Latest news with #ETHS
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Editorial: Back to school? Summer shouldn't be over this early
It's Aug. 11, and the weather's finally been nice for a few weeks, minus the Canadian smog. But instead of enjoying these late-summer days, lots of Chicago-area kids are marching to school today, bulging backpacks perched on sweat-soaked backs. This week marks the start of a new school year for many students, believe it or not, and Labor Day is still three weeks away. Among the unlucky students are those at Evanston Township High School, which kicked off the school year today. When putting together calendars, school administrators are never going to make everyone happy. But Aug. 11? That's still the height of summer in our minds. Administrators acknowledge that this year is beginning a little earlier than usual, but say the pain is worth it. The schedule 'allows for a more balanced first and second semester, so that semester finals take place before winter break rather than after,' an ETHS official told Evanston Now, adding that the high school did everything it could to align with District 65, the pre-K-eighth grade district that includes Evanston. We certainly understand wanting to let kids wrap up exams before semester breaks. Is this really the only way to get there? Evanston isn't the only suburb sending high schoolers back this week. Summer is ending early for students in the Glenbrook high schools, also in the north suburbs; Prospect High School and John Hersey High School in the northwest 'burbs; and far southwest suburban Minooka Community High School. Summer heat typically is more intense downstate, but that's not stopping some southern Illinois districts from getting on the bandwagon. Belleville Township High School starts back Thursday. We wonder, if one polled students, whether they'd agree with our old-school views: What's wrong with starting classes right after Labor Day, which marks the unofficial farewell to summer? And if that means a later start to the following summer holiday, so be it. It's not like May is a reliably beautiful weather month in Chicago. For many years, Chicago Public Schools started after Labor Day and went well into June before summer dismissal. If you're going to stick to the traditional nine-month school year, at least line up breaks with the nice weather so the kids can enjoy it. It'll be snowing here before you know it. Some educators argue for an entirely different approach. A handful of places have ditched the nine-month school calendar in favor of year-round school, a move that acknowledges the very real learning loss that takes place when kids press pause on their studies for months on end. Some parts of the U.S. eschew lengthy summers for shorter, more frequent breaks, including a handful of schools in the Durham, North Carolina, public school system. Though that approach remains rare, it's intriguing if it really means higher-performing students. But seeing as year-round school isn't being considered in these parts, we have a favor to ask of administrators across the state assembling school calendars for the 2026-2027 school year. Let's hold onto summer just a bit longer. Get kids to the end of August, then throw them back into reality. We trust it can be done. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@ Solve the daily Crossword
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Back to school? Summer shouldn't be over this early
It's Aug. 11, and the weather's finally been nice for a few weeks, minus the Canadian smog. But instead of enjoying these late-summer days, lots of Chicago-area kids are marching to school today, bulging backpacks perched on sweat-soaked backs. This week marks the start of a new school year for many students, believe it or not, and Labor Day is still three weeks away. Among the unlucky students are those at Evanston Township High School, which kicked off the school year today. When putting together calendars, school administrators are never going to make everyone happy. But Aug. 11? That's still the height of summer in our minds. Administrators acknowledge that this year is beginning a little earlier than usual, but say the pain is worth it. The schedule 'allows for a more balanced first and second semester, so that semester finals take place before winter break rather than after,' an ETHS official told Evanston Now, adding that the high school did everything it could to align with District 65, the pre-K-eighth grade district that includes Evanston. We certainly understand wanting to let kids wrap up exams before semester breaks. Is this really the only way to get there? Evanston isn't the only suburb sending high schoolers back this week. Summer is ending early for students in the Glenbrook high schools, also in the north suburbs; Prospect High School and John Hersey High School in the northwest 'burbs; and far southwest suburban Minooka Community High School. Summer heat typically is more intense downstate, but that's not stopping some southern Illinois districts from getting on the bandwagon. Belleville Township High School starts back Thursday. We wonder, if one polled students, whether they'd agree with our old-school views: What's wrong with starting classes right after Labor Day, which marks the unofficial farewell to summer? And if that means a later start to the following summer holiday, so be it. It's not like May is a reliably beautiful weather month in Chicago. For many years, Chicago Public Schools started after Labor Day and went well into June before summer dismissal. If you're going to stick to the traditional nine-month school year, at least line up breaks with the nice weather so the kids can enjoy it. It'll be snowing here before you know it. Some educators argue for an entirely different approach. A handful of places have ditched the nine-month school calendar in favor of year-round school, a move that acknowledges the very real learning loss that takes place when kids press pause on their studies for months on end. Some parts of the U.S. eschew lengthy summers for shorter, more frequent breaks, including a handful of schools in the Durham, North Carolina, public school system. Though that approach remains rare, it's intriguing if it really means higher-performing students. But seeing as year-round school isn't being considered in these parts, we have a favor to ask of administrators across the state assembling school calendars for the 2026-2027 school year. Let's hold onto summer just a bit longer. Get kids to the end of August, then throw them back into reality. We trust it can be done.
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston teacher preps discrimination complaint as advocates say appeals for Palestinian human rights are squelched
At an Evanston event Sunday, a teacher shared his experience of getting sanctioned by Evanston Township High School for displaying a poster that urges Jews to dissent when they feel it is morally necessary, and other speakers said they feel Evanston schools have censored their right to speak when they tried to advocate for human rights for Palestinians. Speakers with affiliations to Northwestern University and Evanston Township High School, community members and parents gathered at Lake Street Church to discuss several instances where they felt their voices had been suppressed when they spoke out advocating for Palestinian human rights. One of the speakers, Evanston Township High School history teacher Andrew Ginsburg, spoke about how ETHS has sanctioned him twice: once for displaying an image calling for Jewish people to dissent when necessary, and once again for displaying a letter explaining that the first image was removed at the behest of the school district. The letter called the removal of the poster an act of censorship. In response to the sanctions he has received, he said he plans to submit a federal civil rights complaint against the school. Ginsberg, who is Jewish and advocates for Palestinians' human rights, told Pioneer Press that he has done no wrong, despite his job at the high school hanging in the balance after receiving the two warnings. '[The district] has taught us to be relevant to the kids. They've taught us that you can't get the kids to share stuff about their lives if you don't share stuff about your life. I think I've been consistent with that, and I'm being punished for it,' Ginsberg said. The original poster Ginsburg displayed was a drawing of a shiviti amulet that Jewish artist Liora Ostroff created for the magazine Jewish Currents. The drawing was influenced by an essay titled 'Dissent' by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who wrote, according to several sources, 'Dissent is indigenous to Judaism.' Ginsberg and his attorney, Rima Kapitan, plan to file a complaint to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that the school discriminated against him based on his religious identity. 'We feel that the school is violating his First Amendment right and also Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,' Kapitan said. Though his situation has received some attention from Evanstonians, Ginsburg said it is not unique, and that other people in Evanston, including Jews, have also felt backlash and repercussions for advocating for Palestinian human rights. 'This has happened to other teachers. This is happening at Northwestern [and] all over the place. This is happening in the city,' Ginsberg said. 'We like to talk about how progressive we are up here, but when it comes to Palestine… all the institutions in the city have gone out of their way to silence everybody (who) wants to talk about Palestine.' Speakers at the panel represented several Evanston institutions, including the Evanston Public Library, Northwestern University and Skokie/Evanston School District 65. 'You can't talk about Palestine in elementary school, you can't talk about Palestine in high school, and you can't talk about Palestine at college,' said co-host of the panel and former Evanston Librarian Lesley Williams. Last October a student group at Northwestern University, Jewish Voice for Peace Northwestern, celebrated the Jewish holiday of Sukkot at Deering Meadow. The group set up a structure with banners that read, 'Gaza Solidarity Sukkah' and 'Stop Arming Israel.' The group intended to celebrate the holiday for the entire week, but was ordered to leave after a few hours. Northwestern University's Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications Jon Yates told Pioneer Press then that Jewish Voice for Peace did not get its event application approved, and that the group's temporary structure did not follow the university's display policy. But the university's efforts to enforce its own code of conduct and display policy went further than that night, according to Isabelle Butera, a member of the Northwestern chapter of the Jewish Voice for Peace. 'We tried again to do this in compliance with these new restrictions, and we were told again that this was in violation, that we could all be facing expulsion, and that it was very clearly implied to us that the reason we were in violation is because our sukkah had a banner on it that said, 'Stop arming Israel' and 'Gaza Solidarity Sukkah,'' she said. 'Since then, a number of us have been placed on disciplinary probation. I graduated in June, and my probation is not up until September… Our club was put on probation,' Butera said. Shirin Vossoughi, a professor at the university, said Northwestern has a history of creating a 'repressive environment' when it comes to discussing Palestine, and it existed before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack against Israel. The university's practice of doing so was exacerbated after the university updated its code of conduct, she said. 'I think the fundamental question for me as an educator is, 'What does it mean for our educational institutions to contradict the mission of the university to such a degree?'' she said. 'We want our students to interpret evidence. We want our students to stand up against moral injustices… They're [the students] punished, and I feel like what we've done essentially is sacrifice some of our education principles and mission in order to protect a state that is enacting genocide,' Vossoughi said. Northwestern University President Michael Schill is slated to appear for a second time before a congressional committee over alleged antisemitism on campus, according to a June 30 Chicago Tribune article. The committee chair, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, a Michigan Republican, accused Northwestern of failing to fulfill its commitment to protect Jewish students. Reine Hanna, Evanston Township High School District 202's director of communications, told Pioneer Press the district does not comment on matters related to personnel. Yates, of Northwestern, did not respond to a request for comment after Sunday's event. As of last month, upwards of 55,000 Palestinians had been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to Chicago Tribune sources. The war began when Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people, mostly Jewish civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and abducted 251 hostages, according to sources. Israel says 58 hostages remain in captivity, with about 23 of them said to be alive, according to previously published reporting. The U.N. human rights office says it has recorded 613 Palestinians killed within a month in Gaza while trying to obtain food, according to Tribune sources. Previously, international humanitarian nonprofits oversaw food distribution, but the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has taken over.
Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston Township's Class of '25, ‘last of COVID generation,' graduates
On May 18, Evanston Township High School launched more than 940 graduates at commencement at Northwestern University's Welsh-Ryan Arena at McGaw Memorial Hall in Evanston. Keith A. Robinson, associate principal for educational services at ETHS, coordinates graduation. For the Wildkits seniors of the Class of 2025, he said, 'This class is truly special. They're the first to complete all four years of high school after the COVID-19 pandemic, really the last of what many have called the 'COVID generation.' 'Their journey has been anything but typical, and they've shown nothing but resilience, heart, and growth. 'I've had the privilege of knowing so many of them throughout their high school careers, and their stories continue to inspire me,' Robinson said. When Max William Dahan of Skokie walked into the arena, he spotted enthusiastic waves from family, including great aunt Deborah Bono and Max's mother Rachel Dahan. About Max, Rachel Dahan said, 'He's worked really, really hard so we're so proud of him.' The program included traditional commencement moments. Some students decorated the tops of their caps or mortarboards. Commencement included keynote speaker Anders Holm from the ETHS Class of 1999. Holm is a movie actor, producer and writer. Holm used humor while giving the Class of 2025 practical advice, such as encouraging them to learn how to cook in order to be healthy and self-reliant, instead of ordering costly restaurant food from online quick delivery services. 'Let's talk about you,' Holm said to the graduating seniors. 'You are 100% unique. Do not confuse being unique with being special. 'You gotta earn special,' Holm said. 'But you are you and no one else is. 'That's your value-add in the world, you just need to figure out where you can add the most being who you are.' Jeanine Bahanuzi, who plans on becoming a lawyer, offered senior class remarks. 'I want to contribute to change,' Bahanuzi said. 'We often let our weaknesses and emotions become an excuse to give up instead of an excuse to take on a challenge and we fail to realize that some of our greatest strengths are developed through the training and resilience of our weaknesses. 'But, Class of 2025,' Bahanuzi said, 'I don't see that for us. I see perseverance, I see determination, I see grit, and most of all, I see greatness,' Bahanuzi added. 'I hope you not only remember ETHS for the community you created, but the community it created for you.'
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Evanston Township High School approves $2.5 million Arts, Innovation Wing expansion
The Board of Education for Evanston Township High School District 202 moved forward at its April 7 meeting with plans to expand the high school's Arts & Innovation wing. The board approved awarding $2.5 million in construction contracts for the first phase of renovations and upgrades to the Arts & Innovation wing. Construction is scheduled to begin over the summer. The renovations to the Arts & Innovation space include a new orchestra space, a black box style theater and an extended hallway for the first phase of approved bids. Bulley and Andrews, a Chicago-based construction group, is overseeing the bidding process and construction. In a letter from Bulley and Andrews' Senior Project Manager Antonia Winfrey to the district's Chief Financial Officer Kendra Williams, Winfrey recommended that the board approve 11 bids for the first phase of construction. Winfrey recommended an additional five bids for general trades, wood flooring, drywall, electric and excavation go out to bid again to ensure a fair and competitive bidding process and for the project to keep on schedule. Per the letter, the district has chosen to postpone accepting further bids for an orchestra addition, seating for the theater, a hallway extension and portable recording equipment before the May Board of Education meeting. Construction for the expansion and other upgrades to ETHS are being funded through the Evanston Township High School Education Foundation. Throughout the school year, ETHS has been celebrating the 100 year anniversary of its move to its current location near Church Street and Dodge Avenue in Evanston. The foundation has solicited and received big donations in the last year. In January, the Board of Education approved a $7 million gift, to be paid in installments, from an alumnus, Leonard Schaeffer, to upgrade the high school's auditorium. And in February, the board approved a $2.5 million donation from the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation to upgrade the school's facilities, infrastructure and learning spaces.
