A STRIKE TO REMEMBER aw rint NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 Volume 19, Issue 2 BY MADISON BRATLEY Staff Writer Photos courtesy of former Paw Print editor Matt Mata Payton teachers brought many signs (above) — and even a few musical instruments (below) — to their picket line. Payton teachers join CTU colleagues in historic walkout continued on p. 4 continued on p. 7 Amidst strike, teachers’ kids had unique view The Chicago Teachers Union strike captivated the city for two weeks in October, as public school classes were cancelled in the lon- gest teacher walkout Chicago has seen in decades. But one unique viewpoint was often forgotten: That of teachers’ children. These students watched their parents wake up early to picket, and they listened as their parents carried stories from the picket lines home with them. Yet they also experi- enced the strike as students, feel- ing the effects on their peers and themselves. Theirs was a vantage point that few could attain. Each missed school day, the teachers picketed from 6:30-10:30 a.m. outside of their schools, then rallied downtown. After that, many went home to their families, who watched as the strike took its toll on their loved one. “My mom is a [CPS] teacher, so I’m directly impacted by her having to wake up really early every day and go off to the picket lines,” Brandon Cheng ‘21 said. “Her telling her experiences that she’s seen when she’s been on strike gives me a direct connection there that other people might not have.” On social media, Chicago Pub- lic Schools parents were divided on how to perceive the strike. Some parents were sympathetic to the teachers, supporting them throughout the strike’s duration. Other parents were displeased, or even angry, with the strike, say- ing it was all for teachers’ pay. As the strike drew on, the media, too, turned less and less friendly to the teachers. In this tense environ- ment, people’s negative emotions sometimes materialized into face- to-face confrontations with CPS teachers, a fact those who were not on the picket lines may be oblivi- ous to. Some of the news coverage and social media posts may have intended to villainize CTU mem- bers and damage their resolve, but these negative sentiments also harmed the teachers’ families, es- pecially their children. Payton stu- dent Samuel McIlrath ‘22, whose father teaches math at Austin High School, said, “Nobody likes to see their parents get mocked or at- tacked, especially when all they want to do is go back to teaching their students.” Some of the information pre- sented by the media was actu- ally false, contended Megan Sal- zman ‘22, whose mom works as a fourth-grade teacher at Healy Elementary. Salzman says some news outlets and Twitter users claimed the CTU wanted to dock Chicago Police Department (CPD) Chicago breathes sigh of relief aſter two-week odyssey comes to a close The strike ended the same way it began, with Lori Lightfoot standing in front of a gaggle of re- porters in downtown Chicago. Three Wednesdays before, on October 16, when the mayor an- nounced school was cancelled the next day because of the Chicago Teachers Union’s planned walk- out, few in this city would have imagined that by the time students returned to school there would be snow on the ground. Yet here Lightfoot was at City Hall, early on Halloween after- noon, saying the strike was finally over as snow fell faster and faster outside. CPS students missed 11 school days over a span of two weeks. One was made up on the Wednes- day before Thanksgiving (al- though Payton designated that a seminar day); two more will be made up January 2 and 3, and an- other two in June. The remaining six days will be entirely lost. By now, of course, everything is back to normal. AP classes are chugging onward, and sports teams are practicing again. But it will be difficult for this remark- able strike to slip from memory any time soon. This strike mark- edly exceeded the length of the BY WILL FOSTER Editor-in-Chief 2012 one, which had lasted seven school days. That made this the longest CTU walkout since 1987. As the strike wore on, the school cancellations went from ex- citing to surreal to just plain bor- ing for students. By the final week, it had become part of the daily rou- tine: Students reposted the evening announcements on their social me- dia, and then waited for the inevi- table robo-calls from CPS. The negotiations between CPS and the union followed a winding path filled with fiery rhetoric and false hopes. Mayor Lightfoot knew her school district was billions of dollars in debt, but she was also largely sympathetic to the CTU’s list of demands, from higher pay to smaller class sizes to nurses in every school. The balance that was ultimately struck tilted decisively in favor of the union, as the city made major concessions in an at- tempt to get teachers and students back in their classrooms. Even though Illinois state law only al- lows Chicago teachers to strike over salary and benefits, the CTU managed to extract victories on issues like staffing increases and class sizes. Still, the union made some concessions of its own, in- cluding agreeing to a five-year contract rather than a three-year one. For most students, though, the enduring memories of those two weeks won’t be about what hap- pened at the bargaining table. In- stead they’ll be about the CTU picket lines, and the rallies which covered downtown Chicago in a sea of red. They’ll be about the heartbreak of sports teams that had to forfeit their playoff games. They’ll be about the stress of po- tentially not being able to turn in college applications on time. For athletes, the strike meant that they could not compete in the state postseason. Per the rules of the IHSA, Illinois’ sports govern- ing body, teams cannot compete during a period when their school is on strike, with very limited ex- ceptions. Chicago attorney Kevin Sterling filed a lawsuit against the IHSA, with the goal of allowing CPS cross country runners (in- cluding Sterling’s child at Jones) to compete in the regionals. But the lawsuit was unsuccessful. One Payton senior was so frustrated to have been prevented from compet- ing in her final cross-country re- gionals that she decided to run the
Transcript
A STRIKE TO REMEMBER
aw rintNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 Volume 19, Issue 2
BY MADISON BRATLEYStaff Writer
Photos courtesy of former Paw Print editor Matt MataPayton teachers brought many signs (above) — and even a few musical instruments (below) — to their picket line.
Payton teachers join CTU colleagues in historic walkout
continued on p. 4
continued on p. 7
Amidst strike, teachers’ kids had unique view
The Chicago Teachers Union strike captivated the city for two weeks in October, as public school classes were cancelled in the lon-gest teacher walkout Chicago has seen in decades. But one unique viewpoint was often forgotten: That of teachers’ children. These students watched their parents wake up early to picket, and they listened as their parents carried stories from the picket lines home with them. Yet they also experi-enced the strike as students, feel-ing the effects on their peers and themselves. Theirs was a vantage point that few could attain.
Each missed school day, the teachers picketed from 6:30-10:30 a.m. outside of their schools, then rallied downtown. After that, many went home to their families, who watched as the strike took its toll on their loved one. “My mom is a [CPS] teacher, so I’m directly impacted by her having to wake up really early every day and go off to the picket lines,” Brandon Cheng ‘21 said. “Her telling her experiences that she’s seen when she’s been on strike gives me a direct connection there that other people might not have.”
On social media, Chicago Pub-lic Schools parents were divided on how to perceive the strike. Some parents were sympathetic to the teachers, supporting them
throughout the strike’s duration. Other parents were displeased, or even angry, with the strike, say-ing it was all for teachers’ pay. As the strike drew on, the media, too, turned less and less friendly to the teachers. In this tense environ-ment, people’s negative emotions sometimes materialized into face-to-face confrontations with CPS teachers, a fact those who were not on the picket lines may be oblivi-ous to.
Some of the news coverage and social media posts may have intended to villainize CTU mem-bers and damage their resolve, but these negative sentiments also harmed the teachers’ families, es-pecially their children. Payton stu-dent Samuel McIlrath ‘22, whose father teaches math at Austin High School, said, “Nobody likes to see their parents get mocked or at-tacked, especially when all they want to do is go back to teaching their students.”
Some of the information pre-sented by the media was actu-ally false, contended Megan Sal-zman ‘22, whose mom works as a fourth-grade teacher at Healy Elementary. Salzman says some news outlets and Twitter users claimed the CTU wanted to dock Chicago Police Department (CPD)
Chicago breathes sigh of relief after two-week odyssey comes to a close
The strike ended the same way it began, with Lori Lightfoot standing in front of a gaggle of re-porters in downtown Chicago.
Three Wednesdays before, on October 16, when the mayor an-nounced school was cancelled the next day because of the Chicago Teachers Union’s planned walk-out, few in this city would have imagined that by the time students returned to school there would be snow on the ground.
Yet here Lightfoot was at City Hall, early on Halloween after-noon, saying the strike was finally over as snow fell faster and faster outside.
CPS students missed 11 school days over a span of two weeks. One was made up on the Wednes-day before Thanksgiving (al-though Payton designated that a seminar day); two more will be made up January 2 and 3, and an-other two in June. The remaining six days will be entirely lost.
By now, of course, everything is back to normal. AP classes are chugging onward, and sports teams are practicing again. But it will be difficult for this remark-able strike to slip from memory any time soon. This strike mark-edly exceeded the length of the
BY WILL FOSTEREditor-in-Chief
2012 one, which had lasted seven school days. That made this the longest CTU walkout since 1987.
As the strike wore on, the school cancellations went from ex-citing to surreal to just plain bor-ing for students. By the final week, it had become part of the daily rou-tine: Students reposted the evening announcements on their social me-dia, and then waited for the inevi-table robo-calls from CPS.
The negotiations between CPS and the union followed a winding path filled with fiery rhetoric and false hopes. Mayor Lightfoot knew her school district was billions of dollars in debt, but she was also largely sympathetic to the CTU’s list of demands, from higher pay to smaller class sizes to nurses in every school. The balance that was ultimately struck tilted decisively in favor of the union, as the city made major concessions in an at-tempt to get teachers and students back in their classrooms. Even though Illinois state law only al-lows Chicago teachers to strike over salary and benefits, the CTU managed to extract victories on issues like staffing increases and class sizes. Still, the union made some concessions of its own, in-cluding agreeing to a five-year
contract rather than a three-year one.
For most students, though, the enduring memories of those two weeks won’t be about what hap-pened at the bargaining table. In-stead they’ll be about the CTU picket lines, and the rallies which covered downtown Chicago in a sea of red. They’ll be about the heartbreak of sports teams that had to forfeit their playoff games. They’ll be about the stress of po-tentially not being able to turn in college applications on time.
For athletes, the strike meant that they could not compete in the state postseason. Per the rules of the IHSA, Illinois’ sports govern-ing body, teams cannot compete during a period when their school is on strike, with very limited ex-ceptions. Chicago attorney Kevin Sterling filed a lawsuit against the IHSA, with the goal of allowing CPS cross country runners (in-cluding Sterling’s child at Jones) to compete in the regionals. But the lawsuit was unsuccessful. One Payton senior was so frustrated to have been prevented from compet-ing in her final cross-country re-gionals that she decided to run the
2Seminar sign-up faces hiccupsBY MADISON BRATLEYStaff Writer
Seminar days serve as a buffer and savior from five-day weeks, providing students with a casual afternoon to spend time relaxing with friends at Panera or catch-ing up on homework. But when inside of Payton’s doors, students partake in a variety of activities, ranging from judo to knitting and crocheting to volunteering across the city. For some students, this variety can make selecting their top ten choices for seminars diffi-cult. But this fall, something made selecting seminars even harder.
Last year, Payton’s long-time tech director, Mr. Mulroy, left his position mid-school year. He was replaced over the summer by Mr. Xu, who designed this semester’s seminar selection website, which he says was “rushed.”
“I had about two weeks to complete this project,” he said. “It’s a pretty rough chop because there’s not really much to it. I know a lot of people probably ex-perienced quite a bit of bugginess in there.”
There indeed were a range of issues students had with the web-site, such as not being able to log in with their email address, having to log in again partway through the process and restarting, and not being able to see all the seminars they chose when ranking them.
Along with that, the major-ity of students who were unable to be placed in any of their top ten choices were placed in belly dancing, leading to a tense setting for the first class of that seminar.
“It sorta felt like second hand awkward,” says Jacqueline Rincon ‘21. “Everyone was par-ticipating just to give it a shot be-fore switching out. By the end of the seminar, everyone seemed to have fun but by the second one,
I saw that like half of the people switched out.”
Many basic principles of last year’s website transferred over to this one. Students chose five first session seminars, including double session seminars, and five second session seminars. Then, students ranked their choices in order of preference. Other components of the selection system were im-proved.
“I think the seminar sign-up website was a lot better than last year,” says Hannah Xie ‘21. “You didn’t have to scroll down every time you chose a seminar.” She says this helped her keep track of the seminars she selected, as op-posed to last year, when students selected a single seminar, sub-mitted that choice, and then were directed to another page to select another seminar, without any in-dication of what seminar they had selected earlier.
Mr. Xu also utilized a differ-ent ranking system. “So, let’s just for example say seminar A is most popular. Then I’ll start look-ing through all the students who have picked seminar A across 10 choices, and I’ll start picking, try to see if I could fit the student who picked it [as their] first choice into
the seminar,” he explains. “Since seminar A is popular, there are a lot of people who picked it as [their] first choice. Then, from here I can’t just throw them all in because the class size wouldn’t fit [them] so what the algorithm does is it will randomize a number. And each student will be randomly as-signed a number, like, first choice will come first, so they will be as-signed a number and the system will pick a number each time un-til all the slots are filled with the seminar, if, let’s say it’s popular but not popular enough that people all want it first.”
But what caused the bugginess? Mr. Xu says he was hired weeks before receiving the assignment, which did not allow him enough time to properly set up the needed infrastructure. To accommodate that lack of time, he used a Google spreadsheet to track student re-sponses. But Google Sheets might not have been able to handle all the data. “You guys probably experi-enced someone editing a spread-sheet with 10 students,” he says, “but now this spreadsheet is [be-ing] edited by, like, 1200 students, so it was obvious there [would] be some issues with crashing because Google is not meant to be used this
way.” He says that setup was a “one-time thing,” and he will use more reliable infrastructure in the future.
As for the people who did not get any of their first semi-nar choices and were placed in belly dancing, Mr. Xu says that occurred due to an overlooked aspect of the algorithm. “I didn’t realize that [the program wasn’t] filling out students into various random [seminars]. It was kind of like just throwing students in the first one that was open. So belly dancing, alphabetically, starts with a ‘B,’ so that’s kind of like why it happened… the algorithm just somehow, since they cannot fit them into anywhere, but they have to go to a seminar, just ran-domly throws them into the first seminar that’s open. This is an issue that I am already aware of and this will get fixed.”
Mr. Xu is already making plans for next semester’s seminar website. He says we will still use our school email accounts to sign in, and he will keep the check-list interface, but because he has more time, “I will be able to have the infrastructure sorted better so as to avoid this kind of glitch happening due to bottlenecks by Google services,” he said.
Mr. Xu believes the website performed well. “I have run the algorithm more than a hundred times, and I have found the low-est number of students who have not [been assigned] to any of their ten choices,” he said. For those students who were not as-signed into any of those choices, Payton offered an enrichment for students to switch into a seminar they would find more enjoyable. The other issues, like the crash-ing and having to log in repeat-edly, will be resolved by next semester.
Photo by Madison BratleyMr. Xu designed the first semester seminar selection website.
Teachers from Montenegro visit PaytonBY BRODY DRAKE AND MATTHEW ZEHNERStaff Writers
“Zdravo” is a word that many of us have never heard before. You might, however, have seen it on Payton’s mural of languages, and it translates to “Hello” in Mon-tenegrin. It’s also the word that Payton’s newspaper and broadcast classes got to hear during a cul-tural exchange with teachers and educational officials from Monte-negro, a small, mountainous coun-try in southeastern Europe.
On November 21, Payton greeted three literature teachers, a principal, two translators, and the Senior Advisor of Education for the entire country of Montenegro, with the goal of sharing the cul-tural differences in our countries and schools so that we could learn from each other and expand our global understanding. Before lead-ing them on a tour of Payton, we
were able to learn a little bit about the country of Montenegro.
A small country of only 600,000 people, Montenegro has only one public and two private universities. Because of this, high school graduates often look to study abroad in the United States or in the United Kingdom. Com-bine this with the fact that Mon-
tenegrins learn English as a sec-ond language between the ages of three and 19, and that they live in an American-dominated television and music culture, and it’s no sur-prise that many students expect to leave Montenegro for schooling.
Despite the many differences between our two countries, we found that we had a lot in com-
mon. After sharing some Paw Print articles, Payton News Network broadcasts, and yearbooks, one of the teachers explained that she led her own school literary magazine. With the help of some translators, we were able to swap her maga-zine, EHO 8, with the Payton Art and Literature Magazine (PALM), and got to learn about some of each other’s creative processes. In a tour of the school, we were also lucky enough to show them a performance by Payton’s slam po-etry group, Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB), as well as a practice of Payton Player’s “Lord of the Flies” production.
Both the Montenegrins and the Payton students said they learned a lot from the interaction. “We’re very impressed with all you have to offer here,” said Prof. Sonja Golub Klenak, a teacher at Gimna-sium Kotor. “We can’t wait to take some of this back home with us.”
Photo by Paw Print StaffA delegation from Montenegro visited Payton newspaper class.
PAW PRINT NOV/DEC 2019 FEATURES 3From Payton student to coach and teacherBY MALACHI ASBERRYStaff Writer
The Paw Print recently inter-viewed one of the newest faculty members at Payton. Mr. Curtis Nunnery, or Coach Nunnery, is a new addition to the Department of Health Sciences and Physical Education this year. He is a part-time Physical Education teacher, and part-time Assistant Athletic Director, which makes him a full-time Payton faculty member. We were given the opportunity to learn more about his experience and goals as a teacher, as well as his experience as a student at Pay-ton. Mr. Nunnery was a part of the Payton Class of 2010.
You may have Mr. Nunnery as a teacher for Personal Fitness and Wellness this year, if you are an upperclassman, or as a coach if you are on the football team or boys’ basketball team. During his time as a student at Payton, he was taught by several current Payton faculty members. He now transi-tions into his new position with them, and a few other new teach-ers this year, as his co-workers.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Paw Print: What made you want to return to Payton for a position?Coach Nunnery: “I was at Em-mett Louis Till Elementary school for five years. I’m big into sports, so I want to coach at the college level one day. I understood that the next step up from coaching middle school would be coaching high school, so I started applying around and saw about an open-ing at Payton. I was very excited and jumped on it right away. I got in contact with Ms. Bertoni and interviewed; I realized this was a great opportunity to work at a school with a lot of resources. I thought I could definitely reach students here because I was in a similar situation 14 years ago, and this would be a good opportunity for me to help students and also allow me to continue towards the point that I want to reach in my
life.”Paw Print: What was your job experience prior to your arrival at Payton?Coach Nunnery: “It was at a low-income school in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. A lot of kids lived a life that was very different to mine, growing up in Rogers Park. These were kindergarteners to eighth graders, and they’d seen kids grow up in the same environment as them. I understand it was tough for them to come to school and really focus. If they weren’t on level aca-demically, they just acted a fool, or sometimes just acted a fool be-cause they didn’t have people at home putting a lot of structure into their lives. They weren’t used to it. It was a tough experience, but I definitely grew a lot. During my five years there, I learned how to better manage class, and get the results I wanted no matter what. Coaching was very interesting, be-cause I’m very into it, and I had to deal with students in more aca-demic issues that I have at Payton. I had developed systems checking with them every day. If I didn’t, I would get a note from a teach-er that a student was acting out in class, or they hadn’t done any homework in a few weeks. I had to learn how to get structure to those who needed it and build relation-ships with them simultaneously. I didn’t want it to seem like I was a mean person.”Paw Print: What made Payton stand out from other schools that made you want to attend, and eventually end up working here?Coach Nunnery: “I didn’t want to go to Northside since they didn’t have a football team, and I didn’t want to go to Whitney because they didn’t let me into their aca-demic center when I was in sev-enth grade. I liked the idea that I didn’t really know a lot of people coming here my freshman year. I enjoyed making new friends, try-ing something, and doing things on my own where I wouldn’t be boxed in with people that I had
met previously. That was a big as-pect for me as well. It was a great school in the city, and we weren’t quite on top when I was a fresh-man, but in my junior year, our ACT scores pushed us to the top and we never came back down, so I always considered my class as one of the building blocks for the greatness that Payton has been founded on.”Paw Print: Did you learn any skills at Payton that helped you in your time at college? Coach Nunnery: “I was usu-ally good at playing the ‘game of school.’ You either need to be really smart, or be smart enough to handle the workload. I didn’t consider myself that smart, so I learned the amount of effort it took to be successful. I definitely pulled some all-nighters at Payton. They paid off and got me used to things that I would have to do in college. I think the workload in college for most of my classes was easier than some of the classes at Payton.”Paw Print: What extracurricular activities did you take part in at Payton? Did you make any par-ticular achievements?Coach Nunnery: “I was a mem-ber of the football team for four years and started on varsity my sophomore, junior, and senior years. I was on the basketball team for four years and played varsity my junior and senior year. I did track and field my sopho-more, junior, and senior years. I also played baseball my freshman year. As far as achievements go, my sophomore year was the first time the football team had won a conference championship. I was a starting offensive lineman during the time, and was the head cap-tain of the football team my senior year. In basketball, my senior year, I was an All-Conference player in the Red North, which is one of the toughest divisions in the city. In track, I won a few medals. I got third place at sectionals in discus throw.” Paw Print: What was you favor-ite Payton experience, or favorite
thing about the Payton experi-ence?Coach Nunnery: “Playing sports. I realized that if I went to Whitney Young, I probably wouldn’t have made it on the basketball team. But here, I was able to play a ma-jor role in a lot of sports teams. So, I thought that was something that really excited me. Overall, it was really fun. I still remember mak-ing friends and everything -- going to events like Latin night, school dances and stuff like that. I made a lot of friends and a lot of memories here. I would say overall sports is a lasting memory -- but thinking about just messing around with my friends -- it was probably one of the best experiences. I got to meet people from all over the city, which I never would have met oth-erwise.”Paw Print: What goals would you like to achieve as a class instruc-tor? Coach Nunnery: “My biggest goal is to teach everyone. Spe-cifically, I want to teach students
things that they can do for the rest of their lives to stay healthier, and find different forms of exercise that they enjoy doing. And also teaching students about health in just about every aspect, whether it be nutritional or emotional health. Also promoting things such as not doing drugs and helping students to be the healthiest version of themselves, hopefully for the rest of their lives. One thing I always preach to my classes is you only get one body, and no matter what, you’re not going to end up with an-other body. How you treat it now is going to affect how it’s going to respond to you later on. While I’m here I want to get students to be the healthiest they can be and learn as much as they can. I still remember things I learned in Ms. Bertoni’s class about nutrition and stuff. However, I’d like to move on to coaching basketball at the college level one day, but I could see myself at Payton for a while depending on how things go.”
Photo by Malachi AsberryMr. Curtis Nunnery, or Coach Nunnery, is a new addition to the Department of Health Sciences and Physical Education this year.
BY MIMI HAMADAEditor
The first quarter of high school can bring about all types of feel-ings for freshmen. This can in-clude the stress of an increased workload, the excitement of meet-ing new people, and the fear of finding your classes, to name a few. Although students from all grades can relate to these first quarter struggles, freshmen seem to experience the worst of it since they are so new to the Payton community. As freshmen navi-gate through these first few weeks of high school, they can compare their real experiences with what they were expecting from their first year at Payton.
Our block schedule can be a big
Thoughts on Payton from its newest studentsshift from the usual eight classes a day that most schools use. “Get-ting used to having 1 hour and 30 minutes per class and 4 classes per day definitely hit hard,” said Grace He ‘23. “[However], it was a re-lief that homework wasn’t due the very next day [which is] definitely something I am enjoying current-ly.”
While some of us might take Quiet Study Time enrichment for granted, things like this were a big surprise for some freshmen. “I didn’t really expect the school to offer things such as tutoring en-richments, quiz retakes, and quiet study time at the end of the day,” said He.
Another aspect of Payton fresh-
men have taken a liking to are seminar days, which are definitely a favorite of all other students. The opportunity to take classes that aren’t in the normal curricu-lum while also having a half day is something that is hard not to like. Although Payton advertises the seminars during open houses and Freshman Connection, you can’t truly appreciate them until you ex-perience one for yourself. “I read about [seminars and enrichments] on the website but didn’t know ex-actly what they were or how they worked,” said Anisa McKinney ‘23. Seminar days break up a five day week perfectly, giving you a few extra hours to chill, catch up on homework, or take a nap. As
a result, freshmen have come to appreciate them greatly, just like the rest of us. “One of my favor-ite things about high school are seminar days,”said Stacey Moril-lon ‘23. “I was lucky to get into the seminars I wanted and I really enjoy both of them, especially de-vised theater.”
The teacher strike definitely had an effect on all of us during first quarter. Missing out on two weeks of school was enough to mess up the schedules of the most experi-enced of us, and it has impacted freshmen as well. “The strike af-fected my transition into Payton a little because I feel the classes were a little off. Everybody was stressed to keep up and be able to
teach everything as planned,” said Luz Gordillo-Franco ‘23. A lot of teachers had to shift their sched-ules around and condense class lessons to make up for the lost time. This has made it harder for some freshmen to get used to the already faster-paced high school level classes.
For freshmen especially, the transition into high school from summer can involve a lot of sur-prises and stress from attending a whole new school. But regardless, most can agree that high school is an exciting time. As Eddie Zhou ’23 put it, “The overall experience has had its ups and downs, but it has been mostly positive.”
FEATURES PAW PRINT NOV/DEC 2019
BY WYATT HARLEYStaff Writer
Grizzly math is red or blue depending
4
You can walk around the atrium and ask someone what they think the color of math is, and an intense argument will emerge in seconds.
Many people take pride in the color they choose. The most com-mon color Payton students affiliate math with is typically red or blue, according to a poll taken by fifty fellow Grizzlies, but some people affiliate math with other colors.
What exactly does “math is blue” or “math is red” mean? Many people believe it is the color you affiliate with your math sup-plies, such as a red notebook for math if you believe math is red.
Others think that the color of
a subject, specifically math, has a deeper meaning.
According to Dev Shah ‘23, “People think math is good or bad, because red is normally bad and blue is normally good. It could be code language or slang.”
Basically, his interpretation is that if math is red, you don’t like math, and vice versa. Sean Fron-ing ‘21 also agrees with Dev in the sense that there is emotion attached to the color of math. He says, “Math is blue because math is sad.”
How do others pick a color that they affiliate with math, if it is not attached to emotion? According to
Stella Dziedzic ‘21, her math fold-ers have always been provided as red from a young age, so she affili-ates math with red.
Ryan Thomas ‘21 shares the
Algebra I: The equity initiative at PaytonBY NATALIA RUICH AND MAGDA SALIBA Staff Writers
Nationwide, Payton is known to be a school of high esteem, with students achieving amazing academic feats. But equity in the classroom hasn’t always been easy to achieve, largely owing to course selections made early on in a stu-dent’s career at Payton. Much of a Payton student’s experience is determined by one subject: math.
The placement of incoming freshmen into math courses is de-pendant on their performance on a Payton-administered math exam.
The level of mathematical un-derstanding shown by an incom-ing freshman on the math exam determines the math course they will take in the coming year, with the option to take a summer course at Payton for those students who test out of Algebra I but not fully into Geometry.
“A super majority of the Payton students, about 93% to 95% of the students, pass out of the Algebra [I] exam, and that’s been true for probably 15-plus years now,” said Principal Devine.
The class of 2020 (the cur-rent seniors) were the last class of freshmen to be offered a full two-semester Algebra I course. This course schedule placed all of the freshmen taking Algebra I into one of two Algebra I class periods, and all into the same Physics period.
However, a course schedule that places freshmen into the same math and science classes also places them into many of the same classes in other subjects.
“Once it’s required that this
cohort of students take the same math and same science courses, together, there was a limited num-ber of World Studies or AP Human [Geography] sections that they’re available to, and PE classes. So all these students were in the same PE class having the same lunch pe-riod,” said Mr. Devine.
Some former Algebra I students reflecting on their freshman expe-rience argue that this grouping inhibited them from meeting new students during their formative years.
Senior Evan Gray spoke on the classmates he had during fresh-man year: “I remember freshman year, I was with all the same kids in Algebra [I] and Physics and most of my classes. Most of my friends now are the same people I met freshman year. I definitely just became friends with who I had classes with,” said Gray ‘20.
When asked about whether or not he believed he would have made friends with more students if he had been in a different math class, he said that he “for sure would’ve met more new students.”
Not only did this grouping of students restrict social circles for students taking Algebra I, but stu-dents claim that this grouping re-stricted their learning experience as well.
“I feel like Physics was a pret-ty easy course, and we definitely could’ve learned with the other kids. It only put us behind, and we really couldn’t talk to other kids about math or even Physics, which
really [was disappointing],” said Sophia Aguilar ‘20.
While these issues of the Alge-bra I program were well-known among the students involved, awareness outside of this group students was relatively recent.
“I hadn’t realized initially that that was something that happened, that kids who started in Algebra I often ended up in a lot of the same courses throughout their four years at Payton,’’ says Algebra I/Geom-etry teacher Ms. Tani.
Despite the unawareness of the issue, former Algebra I students recall that they felt pressured to prove themselves as worthy of Payton. Senior Camille Rojas describes the shame she felt as a freshman in Algebra I: “At that point in time, I didn’t know any-body. I would try to get to know people by asking them about their classes, and when I was asked about my math class, I just wouldn’t tell them. I was constant-ly evading the question … overall I would say that people at Payton would see [being in Algebra 1] as, ‘Oh, like, wow, you’re behind.’”
After 2016, the Payton math department adjusted the course flow, eliminating Algebra I as an individual class and replacing it with an Algebra I/Geometry/Phys-ics hybrid course.
“This was actually the idea from the science department. They came to us with this idea and pre-sented it as an equity change be-cause students who started in Al-gebra 1 without doing anything
extra like a summer course or doubling up on courses ended up in Precalculus senior year, and that prevents students from taking AP Physics,” recalls Ms. Tani.
This hybrid course is comprised of a half-semester of double-block Algebra I, a half-semester of dou-ble-block Geometry, and an al-tered schedule for Physics classes.
“It was a team approach,” said Mr. Devine. “A lot of us: princi-pal, assistant principal, depart-ment chairs, and multiple teachers were all involved with the process to identify what was the problem.”
Administration, the math de-partment, and many former Al-gebra I students agree that the hybrid course is a step in the right direction to make students’ social/emotional and academic outcomes more equitable. However, Mr. Devine is quick to note that this equity issue is a structural one and goes far beyond Payton: “Algebra [I] should be taught at all CPS el-ementary schools. It has not.”
He continues, “students, through no fault of their own, who
had cognitive ability to tend to algebra in elementary school but were not provided that opportu-nity were then academically disad-vantaged when they came here to Payton, and so we tried to figure out the best way to address that situation. There’s a massive eq-uity issue related to this, because the elementary schools have these students for nine years, mostly neighborhood schools, mostly in schools that are predominantly populated with black and brown students [and these elementary schools] chose to not offer these students academic experiences that they should have been offered. So we are trying to level that play-ing field.”
This course-flow adjustment is not the end of Payton’s equity ini-tiative.
Programs such as the Continu-ous Improvement Work Plan and the summer Algebra I courses of-fered at Payton for eighth graders in the surrounding area are all part of Payton’s initiative for an equi-table high school experience.
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race anyway in protest. She made it part-way before getting pulled off the course.
Thankfully for the runners, they were eventually allowed back into the playoffs after more legal efforts. Tennis and soccer teams
same experience as Stella. “Back when I started taking math classes, like in elementary school, I think my textbook was blue, and so math has always been blue for me ever since.”
Why do debates over what color math get so intense? Anna Calkins ‘23 said, “Because ev-eryone thinks their color is the right color, and since the color of math is preference versus right or wrong, the debates can get very intense.”
There’s no answer for the color of math, so all we can do is argue about what we feel math should be. We don’t even have any evi-
dence or reasoning to back up our thoughts on what color we believe math should be, so there is no set-tling this debate.
John Bouman ‘21 said that it doesn’t really matter what color you prefer for math, and it’s unim-portant and not worth arguing.
Many people have different views on our colors of math, and there is no real answer to which is correct. Many people choose to defend their color, and as long as they do, the debate will never end.
What color do you affiliate math with? Take the poll on www. paytonpawprint.com.
were not so lucky, instead being forced to permanently forfeit their matches.
Talk of a strike had been brew-ing for months by the time Oc-tober rolled around. As Payton teachers returned to school in late
August, they continued to work without a contract, as the leaders of their union continued to negoti-ate with the City of Chicago over a new deal.
The previous deal expired at the end of June. That 2016 agree-
ment itself narrowly averted a strike, as late-night negotiations yielded a deal just minutes before a midnight deadline.
After union leaders rejected a deal proposed by an indepen-dent fact-finder, a vote among the
union’s entire membership was taken in order to decide whether to authorize a strike. 94% of mem-bers voted yes, and the House of Delegates set October 17 as the walkout date if an agreement was not reached by then.
Chicago breathes sigh of relief after odyssey (continued from p. 1)BY WILL FOSTEREditor-in-Chief
Photo by Wyatt Harley
PAW PRINT NOV/DEC 2019 FEATURES 5The effects of climate change
are all over the news landscape, but it may be difficult to visualize the effects of hurricanes or rising sea levels on Chicago.
The shifting climate will have significant impact on every part of the world, including Chicago.
Lake Michigan is at levels un-seen in decades, swallowing up beaches, lake shore trails, and making boating significantly more dangerous. Even meteorological tsunamis -- small scale, caused by rapid changes in barometric pres-sure -- could occur and cause sig-nificant problems.
Hurricanes may not impact Chi-cago, but according to the Chicago Tribune, tornadoes are increas-ingly touching down east of the
Math hits the study breaks
BY ALEX GANCHIFFStaff Writer
Climate discussion heating up at Payton
Walking down the stairs of the East Building, you can usually see a group of students on the second floor talking, getting a drink of wa-ter, and relaxing for a few minutes. Then they walk back and resume their math lesson.
The Math Department institut-ed these class breaks last year, and the students who take them have responded well, frequently return-ing to the classroom refreshed and more receptive to the lessons be-ing taught.
As George Stamatis ‘20 said, “Brain-breaks are great for learn-ing. I struggle to pay attention for full class periods, so it’s nice to be able to take a quick break and have a couple of minutes to digest what we had learned earlier in class.”
The breaks in class have proven to be a boon to many students in need of extra time to decompress.
The benefits of in-class breaks have been well-documented, and include improved attentiveness, a reduction in stress, and an increase in information retained.
A study conducted by research-ers at USC and MIT provides evi-dence that when the brain is in its less active “default mode,” it is still highly active and hard at work processing memories, with differ-ent sections of the brain working during the “active mode” com-monly used during learning.
High school students, even at Payton, find their attention levels decreasing over extended periods of learning, and the incorporation of breaks has been shown to be very effective at refocusing stu-dents for more productive work when they return.
The Math Department has worked to fit the breaks into class plans whenever possible, but has not shoehorned them in, making them an occasional reprieve in-stead of a midway point to race to.
BY CHARLIE BROWN AND KOKI JAMESStaff Writers
Christopher Gora ‘21 said, “I feel like the breaks are well-timed to help the flow of the class instead of disrupting it. They help me recali-brate for the rest of class but aren’t long enough that I’m not ready to jump back into class when the break is over.”
Math teacher Michael Caines noted that he had been instituting breaks in his classes for years, but said that it had become something brought up school-wide recently: “I think it’s supposed to be a top- down thing. They did a lot of re-search about learning and the biol-ogy of learning and how students need processing time to reset. And so maybe as a larger school, there’s been an initiative to insti-tute breaks, and maybe our depart-ment is very much adopting that.”
Mr. Caines talked about the benefits of taking breaks: “I think it might vary by class but some kind of shift or break or change of pace is definitely needed in a 90- minute long block because that’s a long time to do one particular
thing. I found that just walking in and getting some water talking to friends is probably a good way to take that break.”
While breaks only need to be a few minutes to have a significant effect on student learning, there are alternatives that keep students engaged over the long 90-minute blocks at Payton.
Switching between styles of learning such as lecture-based les-sons, group work, individual learn-ing, and small and large group dis-cussions can be very beneficial for students, and avoid the decreased attention levels students face as time goes on in class.
Even just having students take a few seconds to stand up and get their blood flowing has proved to be beneficial to learning.
No matter what method is used, other teachers can take a page out of the Math Department’s book and keep looking for new ways to keep students engaged and ready to learn.
Is it hot or cold?BY SAM FRELLICKStaff Writer
As temperatures approach zero, the morning routine grows as students put on numerous lay-ers to keep warm. Entering Pay-ton from the freezing outdoors should come as a warm welcome to students, but faulty equipment in Payton’s heating and cooling has some students struggling to keep warm, or cool, in the class-room.
Ensuring classrooms are set at a consistent temperature is ex-tremely important as being too hot or too cold can bother stu-dents, impeding their learning. The differing temperatures in classrooms can make preparing for classes difficult, and having to go to your locker or keep add-ing and taking off layers during class subtracts from time that should be spent learning.
A necessary component in the classroom is focus, which in many cases can be very hard to achieve. When classes are too hot, it becomes very hard to pay attention.
“When I’m hot in class, I start to get headache. There’s not too much I can do about it,” said Alex Sekulic ‘20.
The heat becomes an even larger problem in the winter as students are often wearing long-sleeved shirts. While a chilly classroom isn’t as detrimental due to students being able to wear sweatshirts, not all students always come prepared. When classroom temperatures vary, it is hard to blame them.
So how can we fix the prob-lem?
One thing teachers can do to help is allowing students to take short breaks (see math depart-ment break article to the right).
While it does take a little class time, it allows students to refocus. Aside from getting blood flowing
and taking a mental break, the atrium is kept consistently cool which allows students to relax in a not so warm environment.
When asked about her breaks during Statistics class, Pilar Kel-ly ‘20 said, “I really enjoy the break, especially in a class like math where my brain quickly gets tired. It’s a good time to mentally prepare myself for the second class with some fresh air.”
The math department has implemented short breaks half-way through class, and Payton students have maintained their high standards since the change. Math may not be physical work, but long stretches of tough math can lead to overheating.
Stepping into the cool atrium refreshes students and allows them to reset. While a break may not be implemented every class at a certain time, teachers should be open to students who ask for a break.
Temperatures in the Pay-ton classrooms mirror Chicago weather with their quick swings from hot to cold, but students should be grateful that we have heating and cooling, and push through the tough winter.
Bringing sweatshirts to class can help students to be prepared for freezing rooms, and having a T-shirt on can prepare students for the boiling classrooms.
Photo by Sam FrellickStudents carry heaps of clothes from class to class.
Mississippi. Although still unlike-ly, any increase in the chance of a tornado hitting Chicago is a step closer to a catastrophic natural di-saster that could injure thousands and potentially cause upwards of a billion dollars in damages.
What are the causes behind the effects we are beginning to see and will continue to see in the future?
The lake level rise is in large part due to increased precipitation this past spring, a by-product of an increasing global temperature.
But the numbers are staggering. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the six-inch water level rise required over 2.3 tril-lion gallons of water. That’s the equivalent of 3.6 million Olympic-sized swimming pools -- the result
of the most days of precipitation in a Chicago spring since the late 1800s.
The effects of climate change on Chicago are potentially cata-strophic, and actions can be taken on a local level to combat them.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the main perpetrator of the increas-ing global temperature, and there’s many opportunities for Payton students to cut down on their CO2 output. Limiting automobile pol-lution, powering off electronics when not in use and recycling will have an impact on CO2 emissions, but they are commonly known and the former requires a fundamental shift in behavior.
There are other ways to cut down on carbon emissions, how-
ever. “If we stopped using so much
paper, drove less and only took the food we will eat from the cafeteria, I think that would make a differ-ence,” said Sage Shindler ‘20.
Although these steps are small-scale, they still have the potential to be impactful.
The climate change discussion
may seem like a national conver-sation, but one Payton student is willing to make an effort and be-come more conscious of his envi-ronmental footprint: “I’d like to think I would [be able to cut down on car, food and paper usage], but it would be hard, so I’m going to try,” said Henry Xiao ‘20.
Photo by Alex Ganchiff
Photo by Paw Print StaffThe Payton math department has inserted breaks that have been helpful for learning.
FEATURES PAW PRINT NOV/DEC 2019
BY MAGDA SALIBA, KOKI JAMES, MAX MOGILNER, JOEY PINKERT, AND SOPHIE SALEMStaff Writers
Pizza chow down: numero uno for Uno Pizzeria UnoBy Magda Saliba
After winning the deep dish taste test in room 313, Pizzeria Uno stands alone in unbeatable pizza excellence. If you’re looking for decadent, buttery crust with a good crunch, sweet tomatoes, and cheese for days, this is the place for you.
Located in the heart of down-town, Pizzeria Uno creates unique, gourmet pies with chunky tomato sauce that are impossible to resist.
The price isn’t the cheapest, but it’s worth it. Not to mention, they have delicious boneless hot wings that are the perfect appetizer be-fore your pizza treat.
Skip the trip to Lou’s, ditch Giordano’s, and let Pequod’s eat your dust. Chief reports that Piz-zeria Uno is it.
Lou Malnati’s By Luke LoSasso
Lou Malnati’s...a household name around Chicago. Arguably the most famous deep dish pizza in
the world. The house-made butter crust, perfectly supporting a melty cheese base with your choice of high-quality toppings. This is the place where you need to eat.
While it didn’t get first place in our taste test, it still is worth the trip. Reasonably priced and deli-cious, and a Chicago classic, what more could you want?
Art of PizzaBy Joey Pinkert
Art of Pizza may not be the first restaurant you think of for your deep dish pizza needs, but it should be.
To me, there are three essentials to a good slice, deep-dish or not: cheese, sauce, and, most impor-tantly, crust. The cheese is thick and soft, which perfectly comple-ments the sweet, tangy tomato sauce. The crust; all I can say is “wow.”
Perfectly crisp, the crust is a golden brown that tastes like a but-tered piece of garlic bread. In ad-dition, the customers get the most
bang for their buck as the small pizza can easily feed eight people. It is clear to me that Art of Pizza takes the pie.
Giordano’sBy Koki James
Another household name in Chicago, Giordano’s has been known for its stuffed deep dish pizza since they first opened in 1974. The simple, yet artistically crafted pizza features a stellar bal-ance of tomato sauce, cheese, and crust that many other pizza places are unable to perfect.
The cheese melts delightfully in your mouth while the tomato sauce adds a slight kick to the fla-vor party; exactly what one would expect from a top tier deep-dish pizza. As you reach the end of your pizza, you are greeted with a warm and welcoming crust that isn’t too thick, keeping you from falling into a dreaded food coma.
With all of this love in one pizza, it’s almost impossible not to stop in at one of the countless
locations scattered around the Chi-cagoland area.
Pequod’s Pizza By Max Mogilner
Located in the heart of Lincoln Park, this treasured restaurant has all you could ever want when it comes to deep dish pizza. A sweet, velvety sauce? Check. A crust
made of crispy cheese? Present. One bite of this scrumptious deep dish, and you will never want to eat anywhere else ever again.
Harsh critics of this staple pizza would say that the crust is burnt, and the sauce is too sweet. How-ever, these unique qualities make Pequod’s a dining experience like no other.
Photo by Magda Saliba
As teenagers, it’s often a con-stant struggle to balance a social, academic, and family life. Hang-ing out with friends also requires money, which many teenagers consider a scarce resource, espe-cially if they’re jobless.
It is still important to priori-tize spending quality time with those you care about and enjoy. Luckily, the Paw Print is here to help with some cool, yet pocket-friendly places for dates, group outings, or small gatherings with your closest friends:
The Signature Lounge at The 96th
There is no cost to go up to the 96th floor of the John Han-cock, and the view is especially spectacular at night. This will be great for photos that will capture the moment you spend with your friends.National Museum of Mexican Art
This free gallery in Pilsen ex-hibits a plethora of different art styles. It is also home to one of the largest collections of Mexican art. If you get hungry, Pilsen has a great selection of Mexican restau-rants at affordable prices.AMC Movie Theater
On Tuesdays, AMC offers movie tickets for $5 if you’re a stubs member. Simply sign up with an email and enjoy this great perk! There are also deals on some days for snacks and pop-corn.Maggie Daley Park
With winter approaching, it’s not a bad idea to grab those ice
No date money?
skates out of the closet. Mag-gie Daley Park offers a free ice skating rink, with options to rent skates for $12 on weekdays and $14 on the weekend. Ice Cream Bar
This gem is on the West side of Chicago, 3725 W. Chicago Ave, with a modern take on an ice cream shop. It is a recently opened shop, but many people have raved over the ice cream as well as the aesthetic. Expect to spend less than $15.BomboBar
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for desserts for every-one, BomboBar is the place. A variety of sweet treats including hot chocolate, housemade gelato and “Bombolonis,” which are Italian, hole-less donuts. It will satisfy your sweet tooth with-out breaking the bank. Expect to spend less than $15.JoJo’s Milk Bar
This place is home to the ulti-mate milkshake in Chicago at 23 W. Hubbard St. Their milkshakes come replete with all kinds of sweets and treats on top. They have a variety of flavors for their milkshakes and a complete menu of foods for lunch, dinner, and brunch. Expect to spend less than $15 unless you get a meal.
Baking with Best BuddiesBY ANTONAE GLENNStaff Writer
BY MOLLY PFEIFER AND LINCOLN BECKERStaff Writers
Did you know that the Best Buddies love to cook? Cook-ing and baking is an extremely important part of their curriculum, whether it be spending class time cooking together, or exploring the city to pick up ingredients.
The curriculum is known as Community Based Instruction, which, according to Ms. Spencer, allows the buddies to learn real world skills that they would not be able to experience within the classroom.
“The goal when the buddies graduate is for them to be as in-dependent as possible,” said Ms. Spencer.
The cooking and baking cur-riculum serves as a way to foster independence. Cooking is a basic skill that the buddies can use to contribute to a future household. Furthermore, the introduction can also inspire a buddy to choose cooking as a career path.
“It is really empowering, and it is a nice self-esteem booster when you have worked so hard to plan, shop, and then prepare a meal for your friends or family,” said Ms. Spencer.
Because the buddies love to bake sweets, here are some treats that you can bake for you and your friends to enjoy, courtesy of the buddies.
No Bake Oreo Torte
1 package Oreos1/2 cup melted butter8 oz package cream cheese1 cup powdered sugar
2 packages Cool Whip1 package chocolate instant pudding1 cup milk1. Put Oreos into a Ziploc bag and crush with hands or rolling pin. Save 3/4 cup for the top.2. Melt butter in microwave (low heat) in 20 second intervals.3. Combine crushed Oreos with butter and mold into bottom of pan. Pat it down. Chill.4. Combine and mix powdered sugar, cream cheese, and one package of Cool Whip. Chill.5. Prepare pudding mix with milk and beat vigorously. Chill.6. Assemble layers over the bot-tom of the crust. Pudding
White toppingPuddingCool WhipOreo sprinkles1. Chill and serve. 2. Make sure to refrigerate. Fudge Brownies
1 package brownie mix 3 tablespoons water1/2 cup oil
2 eggs 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.2. Crack eggs into bowl.3. Add 1/2 cup of oil.4. Add 3 tablespoons water. 5. Add brownie mix.6. Stir with beaters and spoon.7. Oil the pan.8. Pour mixture into pan. 9. Bake for 22 minutes. 10. Insert toothpick; if it comes out clean the brownies are done. 11. Cool, cut and enjoy.
Potato Chip Cookies
2 cups of butter 1 cup of white sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 3 1/2 cups of flour 2 cups of Lay’s potato chip
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.2. Place potato chips in a large Ziploc bag. 3. Run a rolling pin over the bag to crush chips into small pieces. 4. Combine the butter, sugar, va-nilla, flour, and crushed chips into a large mixing bowl. 5. Drop dough onto baking sheets by the spoonful. 6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
6
Photo by Molly Pfeifer
Photo by Antonae Glenn
PAW PRINT NOV/DEC 2019 SPORTS/NEWS 7Unbearable: Mitch Trubisky just isn’t a good quarterback, fans want a changeBY ALEX GANCHIFFStaff Writer
The Chicago Bears have a quar-terback problem. Uttering either “Mitch” or “Trubisky,” or even worse, the two of them together, will almost certainly elicit a nega-tive reaction from most people due to his poor performances, both at Payton and in Chicago as a whole.
Mitch Trubisky isn’t the worst quarterback in the league, and he certainly isn’t the worst to put on a Bears uniform. But the pain of his below average play is about “what could have been.”
Trubisky was drafted second overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, a move that was fairly criticized at the time, and especially criticized in hindsight: “How could we have traded up to get a guy who wasn’t seriously pursued by Ohio State, the college he wanted to play at his whole life? If he’s so good, why did Urban Meyer [former Ohio State Football Head Coach] not want him?” said Jackson Wil-dermuth ‘20.
The significance of the pick may be even more than most be-lieve -- it is worth approximately 220 times that of the 199th over-all selection, where Tom Brady was drafted in 2000, or over three times the 24th overall pick, which the Packers used in 2005 on fran-chise quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
And that’s not all -- the Bears drafted Trubisky eight slots ahead of last-year’s MVP Patrick Ma-homes, and ten slots ahead of Houston Texans superstar De-shaun Watson.
General Manager Ryan Pace and Head Coach Matt Nagy have been reluctant to criticize Trubisky with their words, but the good news for Bears fans is that Trubisky only has one more year left on his contract, at just 4.4 mil-lion dollars.
And one fan, George Stamatis ‘20 is willing to give him one more year under different circumstanc-es: “Nagy is making Mitch the
scapegoat [by way of a 4th quar-ter benching in Week 11] for all of the team’s problems, but he hasn’t been given the chance to succeed.”
But considering Nagy was last year’s NFL Coach of the Year, it seems unlikely that there would be a head coaching change. Even if Trubisky does get one more year to prove himself, his contract gives the Bears the opportunity to look for competition at the quarterback spot -- an underrated freedom that many teams would love to have.
The Los Angeles Rams are stuck with a below-average quar-terback in Jared Goff (who may actually be worse than Trubisky) for multiple years at over 100 mil-lion dollars, and the Carolina Pan-thers have to pay an injured and in-effective Cam Newton 20 million dollars next year.
So where can the Bears look for quarterbacking talent?
The obvious answer is the draft, although the Bears shipped their
first-round pick to Oakland in the Khalil Mack trade last September, leaving Chicago with two second-round selections, as well as a few more in the later rounds.
Some fans, like Ryan Heise ‘20, wants Pace and Nagy to look for young talent: “Even though we don’t have a first round pick we should try to get someone random in the draft. Tom Brady went in the 6th round.”
Of course, the Bears are unlike-ly to pick the next Tom Brady, but you don’t have to look too far back to see a successful late-round pick.
Gardner Minshew II was draft-
ed by Jacksonville in the sixth round and thrived filling in as their backup quarterback. Even Stama-tis believes that if the right quarter-back falls to Chicago in the draft, they should make a move without giving Trubisky the full reins for one more season: “If Tua [Tago-vailoa] falls to the second round because of his injury, we have to draft him.”
The Bears certainly made a mistake drafting Trubisky, but only time will tell whether that’s due to his shortcomings or the suc-cess of those drafted a few picks later, or perhaps some of both.
funding to pay for the new con-tract. Salzman’s family endured the repercussions of these reports. “My mother got texts and phone calls from angry relatives wonder-ing why she would support this,” she said. “Many CPS teachers are married or related to someone in the CPD, so the fact that people were spreading lies that CTU was voting to dock CPD funding and pay was problematic.”
Disapproval of the strike mani-fested itself in ways some people may not have anticipated. “There are a lot of people who go up to the teachers and are actually very rude to them. A lot of people,” Cheng said. “Not only at my mom’s school but also at other people’s schools, I’ve heard from her teacher friends that people have just gone up [to teachers] and been really rude and told them to get back to work, or told them that they’re lazy.” Additionally, “Not a lot of people this year have been honking their horns in support for the teachers,” Cheng added. “Not as many as the last strike in 2012, or the [one-day] walkout in 2016.”
Salzman said her mom had a similar experience. “Anybody could show up to a picket line and harass teachers,” she said. “I remember that some teachers were picketing by the stock ex-change and employes at the stock exchange were throwing papers at them with threats. Some of the notes said things like ‘Fire them all’ or ‘Just get back to work.’”
Parents and media outlets who disapproved of the strike often
called the teachers selfish, claim-ing they were primarily fighting for increased wages despite the city already having offered historic pay raises. Salzman disagrees. “[The strike] wasn’t just for pay. Teach-ers were striking in order to get smaller class sizes, better medical support, more counselors, as well as more special education teachers and aids,” she said. “When teach-ers said that the strike was for the students, they meant it. There are teachers in schools teaching three grade levels in one classroom. There are teachers that are trying to teach in an environment with over 30 students, including those with special needs. Students aren’t getting the help that they need due to an insufficient amount of coun-selors, aids, and nurses.”
Some Payton students, de-spite their close connection with their teachers, eventually turned against the strike. CPS sports teams, such as golf, boys’ soccer, and girls’ tennis, were unable to compete in their playoffs because of the strike, though some football teams were allowed to continue and cross-country athletes were allowed back into their playoffs after a lawsuit against IHSA. For the juniors, the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying PSAT was cancelled altogether, after initially being moved from October 16 to October 30. Juniors will still be able to qualify for the scholarship based on their SAT scores in April, but some are still spiteful.
Saylor Catlin ‘20, the daugh-ter of Payton English teacher Ms.
Catlin, wishes students would be more understanding. “I would like Payton students to understand the vast amount of privilege that we have in the CPS network,” she said. “I know that many people were upset about missing school days, such as IHSA athletes and people taking the PSAT, but I think it’s so important to remember that teachers are people too, and they picketed not for themselves, but for the rights and opportunities for CPS students. Going off of this, I think it’s important for Payton students to remember that we are part of a larger system of public schools, and the teachers fought for schools that have a very differ-ent access to resources and oppor-tunities than we do.”
Seniors in particular faced chal-lenges due to the strike. Early De-cision and Early Action deadlines for many schools fell on Novem-ber 1, which ultimately turned out to be the day CPS classes resumed. For the duration of the strike, teachers were locked out of their emails, rendering them unable to communicate with their students. This left many seniors unable to have their essays reviewed by trusted teachers and counselors. Though a number of colleges ex-tended their application deadlines for CPS seniors to accommodate the strike, the students’ atypical situation added another layer of stress to the process. Still, Pilar Kelly ‘20, daughter of Payton French teacher Ms. Gonzalez, is putting these consequences into perspective. “I see first-hand how
much time and energy teachers put into their students, in and out of the classroom,” she said. “Even if I was stressed about college deadlines or AP classes, I always remembered the strike was bigger than all that.”
McIlrath expressed similar sentiments. He, too, admires the teachers’ work ethic, and he wants students to better appreciate the energy teachers brought to the strike. “Teachers are just amazing people. They got up every day to go to their picket line at 6:30 a.m. for multiple hours in the cold, went home for a short amount of time, then got back out to march for another couple hours,” he said. “Meanwhile, we’re all sleeping in, hanging out with friends, and bing-ing Netflix while they’re fighting for our rights. And they did this all without getting paid.”
Throughout the strike, which lasted 11 school days, it remained unclear when the teachers would go back to work and receive their next paycheck. This uncertainty could have various effects on a family. “There was a while when we thought the strike was going to continue into November,” Cat-lin said. “Obviously this was very stressful for my family, and it im-pacted our decision-making.”
When the threat of a CTU walkout first became apparent, Mayor Lori Lightfoot claimed she would not add any of the days lost back to the school calendar, mean-ing each day the teachers remained on strike would be another day of lost pay. Nevertheless, the CTU
ultimately won back five of the eleven missed days. Not all were pleased with the mayor’s conces-sion. Three of those days were scheduled on what were previous-ly vacation days, and some parents expressed concerns about already having plans to be out of town. Some people believed these added days were only for the pay, not for the students’ benefit. Regardless, it was undeniable that missing pay during the strike influenced the lives of these teachers’ families. “That’s a lot of money coming out of their salary, and I know that they’re going to make that money back after a while, but what about right now?” McIlrath said. “This is going to sound like a whin-ing privileged person’s problem, but after this strike, I probably won’t be able to go see close fam-ily members this Christmas and I haven’t spent time with them in over a year. And that just kind of hurts. Being able to see them over Christmas is usually the highlight of my year.”
Despite the criticism teachers faced from the media and some parents, Cheng says the strike im-proved his outlook on the teachers. “Overall I got to see the resilience of the teachers,” he said. “It’s hard work just to get out there in the cold, but they still found ways to spend their time. Ultimately, I think everyone’s just glad to go back to school and get back to learning. I’m just glad that we’re all back and the teachers got what I hope they think is a fair contract.”
Amidst strike, teachers’ kids had unique view(cont. from p. 1)BY MADISON BRATLEYStaff Writer
Photo by Alex Ganchiff
ENTERTAINMENT PAW PRINT NOV/DEC 20198
BY SOPHIE SALEM AND LUKE LOSASSOAnswers on the Paw Print Online at paytonpawprint.com
Down1. Don’t want tricks, I want….2. Urologist’s favorite beans3. Some sweet potatoes4. Yiddish for a fool5. __ red6. Where to get a sub in new york 9. Google maps tells you your 12. “You’ve got that ____ thing” - ____ Direction13. Biz Markie sings about “____, Agatha, Germaine, and Jack”15. Losers18. Pumpkin’s hangout spot19. Sit in Santa’s20. Warm cider’s competitor21. When you’re in good hands you’re… 22. The best pizza place in Chicago (singular)23. To play a movie on Netflix is to ____ it. 24. Overnight __25. It’s the new black26. Backward smart checkers 27. What a very enthusiastic pirate might say28. Ron ____, everyone’s favorite for-gettable Cubs player from 1983-198630. Mercedes 34. See number 9
The Grizzly 34 Crossword
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By
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ia M
amo
With so many hot-button is-sues in the news, reposting on so-cial media has become a popular way to raise awareness. But how do you know if that post you just shared to your story is legit?
While there have been some more benign social media repost frenzies (for example, the “Snap-chat/Instagram does NOT have my permission to share my photos or messages” hoax), we have also seen countless “organizations” claiming to donate money or food to a good cause for every like or
BY NINA ESCOBARStaff Writer
share of their posts. From the Sudan Massacre last-
June, where more than 100 people were killed, to the crisis in the Amazon rainforest, which was burning at a rate not seen in almost a decade, numerous people have reposted various charity organiza-tions of dubious authenticity.
Why do we share these posts? “Some people are under the stig-ma -- ‘you don’t repost anything, maybe you’re against this, maybe you’re racist or homophobic,’” said Eva Romero ‘22. Many stu-dents have reposted and promoted an organization purely because
they are passionate about what it represents; others do it because the issues directly affect them or their families.
“There are two reasons, I think,” said Nick Jaxen ‘23. “To show their friends or their follow-ing that they care about the envi-ronment or whatever the topic is, or to actually get it out there and get it known because they’re pas-sionate about the topic itself.”
Even when they don’t do out-side research before sharing, stu-dents realize that some of the ac-counts they promote make fake promises for increased followers
and likes. “Even if that account doesn’t do
Reposting on social media has downfalls
Photo by Nina Escobar
what they say they’re going to do, I think it’s still good for awareness -- you’re still spreading awareness about the fact that it’s happening,” said Ari Perez ‘20.
Is it important to share these posts, even if they’re fake? It’s personal.
“Some people think that just reposting something on Instagram won’t do anything important, but maybe some people notice the lit-tle stuff,” said Romero.
Added Jaxen, “It’s really just your opinion if [reposting] is im-portant or not.”
Which Mario Kart character matches your zodiac sign?BY OLIVIA MOORE AND SOPHIE SALEMStaff Writers
Aries: March 21-April 19
Oh, Aries! You are Koopa Troo-pa! You are motivated to get that DUB, and not afraid to throw out a few shells to get there.
Taurus: April 20-May 20
SUCH a Bowser! You are a true Bowser with your use of brains and strength to POWER through any obstacles or challenges you face.
Gemini: May 21-June 20
Gemini, you all are Mario! You are some versatile drivers that don’t need any shells to out drive your opponents, you’re just a natural winner.
Cancer: June 21-July 22
Cancer, you’re classic Shy Guy. Even though some see you as an enemy, we know how sentimen-tal you really are.
Leo : July 23-August 22
Leos, you are Yoshi! You know you can win and so do your BFF’s Mario and Luigi. Get going, you gotta win this thang.
Virgo: August 23-Sept. 22
Virgo, you’re such a Luigi. You’re an incredibly loyal friend with tons of talent. We know you may feel like you live in Mario’s shad-ow but don’t worry, we see you.
Libra: Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Princess Peach all the way. You’re super fair and want what’s best for others, and you are super strong. Bowser’s got nothing on you.
Scorpio: Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Donkey Kong, we see right through your stubborn personality. We know you are brave and super passionate at heart, and you are such a softy.
Sagittarius: Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Sagittarius, you are Daisy. You are queens of the game, with you and your gal Peach winning and winning. You are good at getting past all your opponents. Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Totally Toad. You never give up and your strength and speed can take you far. The power you have is unreal, so keep killing it.
Aquarius: Jan. 20-Feb. 18
Waluigi, so mischievous so cun-ning. You have some pretty deep thoughts, especially since people make you out to be the bad one. Don’t worry, we appreciate you.
Pisces: Feb. 19-March 20
Pisces, you are totally Dry Bones. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you jump back up wiser and ready to win.
HAVE A GREAT BREAK!
Across1. Gobble Gobble 7. Spider8. Donkey in pol.10. They work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division11. Unprincipled14. Gossip16. A state of total awareness, accord-ing to Ross Geller 17. A procedure to make sure female cats do not have kittens19. Junior with circle sunglasses, or a long weapon21. “How are you?” response22. Take the pin out23. Comme ci comme ca 26. Joe wants to fax something, Joe ____ it into the computer28. How a lot of us get to school29. To cover something30. Callaway driver big __31. Windows to the soul32. Princess Carollyn’s ex-boyfriend 33. Woody Harrelson fights these in his most recent movie
