Paw Print October 2015
Payton tops national rankings
By JULIA HUEBNER Staff Writer While Payton students don’t need the latest round of high school rankings to validate their exemplary academic performance, few are complaining about this year’s rankings. The exact position of Payton differs among various reports, but it is clear that Payton is earning an “A+.” 1034 North Wells takes great pride in the fact that, with a student poverty rate of 32.1%, it is competitive with its affluent counterparts. The methodologies of these rankings rely primarily on “hard data”: the college enrollment rate, graduation rate, ACT/SAT composite, and AP test pass rate, among other metrics. Reducing four years of human experience to a few numbers has been criticized by many for being incomplete and even misleading. While onlookers judge Payton by the numbers available, the students are more interested in what can’t be measured. Joseph Griffith ‘16 didn’t even mention academics when asked what makes Payton exceptional. He cited the school’s “underrated sports programs, teachers willing to go that extra mile [and] diversity in viewpoints.” Ultimately, “it’s not just about the academics; you become a better person,” said Griffith.
Notable rankings include: #10 in Top High Schools: Newsweek #7 in Top High Schools Beating the Odds: Newsweek
Volume 15, Issue 1
Homecoming lights up Lane Stadium By LUIS PALACIOS Staff Writer This year’s Homecoming football game on September 19 against Marshall High School was an amazing event for everyone, even if the weather was trying to ruin the day. Lightning threatened to cancel the game, and did during the beginning segments of the third quarter, but that didn’t stop friends and families from coming to Lane Stadium. From the beginning of the game the Grizzlies were fired up, and ready to play. They started off fast with big plays from Myles Davis ‘17 and Mike Kalanik ‘16. The defense wasn’t showing any sympathy towards Marshall,
not letting them score throughout the first half. The Grizzlies scored two touchdowns in each quarter of the first half, with multiple Grizzlies finding the endzone, including Zach Wang ’17, Myles Davis ‘17, and Mike Kalanik ‘16. “It was great to see so many of the guys getting involved throughout the game and us dominating in every aspect of the game,” said Zach Wang ‘17 after the game. Even some students in the stands were impressed, and had a blast during the game. “The team looked really smooth and amazing on the field tonight, and the students and families were
getting really involved in the game showing our support for the team,” said Brandon Taylor ‘16.
The Grizzlies are now 7-1, and are working their way to their fifth straight playoff appearance.
5000 CPS teacher layoffs possible By RICHARD PIPER Staff Writer The CPS budgetary crisis for the current 2016 fiscal year has put serious pressure on the classrooms, administrations, and teaching faculties of CPS schools district-wide, including Payton. Threatening fiscal challenges of declining state funding and increasing pension obligations have cost the CPS district $700 million this year alone, according to Forrest Claypool, the CEO of CPS, in the Chicago Sun-Times. While Springfield pays pension costs for every other district in the state, CPS is forced to pay the massive pension debts with funds otherwise used for school resources. Other districts will receive $2,226 per student in pension support from Springfield while CPS will only receive $31 per student, said Claypool. As a “solution,” Claypool states in the Chicago Sun-Times, CPS has decided on a far from ideal budget with nearly $200 million in district wide cuts, $225 million debt structuring, and relief from TIF surplus funds and property tax raises. It has been reported that about 1,400 positions have been eliminated, though Claypool has said that cuts to administration and the
Central Office will not solve the debt alone. This has all been stated to be temporary, as it will save classroom sizes for the time being but will ultimately threaten the future of CPS schooling. This crisis has put immense pressure on Payton’s principal, Mr. Devine, who has said his prime focus is on the enrichment of his students in the classroom. According to Devine, Payton has not only had the leanest administration (three members) of any CPS high school, but for the last two years has also been the only CPS high school to put 100% of its funds into faculty and staff positions. Despite efforts to push back on the CPS Central Office this past year for more funds, Devine stated that Payton received a budget that required 4.8 faculty members to be cut. In an effort to minimize the number of classes cut, Devine had to make the hard decision to cut assistant principal Ms. Washington, who was a valued member of the administration. A recent development in the budget crisis has Forrest Claypool threatening Springfield that if it does not pay CPS the $480 million in supplemental funds it needs to sustain the budget, the district will
#5 in the Top Fifty Smartest High Schools in the US: Business Insider #1 in Best Magnet Schools in America: Niche
The Grizzly defense is looking to stop the Marshall offense in the fourth down. Photo by Mario Wiggins
CPS has a $480 million operating budget gap this year, which may result in 5,000 teacher layoffs midyear. Photo used with permission from flickr.com be forced to make 5,000 faculty cuts by this Thanksgiving. Since Payton’s administration has already been thinned to one assistant principal, Mr. Devine has stated that these cuts “would have to come from teachers,” but that “other rules Central Office and the CTU are going to put into place will dictate our decision making.” Devine reflected that, “There are more questions than answers at the moment,” and that “we are in an era in CPS budgeting where anything’s on the table.” Concerning which classes would be cut, Devine said, “We
hypothetically have to consider that it would be elective courses… we cannot cut graduation required courses.” He went on to state that the administration hasn’t “dug deeply into specifically which elective courses” would be cut, but that they would “probably need to be junior and senior level Honors and AP elective courses.” Devine expressed that Payton “has to be concerned about the extracurriculars” being cut as well. When asked if Payton would be
See Inside AP Capstone ..... p. 3 New Teachers ..... pp. 4 - 5 Teacher Strike ..... p. 6 “1984” ..... p. 7 The annual blood drive was held on Tuesday, October 13 in the atrium. Photo by Eli Selz
Sports ..... p. 8
continued on p. 7
2 l News
Paw Print
PAW PRINT October 2015
In Memory of Brenna Eng (1998-2015) By NADIYAH PATE AND JULIANA ITURRALDE Staff Writers
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School 1034 North Wells Street Chicago, IL 60610 phone: (773) 534-0034 fax: (773) 534-0035 www.wpcp.org paytonpawprint.com @PaytonNews Principal: Tim Devine Assistant Principal: David Adamji
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Paul Hayes Julia Huebner Matthew Mata Nadiyah Pate
LAYOUT EDITORS Vivian Gasca Kami Giraldo Camille Grandjean Hannah Lowenthal Quinn Mankowski Annie Y. Jiang
PHOTO EDITORS Carol Casual Izabel Cedeno Annie Y. Jiang
SECTION EDITORS
Distribution and Exchange: Matthew Mata, Paul Hayes Politics: Julia Huebner Sports: Nadiyah Pate
PAW PRINT STAFF William Baker Bison Carcelli Allison Cho Catherine Conley Annabel Doerr Isabel Einhorn Kila Goodwin Juliana Iturralde Elena Johnston Jack Knabe Alexander Lefauve Claire Luning Quinn Mankowski Grace McDermott Thomas McKeon Luis Palacios Richard Piper Julia Porter Tristan Rinholm Cole Robbins Benjamin Smith Prince Roy Stephenson Abigail Wolfe
Photo courtesy of Juliana Iturralde and Nadiyah Pate The Payton community recently lost student and friend, Brenna Eng ‘16. Brenna was a brutally honest, funny, and strong person who, after ten months, ended her battle with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma brain cancer. Brenna is survived by her parents, her dog Maggie, and her two older sisters, Vicky ‘13 and Vivienne, with whom she had a very strong relationship. At Payton, you could find Brenna passionately talking about feminism in Payton’s Organization of Women (POW). She was an activist and loved getting involved in detailed discussions involving feminism and social justice. She was never afraid to speak up if she felt that something wasn’t right. Brenna was also a co-founder of Payton’s Gender Equality for Teens conference (GET). In GET’s first year, she co-led discussions on a man’s role in feminism and rape culture. Brenna was a dog lover and avid music listener. Her favorite artist was Drake, a.k.a the 6 God. One of her more questionable attributes was her love for Justin Bieber (she’d fight anyone who judged her for this). Brenna loved the color purple and the monkey
emoji on the iPhone. She ate mac n’ cheese religiously and loved to bake food. Brenna hated math but was ironically very good at it. She took pride in her trademark look: long hair, leather jacket, multiple piercings, and combat boots. Below, friends and family of Brenna have contributed some of their favorite memories of her: “Brenna and I were always able to have crazy, fun times with each other. We literally were always together, so that’s what I’ll miss most. I remember when she pierced my nose for me on my bedroom floor; it was super wild and probably not the best idea, but it worked out. That was definitely my favorite experience with her.” -Marta Dudenko ‘16 “When Brenna was in China, I would stay up ‘til around 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. talking to her, because of the time difference. At one point, Brenna told me about this time in seventh grade when she baked cookies for a boy. She told me about how hard she had worked on them and even boxed them nicely. When she gave him the cookies,
Photo courtesy of the Eng family he took them and later gave them to another girl. I laughed and asked her if she’d ever bake a boy cookies again, and she said, ‘[heck] no, no boy is worth my boxed-mixed cookies anymore.’” -Jamillia Young ‘16 “Growing up we were inseparable. At first because we had to, but as we got older we realized there was no one else we would rather be around all the time. We will never forget all the great memories we shared with Brenna. Most of them were us lounging around in the house, playing Mario kart, and singing any songs like we were a trio a capella group. We will never forget taking Brenna to her fourth Justin Bieber concert and jumping next to her as she cried when he came out on stage. We will never forget her fiery personality and witty comebacks, or the obnoxiously large amount of selfies she took. She was the ultimate sass master and the best little sister anyone could ask for. Thank you
for being our best friend and sister. We love you, Brenna.” -Vicky ‘13 and Vivienne Eng To know Brenna was a true gift, and anyone who was ever given the opportunity is extremely lucky. Her presence brought light to those who were in her life. She was extremely caring about her loved ones. One of Brenna’s last sentiments was her expressing her worry about her family and friends. She cared most about the state of these people, and wanted them to focus on taking care of themselves. Her selflessness is one of the things about Brenna that will never be forgotten. As Brenna’s sisters said, “We’d all do well to emulate her genuine nature and selflessness. As long as we continue to spread the beauty within her personality that has inevitability rubbed off on us, she’ll never be gone.”
FACULTY ADVISOR Michelle Mowery mlmowery@cps.edu
Photo courtesy of Juliana Iturralde and Nadiyah Pate
PAW PRINT October 2015
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Capturing AP Cap- Would you rather: Hardcover or electronic textbooks? stone’s two years By VIVIAN GASCA Staff Writer
By CAMILLE GRANDJEAN Staff Writer
Freshman and sophomores listen up because AP Capstone might be the class for you in the next year or two. Juniors and seniors, although you can no longer apply for AP Capstone because it is a two- year program, this is important because your friends in AP Capstone are doing something different and new and definitely worth knowing about. Nicole Andonova ‘17 said, AP Capstone is “basically learning to actively read and interpret writing and then use it [your interpretations] to form your own synthesized arguments.” The program is a two-year process because the first year is primarily learning how to research and being able to interpret the research to form an argument about what you learned. According the another student in AP Capstone, Lucie McKnight ‘17, “the second year you go off campus to work with a mentor on an independent study,” while using the research and analytical skills that were obtained and developed the first year. This class involves a lot of group work in addition to bettering personal research skills. The homework is independently analyzing an article or excerpt and then writing a one-two page summary or analysis, which Nicole
For as long as we can remember, we’ve all had hardcover textbooks in school, but a new trend has been surfacing in recent years: electronic textbooks and e-books. In 2014 hardcover or paperback book sales were down 4%, while e-book sales were up 21%, showing a clear shift towards e-books rather than traditional hardcover or paperback books. Even though e-books are a lightweight and convenient option, many students still seem to prefer hardcover textbooks to electronic. In a survey conducted by the Washington Post, 87% of college students chose to use hardcover textbooks in their fall 2014 semester, while only 13% chose electronic textbooks. Now, is this just a result of being accustomed to having only hardcover textbooks for all of our school years, or it is because students prefer hardcover to electronic for their textbooks? To find the answer to this question, I surveyed and interviewed Payton students to get their opinion.
Lucie McKnight gives her insights on AP Capstone. Photo by Vivian Gasca said is “definitely manageable.” Nicole likes the class a lot because a typical day consists of an openclass discussion about the homework and a lot of group work. Another aspect of AP Capstone that Nicole said she enjoys is the fact that “it’s different than other classes because it’s not really a specific subject.” Similarly, Lucie McKnight ‘17 said that she likes the structure of the class and that “it’s really discussion based, and there is a lot of group work. Plus the articles we’re reading [are] interesting and really different from anything I’ve read in school before.”
In surveying fifty-five Payton sophomores and juniors through a Google form, that posed the question of “Which would you prefer to have in school, electronic textbooks or traditional hardcover textbooks?” it was found that 87% of Payton students prefer having hardcover textbooks in school. This statistic is synonymous with much of the information that has been gathered from higher learning institutions. But why exactly do students prefer hardcover textbooks? Gabe Sucich '17 commented that "having an electronic textbook makes it more likely that a student will get sidetracked from actually reading to check social media or find some other distraction.” He added, "books are more convenient." Annie McGill '18 prefers the "quick and easy accessibility to texts and sources without heavy books,” although she commented that annotating "would probably be more difficult using electronic textbooks." McGill also echoed Sucich’s
Textbooks vs. iPads, what’s on top? Photo by Cami Grandjean concerns of the distracting nature of technology, which could pose a problem when students are trying to get work done. While there are both pros and cons, for many Payton students the cons outweigh the pros, making us very lucky to still have hardcover textbooks at Payton.
PALs’ academic and social lessons
New AP Human Geography course offered for frosh
Selenium, Naviance, Student Portal, Moodle, 2A: for a newcomer to 1034 North Wells, there’s a lot to take in. The responsibility of teaching the nuts and bolts of Payton to our newest students lies with the Payton Advisory Leaders (PALs), who conduct an annual four-day freshman orientation in late August. This year, the PALs offered far more than logistical and academic advice: by day three of orientation, students had been taught how to recognize their individual and communal privileges, avoid and react well to microaggressions, and respect the personal pronouns of their peers. The decision to frontload Payton’s social norms was to “prevent [freshmen] from making any hurtful mistakes regarding anyone’s identity,” according to PALs CoPresident Prisca Dognon ‘16. “The goal of PALs is to create a welcoming, safe environment for our incoming freshmen. We could not honestly say we were accomplishing that goal without providing them with the tools they need to be respectful of and kind to the spectrum of people they will encounter at Payton.” Co-President of PALs, Luis Collado ‘16, added that the lessons were taught so that “every-
A new school year has begun at Payton, complete with the return of tired students, rushed homework assignments, and brighteyed freshmen - as well as something different. There’s a new AP course being offered this year, and it is available only to ninth grade students. AP Human Geography is a social science alternative for World Studies. It has been offered in the past at other selective enrollment schools such as Whitney Young and Lane Tech, and Payton decided to add it to its course selection in the 2015-2016 school year. “It is one of the classes that, if you look nationwide, a lot of students who take AP Human Geo are freshmen,” said AP Human Geo teacher Mr. Baldwin. “It’s a good class for freshmen who want that particular type of challenge, or if they want to start building up their AP portfolio. It’s a different way of looking at things, so if you want a unique perspective on the world that’s usually not talked about too much in social science classes, this is a totally new and different discipline,” said Mr. Baldwin. While many freshmen are enjoying the class, they also say that there is a copious amount of coursework, especially in compar-
By JULIA HEUBNER Staff Writer
one could benefit from the diverse environment that we all cherish at Payton.” Many freshman are on board with learning about these “soft skills.” After brainstorming ways to respond to microaggressions, Hollister Rhone ‘19 commented that she “like[s] that they taught it [lesson on microaggressions] because I’ve seen it happen … I think it’s going to be very helpful.” Many in the Payton community agree with the PAL’s decision to teach such topics early and often. After PALs taught a lesson on gender neutral pronouns, Jac SpertusMelhus ‘16 commented, “I’m proud of the PALs for making that decision ... We need to promote awareness of this [preferred gender pronouns] being completely normal and valid. Many people haven’t ever used ‘they’ as an individual pronoun or know about gender neutral pronouns. To expect people to learn, we have to explain it. Beginning conservations opens the whole group to communal respect.” The PALs will continue to work with their freshmen peers to solve issues relating to health and wellness, time management, and the importance of diversity in the upcoming months.
By GRACE MCDERMOTT Staff Writer
ison to their other classes. “[The courseload] is a lot harder,” said Alfred Martin ‘19. “I’ve heard that it’s a lot more work [than World Studies], too.” “It’s a lot heavier [than my other classes],” added Bianca Varlesi ‘19, on her homework load in the class. “I spend about two hours a night on it.” Upperclassmen say that an AP course freshman year could be too much to adapt to, especially with all the other new factors that come with the first year of high school. “I don’t think it’s smart for freshmen to be taking APs,” said Annie Bonebrake ‘17. “Freshmen have no idea how to manage their schedule. You have to get adapted to high school before you start taking APs.” However, some others wished that the class had been offered when they were in ninth grade. “I think it’s an interesting class, from the description,” said Marlena Muszynska ‘18. “I’m a little bummed out that we weren’t offered the course. I think I would have liked to have taken it.” Some students also chose to go the beaten path of Honors World Studies. This year, there are four World Studies periods and five AP Human Geo periods. When asked why she didn’t want to take the
AP course, Estefania de la Torre ‘19 responded, “I thought it might be too much. It’s your first year at Payton; I just wanted to take it easy. I heard that it’s really interesting, and my World Studies class is a little slow, but they also say they get a lot of work.” The most noticeable difference between AP Human Geo and World Studies is the courseload, but the content of AP Human Geo also diverges from the World Studies lessons. “It’s focused on looking at the world from a spatial perspective. History looks at when and why, geography looks at where and why,” said Mr. Baldwin, referring to the differences between the two social science classes. “We’re always looking at where things take place, but we’re talking about economics, gender, demographics, history, politics. All these different things inform our understanding of why things are laid out the way they are,” said Mr. Baldwin. While the new AP class is already taking up a lot of time for the freshmen, it is also likely to help prepare students for their future AP classes.
PAW PRINT October 2015
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What is Biotech?
Ms. Ang joins science department
Google and the new Biotechnology Payton course description identifies biotechnology as technology derived from biology, “harnessing cellular and bimolecular processes to develop new technologies and products.” Biotechnology ranges from using bacteria to make cheeses, to altering genes of living matter, resulting in GMOs and faster methods to supply demands. Honors biotechnology, with an intensive focus on in-class labs and book readings for homework, has about one to two labs per week. It uses an online class library similar to Moodle, called Schoology, and takes part in the new transition to online textbooks for convenience. Through this class, students learn different techniques and processes that use organisms, such as gram staining, cutting and amplifying DNA, and use gels to separate DNA.
Kathie Ang, former Kenwood Academy teacher and Jets fan, is one of the most recent additions to the Payton family. Most know her as the new AP Biology and Biotechnology teacher, as well as a swim coach. Find out more in the interview below. Paw Print: Let’s start with easy questions. What do you do in your spare time? Kathie Ang: “I like to lead a pretty active life, so I like to swim, bike and run. I do practice yoga as well. I’m a really big football and baseball fan, so I like to watch those games.” PP: What’s your favorite t.v. show? KA: “Probably ‘Veep’ on HBO.” PP: Least favorite young adult novel? KA: “I mean, in high school I had to read ‘Of Mice and Men,’ and I didn’t really like that one.” PP: What do you think about minions? KA: “They’re cute, but I didn’t see the movie or anything.” PP: If you got your own country, what would you name it?
By ANNIE JIANG Staff Writer
Biotechnology, taught by Mr. Torres and Ms. Ang, is a new class in the science department. Photo courtesy of commons. wikimedia.org Activities in honors biotechnology classes range from altering bacteria by adding in genes, working with antibodies, to polymerase chain reactions (PCR), analyzing your own genes, and many more. Biotechnology is biology but more in depth, so it is recommended to have at least some biology background.
Getting to know Ms. Lewis - again By HANNAH LOWENTHAL Staff Writer Have you ever wondered, these past five weeks, who that new dance teacher walking around is? Or maybe, she’s that face that you’ve definitely seen before but can’t put your finger on it? Well, if you’re thinking of who you should obviously be thinking of, this is Ms. Lewis, Payton’s new full-time dance and French teacher. Stemming back from her roots in Elgin, Illinois, since Ms. Lewis was ten, she was passionate about dance and had grown up learning French. She later went on to Northwestern to study French, dance, and business. As she was declaring her major/minors she said to herself, “I know French and I know dance, so I’m gonna major in those. And I minored in business,” Lewis recounted. She later got her masters in education from DePaul. Ms. Lewis has lived in multiple places, other than Chicago and Elgin. She lived in Spain for a year to learn Spanish, and also lived in Paris for a year. There she taught elementary school through a government program, fourth grade specifically, and truly found her passion for teaching. She said, “That’s when I had the epiphany that I’m meant to be a teacher.” From that moment on, Ms. Lewis knew that teaching was her dream job. As the conversation shifted from Ms. Lewis’ life story to her life at Payton, she described the transition as a very smooth and relatively easy shift. As Ms. Lewis was a student teacher alongside Madame Imrem and Madame Gonzalez second semester of last year, the transition to a full-time
Ms. Lewis, new dance and French teacher, is ready to begin her journey at Payton. Photo by Hannah Lowenthal teacher was simple due to the fact that she’s had some experience in the complex system and unique things Payton has to offer. Ms. Lewis said that the hardest adjustment for her was, “...the more administrative side of things that I didn’t have to deal with as a student teacher.” She said teaching high school compared to fourth grade is awesome due to the fact that “we can joke around, do more creative activities, and, don’t get me wrong, we still sing,” according to Ms. Lewis. Ms. Lewis says she is ecstatic to start teaching full-time at Payton. So, if you see her in the hallway, make sure you say, “Bonjour, Madame Lewis!”
By ALLISON CHO Staff Writer
KA: “That’s a hard question; I’ve never thought about that before. Can we come back to that one?” PP: If a zombie apocalypse happened, what would you do? KA: “I would pretend I was a zombie, so that they don’t try to eat my brains.“ PP: What was your childhood role model? KA: “Probably Curtis Martin, the running back for the New York Jets.” PP: What was your favorite subject as a kid? KA: “Probably math.” PP: Where did you go to college? KA: “University of Chicago.” PP: Why did you decide to be a teacher? KA: “I started teaching swim lessons, and I just liked to see the progression of knowledge in people; they don’t even know that they’re acquiring all this knowledge. And so that’s how I got into teaching.” PP: Have you taught anywhere else? KA: “Kenwood Academy.” PP: Is there anything at Payton that you’re still adjusting to?
Ms. Ang is the new AP Biology and Biotechnology teacher. Photo by Amanda Olphie ‘17 KA: “Block scheduling. We didn’t have block scheduling before. You know, so just understanding blue and orange days, and then you have seminar days. So I’m still getting used to all that.” PP: Do you have any pets? KA: “No, but I want a dog.” PP: What advice do you have for your students? KA: “Don’t fall behind.”
Dr. Bauer revealed as Director of Student Engagement By WILL BAKER Staff Writer Erica Bauer, former director of admissions, community engagement, and external partnerships at Brooks College Preparatory, has come to fulfill a new and crucial role at Payton. Dr. Bauer is the Director of Student Engagement, a role new to our Payton society. Dr. Bauer will be working with teachers to figure out “the key variables to help best support students to help them reach their maximum potential.” Typical everyday problems that plague average Paytonites will now be addressed: from understanding core concepts in math to constructing a well-written essay at Payton. Dr. Bauer will be working with colleagues to ensure Payton students “lead engaged lives, within themselves, within their school, and within society.” Dr. Bauer was born in Arizona and moved around a lot because her dad was in the Air Force. She primarily grew up in the Midwest but also lived overseas for some time. She graduated from Stebbins High School, which is located in Dayton, Ohio, and attended University of Dayton for college and a masters in communication. She received her Ph.D. from University of Illinois-Urbana in five years. Dr. Bauer completed a dissertation on the HIV/AIDS stigma in the church community. Then she went on to get a post doctoral fellowship at Hines Veterans Hospital in Maywood. From there she went on to help Brooks College Prep structure their school. Finally, she has found her way to Payton. Dr. Bauer is ready to connect with the students and teachers and finally become a “Payton Griz-
Dr. Bauer welcomes Payton students to her space in the main office. Photo by Kila Goodwin zly.” She wants to challenge us to to reach our maximum potential. She would also like to challenge herself to match the vibrant Payton intensity that is brought every day by students and teachers. Dr. Bauer will be looking at tardies as an indicator along with a number of other variables to ensure she views student struggle from multiple angles.
She will also be closely monitoring students in terms of reaching and exceeding our standards. Dr. Bauer is here, ready, and equipped to be a viable part of Payton society. A key piece of advice Dr. Bauer wants everyone to know: ”Remember you are not your performance or the way you perform in class.”
PAW PRINT October 2015
Athletic Director is also coach By BISON CARCELLI Staff Writer Coach Klupchak is the new athletic director along with head Varsity football coach.
Paw Print (PP): What made you want to become the athletic director here at Payton? George Klupchak (GK): “I mean it’s an opportunity I’ve always wanted. I wasn’t necessarily looking for it, but it was something that was offered to me as it was available due to a unique set of circumstances, so I was happy to accept the job. I really enjoy organizing things and making sure everything runs on time and trying to do the best I can with that, so I think this job is a really good fit for me.” PP: So what is your day-to-day routine like? GK: “Lot of times scheduling buses, making sure things are paid for, making sure referees are paid for, trying to support the coaches with anything that they might need and answering questions that parents and athletes might have. Just making sure, as much as possible, that all logistical things athletes need are taken care of.” PP: Do you ever feel overwhelmed with being head football coach and athletic director? GK: “I mean it’s a lot in the fall season. When you’re coaching your own team and trying to do the best you can to help out every oth-
er team that’s in the building but, you know it’s worth it in the end, I think. I enjoy coaching and I enjoy supporting all the other athletic programs here at Payton so yes it’s busy, but I’m happy to do it.” PP: What is your favorite part of your job? GK: “I think it’s two things: one, knowing that what I’m doing on a day-to-day basis helping our athletes be successful and trying to give them the things that they need to be the best athlete they can be. And then two, just day-to-day opportunity to work with our athletes so specifically I have that chance with football players. But coaching out on the field, that’s just something I love to do and then knowing my day-to-day efforts are helping out our athletes makes itself worth it each day.” PP: What made you chose Payton to coach at? GK: “Well I just think Payton has a great academic reputation and that’s something that really appealed to me. Throughout the interview process for the coach as I met some of the player and met their parents and heard some of the awesome things that are not just the football player but all of the students athletes do outside of athletics really resonated with me. I think as a student athlete myself I had the opportunity to do a lot
Homecoming dance is unmasked By IZABEL CEDENO Staff Writer There is always so much commotion before the homecoming dance on who is going or not, and for good reason. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, the homecoming dance is a great way to kick off the year. This year’s theme was a masquerade ball. The committee decorated the lockers with black and white paper and glittering masks. The stairs and railings were hung with black, silver, and gold streamers. The second floor atrium was equipped with plenty of seating for people who needed to take a break from all the excitement on the dance floor. This year’s theme extended far beyond the decor; masks were provided for students, but it was difficult for many to hold the mask while dancing. However, many students still celebrated the theme in style on the dance floor. Devon Elmore ‘17, brought his
own mask to the dance to stand out from the crowd. All attendees were able to vote for Homecoming Royal, which was announced as the dance was coming to a close. Prisca Dognon and Alan Omori won the coveted Queen and King crowns. Alexis Roman and Lindsey Opie won junior Prince and Princess. Sophomore Duke and Duchess were awarded to Vince Scalise and Caitlin Nygren. Finally, Katherine Donovan and Charlie Pillsbury were dubbed freshman lord and lady. Homecoming didn’t disappoint. If you watched closely, you might have caught POMS presenting a mini showcase. Students even formed dance circles when their favorite songs were played. Hopefully next year’s homecoming dance will be just as exciting as this year’s.
The dance floor was crowded with groups of enthusiastic students. Photo by Amanda Andrade and Abygayle Rivera
of different things that weren’t necessarily related to sports, and I think that was really good for me in being able to work with student athletes who are able to have those same experiences, was a real attractive option for me. That being said, I think that there are experiences you can get inside of sports that you cannot necessarily get with any other extra-curricular activity. Not to diminish the importance of either, but I just know that having to fight your way up the depth chart on an athletic team is an experience that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. I think it really does a lot towards building someone’s perseverance and their grit and overall mental toughness. And obviously contributing to the team and having this team before me mentality is something that is really hard to find in, I think, today’s society. And that sports, all sports really because they’re all involved to a team to some extent, and I think that team element is something that is easily lost in society today, and I think sports are a place that we see it still shining so I think that’s a good thing.” PP: What does TEAM stand for? GK: “Time- putting in the time, that’s how you show you care about something, that’s how you show you love somebody, you put in the time with them. Energy-
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Coach Klupchak talks to players during a timeout. Photo by Mario Wiggins what does that time look like. Is it sitting around not really contributing, you’re there but not really. We’re looking for an energetic person, when they’re at our practice or at our game. Accountability- Be willing to say, hey, I messed up, and I’m willing to accept whatever consequences comes with that. What do I do to make it better. Men for others- At the end of the day you want to be a better person because you went through athletic program. You want to be a person that is oriented towards the needs of others.” PP: What sports did you play in high school?
GK: “I played football for four year at Naperville Central, I played basketball for three years, and I also played a year of volleyball.” PP: College? GK: “I played football at Hope college for four years.” PP: What are some of your hobbies? GK: “I enjoy reading, spending time with my wife and my daughter, that’s a huge hobby for me. I would also say watching football, as cliche as that is.” PP: What is your favorite genre of music and artist? GK: “Country music. Favorite artist, Brad Paisley.”
‘90059’ by Jay Rock: What is Payton listening to this month? By COLE ROBBINS Staff Writer Jay Rock, a hip hop artist from Los Angeles, California, released an 11 track, 45 minute album, titled 90059 on September 11. 90059 is Rock’s sophomore album. He released his first commercial studio album, “Follow Me Home,” in 2011. Rock is currently a member of the record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), and is also a member of the rap supergroup Black Hippy, along with West Coast rap artists Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. Ryan Mohen ‘17’s Take: Paw Print (PP): Overall, how did you feel about the album? Ryan Mohen ‘17 (RM): “I was pleasantly surprised by the album as a whole. Before the project released I felt that Jay Rock was of the weaker emcees in TDE, but ‘90059’ definitely solidifies his position among his talented peers.” PP: Do you feel as though you can appreciate the thematic elements of this album even though you grew up in a very different environment than the one Jay Rock matured in? RM: “If I’m being honest, I can definitely relate to ‘Rockin’ the Suburbs’ by Ben Folds Five far more than the street-centered struggles portrayed in ‘90059’, but I think that it’s fascinating to listen to an artist like Jay Rock paint such a vivid picture of his surroundings as a child.” PP: What did you dislike about the album? RM: “I feel as though there is a
Nia McFall ‘17 listens to music during lunch. Photo by Cole Robbins lull in the middle of the album. extremely gritty, and provide a fitAs I was listening, my attention ting backdrop for the lyrical conwas captured and held by the first tent of the album. The instrumenthree tracks, but tracks four and tals also very much complement five, [‘Wanna Ride’ (feat. Isaiah Jay Rock’s tone and flow throughRashad) and ‘The Ways’ (feat. out the entirety of the album. Sir), respectively] were of a lesser Another important aspect of quality. I was particularly disap- “90059” is that it is a very cohesive pointed that I didn’t enjoy ‘Wanna project. There is no single track on Ride’ because I really like Isaiah this album that strays far from the Rashad.” trials and tribulations that are the PP: If you had to choose, what are reality for inhabitants of Compton, your top three favorite tracks from and “90059” is a concept album in this album, in order? this sense. RM: In its entirety, “90059” is a 1. “Easy Bake” (feat. Kendrick great, meaningful, and cohesive Lamar & SZA) hip-hop album from a very talent2. “Gumbo” ed emcee in Jay Rock. 3. “Vice City” (feat. Black Hippy) My Three Favorite Tracks: 1. “Easy Bake” (feat. Kendrick My Take: Lamar & SZA) One of the first things that 2. “Vice City” (feat. Black should be said about Jay Rock’s Hippy) “90059” is that it is very sonically 3. “Money Trees Deuce” (feat. appealing. The instrumentals feel Lance Skiiiwalker)
PAW PRINT October 2015
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Library adds tables, subtracts books By KILA GOODWIN Staff Writer In the beginning of the school year Payton students all noticed many changes. One of them was the library layout. Many weeded books were taken off their shelves and tables and book shelves were rearranged. Payton’s Library Assistant, Marci Nickeas, gives students the inside scoop on the latest library updates.
PP: So how did the library changes come about? MN: “There was a conference room back there, and they made it into two counseling offices. So we had to make room to put in the door. The first thought was that we were going to lose some shelving. Mr. Devine and I talked and really didn’t like the way the tall shelves kind of closed off that area, especially with someone’s office door being there. Mr. Devine decided, and we talked together to see if we could possibly weed out enough books so that they would fit without those shelves.” PP: What was your role in the changes? MN: “I had to weed a lot of the books out and take out a lot of really old books that had never been used. That’s what I’ve been putting on the donation cart. So I had to go through every book to see how old it was. I had to ask for parent volunteers to help us when we closed, because we had only one day to move everything around. The engineer arranged for the CPS division that moves things and stores things to come. They took those big shelves that we got rid of.” PP: Would you say that was an improvement to the library? MN: “Yes. I think so. It has a lot
Graduation revamped for class of 2016 By ELENA JOHNSTON Staff Writer
Ms. Nickeas updates students on the library. Photo by Kila Goodwin more light, and it’s a lot more open.” PP: Is there still anything else you’d like to change about the library? MN: “Mr. Devine and I have talked about maybe having art students paint the four Cs up top or adding some colorful posters. Something to make it more colorful. We haven’t gotten any further than just beginning to talk about it.” PP: How many books would you say you’ve gotten rid of so far? MN: “I would think 1,500. There were many that had never been checked out or we had a lot of duplicates. Sometimes four copies of the same book.” PP: Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any hopes for the library’s future? MN: “We got new books in the fall and in the spring, so we hope to do that again, so people should keep an eye out. There’s a pinterest page for the library that shows what the new books are and they’re always located on those shelves, so they should come in and see what we’ve got.”
The new building where graduation will be held in less than eight months will be ready in February. Photo by Elena Johnston Still over 200 days away, graduation is already on the minds of many Payton seniors. For the past few years, the event has been held at Moody Church. This year, Payton seniors will be graduating closer to home in our new gymnasium. The Annex, which features new classrooms, art and dance studios, and a full-size gymnasium, is said to be completed by mid-February. Mr. Devine discussed the reasons for holding graduation in the Annex gymnasium, explaining both the symbolic and economic importance of the change: “There’s something special about graduating, physically graduating, from the space you occupied for four years,” Devine commented. “Most of us spend very little time at Moody. However, at the end of senior year you would’ve spent two million minutes as a Payton student.” From an economic viewpoint,
“there’s a huge cost association. We’re talking tens of thousands of dollars that we had to use to reserve Moody. We are a public school: we want to be smart about that. Now we can have an event that’s special and connects us to our space.” Not all students are on board with this decision. Marta Dudenko ‘16 said, “I feel like we should stick to tradition and graduate in a place as nice as Moody.” However, what many current Payton students do not know is that graduation has been held at five different locations since the school’s founding. Moody is not as traditional a location as our students may think. Parents and students have also expressed concern about the capacity of the new gym, as well as construction delays. Mr. Devine stated that the “graduation committee and I have mapped out the floor plan, and it looks like every-
one is going to have roughly the same number of tickets available for family members to come and enjoy it.” Space should not be a problem, especially because overflow crowds can now be diverted to the recital hall, according to Devine. Because of the size of graduation, spaces like Moody need to be reserved months in advance. Devine, after speaking with the construction company, is assured that the project will be completed in time: “They [the construction company] promised that timing will not be of any concern,” said Devine. Although the location of graduation will be changing, the ceremony will remain the same, with “student speakers, a Principal speech, and vocal groups performing,” Devine states. “It’s a short and sweet ceremony.”
In-Depth Report: Payton teachers’ strike looms By ALEX LEFAUVE Staff Writer Payton’s seniors remember the 2012 teacher’s strike their freshman year, and it seems possible that they might experience it again. The Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have been at odds many times in the past, and the relationship between the two is a tender one. Part of the issue stems from the conflicting desires of each side. The city and Mayor Rahm Emanuel want to try and get a handle on the city’s rampant budget problems, and one of the ways they’re recuperating their losses is by cutting funding to education.
DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR LOCAL REP IS? LOCATE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL AND VOICE YOUR OPINION: www.elections.il.gov/ districtlocator/ addressfinder.aspx
The CTU, who believes that education is already underfunded, are outraged. “Underperforming” schools have started to be shut down, and the “underperforming” teachers that go along with them are starting to get the boot. Layoffs and budget cuts, like the ones that happened to Payton over the summer, are becoming common, and certain deals are no longer going into effect. Two years ago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Board of Education cancelled a salary hike negotiated in the previous strike that was valued around $100 million a year in order to try to reel in the city’s budget. These actions by Emanuel have raised tensions, but the problem that CTU leader Karen Lewis says “is a strike-worthy issue,” according to an article in Chicago Business, was Emanuel’s attempt to restructure teacher’s pensions. An equivalent 9% of a CPS employee’s pay is supposed to be set aside for that employee’s pension. Originally, all CPS employees paid this 9% out of their income. In the 1980s a deal was reached that CPS would pay 7% of that
pension while the employees would pay the remaining 2%. This deal came about because of rampant inflation in the 1980s which significantly lowered the value of CPS employees’ salaries. CPS employees wanted a raise in wages to compensate. To combat this, CPS updated the pension program’s structure so that the current deal was in place. At the time this solution was the best of both worlds because it cost both sides less. A direct raise in wages would have been taxed at a greater rate than a pension would. CPS, at its current budget, does not have the money to continue subsidizing employee pensions. Emanuel is trying to restructure this deal so teachers pay more into the pensions. This has infuriated many teachers and the CTU, with Karen Lewis adding in the same Chicago Business article, “Losing the pension pickup would cost workers about $140 million a year - about $4,000 for an average second year teacher earning $55,000 annually.” This is almost a 7% wage cut automatically. Emanuel is arguing
that other employees in the state are paying 9% of their salary into pensions and that CPS teachers should too but when asked about it in an interview, CTU Delegate Mr. Barge said, “That is an out-ofcontext type of statement.” He explained, “It sounds reasonable, but it’s missing how that arrangement came to be in the first place. [It] came in lieu of a salary raise and cost of living adjustment during high inflation.” The flood of tensions has gotten many people thinking “strike?” but it’s not that easy. It takes many rounds of negotiations between CPS and the CTU to reach that point. Currently, the CTU can vote to go on strike anytime but because of legal requirements, they would not be allowed to strike until sometime this winter. Another potential issue with voting this early is that if less than 75% of CTU members vote “yes” towards the strike then the strike threat becomes null, because the CTU would not be legally allowed to carry out one. CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said in a Chicago Tribune ar-
CTU Delegate, Mr. Barge, is the union voice of Payton’s teachers and staff. Photo by Luis Palacios ‘16 ticle that a strike authorization vote, if deemed necessary, won’t be taken for months to avoid that exact problem. New CPS CEO Forrest Claypool told the Sun-Times that a controversial point in the negotiations was how student test scores are used to evaluate teachers. Teachers and CPS disagree on where the continued on p. 7
PAW PRINT October 2015
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Review: ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Meal ready in a snap By PRINCE ROY STEPHENSON Staff Writer 24 years have passed since the hip-hop group N.W.A. has graced the airways. The remaining members of N.W.A. still producing music haven’t released a full album for much of the 2000s. The fabled Detox album by Dr. Dre has become the butt of every hip-hop head’s jokes, and they’re all (myself included) waiting for something to bring us back to the late 80s or early 90s era of gangsta rap. The best way to recapture that feeling was in the form of a biopic. With Ice Cube and Dr. Dre producing and directed by F. Gary Gray known for movies such as “Friday” and “The Italian Job,” “Straight Outta Compton” blurs the line between biography and autobiography. In some cases, it smooths over some of the more gritty truths of the individuals and the group itself; however, it doesn’t stray too far from other accounts. The film’s realism comes from its casting, with a near body double of Dr. Dre in the form of Corey Hawkins and the son of Ice Cube, O’Shea Jackson Jr., along with Jason Mitchell in the role of deceased member Eazy-E. With these character introductions, the story of N.W.A. is off the ground. The remaining members of N.W.A., MC Ren and DJ Yella, take a back seat to much of the action. Instead of having the
five focal points of the movie being these members, we are given two other character to fill their spots in the forms of Suge Knight (R. Marcus Taylor) and Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti), both of which act as wedges in their own rights to the collective of young men. The mixes between the Compton-based realities and the songs we see in the movie are compared extremely well. Eazy-E’s song “Boyz-n-the-Hood” scene is played over E being mentored to the classic inflection of “Cruising Down the Street in my 64” by Dre. This scene, coupled with the first meeting of Dre and E, really gives the impression of some boys in the hood (pardon that pun). “F--- The police” also couples well with its preceding scene after showing a multitude of scenes where the rappers have humiliating police altercations. All the controversy following them and their breakout album “Straight Outta Compton” only help cement their place in hip-hop history with selling out venues even with all the publicity surrounding them. The structure of a biopic doesn’t lend itself to other sides of the story being told. While the praise SOC received was welldocumented, those real life people who got a rise out of the group’s subject matter were otherwise quiet in the film. Women in the movie follow
“Straight Outta Compton” may be revisionist history. Photo by Prince Roy Stephenson a trend of overall unimportance as it pertains to the story. Only a handful of women have any significance, and even they contribute little dialogue. There are even full omissions of female characters such as Dre’s girlfriend at the time who was abused by Dre himself. The overall portrayal of Dr. Dre personally is a complete 180 degrees from what history had deemed him to be. The celebration of N.W.A. is what this film was designed to do, and it does this well. Dre’s actual domestic violence record would have given his character more depth. Thus, the movie doesn’t mirror actual history and becomes what Dre’s ex-girlfriend Dee Barnes would call “revisionist history.”
By IZZI EINHORN Staff Writer Let’s give a warm welcome to Snap Kitchen, Old Town’s newest carry-out experience. Located next to Starbucks at 1226 North Wells, Snap Kitchen serves healthy, preportioned meals for on-the-go consumption. The store sells an array of dishes ranging from breakfast to dinner to cold pressed juices and snacks, all packaged in BPA-free, compostable packing. Most meals come in three sizes, perfect for any hunger level and any time of day. There are several vegetarian, dairy-free, and allergyconscious options each labeled accordingly, making Snap one of the most mindful dining experiences in the neighborhood. All of the meals of a certain size are the around the same price
(approximately $7-$8), which is pretty reasonable for dinner, but less appropriate for a container of morning oatmeal. If it is the freshly prepared juices or smoothielike drinks you crave, your wallet might suffer-- such drinks range from $8 to $9. The building itself is sleek and modern, with a limited seating area and microwaves for customers to enjoy their food on site. Upon first purchase, you are offered a rewards service that add up to free meals, in addition to a free reusable bag and two Snap-brand granola bars. Overall, I highly recommend trying out Snap Kitchen when you want a quick bite on-the-go or a healthy, tasty meal.
Snap Kitchen is a new addition to food choices on Wells. Photo by Izzi Einhorn
‘1984’: Behind the scenes of a production By CATHERINE CONLEY Staff Writer Payton Players, Payton’s drama group, is hard at work as they begin the process of adapting George Orwell’s “1984” for the Recital Hall stage. I n early September, interested actors and actresses prepared a minute-long monologue for a preliminary audition piece. Confusion hit when the final cast list was posted without parts. After two rounds of callbacks, a final cast list was posted with Izzi Einhorn ‘16 and Billy Lynn ‘16 cast as the lead actors. The fall play date is historically early this year, so the cast has little more than a month to assemble the final production. “We’re using more enrichments
than we have in the past, and we have fewer days off,” said Billy Lynn ‘16, commenting on this production’s rigor. Billy will be playing Winston Smith, the male lead of the play. “It’s a daunting time frame, but so far we have been moving quickly, and everyone is working hard to make it the best show that it can be.” “1984” is set in a society which prohibits freedom of speech, thought, and any expression of individuality. Characters are constantly watched through television screens by an anonymous figure known as Big Brother. This modern piece of literature presents both opportunities and
CPS Budget (continued) By RICKY PIPER Staff Writer continued from p. 1
able to rely on Friends of Payton for financial support if these cuts were to be made, Devine stated that, “Friends of Payton were great allies to the school this summer,” in addressing the financial issues posed by the budget, and he “suspects they would want to be very supportive to help sustain Payton’s great programs.” However, Devine admits it is natural, at some point, to say “we can’t keep going to the same well over and over,” and he does not know, “when that tipping point is.”
Mr. Devine noted that he and FOP mutually understand that “it is the responsibility of public schools and, by default, taxpayers to pay for faculty and staff members,” and that “it is the responsibility of an individual school to raise funds” beyond those that taxpayers expend to fund core courses and programs. Mr. Devine said, “Now, we’ve gotten into a place where the taxpayers and Central Office are not supporting us even at the basic levels,... and we shouldn’t accept this as the new normal.”
challenges when being adapted as a play. “There will be a large technical element in the production,” said Izzi Einhorn ‘16. Characters are being watched through monitors throughout the book, which also has to be reflected in the play. This is not the only challenge in the production. There are some racy parts of the show, “but they’re important to the plot and theme,” said Izzi. “We will work on figuring out a way to make it high school appropriate while still maintaining the integrity of the show.” Payton has also submitted the play to be presented at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival.
The cast of “1984” has been working in a tight time frame. Photo by Catherine Conley “To be considered, someone from the festival has to come and watch the show,” said Billy. If it is selected, the cast will have the opportunity to perform at
the festival in January. Payton Players’ “1984” premieres Friday, November 6 in the Recital Hall at 6:00 p.m.
Teacher strike (continued) By ALEX LEFAUVE Staff Writer continued from p. 6
exact limits of the categories lie and seem unwilling to budge. This was one of the primary reasons of the seven-day strike in 2012. Also the CTU wants a one-year contract with a 3% raise while the Chicago Board of Education wants a three-year deal with a 1% raise. The largest negotiation point though is the teacher pension dilemma. And both sides don’t seem to want to budge. These clashes, if not sorted out by mediating between the two sides, would likely lead to the second strike within the
past three years. How would the strike affect Payton? By default all classes and extracurriculars would be cancelled. Large scale testing like the ACT or AP testing would not move back in order to accommodate the missed days because they are national tests. No sports teams would be allowed to practice or play other schools either. CTU teachers would not earn money from CPS, and the city would lose money for every day that the strike lasts. This might lead to some asking “Then why have a strike?” A CTU
strike would be the last resort for this scenario. It only occurs after multiple other stages of negotiations have failed, but it would occur if the CTU feels like that is the only effective method to get the city to listen to them. It is impossible to tell beforehand how long a strike would last, but once it starts hopefully it won’t last too long, and we can return to our normal school routine again. As Mr. Devine said, “If there is a strike and then a new contract is signed, everybody would come back together, and we would basically pick up where we left off.”
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Sudoku By PAW PRINT STAFF
PAW PRINT October 2015
Boys bowling gears up for City Championship run
By TRISTAN RINHOLM & JOE WALSH Staff Writers Boys bowling coach Jim Kurotsuchi has high hopes for this season. “Our goals are to win our conference, win the city championship, advance our team to regionals, and send some bowlers downstate,” he said. When asked about his expectations, he said, “Same as the goals.” There’s good reason for his lofty expectations. Last year the team finished fourth in the City, and it has returned all its starters. Especially important returning players are The bowling team led by Jim Kurotsuchi (top right) and Brandon Brandon Taylor ‘16, Jack McDon- Taylor (next to coach). nell‘16, Cally McDonnell‘16, and Photo courtesy of Bowling Team Filip Slusarczyk ‘17. A group of talented juniors are competing for competing for a spot is Casey in the starting lineup for meets. a spot on the Varsity team. Coach Jackson ‘17. When asked about his Every week new people will have Jim is unique in his selection of the role on the team, he said, “I think the opportunity to contribute to the Varsity starters on any given week, I play an important role on the team.” On any given week, any of the giving a spot to each of the top five bowling team because I, as well as a few other juniors, have shown players on the team could be startscorers from the week before. One of those talented juniors that we can earn scores that put us ing on Varsity.
Congratulations to the following teams for their Championships: Girls Golf Girls Volleyball Boys Golf Boys Softball Boys Cross Country Go Grizzlies! Follow @PaytonNews for the latest sports news
Welcome to the newest Payton Grizzly! Naomi Jehan Riggio Adamji Born at 4:00 a.m. on August 15, 2015 8lbs. 12 ozs.
Gym has many faces By ABBY WOLFE Staff Writer
The new school year means new books, new teachers, and new classes. But not everything is new. As of the 2014-2015 school year, all CPS students take four years of physical education in high school. Until June of 2013, the district had a waiver which stated that only two years of high school PE were required to graduate. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. According to the CPS policy manual, students may be waived from enrolling in a PE class if they are enrolled in a Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) program, cannot graduate or be admitted to college without some course that gym would interfere with, participate in an interscholastic sport, are enrolled in a marching band course, have an Individualized Education Plan that requires adaptive PE, or require other special education services. There are also classes at Payton that can act as substitutes for PE such as Anatomy and Physiology or AP Capstone, a new class offered to sophomores and juniors this year. The PE requirement affects all
Payton students in different ways. While there are many people who do not play a sport at all, there are others who attend sports practices every day but don’t play a sport at Payton that would qualify them for a waiver. These are the students who choose to play club sports over school sports, who would rather dance than play a sport, and who take pride in building technical skills that their specific sport requires. Upperclassmen tend to see the requirement in different lights. There are many who perceive the requirement as the loss of a potential elective. “I don’t think I would have chosen it [dance] if I didn’t have to have a gym credit. I could’ve taken something else like some of the science classes are really cool, or creative writing maybe,” said Susan McDougal ‘16. Many upperclassmen think that gym can be a positive aspect of their lives, allowing them to blow off steam and de-stress from the pressures of academic rigor, while simultaneously becoming more physically fit. Zoe Kaplan ‘16, who plays on
Students involved in IHSA sports such as volleyball and soccer are waived from gym while students involved in sports like rowing are not. Photo by Abby Wolfe the WPCP Girls Ultimate Frisbee team, said, “I feel like this is a good way to get physical activity throughout the entire school year.”
Spirit week too early? By CAROL CASUAL Staff Writer Spirit week kicked off again at Payton from September 14 to September 18. It is usually an exciting way to celebrate the week before the big homecoming game and dance. Students get to wear pajamas and not get judged except for some staring faces on the CTA. Many students show off their school spirit, twin with someone else, wear their class colors. This year,”Guess Who Day” was added to spirit week for the first time. Two friends dress like each other, and everyone has to
guess who each person is dressed as. Many students didn’t really show that they had much spirit as few dressed for “Twin Day” and “Guess Who Day.” Charlie Strecker’16 said, “Only one person wore a toga. Spirit week was too early. People didn’t have enough time to readjust to school.” Spirit week was two weeks earlier than it usually has been. That may be the reason why there was hardly any spirit at all.
Izzi Einhorn sports her pajamas. Photo by Carol Casual