Shortridge High School 2019 Summer Magazine - Your Questions Answered

Vol. 122, No. 4

SHS 2019 Graduate Erikmycal Powell

Answering Your Questions What’s ahead for the Class of 2019?

Who’s going to be principal next year?

Where did everyone go for Week Without Walls?

Who won prom Queen and King?

Find out the answers to your questions inside. . . .

PROM photos pg. 10 SENIORS pg. 8 SPORTS pg. 6 SUMMER fun pg. 3

Contents SHS 2019

COVER ((1))

((STAFF)) Co-Editors Bailey Jones & Savannah Miller

ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

((2&3)) SUMMER ACTIVITIES & TRIVIA

((4&5)) NEW PRINCIPAL UPDATE & CREATIVE WRITING

Design Editor Alessandro C. Sosa (Alecs) Writers & Photographers: -Porscha Webster -El’ad Nichols-Kaufman

((6&7)) BASEBALL & SPRING SPORTS

((8&9))

Advisor Donna Griffin

SENIORS - WHAT’S NEXT?

((10&11)) PROM MEMORIES

BACK ((12)) WEEK WITHOUT WALLS ADVENTURES

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3401 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46208 Support Student Media at Shortridge through sponsorships or advertisments: call (317) 226-2810 ext. 6342 or email griffind@myips.org

((SUMMER ACTIVITIES)) TOP 10 THINGS TO DO Walk the Canal!

Pools! The Riviera Club, or the JCC Parks! Eagle Creek Park Visit Mass Ave! SWEETS! SubZero & Flying Cupcake Children’s Museum Indianapolis Zoo Indianapolis Italian June 15

Street Festival

What is Mr. Shortridge’s full name?

1) Edward B. Shortridge 2) C.J. Lewis Shortridge 3) Caleb Mills 4) Abraham C. Shortridge

C

1) Felix the Cat 2) Hubert the Bear 3) Blue Devil 4) Wally the Dog

A

How many Freshmen came to SHS this year?

1) 250 2) 400 3) 670 4) 1200

D

1) Mr. Riley 2) Ms. Kinsey 3) Ms. Richardson 4) Ms. Myers

B

What is the Commons?

1) The Auditorium 2) The Lunch Room 3) The Courtyard 4) The Outside Gym

E

A)1 B)4 C)4 D)2 E)2

Trivia!

Who’s the youngest teacher in the school?

What was the SHS old mascot?

ANSWERES

Talbot Street Art Fair June 15 & 16 Indiana State Fair August 2 - 18

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PRINCIPAL SEARCH

By El’ad Nichols-Kaufman

As Shortridge prepares for the transition to a new principal for the 2019-2020 school year, the obvious question arises: who will fill the position? The answer remains up in the air.

Since January, the Shortridge community has been waiting to see if the district approves one of the finalists already selected, or if they decide to hold back, add more candidates and install an interim.

In an email June 7, IPS Executive Director of Second Schools Greg Newlin sent SHS faculty and staff an update stating that the District will be naming an interim principal for the coming school year.

This is in line with Interim Superintendent Aleesia Johnson’s promise of regular updates and that if no candidate was chosen by June 7, then an interim will be installed and staff would be notified before the board’s decision is made public.

“We continue to work vigilantly to review the applications of potential candidates as well as actively recruit other prospective applicants,” Johnson said in an email sent to the Shortridge community. “If, by June 7, we have not identified candidates to move forward in the interview process, then

IMPORTANT UPDATE June 12

IPS announced Stephen Shorter will be interim princpal for the 2019-2020 school year.

Shorter most recently spent eight years working as a district administrator at Spring Branch Independent Schools in Houston, Texas before retiring last year.

June 25 You can learn more about Mr. Shorter at a meet and greet Tuesday, June 25 from 8-10 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Shortridge.

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our team will initiate a process to appoint an interim leader.

By Thursday, June 27, my intent is that the Board of School Commissioners will receive a recommendation of either a permanent or interim leader at SHS.” The process has been plagued with accusations of lack of transparency and community members, parents and teachers said they are frustrated with the process.

While meeting with the Shortridge student government, IPS’s Director of Special Projects, Joe Gramelspacher, argued that the system for choosing the new principal was well meant.

“I know the person who made the process, and he thought a lot about it.”

Gramelspacher agreed that there was a need for wider community feedback, but also pointed out that IPS had done all they could. They got community feedback, gave panels, and now are going back to repost the position.

“We really want the best for schools when choosing principals, and it’s a big choice.” The student government also discussed with him how to avoid making the Principal into a populist position while opening up to feedback from the whole school, not just committee members.

IPS’s human resource department began the process by holding meetings at Shortridge for the wider community and for teachers to determine what they want in a principal.

Parents and students said they wanted an administrator with a history of dealing with inner city schools, willingness to advocate for the school at the district and state level and international experience. They demanded a commitment to the IB when they posted the position, but there was not single mention of the IB nor of anything mentioned in the feedback meetings.

The district did not pay to post the position internationally, so teachers got together and paid the amount necessary to get international applicants, as that is how the school got Mr. O’Day. Next, IPS made internal decisions and narrowed a pool of applicants down to three. They then chose three committees to interview these applicants - one composed of students, one of teachers and one of community members and parents.

Some of the members of these committees were upset about the choices given to them by IPS. “We didn’t reject them all, but we would like to see more (candidates),” One anonymous member of a committee said. Another committee member said the process felt rushed.

For the full story, go to shortridgedailyecho.org

ARTISTIC CREATIONS Journal Entry 14

By CW MacFarlane

Journal entry: 4/19/34 It has been three months since the transplant. Doctor [redacted] was able to successfully transplant a living reptilious brain into the body of a cadaver.

The procedure took hours, but when we took the patient off life support, and we had a heartbeat, we knew we’d made history. After that, it took some time to cope with its new body. It would often try and climb atop cabinets in the lab, and would hurt itself in the process. It also seemed to reject any food beside insects per its instinctive diet.

Once it managed to grapple thumb opposability, then came the blocks.

We trained the patient to stack them in order of the colors of the rainbow.

We deemed this the “rebellious” phase because it decided to throw the blocks at lab assistants, while defecating on furniture. It took very defensive positions during this time

and wouldn’t acknowledge attempts at getting its attention.

However, this changed after it began to grapple speech. Patient has a long way to go before making words, however it has managed intelligible gurgles when addressed. Researchers have taken this as an absolute win. We began introducing it to new things, such as stairs, and new people. At that time, it did not seem to understand the idea of faces and individual people at that time.

Then came the phone. An assistant was checking social media during tests one day, which caught the attention of the patient. It responded immediately to it and was drawn in by the lights and sounds. Intrigued where this may lead, we set up a social media page for the patient under the name lurky_lizard_443. In the beginning, it seemed to respond to the variations of light on the screen. However, it learned how to navigate. This new idea of the lights moving on command drew attention even farther...

POETRY Suns Amongst the Suns

By AJ Esters In a world of darkness Hate Grievance Destruction There are lights that shine amongst our dark souls.

Giving us hope.

There are suns amongst the candles.

See shortridgedailyecho.org to read more.

DogFrog, By Levi Cento

Every Kitten Loves the Sunshine

By Nora LaRoche Sunshine beams through the open door Falling on the fluffy creature below It stretches and rolls over on the floor Falling back into its deep sleep under the window.

Turtle by Ayaila Lange

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Shortridge BlueDevils

((BASEBALL))

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((SPRING SPORTS))

GIRLS TENNIS

SOFTBALL

BOYS GOLF

TRACK

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) ) S R O I ((SEN

T

By Porscha Webster

he Shortridge High School class of 2019 is undoubtedly one to remember. Some entered the building on Aug. 6 for a fourth, fifth, or even sixth and final first day at Shortridge. Other seniors found themselves entering SHS for the first time, almost as navigationally clueless as their younger counterparts. From O-Week and forward, the class of 2019 hit the ground running, eager to complete the final year of coursework and officially step into adulthood.

The class of 2019 has had an abundance of exciting endeavors to look forward to, ever since the start of the school year in August. From the college admissions process to an exciting Week Without Walls excursion to Panama, Senior year has not disappointed with fun and opportunity. The rigorous curriculum and unwavering expectations for success have taught seniors the perfect tools necessary for success on the verge of adulthood. Time management, perseverance, integrity, and courage are only a few values held close in the moral character of the SHS Senior class The seniors have managed to excel both inside and outside of the classroom.

Many SHS seniors became involved with athletics to solidify their high school experience. Erikmycal Powell has been a valued player on the SHS football and track teams. When asked what the experience meant to him, Powell replied, “Playing on the team means I’m a part of a brotherhood that should last a long time.”

Lyz Lavertu was the first girl in Shortridge history to play on an all-male baseball team. She recounts it as her favorite memory in high school, playing varsity her freshman year.

Jenna Cantrell was a member of the Shortridge girls soccer team. “Playing on this team means grouping together to have fun, work hard and to be positive throughout it all,” Cantrell said.

In addition to athletics, SHS seniors were no strang-

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Talk Legacy

ers to the performing arts, clubs, theater programs, and many other activities that shaped the 2018-2019 school year into an enjoyable experience. Several seniors recounted the Week Without Walls Trips in previous years to places like Williamsburg and the Dunes as their favorite memories.

Senior Allen Johnson simply summed it up, unable to choose one favorite memory. “Every day was a good memory because every day was a new day for new adventures and great memories.”

SHS seniors have produced exceptionally from an academic standpoint as well. This year’s seniors have worked admirably, many earning an IB diploma or Academic Honors diploma. Seniors in the Diploma Program have been working hard since their junior year to complete a challenging IB curriculum, well regarded internationally by university admissions teams. Collectively, the class of 2019 earned over $6 million in scholarships, including full rides to schools such as DePauw University and Purdue University. On May 10, SHS faculty and family celebrated the unofficial send off of a host of students to Indiana University Bloomington, IUPUI, Ball State, and several other institutions. Lucy Pickett is the SHS Valedictorian and Finn Hannan is Salutatorian.

SHS seniors were gratefully accepting of the resources made available to them in order to be successful.

Some of the most valuable resources this academic year included the Future Center and Writing Lab at Shortridge. Under the instruction of Ms. Barrow, Ms. Powell and Mr. Speckman, seniors made numerous trips downstairs to talk college applications, essays, career paths, and more. The Future Center also welcomed a host of college visits and career exploration opportunities that greatly impacted the attainability of senior success.

Deguimarie Santiago is another example of a senior who exhibited integrity both on the field and in the classroom. When asked about the opportunities she pursued at Shortridge, Santiago recounted the enjoy-

able experience of being a part of the softball team.

Academically, Santiago spoke highly of the support she received from the Future Center.

“In the Future Center, Ms. Barrow and Ms. Powell have done amazing things for me. They helped me find scholarships that can support my future. They’ve been there in my hard times and my happiest too,” Santiago said.

Many seniors left their final mark in the 2018-2019 yearbook, showing their driven, courageous, and humorous personalities through senior memories and quotes.

“I was made for this world,” said Niaya Taylor, quoting Steven King in her senior quote.

Jathniel Hernandez showed a bit of humor in his senior quote: “I’m going to go stand outside. If anyone ask, tell them I’m outstanding!”

Seniors ended their high school career with a senior breakfast on the morning of June 7 and a senior chili send-off in the afternoon. Graduation on June 14, when seniors said their final good-byes to their Blue

Devils family. Although their time at Shortridge has come to an end, the seniors excitedly await the future, rather it be in higher education, employment, or enlistment. From service hours to long nights of studying, the class of 2019 has personified success.

Seniors’ final advice to rising underclassmen and upperclassmen provided words of wisdom. Guadeloupe Torres is pursuing her secondary education at Ball State University in the fall. She advises future SHS students, “Please, (and I cannot stress this enough) make sure to turn in your work on time, to pay attention in class, be on time to class.” She also advises students to study hard for ISTEP and any exams that determine graduation eligibility. “Just work hard, because at the end it will be worth it.”

Marqueshia Allen is pursuing higher education at Indiana Wesleyan University in the fall. Her advice to next year’s Shortridge students to be open minded.

“Be open to new ideas, to new changes and challenges, just embrace change.”

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