Streets have made an obvious, positive, direct impact. Owner Phil Walters said, “We were limited to 25% capacity (indoors), and Swift & Sons, a 400-seat restaurant, went down to like 50 seats.” He continued, “With outdoor dining, we get 100 seats back, but we’re still below 50% capacity.” Although this is only a small number compared to how many people the restaurant would normally seat, this improvement has saved his restaurants and many others like it. One critique of the city’s Make Way program is it’s exclusion of restaurants in struggling and low income neighborhoods. The majority of the Cafe Streets are in areas like the Gold Coast, Fulton Market, and Lincoln Park, areas with busy nightlife and expensive restaurants. Many restaurants in the lower income areas have had no choice but to shut down, thus, the addition of Cafe Streets would be immensely helpful. With cold weather and winter approaching, there will have to be changes to the way outdoor dining is currently being done. Restaurants will have to purchase tents setting them back thousands of dollars on top of everything they have already lost. The end of August, a Winter Design Challenge was announced in which participants can write a proposal on how to make outdoor dining a possibility this winter. The city is asking, “How might we stimulate and encourage safe outdoor dining and entertainment during cold weather in Chicago?” According to the Chicago Tribune, “All proposals for in-person outdoor dining must adhere to COVID-19 protocols and guidelines, and designers are asked to consider customers, restaurants workers, construction trade workers, and all other jobs associated in making a restaurant tick,” Grace Wong revealed. The three winners will be announced on September 29 and will win a $5,000 cash prize and will qualify for a corporate funded pilot opportunity to apply their ideas. Hopefully the Winter Design Challenge will result in a continuation of outdoor dining through the cold weather and will ‘make way’ for new possibilities of social distancing.
“Many restaurants in the lower income areas have had no choice but to shut down, thus, the addition of Cafe Streets would be immensely helpful.”
By Benjamin Kagan I think Parker’s remote learning schedule for this year -- to hold each (AF) academic class three times per week instead of four, makes as much sense as a remote learning plan in the middle of a global pandemic possibly could. Of course, this situation is not ideal, but I do think that the plan is fairly solid. Although I think that this plan is “fairly solid,” I know that there is always room for improvement and this scheduling design could always be enhanced. By making the switch to having class less frequently, Parker is allowing extra time for students to take much-needed screen breaks. According to The Mayo Clinic, adults and teens shouldn’t be spending more than two hours per day on a screen. On Mondays, which for me has the most asynchronous class time, I will spend nearly five hours on Zoom. In addition to this time, I will also be spending an extra hour and a half or so working on my homework. Adding on to all of this time spent working on a computer, I will also occasionally be checking my phone and scrolling through Instagram, sending and opening Snapchats, and utilizing other forms of social media to replace the inter-personal time that I would be having in school. On top of all of this research that says that students need breaks for physical and mental health reasons, I can speak from personal experience when I tell you that students need a chance to feel like they can talk to their friends in an unstructured environment and just relax for a bit. Additionally, Parker’s plan to have fewer academic class periods per week, which then equates to students being finished with classes earlier and less homework per week will likely allow students more time to sleep. According to the Harvard Business Review, Zoom classes are more tiring than in-person classes for a few reasons. One reason that Zoom classes are more exhausting is, “because they (Zoom Meetings) force us to focus more intently on conversations
in order to absorb information.” What this means is that in-person, I may be able to let my attention wander briefly, and if I do this, I can just ask a friend to clarify what the assignment was or what was just discussed. You can’t, however, do this in Zoom classes. Another benefit of having fewer academic classes per week is that we have more much needed passing time (a concept that is foreign to many Parker students). The passing time between classes is incredibly helpful for most students. For me, it provides a chance to check my phone (even though I know I shouldn’t be spending more time on a screen), use the bathroom, and take a walk around my house. This passing time helps to replicate the feeling of getting up from one class in-person and walking to another. Although passing periods aren’t included in Parker’s typical in-person schedule, the time obviously does exist and it shouldn’t disappear just because our commute between Zoom meetings is the click of a button. I have to give kudos to the administration for adding in these five-minute breaks to the schedule. I really hope that when we do return to in-person learning, these breaks get incorporated into the schedule so that they can formalize a process that has already been in practice for many years. This unwritten five-minute break will always have to exist until students gain the ability to teleport from an Art or History classroom on the fourth floor all the way to a Science or Math room on the first floor. In order to offer the most effective remote learning environment with a combination of rigorous academic offerings and consideration for the emotional and physical well-being of its students, Parker implemented the change of only having each academic class three times a week, and I 100% support this schedule modification.
“Another benefit of having fewer academic classes per week is that we have more much needed passing time.”
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Editorial Time!
The Parker Weekly, Page 19
HONORING RUTH BADER GINSBURG’S MEMORY By The Parker Weekly
On Friday, September 18, families sitting down for Rosh Hashanah dinner or winding down from the work week were disrupted by shocking, and for some, devastating news – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed away. Moments after we heard the news, our social media was filled with posts both mourning her and wanting to replace her. Ginsburg was a cultural and political icon who fought for women’s rights, voting rights, and workers rights. She broke numerous glass ceilings over the course of her lifetime, a trailblazer whose conviction brought her to the highest court in the land, only the second woman to serve there. Regardless of political affiliation, the historical and legal impact of Justice Ginsburg’s time on the court is undeniable. She leaves behind a legacy of careful jurisprudence, pointed dissents, and a steady dedication to her goals and principles for us all, whatever your thoughts on who should fill her seat on the bench next. The vacancy means someone new will be appointed— someone that could rule to reverse the very rights she fought for. Surrounded by her family and loved ones, Ginsburg passed away from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. She has battled cancer for almost her whole tenure as a justice, while still serving on the bench and fighting for the rights of Americans. Many are mourning Ginsburg as a titan, an icon, or the stopgap between America and autocracy. She was also a mortal, frail
octogenarian, who is sometimes criticized for her comments on Colin Kapernick, the lack of Black clerks in her staff, as well as not stepping down from the court during Obama’s presidency. As the nation waits for a new justice to be appointed, it gives us a chance to examine the system as a whole, the merits and drawbacks of lifetime appointments, and the hazards of glorifying our politicians and justices. As we consider long-term systemic im-
a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and was on the shortlist for Trump in 2018. With a potential six to three conservative majority, previous decisions can be overturned as soon as a similar case is brought to the court. Roe v. Wade, as well as other landmark cases that have ensured rights to marginalized groups, are in danger. All previous cases that conservatives
plications, it’s also important to be aware of the next steps in the short-term. When a Supreme Court Justice passes away or retires, the president has the power to choose who will fill their seat, and the Senate either confirms or denies the nomination. Following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, President Barack Obama attempted to fill Scalia’s seat with Merrick Garland. Senate Republicans blocked this move, arguing that he couldn’t, because it was 10 months before an election. Ginsburg’s death occurred less than 50 days before the upcoming election. Early voting and mail-in voting had already begun in several states. But President Donald Trump, alongside other Republican members of Congress, are pushing to appoint Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative, while Trump remains in office. Coney Barrett is
would disagree with won’t disappear immediately. The justices will slowly overturn prior cases as newer, similar cases work their way up to the Supreme Court. It will be a slow process and a series of decisions that may not hit the news cycle. That’s why we have to start paying attention to politics. We cannot blame these issues on 2020. This year is not one bad year or a terrible fluke, that’ll be magically fixed once the clock turns to 12:00 am on January 1, 2021. As Parker students, we may not be directly affected by these issues, but if you are worried like us, you need to get involved to help fix them. If you are 18 or older, VOTE! Make sure to encourage your parents, older siblings, or anyone eligible to go to the polls as well. It doesn’t matter who you choose
“As we consider long-term systemic implications, it’s also important to be aware of the next steps in the short-term.”
to vote for, but this is your constitutional right. Ginsburg didn’t fight for voting rights for nothing. If you are not yet eligible to vote, or want to do more, you can still voice your opinions by writing to senators or phone banking for political candidates. Email and mailing addresses are available online for all congresspeople. Visit individual websites of candidates you support to see how else you can help. Voting is only a piece of the puzzle. It’s important to also take care of our own communities, communities that politicians often fail, by giving our time and when possible, our money, to organizations that are committed to women’s rights, immigrants rights, healthcare rights. As we work on the long-term issues coming to a head in 2020, we should also consider how we can make an immediate impact. The American Civil Liberties Union works to keep the Supreme Court in check and in line with the constitution. They fight for the same rights that Ginsburg did and more. On the ACLU website, there are events, petitions, and other ways to get involved in their work. Honoring Ginsburg’s legacy and being involved politically cannot end once we leave the classroom or Zoom meeting. It cannot end once we exit out of the Instagram app. We, as a Parker community, need to do more to protect everyone in our home we call America.
GET OUT AND VOTE!
A Message To All Eligible (and Non-Eligible) Voters By Zach Joseph I’ll start off by saying that you won’t receive any political lecturing from me in this piece. The world’s extremely divided right now - over a plethora of issues, I might add - so I want to focus on a timerun tradition that spans back to 1776. Something that every year, millions of Americans make the slow commute to a designated building to cast their opinion for who should hold an elected office until the next election. That’s right - we’re talking about voting, y’all! Despite our Founding Fathers fighting for Americans’ right to vote (and suffragists and the Civil Rights movement fighting for those who were not originally included in the first right to vote), every year, millions of U.S citizens forget to uphold this responsibility to choose their next leader. Voting is seen as a punishment, rather than a civic duty, which is probably why so many individuals failed to cast their ballot in prior elections. One of these prior elections in specific?
2016. About 138 million Americans cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson, or Jill Stein, each going out of their way to uphold their constitutional right. And to the untrained ear, 138 million sounds like a lot of votes. But it gets crazier when you realize that 138 million is only 58.1% of the U.S population. 58%. A little less than half of the country couldn’t be bothered to have a say in who their next president was going to be for the next four years. The same goes for their senator and representative. A Senate seat term lasts for six years - can you imagine having the opportunity to choose who will represent your rights for the next six years and NOT giving your say on them? If you go back four years earlier, though, to 2012, only 58.6% of eligible
voters actually voted. In 2008? 61.6%. In an ideal world, that number would be close to 100% each time. Otherwise, what’s the point of a democracy if only half of those eligible actually have a say? This shouldn’t make you lose faith in the democratic system - not at all. Rather, it’s to inspire every reader to use their vote to truly have a voice in the running of our country after January 20. No matter your political opinion, everyone needs to uphold their constitutional right to vote for their leaders, especially in the midst of the chaos that is 2020. The last day for mail-in ballots to be received in Illinois is October 29 - make a plan and make sure your vote is counted. Before I conclude, I should probably establish that I will not be able to vote by November 3 this year. And I won’t be pulling an Anthony Michael-Hall from
“What’s the point of a democracy if only half of those eligible actually have a say?”
“The Breakfast Club” and getting a fake I.D to vote, either. So, as far as any legal adult is concerned, I have no real say in who my president and other elected officials are for their next term. But that’s not stopping me from encouraging every single individual I know to register to vote and cast their ballot this November. And it shouldn’t deter those who are ineligible to vote but still want a say in who gets elected to what office this year. After all, it’s our lives that are going to be impacted by the final decision, no? So get out there, minors! Campaign for the candidate of your choosing (socially distancing, of course), join a phone bank to make sure those that are eligible to register to vote, and most importantly, bug your parents. Make sure that, no matter their political stance, they take to the polls, either by mail or in-person (safely), and do what we’ve always done to uphold our civic duty: VOTE.
The Parker Weekly, Page 20
Continuations
BELDEN BUILDING Continued from page 1
newly available spots to “significantly” increase both the percentage of students of color at the school, currently reported to be 38%, and the percentage of students who receive financial empowerment, which is currently 22%. To fund both the purchase of the building and the increased number of students receiving financial aid, Parker will launch a new capital fundraising campaign, to which one significant gift has already been donated. “What we are aiming to do is to position the school to be stronger in the future, and there’s several components to that,” Frank said. “One is to make sure that our endowment is strong, and that the endowment has grown in order to fund educational opportunities for students whose families can’t pay a full tuition.” Frank anticipates that it will take the school three to five years to present development plans to the city and begin making physical changes to the building, a time frame that is not set to be delayed by COVID-19. Until then, Parker will continue to lease the 19 units, or find renters as residents leave, along with the six units it still owns in Belden by the Park. The school will also pay property taxes until the building is converted for school use, as schools are tax-exempt. Not all audience members and neighbors were satisfied with the plan presented by Parker. Out of the over 100 questions asked at the meeting, many had concerns about noise and traffic, along with the neighborhood impact of a private institution that does not serve the ward, known for its $52 million endowment and $39,000 tuition, expanding. “Managing land that serves as the gateway to Lincoln Park not just for this community, but the whole of Chicago and its many visitors, is a civic responsibility,” the East Lincoln Park Neighbors Group, who organized petitions against Parker’s purchase of Belden by the Park, said in a previously released statement. “Allowing such land to be taken and used solely for a purpose that serves a very small, but grossly wealthy group could be seen as a breach of that responsibility.” Smith stated she requested Parker consider alternatives to building on Belden, such as converting the Webster Parking Lot, though Parker maintains that the square footage of the parking lot is too small for an expansion. The alderwoman has no say over private real estate transactions and the school is within its rights, since residential zoning includes schools. Parker was also approached by other buildings farther from the school but remains committed to expanding onto contiguous land and not opening a satellite campus or moving the building form
its original 1901 location. “What has remained constant,”Frank said, “is the sort of pragmatic optimism that Parker will have more future than it has had a past, and that the opportunity to get contiguous property for any institution is always an important objective.” Smith attended to concerns about the look and feel of the neighborhood, along with bigger-picture ones about the state of Lincoln Park’s tax space. “Underneath that concern, I hear that if Parker acquires this building, what impact will it have on me,” Smith said at the meeting. “By impact on me, I understand that to be more than just that there’s a school next door, people sometimes get concerned about their own property values.” Though some in the neighborhood disagree, Smith herself believes that Parker is an asset to the neighbor and its long-term future. “Schools like Parker keep people in the city and the neighborhood,” Smith said. Both Smith and Frank anticipate future community meetings, likely following any decision made about the landmark district designation of Belden. “So that we build that bridge, the bridge isn’t just literally the bridge that goes across the alley that Chip von Weise showed us, but the bridge of mutuality and what we can do together as good community members,” Frank said.
NO-CO? Continued from page 4 and we have to think of things that we never thought we had to think about, which I think is great because we’re not necessarily breaking traditions but maybe even creating new ones,” Simon said. Spirit Week was moved to Zoom, with students dressing up and changing their virtual backgrounds. Freshman Benjamin Kagan won four of the days. “I chose to dress up for spirit week every day because when I was in middle school, I saw the high schoolers dressing up, and I thought that it looked very fun, so, I wanted to be a part of this incredibly cool tradition in my first year of high school,” Kagan said. “I was really excited to win because I enjoyed the time I spent choosing my outfits.” The themes were meme Monday, twin Tuesday, wacky Wednesday, throwback Thursday, and Parker spirit Friday. Winners received $25 gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, Chipotle, Grubhub, and McDonald’s. Though on Zoom, the Social Committee and the Athletics department were able to continue this Parker tradition.“No one has been in our situation before,” Simon said. “Hopefully we’ll create impactful things
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NEW NURSE
Continued from page 1 “I have interviewed nurses who don’t want a full time position or a permanent position,” Nelson said. The group is also looking for a substitute-nurse in the event that any of the nurses become sick. An additional space that is being utilized in a different way to accommodate for COVID-19 is the room across the hall from the Nurse’s office, which usually offices for Middle and Upper School Director of Studies Sven Carlsson and Lower and Intermediate School Director of Studies Barbara Hunt. “Mr. Carlsson’s office and Ms. Hunt’s office is actually our quarantine area, so if someone has symptoms of COVID, there are three rooms in there with doors,” Nelson said. These quarantine rooms provide a supervised, isolated space for someone presenting with coronavirus symptoms to stay before getting picked up. Lower and Intermediate School Spanish teacher Daniel Baltierra’s office will also look different than previous years. Not only has it been enlarged, but it will also be filled with a new smiling face. Separate from the nurse currently being hired to replace Nurse Jessie, a new nurse was hired for just this year to specifically help the Lower School. “We hired someone for three days a week. Her name is Nurse Jennifer. She will be close to where the younger children are so they won’t have to walk all the way through the building,” Nelson said. Nurse Jennifer Westerhoff is the newest addition to Parker’s nursing staff. Westerhoff comes to Parker from a school district in the suburbs where she was the school nurse for nine years. Despite Westerhoff joining the Parker community during an unprecedented and chaotic time, she has been able to nicely transition to Parker. “Everyone at Parker has been super supportive, and they already had a wonderful plan in play so the transition has been fairly smooth,” Westeroff said. One of the new things that Nelson, Westerhoff, and the rest of the world have to worry about in this unprecedented time is what to do if someone tests positive for the coronavirus. The nurse’s office fields many of the Parker community’s questions about the coronavirus, such as, what to do if you were possibly exposed, definitely exposed, or have tested positive. “I, luckily,
worked with a medical sub-committee this summer, and I have three doctors on that committee that I can go to if I have any questions,” Nelson said. “This is helpful because they keep on making little changes to the guidelines, so I have to keep up with all of that.” With the new threat of the coronavirus, the nurse’s office has to take all symptoms very seriously in order to ensure the safety of the community. “If any students are displaying signs of COVID-19, where before they might be able to stay at school, now they have to go home and see a physician,” Westerhoff said. On top of all of the changes in the Nurse’s office, the way that the school operates is different which is a hard adjustment for everyone, including Nelson. “The hardest part about reopening for me is the mental energy because e v e r y t h i n g ’s different,” Nelson said. “You have to walk a certain way, the staircases are up and down, the hallways are different. Instead of having everyone walk on the right side, it’s the left side. Kind of like driving in England.” A new app has been implemented into the Parker community which has a coronavirus questionnaire that all parents and employees must complete every day before arriving at school. This new app, Ravuna, sends out text messages reminding you to fill out the survey each morning. “The questionnaire is the right length of questions to quickly and safely send all of the kids to school in the morning. It covers all of the COVID symptoms, and it is precise,” a Parker parent, who wishes to stay anonymous said. Nelson also answers many questions in regard to the app. One of the things that has made coming back to school easier is that all members of the community are on the same page. “Everyone seems to be pretty much together that they want to be open... and they want to do it safely. They want the students and the staff to feel safe, and that is the main goal,” Whesterhoff said. Despite all of the new changes and struggles that Nelson and the nurse’s office is facing, Nelson is happy to be back. “It’s nice to be back, and it is nice to be here. I like my job a lot, so I am happy I am doing that people will want to carry out through the it,” Nelson said. rest of their high school career or however long they’re at Parker.”
“Everyone at Parker has been super supportive, and they already had a wonderful plan in play so the transition has been fairly smooth,”
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Más Continuations
SENIOR GATHERINGS Continued from page 4
The Parker Weekly, Page 21
CAFETERIA
Continued from page 12
Later in the event, Bruno had each my hope.” are always additional backup meals in case Members of the kitchen staff have been group line up in pairs to get ready for the issues like this occur. branching out from their independent roles BBBS walk around the field, which the The original number of Quest within the cafeteria to fulfill other positions students did not know about prior to the employees that worked at Parker was 16 and that need assistance in case an individual event. As the students began to walk onto that number has now been cut down to only was not able to enter the school for a certain the field with their partner––prohibited five. Some of these employees have been reason. from making contact with each other–– furloughed, some have decided it would “We’re all doing different things,” his first day of in-school learning, after a the bagpipes began and the ceremony be beneficial to move to another job, and Griggs said. “I was learning how to be a few days online. “School has been going commenced. “I definitely did not imagine some employees have decided to stay with cashier today. It’s something I have never well. The staff and teachers are handling it my Big Brother Big Sister walk around the Quest company but work at a different done because basically, we all need to know really well,” Deutsch said. “I think teachers to look like that,” 14 year Parker senior location. Quest provides for many schools how to do it. We’re adapting to new roles.” and us, students, are doing really well with Emma Jung said. “This was one of many throughout the city and suburbs. Because The protocols within the kitchen this, as we try to hand sanitize often and stay traditions I have been looking forward to of this, there were opportunities to take up itself have also been modified from previous six-feet apart.” Deutsch explained how it since I started Parker, and it was sad that positions at another facility. years. The kitchen staff is required to use feels very different than the past, especially we didn’t get the ‘normal’ or ‘traditional’ As for breakfast previously, there were disposable masks provided by the school lunch. “We sit at our designated desks and walk around.” around four to five different items that were rather than bringing their personal one from eat. We can try and talk, but it’s hard to hear While the event was meant for the available to students, families, faculty, and home. When the staff enters the kitchen each other, but it’s the only time we get to seniors to have fun, see their friends, and staff daily. Those items were rotated on a they are required to go through a sanitary take our masks off,” Deutsch said. maintain traditions, it was also used as a weekly basis. In total there were around procedure. The staff is given a thermometer Deutsch’s twin sister and seventh trial to see how well the students could 90 baked goods so they can grader Chloe Deutsch is having a similar adhere to the social distancing and mask made every day take their own experience, as she is in the same section guidelines. Similar to Advisory Day, it was for breakfast. temperature. as her brother. “During lunch, depending seen as a test run for whether Parker could For the 2020Then all of on the day and where we get assigned, we bring its students in for events later in the 21 school year, the supplies to have a spot to eat where we can listen to year. “We did Advisory Day and I think it the number of be used that our own music with headphones, or find a went smooth, but I don’t think I saw one baked goods has day have to way to entertain ourselves due to not being person six feet from another person. It is decreased. As of be thoroughly allowed to talk,” Deutsch said. natural for people to clump, to get together, September 14, sanitized. Every Hearing good feedback from most to stand in line right behind the next person,” there were thirty two hours all of students, the hope for success is high. Bruno said. “So I think we need to be really baked goods in the supplies and Deutsch, Pettinelli and Deutsch explained consistent and stern with the protocol, and total that were areas prone to the procedures and social distancing are we will see how that goes over this month.” accessible for faculty and staff in the be touched often have to be re-sanitized. working well. Though Fuder mentioned Another factor to think about, according cafeteria, and this number has already Additionally there is tape stuck on the floor how the on-paper plan may be better than to Sabir, was how the public would perceive dropped down to only 12. Staff working in to make sure kitchen staff stay at least six real life, so far in person, Parker’s in-school Parker bringing an entire grade of students the kitchen at Parker has to prioritize what feet apart from one another. The shortage of has run with no cases of the coronavirus. to the building. It could be seen as tone ingredients they need over others. staff members has also been an advantage The Upper School students are still online, deaf had it not been done with the proper “I’ve been at Parker now for six years in the sense that it’s easier to maintain with some grade gatherings, but jealousy guidelines and safety measures, and that was now, and I’ve had a lot of leeway with the a distance from one another and follow lurks as they sit at home on computers. on Sabir’s mind when planning the event. direction I want to take things in,” Head protocols safely. Frank expressed his wishes on seeing all “Also how that was going to look in the Baker Sue Griggs said, “I really have to “Not only is this new to us, it is students back in-person, but it isn’t quite public eye,” Sabir said. “We wanted to make narrow that down and I have to think about new to you as a student and for parents.” safe enough. Although, with this progress, sure that whatever we did was responsible what we have in storage versus just going Griggs said, “They’re so used to just coming hopefully a future of all students at 330 West and that it looked responsible.” out and buying in large bulk and in large in and just picking whatever they want.” Webster Avenue, is in sight. The group that planned the senior quantities because I’m not serving the wide Students at Parker find eating event will regroup once grades 9-11 have community that I once did.” on campus more challenging and unusual completed their events to discuss whether Another difference this school year compared to previous years. Students can’t it’s possible to bring the students into the is that food items are not baked the day of socialize with one another, and desks have building again. Bruno had suggested a distribution but rather the day before. Now plastic dividers to isolate the area. Students movie night on the field as an idea for this food items need to be packaged and sealed eat at different times during the day. event, so something like that may not be out in a sanitary manner. There is also a coffee “Not eating in the cafeteria is kinda of the question moving forward. service provided for approximately half an strange,” sixth-grader Sam Goldblatt said. The biggest challenge with hour within the administrative conference “Even though I’ve only done it for two bringing students in large groups to the “calmly” prioritize what they need to do for room during morning hours. years, it feels like that normal has been building is the responsibility to enforce whom they need to do it, and not always only changed.” the guidelines. Social distancing was not respond to the most “demanding person.” Many parents and guardians are connection.” realizes that the college counseling team will great at the Advisory Day or senior event, “I think it will work out in the end for go “above and beyond” this year no matter concerned about the effort put in by the according to Bruno, but it wasn’t bad either. them as it has for all these years,” Samuels the difficulties introduced from COVID-19. “We need to make sure people are taking college counseling team working with said. “College counseling has always “I’m optimistic,” Samuels said. “It’s this seriously before we can start to gather their child. Of course, a lot of parents and connected with the students as individuals. stressful and the unknown is difficult but guardians recognize the hard work put into people on a regular basis,” Bruno said. I encourage them to continue that individual I have faith that from all their years of Looking towards the end of the the college counseling program. One such connection. They said they will and I really experience they’ll figure out how to still year, Sabir is optimistic about other senior senior parent is Elizabeth Samuels who do think they will do that.” provide that level of service and connection traditions being upheld. “I have a feeling agrees this is a very stressful time for parents Samuels acknowledges that applying with our kids.” and guardians. She feels college counseling that if things stay the same, we might be able to colleges and universities is a difficult and to have some sort of in-person graduation on has always done a great job communicating stressful process for any senior in previous the field in the spring,” Sabir said. “That’s with the students and providing “individual years, and this year particularly so. She
INSIDERS
Continued from page 6
“It’s something I have never done because basically, we all need to know how to do it. We’re adapting to new roles.”
COLLEGE
Continued from page 5
The Parker Weekly, Page 22
More Continuations? PREDICTIONS
COUNTY FAIR
Continued from page 9
and brought in a lot of quality role players. The Cowboys should easily be able to win the NFC East. The Cowboys feature an offensive big three of RB Ezekiel Elliot, WR Amari Cooper, and QB Dak Prescott. They maintain debatably the best O-Line in the league, and have up and coming TE Blake Jarwin. On the defensive side, they’re alright. They are solid at every position, and have two superstars of LB Leighton VanderEsch, and DT Demarcus Lawrence. This Cowboys team is going to be good. But can their regular season success translate to playoff success? We’ll have to see. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) (#2 NFC South) (#5 NFC) Key Additions: QB Tom Brady, TE Rob Gronkowski, RB, Leonard Fournette Key Departures: QB Jameis Winston Four months ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers future looked bleak. Starting QB, and #1 overall pick Jameis Winston clearly hadn’t panned out into an elite talent, and the team finished with a disappointing 7-9 record. Flash-forward. The Buccaneers waved goodbye to Winston, and signed all-time great QB Tom Brady. Additionally, Brady managed to convince TE Rob Gronkowski, former great, to come out of retirement and play alongside his former teammate. They picked up close to star RB Leonard Fournette, and brought back unreal WR duo Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Their offense looks set for an explosive year. On the defensive side of the ball, LB Shaquille Barrett had an unbelievable 2019 season, posting an insane 19.5 sacks. They also retained defensive veterans LB Jason Pierre-Paul, and DT Ndamukong Suh who while aging, remain a potent force. So the Buccaneers are stacked on both sides of the ball, playing in a weak division, and have some of the greatest players to touch the pigskin. The Super Bowl should be a breeze right? Not exactly. There are a lot of problems lingering within this team. Brady is 43 years old, a ridiculous age for an NFL QB. Brady has lost a step. He posted one of his worst touchdown, completion, and conversion percentages of his career. All this all led to a first round elimination for Tom. The secondary on the Bucs remains atrocious, which is especially bad being in the pass-happy NFC south. I also believe there are a lot of egos on the team, and we’ll have to see how the locker room reacts to the teams new additions. Despite this, the Bucs are a playoff lock (disregarding injuries or anything else big), but I wonder if these pressing factors might hinder their ability to go all the way.
San Francisco 49ers (10-6) (#6 NFC) (#2 NFC West) Key Additions: T Trent Williams Key Departures: DL Deforest Buckner, WR Emanuel Sanders The 49ers were so close to a ring last year, but fell just short. Now the 49ers are running it back, but this time, the pressure, stakes, and opponents will be much tougher. The 49ers are probably the team most likely to take a step backward in 2020. Like the Packers, they had no major injuries, and faced a light schedule. They also lost several quality players. Despite this, this team is a playoff contender, close to a lock, and if they heat up, the Super Bowl is in distance. QB Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t proved disappointing since his massive contract in 2018. While he isn’t a game changer, he is a quality game manager, and can lead any offense to above-average stats. TE George Kittle is an absolute monster on the offensive end, and is probably the best TE in the league. That’s all I can really say about their offense. The defense is where things really get interesting. The 49er run the scariest big three on the defensive line in the NFL. Dee Ford, Nick Bosa, and Arik Armstead. This D-line could single handedly win them multiple games. At linebackers, they feature top five linebacker Fred Warner, a massive part of that corps. In the secondary unit, aging veteran CB Richard Sherman leads the group. Overall, this is a top five defense. However, I just see a lot of red flags with this team. Their offense isn’t that dynamic, and I don’t see the defense bailing them out everytime. We also have to see how a tough, and ruthless first place schedule treats them. There are a lot of eyes on the Bay area, and the 49ers are an interesting team. Chicago Bears Key Additions: DT Robert Quinn This Bears team gets too much hate then is warranted. They entered last year’s season with Super Bowl hopes, after finishing an elite 12-4 the prior crusade. Bears fans were rewarded with a brutal 8-8 season after the Bears offense and defense deeply underperformed. It also left questions about the Bears future with QB Mitchell Trubisky at the helm. To sort this out, or motivate Trubisky, the Bears traded and brought in QB Nick Foles, who has been equally disappointed since his Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles. The O-Line had a horrid year, regressing from the #15 unit to a mid20’s group. The RB group also flustered, with lack-luster play from RB duo David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen. Don’t even get me started on the TE’s. The worst TE group in the NFL. The only plus
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on the offense was the receiving core. The receivers looked like improving core, with wh at, in my opinion, was a top five WR performance from Allen Robinson. I also think young WR Anthony Miller will be much improved this season. On the defensive side, the Bears still remained “elite”, but not as dominant in years past. FS Eddie Jackson and sidekick CB Kyle Fuller led the above-average secondary, superstar LB Khalil Mack had a quiet season, but I still expect dominance from him. So, why do I think the Bears will be better? 1, Their schedule got considerably easier, including playing eight below .500 teams. 2, The Bears had a lot of injuries/off field displacements last year, letting the teams effectiveness go down. 3, The Bears addressed many of the positional problems last year. To help with the tight end situation, the Bears drafted Cole Kmet. To help complete the D-Line, they signed very good DT Robert Quinn. As mentioned above, the Bears QB battle is enticing. The Bears are too good not to make the playoffs, and I expect them to be back in the mix. Potentially.
FRESHMEN Continued from page 11
normal.” While both Jain and Malhotra wish they could enjoy their first year of high school, neither are worried that they will not get to experience high school properly. “I’m not getting a full high school experience yet. But I don’t think it’ll go for four years,” Malhotra said.
JK & SK
Continued from page 6 In JK and SK children learn how to be part of a community, work together, problem solve, develop friendships and self advocate. Due to the coronavirus, kindergarten life is different and teachers have to work harder to adapt to the new situation our community is in. Lisa Nielsen shared that the teachers meet almost everyday and share their ideas, share the pros and cons of the day, problem solve, acknowledge parent concerns, record the lessons, and plan classes that are entertaining for both in person and remote students. “Overall, children seem to enjoy themselves,” Nielsen said. “We provide such a wide variety of activities that will allow the
Continued from page 8 Having more time doesn’t mean that different aspects of the school year can’t change. “So now it will be very different when we spend a year putting it together but at the same time spending a year putting it together not knowing how it really is going to look,” Bigelow said. County Fair is a unique and annual tradition at Parker, adding yet another theme to the record. “County Fair is basically, we are putting on basically a party for the entire school community. And it is something kids look forward to, I think faculty and staff and parents look forward to it, but I know kids from JK through senior year. I know so many kids who love it, enjoy it, and it’s really one of the greatest community builders, and it’s a great opportunity for all of us as any entire community to come together,” Bigelow said. The outcome of County Fair cannot be entirely foreseen in advance, but being open-minded can help make the shift to March easier. “As long as everyone is flexible and patient, and accommodating, we’ll make something good happen.” Bigelow said.
PROGRAM
Continued from page 10
learning.” Unlike a majority of professional development, this was cross-grade and cross-division. “The best part for me was actually seeing the teachers from the other divisions,” Lesinski said. “Many of them I knew, but some were kinda new to Parker. The fact that we were cross-divisional was great. I learned a lot from lower school and middle school teachers, and we realized that we had a lot to learn from each other.” children to acquire new skills while doing so in a different format due to social distancing.” The coronavirus has changed a lot of things around the school and has brought lots of disappointing news to our community. But bringing the kindergarteners back to school has given lots of excitement for the teachers and students. Kindergarten is where kids learn to be part of a community and where they find themselves. Teachers and students are adapting to what our new normal is and trying to make it as fun and engaging as possible for the kindergarten students.
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Even More? Really?
GRADING
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SLG, grading is essentially the same as when we’re in-person. The only difference in my mind is that we are attentive to the very real possibility that tech problems or other pandemic-related challenges may impact students.” Moving away from non-negative grading was not an easy decision, given the general recommendation from the ISBE. Carlsson believes Parker’s decision to move away from the non-negative grading system is the best option as both students and teachers have experience with remote learning. “When they (the ISBE) recommended non-negative grading was largely tied to the intense disruption of going fully inperson to fully remote for the first time in human history, and, specifically, concerns about equity and student social-emotional well-being during something that had literally never happened before. All that to say, our current situation is different from the spring, in that this is now our second season of remote learning and we are starting the year remote (rather than abruptly switching in the spring). Given that we are much more experienced with life in a pandemic than we were in the spring, the thinking is that we are ready for a bit more of the familiar. That said, I don’t want to be seen as minimizing the pandemic or stating that its effects are over; the reason why we are doing SLG with sensitivity to COVID-related factors is that we know remote learning and the pandemic are still impacting people every day,” said Carlsson. Although the Administration recognizes issues with standard grading, both generally and in a virtual classroom, the familiarity of the practice is what ultimately led to the move away from
non-negative and towards standard letter grades. When asked if he had any words of wisdom for students struggling to understand how they could succeed without non-negative grading in remote learning, Carlsson said, “I would just remind students that grades, and, more importantly, all the feedback that Parker teachers give you on a daily basis (oral/ written/etc.), is designed to help you grow intellectually and as a human. Progressive Education is about skill and service-- it is easy to lose sight of the ultimate aims of your education when we talk grades, so let me remind us all that the ultimate significance of a Parker education is found in your empathy, curiosity, and mastery of the fantastic content your teachers are curating for you.” This new grading policy is met with mixed feelings from the Student Body. “Our grading system does not accurately reflect the fact that we are still in a pandemic and that we are all taking classes from our homes. This grading policy needs to be amended to reflect the incredibly difficult situation that we are in,” said freshman Benjamin Kagan. Sophomore Lucas Daskal has a different perspective on the new grading system. “I think this grading system is a good representation of Parker’s progressive mission and is head and shoulders above what was put into place last March,” Daskal said. As virtual learning is likely to continue in some form throughout the 2020-21 school year, grading at Parker has returned to its more familiar, and more intense, form.
DISTANT SIBLINGS Continued from page 1
“I hope that it fully happens. I think it would be fun,” senior Benji Gourdji said, “And I hope Parker figures something out, but I understand if they don’t because of the coronavirus.” The Senior Grade Heads, Middle and Upper School Music Teacher Emma Castaldi and Sabir, Bruno, Upper School Head Justin Brandon, and the 12th-grade chair parents met several times over the summer to plan this year of BBBS and decided on a plan to put together a recorded BBBS Morning Exercise. Other Senior events, such as the “12 Days” Morning Exercise, have been impacted by coronavirus as well. The “12 Days” MX is now being planned around the coronavirus, and it will be
video recorded. “We have assured the Seniors, it is our mission that we reimagine (and) redesign the traditions instead of getting rid of them,” Sabir said. The purpose of BBBS is to build connections between different parts of the school. Lower and Intermediate School Director of Studies and Acting Lower School Head, Barbara Hunt, and Lower School Dean Of Student Life, Ashleigh St. Peters have been thinking about how BBBS will work this year. “It has to be virtual, which obviously poses more and more challenges the younger you go,” Hunt said. She thought Big Sibling could share talents, stories, answer
The Parker Weekly, Page 23
TEACHER READING Continued from page 10
“There was an abolitionist study group that was offered that I partook in, and so we were reading articles about abolition and so for instance, Angela Davis’s book, ‘Are Prisons Obsolete,’ is one example of non-fiction that I read,” Upper School English Teacher Alicia Abood said. Abood was not the only English Teacher in a book club. Mahany was in a book club with Middle School English Teacher David Fuder. “We read ‘Home Going’ by a woman named Yaa Gyasi which I really liked. And we read a book called ‘A Burning’ which I also liked,” Mahany said. In light of unfolding events on the topic of race relations, teachers read a variety of books regarding the topic. “I read a number of books that I would categorize as books about anti-racism, trying to, you know, educate myself more and learn while I had the time to do some reading,” Laufer said. Some of the books Laufer read included, “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo, and “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi. Abood also read non-fiction that discussed various topics as well. “There are some other titles of books that I did read online that were about kind of like intersectionality and police violence with like women specifically,” Abood said. Book recommendations are also a central aspect in summer reading, either giving them out or receiving them. “Sometimes a parent will reach out when it’s near a holiday or a birthday and ask what I would recommended as a good text to give as a gift,” Zeller said, “And up until last year, I used to have my students do a summer reading, and I had them think about a text that they would want to read or recommend to others.”
Zeller explained that with COVID-19 it would have been more difficult to continue with her summer reading tradition. “And with COVID-19, I just did not feel like the circumstances allowed it to be as easy of a process, but in the past it’s been a really amazing way to think about holding us all accountable to at least reading one text over the summer,” Zeller said. Other English teachers suggest that before breaks/vacations and summer they tend to give more book recommendations. Collins discussed how she loves getting book recommendations from friends. Mahany explained that he visits bookstores often letting him be able to be on top of new books that come out. Zeller explained how she liked the personnel connection that book recommendations provide. Whether reading for a book club, a study group, or simply picking out a book that was previously recommended, summer reading can look different from reading during the school year. “We’re all in our bubbles you know, and recommendations can help get you out of your bubble, and discover a new voice, a new point of view, a new writer,” Laufer said. “When you recommend a book or somebody recommends to you, you’re kind of knitting people together, and there’s kind of a social element that’s really lovely and fun and supportive. And then you kind of speak the secret language of the person.”
questions, and any other activities that would give Little Siblings a chance to get to know their Big Siblings. “It’s a really authentic way for older students to connect with younger students on something that they’re already working on,” St. Peters said. She also thought that having the Seniors Zoom in would make it easier for all students to get equal amounts of connection with their Big Brothers and Big Sisters. “The spirit and the meaning of what Big Brothers and Big Sisters really is, it’s about making that connection, I have no doubt that that will still shine through,” Bruno said. Sabir sympathized with the seniors and noted the meaning BBBS has to them. “It’s not going to be an ideal year because it’s not what [the Seniors] have seen for the last 14 years,” She described the meaningful experience of seniors getting to be on both sides of the BBBS program. Gourdji described looking up to his
Big Siblings throughout the years and specifically noted memories of being at the Lorado Taft trip with a big sibling. He looked forward to being on the other side of the program and getting to be paired with his younger brother. “I think as the year goes on the changes will come to the surface,” Bruno said, “I think they will rise to the occasion, rise to the challenge, and have a lot of fun with it.”
The Parker Weekly, Page 24
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