morgan park high school volume 96 issue 9 meet class of ... june.pdf · complishments, the noted...

EMPEHI NewsM o r g a n P a r k H i g h S c h o o l Volume 96 Issue 9

Math students display skills to judges

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Prom highlights

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Eighth grade pinning ceremony

A new, longer “seminar” period will replace the weekly 10-minute division period. The schedule will be identical to the bell schedule used on extended division days often used for standardized test preparation. The bell schedule for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will remain the same with the two-minute announcement time at the end of second period.

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Class of 2019 valedictorian Serena Echols, is a member of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), and enjoys a 5.2542 weighted grade point average.

Meet Class of 2019 Top 10By Zoe Gilbert

This graduating class marks a return for a

female student--Serena Echols--to earn the title of valedictorian. In fact, girls have taken the top spot in nearly every class since Morgan Park High School began in 1916.

While a boy was ranked No. 1 in both 2018 and 2017, girls settled back into the top rank, which goes all the back to 2009. In fact, over the 13 years, there have only been three male valedictorians: Brian Dunn (‘17), Victor Scotti (‘09) and Langston Wesley (‘06), who is also note-worthy as being the first African American male to earn the title in the 103-year history of the school.

It’s rather rare for MP males to even crack the top of their graduating class. From 2012-2015, the young ladies of EMPEHI dominated the Top 10, until 2016 when five males broke into the list.

This year, the Top 10 fea-

tures six females and four males.Since 2003, the most males

to make the coveted ranking has been limited to no more than three (‘08,’06,’03), while two have been included in ‘10, ’09, ‘07, and ‘05, and only one made it in ‘11.

Number 1: ValedictorianSerena Echols

Being the No.1 student in the Senior Class of 2019, Echols plans on pursuing her education at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s planning to major in biology/pre-medicine.

Echols believes that many staff members have prepared her for her next journey of college.

“Mostly all the adults in this building are supportive of me, but I’m truly grateful for the new ad-ministration,” Echols said. “I have a relationship with each and every one of them, and anything I need they always try their best to help me. They really care about us, and I feel it every time I see them.”

Echols believes that you

Please turn to page 3 for

TOP 10

Longer ‘seminar’ period set to replace division


SEMINAR

have to be dedicated to be the No.1 student in your class.

“It feels really good,” the valedictorian said. “I worked my butt off these last six years, so I think I deserve it!”

Echols feels her family also provided her personal motivation to keep working hard, among a variety of factors.

“Going to college for free, and also making my late grand-mother, parents, and my sister proud,” Echols said. “I had to be better than everyone before me, and I think I did a good job.”

Number 2: Salutatorian Amber Anderson

Anderson who is attending William Penn University is ex-cited to continue basketball and keep her standards high.

“Most seniors don’t know I’ve been a part of the girl’s basketball team for four years,” Anderson said.

By Maquayle Chamberlain

After a proposal by the administration, the staff

voted in support of extending the weekly division period, now being called “seminar,” in order to provide students extra support.

The weekly division period that follows second period will be increased from 10-minutes to 38-minutes in an effort to give stu-dents more time for help, according to Assistant Principal Daniel Buys.

“Students will be actually engaging in different things that will help them to grow as young adults,” Buys said. “I think a lot of time with division now, with it being just a shorter time—it’s just a quick announcement or its then receiving some type of

handouts—but this would be more like something that students can engage in the curriculum with.”

The administration’s main goal in this new weekly bell schedule is really focusing on supporting the students.

“I think our biggest hope is that we are supporting students with a variety of dif-ferent needs, because students often times have to deal with a lot of issues,” Buys said. “They have a lot of things that are thrown at them, and we want to make sure that students have the skills and the sup-port that they need to work

WEDNESDAY SEMINAR BELL SCHEDULEPeriod Start Time End TimeWarning 7:30 AM

Period 1 7:35 AM 8:25 AM

Period 2 8:29 AM 9:19 AM

Division 9:23 AM 9:33 AM

Period3 9:37 AM 10:25 AM

Period 4 10:29 AM 11:17 AM

Period 5 11:21 AM 12:09 PM

Period 6 12:13 PM 1:01 PM



02 OPINIONEMPEHI NewsJ U N E 2 0 1 9

CIVICS NEWSCivics students and Principal Dr. Femi Skanes had an opportu-

nity to participate in a press conference with Mayor Lightfoot, (pic-tured center) 19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea (at right), and Jewel-Osco officials to announce Operation Help-A-Hero, a donation project to support homeless veterans.

news briefs


POSTER SESSION

1744 West Pryor AvenueChicago, Illinois 60643Dr. Femi Skanes - PrincipalMr. Daniel Buys - Assistant PrincipalMs. Kai Erquhart - Assistant PrincipalMrs. Lakeya Poston - Assistant Principal

EMPEHI News is a student publication of Morgan Park High School whose goal is to inform the student body as to school news, as well as local, national, and world issues. The views expressed in the editorials are not necessarily those of Morgan Park High School. The views in col-umns, reviews and commentaries are those only of the writers.

morgan parkhigh school

2018-2019 EMPEHI News StaffReporters (second period) Briana Bates, Brianna Bradford, Demonta Byrd, Maquayle Chamberlain, Justin Cross, Brian Culberson, Tavon Evans, Mercedes Fenton, Quincy Foster, Tylen Harper, Danisha Hill, Arroniqua Holman, Maya Jones, Timothy Jones, Tyler Moore, Matthew Newell, Anniya Ramsey, Jerika Reynolds, Daminicka Rodgers, Jamaal Shaheed, Dayjah Stanton, Shamar Tucker, Tery Turner, Keevon Voss, Javaughn White, Ashanti Williams, and Tiara Young.

Reporters (third period)Amariea Adams, Aigne Berry, Antoine Blevins, Nia Boyson, Najee Bynum, Ashlee Clark, Kamari Estell, Antonio Grafton, Kyel Grover, Aaryn Hays, Dequisia Hendricks, Ananda Jacobs, Karl Jones, Ramse Lee, Jasmine Lockett, Quami Mingle, Frank Morrison, Sarai Murray, Aberiyanna Phillips, Darrian Phillips, Donnell Plump, Lauren Robinson, Marcos Romero-Saulsberry, Jacob Scholp, Deshawndre Washington, Kamal Williams, Mikaya Williams, and Brian Wnek

Contributing PhotographersMichael Arnold, Jamal Broy, My’Air Pratcher, and Tyreece Williamson

Advisor Association Membership ProductionMr. Keith Scholastic Press Association Regional Publishing Majeske of Chicago Corporation Palos Heights, Illinois

Math students present skills to experts

MUSI NEWSMusician Sandip Burnman (center) plays the tabla drums along-

side senior Magdelene Jackson (far left) during an assembly provided by The World Music Foundation. Burman is a tabla player from Durgapur, West Bengal, India who performs for shows across the world or attends school-sponsored performances. Among various ac-complishments, the noted musician has worked with Danny Elfman and contributed to the soundtrack of Tim Burton’s film, Mars Attacks! (Photo by Demonta Byrd)

WOW WRAPS UP THE YEARThe youth guidance program, WOW (Working on Woman-

hood), treated its membership to an end-of-the-year spa day and luncheon.

through all those things.”Assistant Principal Kai

Erquhart agreed, saying that the longer division will serve to push students to the next level.

“We decided to make division longer to provide students with targeted supports to ensure they are successful,” Erquhart said, add-ing that “having a longer division also makes it easier to disseminate information to students.”

Despite the longer ses-sion, division will not be a not a credit-bearing class.

Some students like the idea of the new division schedule, including junior and track team member Tavon Evans.

“I think it’s a unique, new method, but I do have concerns about how it will operate.” Evans said. “I think that students won’t really be changing their habits in division; it’s really just a short period to relax from your classes.”

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAINThis is not the first time an

extended division has replaced the 10-minute time slot. In fact, 10 years ago, what was a daily division (Monday through Friday) was eliminated and replaced with a twice-monthly extended advisory period on every other Tuesday.

Up until this point in 2009, division had been an integral part of the school day, because it was the only official way to take atten-dance outside of general classroom attendance. Daily division was re-moved because of new policies and the introduction of the electronic IMPACT system to standardize school record-keeping.

SEMINARContinued from page 1

Students in the Inter-national Baccalaureate

(IB) Mathematics Standard Level class at Morgan Park High School participated in a poster session late last week to show what they learned in the Math SL course.

These juniors have learned about many types of functions this year, such as: linear, quadratic, logarithmic, exponential and periodic

functions, along with arithmetic and geometric sequences. These functions can be used to allow mathematicians and scientists to estimate, predict and model data. As a culminating experience, these math students did just this through this poster session.

Choosing data based on their own interests, students used vari-ous regression methods and/or a sinusoidal modeling to represent and perform predictions from

their data. Creating prediction equations to estimate their data, students had to analyze their equations looking at measures that determine the strength of correlation between the original data and the predicted data. Finally, students discussed the relevance and

Students and judges pose for a photo during the Math SL poster session held in the Social Room last Thursday. As part of the culminating ach student presented their work to a team of judges from Chicago State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Hubbard High School who graded each student. (Photo by Tavon Evans)

SCHOOL NEWSEMPEHI News

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AmberANDERSON5.1957 GPA*“MP does offer a lot of useful pro-grams that helps prepare you for college—AP, DP, etc.”

02 JanelleSTAPLETON5.12 GPA*“I believe that the thrill I get when I achieve a goal and get the chance to make a new one really is what motivated me to keep working hard.”

03 MalakhiHUBBARD-MUNIR5.0 GPA*“DP gave me the skills that we prepare me for college and I help my time management and increased my work ethic.”

04

ChanelWHEELER4.9592 GPA*“I feel that I know the hard work I’ve put in my school work has paid off.”

05 LexiSHADLOW4.8913 GPA*“A lot of people don’t know that I like art and actually really enjoy it.”

06 BrianaBRAGG4.7826 GPA*“[The top 10 ranking is] about the dedication and hard work one puts in to get to where they’re at on this list.”

07

BenjaminTODD4.6667 GPA*“High school for me was miser-able, then fun.”

09 RyanMcGill4.587 GPA*“DP was like a river that keeps drowning you until you learn how to swim. Now I can swim in anything, academically.”

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*Weighted GPA based on SY 2018-2019 first semester calculations.

JaylenBOYD4.7234 GPA*(Declined to provide informa-tion)

08

The No. 2 senior appreciates her teachers equally.

“I have a lot of teachers that I am grate-ful for during my four years here, but if I had to name one I’d say Ms. Seggerson,” Anderson said. “I had her for history for three years, and she actually made history become one of the subjects I’m interested in. Also she always offers extra help to students that need it.”

Anderson sees MP as having two distinct groups of students.

“Morgan Park can be divided into two schools: Students who care and are dedicated to their education, and students who aren’t,” she said. “MP does offer a lot of useful programs that helps prepare you for college—AP, DP, etc.”

Anderson believes that being in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) has helped a lot.

“DP has taught me to limit my procrasti-nation, and in order to be successful, you have to push yourself,” she said. “Throughout my time in DP, I have learned a vast amount of skills that I will take with me in college.”

Number 3 Janelle Stapleton

Stapleton, who is attending Illinois State University in the fall, loves to have the honor of being in the top ten.

“It feels very rewarding to have this honor after the hard work and dedication I endured during this extensive process,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton feels a thrill to work hard. “I believe that the thrill I get when I

achieve a goal and get the chance to make a new one really is what motivated me to keep working hard,” she said.

Stapleton feels her senior year was boring. “MP has many ups-and-downs, but I can

say I was bored being at this school for the one year that I’ve spent here,” she said.

Number 4 Malakhi Hubbard-Munir

Hubbard, who is attending University of illinois Urbana Champaign majoring in sports recreation and tourism is real optimist on con-tinuing his journey.

“DP gave me the skills that we prepare me for college and I help my time management and increased my work ethic,” Hubbard said.

He believes his math teacher was the most supportive.

“Mrs. Harton, because, unfortunately, Mr. James left my senior year, but I’ve been with Mrs. Harton for three years, and she became my second mom,” he said.

Hubbard believes Morgan Park needs to improve the perception many have of the school.

“Morgan Park needs a new image because our school is surrounded by negativity,” he said, “and it’s time for everyone to change that nar-rative.”

Number 5 Chanel Wheeler

Wheeler, who is attending the University of Missouri (Mizzou), will be majoring in mechanical engineering and get a masters in biomedical engineering.

Wheeler feels a sense relief to be in the top ten.

“I feel that I know the hard work I’ve put in my school work has paid off,” Wheeler said.” My absent father was the most supportive. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t think that I need to strive more and help create a pathway for my siblings’ future.”

Wheeler feels that the challeng-ing Diploma Programme has set up a pathway for her.

“DP has helped me get into col-leges and getting as much money to attend as possible,” she said.

Number 6Lexi Shadlow

Shadlow, another IBDP student who is ranked sixth in the top 10 list will be attending Mount Mary Univer-sity, majoring in a social science, also expresses an interest in art.

“Because my major is in psychology, a lot of people don’t know that I like art and actually really enjoy it,” Shadlow said.

School can be very difficult, espe-

cially if you are in accelerated programs such as the Diploma Programme, yet Shadlow finds a way to balance her personal life and school work.

“On my free time, I’m either watch-ing TV, chilling, sometimes homework and studying—if I get that bored,” Shadlow said.

Number 7 Briana Bragg

Bragg will be attending the Univer-sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in pre-engineering.

She is very satisfied with her rank-ing because she sees a deeper meaning of it.

“Of course I am satisfied!” Bragg said. “I worked so hard to be at the ranking I am today. You see, some peo-ple complain that they should be ranked higher in the top 10, but to me it’s not about how high or low one’s ranking is; it’s about the dedication and hard work one puts in to get to where they’re at on this list.”

She offered some advice on how she maintained being among the top

academic students.“I never stressed myself out, which

is a pro and a con,” Bragg said. “I always knew how to relax and work under pressure, [but] maybe I was too relaxed, which is probably why I’m only number 7! I wasn’t stressing enough to get even better grades that could’ve placed myself higher in the top 10.”

She doesn’t feel like school and her outside life were hard to balance.

“My activities were band at MP, Chicago Scholars located downtown, and VEX engineering at Chicago State: three time-demanding activities,” Bragg said. “I balanced it out by keeping dates of every important meeting on my phone calendar. After my activities, I’ll usually go to sleep as early as I can and wake up early enough in the morning to study and complete all of the work necessary to keep my spot in the top 10. It might sound hard, but it wasn’t really difficult for me to balance it out. The calendar kept my life organized.”Please turn to page 4 for

TOP SENIORS

Continued from page 1

04 SCHOOL NEWSEMPEHI NewsJ U N E 2 0 1 9

seniorSPIRIT

Baby Day

Gender Bender Day Seeing that some students will try their hardest to be in top 10 next year, Bragg hopes her advice can help.

“As you had successfully dedicated enough time to school work to get placed into the top 10, remember to also make an equal amount of time to just enjoy yourself,” Bragg said. “Remember, you’re only young for such a short amount of time—enjoy it while you have the chance.”

Teachers and family aren’t always the only ones that can help you out when it comes to succeeding.

“I had this great friend in DP named Taleya Griffith who always motivated myself through-out the school year to keep going,” Bragg said. “At one point in my senior year, I started struggling and the work began getting really difficult for me. Temporarily, I started giving up to the point where I stopped trying in school completely, but Taleya reminded me that the greatest people can’t grow when things are easy; they only grow when they face chal-lenges. Having that encouraging friend beside me is what motivat-ed myself to keep working hard and continue excelling in school.”

Number 8Jaylen Boyd

(Declined to provide com-ment.)

Number 9Benjamin Todd

Todd will be attending Dillard University, majoring in public health.

According to Todd, main-taining the place as Number 9 of his graduating class it wasn’t really hard to him.

“In my free time I workout, watch movies, eat, make money, and sleep,” he said, advising, “Don’t work hard—work smart.”

High school wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst in Todd’s opinion.

“High school for me was miserable, then fun,” he said. “I ran track on my free time as a hobby.”

Number 10Ryan Mcgill

Rounding out the top 10 students is Mcgill who will be attending Columbia College Chicago, majoring in music (vocal performance) and busi-ness.

He offered strategies on how he maintained that ranking.

“I studied, participated in class when it was necessary for me,” Mcgill said. “I asked ques-tions and flash drive. All high school is are flashcards and com-mitment.”

Despite his struggles he still managed to keep pushing.

“I am satisfied with my

ranking!” Mcgill said. “I fell behind a lot due to personal situ-ations in my life, but I am proud I was able to maintain a rank in the top 10.”

High school to Mcgill was beneficial.

“High school was one of the biggest growth stages of my life,” he said. “From the choices I’ve made freshman year, set me up for the consequences and ben-efits throughout the rest of high school. Almost like I’ve been in a cocoon since 10th and just now starting to become a butterfly.”

Although he had to work hard, he still learned to balance it with his outside life.

“I work at Potbelly and spend a lot of time in the studio, and with YouMedia artists creat-ing our first mixtape, “Teen Arts Mixtape” dropping June 4th,” Mcgill said. “I took it one day at a time. There’s a time and place for everything, so don’t overthink it. Just flow.”

Outside of being in the top 10 he feels like has benefitted from it.

“DP was like a river that keeps drowning you until you learn how to swim,” Mcgill said. “Now I can swim in anything, academically. It was all about time management, planning ahead, Balance, Retaining information and putting in effort! I’m cold blooded with them essays.”

TOP SENIORSContinued from page 3

accuracy of their work.Students presented their

posters to judges from Chicago State University: Dr. Austin Harton, Dept. Chair, - Electrical Engineering, Dr. Edmundo Gar-cia - High Energy Physics, Dr. Lionel Pittman - Aerospace and Aeronautics, Mr. Alvin James-Hubbard High School.

The rubric for judging the posters was supplied by Dr. Garcia. Professors asked students challenging questions critiquing students’ work, making suggestions for continued research. Professors remarked on the wide breadth of topics that included: “Population

Density of Los Angeles,” “Average Weather in April 2019,” Cases and Insight of Ebola,” and “Earth-quakes in the U.S.”

In addition, the professors commented that, the depth of understanding of their topic and the underlying mathematics was impressive.

Choosing their own data, modeling and analyzing it, pre-senting it to an objective audi-ence and defending their ideas, empowered students to see that they too can ask questions and independently find the answers. Students benefited greatly from the experience.

POSTER SESSIONContinued from page 2

By Demonta Byrd and Briana Bates

With the school year coming to an end

next week, the administrative team reflected on their experi-ence and accomplishments for their first year at MP, and also provided a glimpse into expectations for next year.

Building a new school culture was to be Job No. 1 for the principal, Dr. Femi Skanes.

“There were some changes that we made that were really effective this year,” Dr. Skanes said. “One thing that I wanted to focus on was improving communication, including with the teachers, so that everybody is on the same page about what’s happening around here every week and everyday. I also have made sure parents received a weekly newsletter.”

Getting students to have more of a sense of belonging to the EMPEHI family was also a goal.

“I also wanted to focus on really helping students feel con-nected to the school, celebrating students,” the principal said. “So though I feel like we still have some work to do in that area, I can see where students feel more celebrated than in past years.”

Assistant Principal Kai Urquhart, who leads the fresh-man and junior classes, said that her “first year at Morgan Park was great,” adding that “students are meeting the academic, atten-dance, and behavioral expecta-tions set by the school and the district.”

The assistant principal plans to build upon this year’s momen-tum by providing “interventions and resources for students that will increase their ability to be successful.”

Part of what was unique for

Twin

Day

Admin look back on first year as Mustangs

the administrative team this year was assigning assistant principals to specific grade levels, which appears to have worked well, Erquhart said.

“I believe the structur-ing of the grade level teams was effective this year because we were able to focus on the needs of all students,” she said.

Assistant principal Buys, who is tasked with the sophomores and seniors, said the changes, although limited, have been a positive one.

“We didn’t make as many changes this year, just based off the fact that when you go into a new place you want to spend a lot of time learning and just seeing and taking stock of where things are,” Buys said. “[However,] the changes we did make started Please turn to page 5 for

LOOK BACK,LOOK AHEAD

SCHOOL NEWSEMPEHI News

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By Maya Jonesand Daminicka Rodgers

As the time comes to an end, and the Class of

2019 starts to reflect on their years here, they begin to think about the good, and maybe, bad times that they have had here at MP.

Some people’s favorite memories begin with homecom-ing freshman year.

“My favorite memories are Homecoming Part Two freshman year because it was bussing, and all of the JROTC military balls because they were all fun,” senior Chanel Wheeler said.

While some people’s favorite memories consist of the many dances and balls throughout the years, others include going through the academic center and more.

“Some of my favorite memo-ries include going through the AC program, making friends, and seeing how the school has changed over time,” senior Janiah Jackson said.

There were some years in which people had their ups-and-downs, but for the most part, they have had pretty interesting years.

“I would describe my four years here as eventful,” senior Aaroniqua Holmes said. “Fresh-man year I was into trouble, sophomore year I was also into trouble, junior year I got myself together, and senior year was just plain stressful,” she said. “They always tell you senior year is go-ing to be the easiest year because you wouldn’t have to do a lot of stuff or whatever, but they lied to me and they tricked me, so now I’m upset because I gotta pay debt and all this other extra stuff that I don’t need to pay.”

Aside from the many things learned over the course of four years created great bonds with people in which they will forever love and cherish.

to take shape, but it will take time and we will continue to evaluate.”

It’s been a great experience for Buys in his administrative role.

“It’s been a great opportu-nity for [the administration] to learn and really gather data and information and history about Morgan Park,” he said.

While there have been many new programs offered to up-perclassmen, students can expect even more next year—but no specifics, yet.

”I can’t ruin the surprise, but there are a lot of things that we see want to take stock in and improve upon,” he said. “There’s just some things we want to take to the next level.”

“I love all of the friendships that I have,” senior Jamal Broy said. “I hate that some of them dropped because of the classes that I went into, but I love all of my friends and forever will.”

While some have created lifelong loving friendships, others had friendships that taught them life lessons.

“I feel like every friend-ship that I’ve encountered was a lesson learned,” Wheeler said. “Even if we still not friends today, they taught me stuff about myself that I didn’t even know about myself, and I feel like I will be forever grateful for everybody that I have encountered.”

Aside from the friendships that were created naturally, some people created a bond with people that they would have never expected.

“I’m going to go off the bonds I created last year, because the people I created bonds with are the same people that I talk to and hangout with this year,” senior Jamye Vann said. “But the people I created bonds with were Serena, Maya, Janiah, Bria, and Chanel; I never thought that we would have bonded.”

Not only has these past four years been an academic learning experience, but also a learning experience in which people will take with them as they soon enter the real world.

“I’ve learned that you should always trust your first gut, and don’t always put your trust into a situation,” Broy said. “Always have a backup plan, and always be prepared for anything that can happen.”

While some created new bonds within the Class of 2019, while others have built friendships with the underclassmen, as well.

“I guess you can say I cre-ated some new bonds,” Jackson said. “They’re younger than me, and I usually don’t talk to people

who’re younger than me.”Some have seen social

changes within them.“Freshman year I was really

quiet, didn’t really know anybody, nor was I talking to anybody, but now it’s like a lot of people know me,” Wheeler said. “I’m not as antisocial as I was freshman year and I joined a lot of clubs and organizations and just came out of my shell.”

Not only is this a time for reflection for seniors, but also for administrators.

“One thing that I can say about the Class of 2019, and I’ve said this to them before, is the fact that they’ve been very

open—and by-and-large—very cooperative and helpful with administration as we started to learn about the school and slowly started to implement our ideas and our programs that we wanted to help improve the school,” assistant principal Dan-iel Buys said.

The AP also wanted to leave one last inspirational message for the seniors.

“The Class of 2019 needs to be unafraid to go into a world that is ever-changing and to stay consistent with their goals in the work that is required to accom-plish those goals,” Buys said.

Adults aren’t the only people

leaving messages behind to motivate the Senior Class as they begin their new endeavors in life, but seniors are also leaving messages to underclassmen and teachers, as well.

“I would like to say, to all my teachers, thank you for push-ing me,” Wheeler said, “and to underclassmen, keep to your time-management and what you want to do, because if you just want to walk around the halls, there’s no purpose of you coming to school, but then again, a teacher might see something in you that nobody else saw, or you might be attracted to something, and you just need to go out there and get it.”

Seniors recall their high school experience

Assistant Principal Lakeya Poston, who leads the seventh and eighth grade students in the Academic Center (AC), said that she’s had an “exciting” first year.

“My whole educational ca-reer was at an elementary school, so this was my first year in a high school, and so it’s just a whole different dynamic,” Poston said. “There was just this big learn-ing curve; it was really exciting to learn about the high school setting and high school students, and to see how the [AC] pro-gram and everything worked.”

Looking toward next year, Poston said that students should expect more small-group instruc-tion and perhaps another tech program for the AC program.

By Anniya Ramsey

The decision to stay in state or out is some-

thing seniors always struggle with.

A majority of first-year college students attend a school in their home state, but the number has declined somewhat over around the last decade. The percentage of first-time public four-year college students who were residents of the states in which they were enrolled declined from 83 percent in fall 2006 to 78 percent in fall 2016, according to the Col-lege Board.

Senior Tylen Harper made his choice very clear that he’s leaving Chicago.

“I’m going out-of-state because I’m tired of being in Chicago and it’s time to ex-

LOOK BACK, LOOK AHEADContinued from page 4

perience some different because I have struggled all my life,” Harper said. “I want to make my family proud.”

Debt is something college students should try to avoid, and typically going outside of Illinois costs more money. The average tuition for an out-of-state stu-dent at a four year public school for an undergraduate student was $15,742. This means that, on average, it cost $8,990 more for students to attend a college or university in a state where they are not a resident.

It all adds up to more debt. The average student loan debt for 2016 college graduates who bor-rowed to get through school was $37,172. If a 2016 graduate took the standard repayment plan for the $37,172 borrowed – 10 years, at 4.29% interest rate – they would be paying $382 a month for the next decade.

Harper is making great decisions by paying for college through scholarships.

“They sent my financial award letter late, but I’m going to pay through scholar-ships and loans,“ he said.

Senior Jasmine Johnson chose where it would ben-efit her and not because of popularity.

“I will be attending North-ern Illinois University, and I made my decision because they gave me the most money, and because of my family, because the distance is not far,” Johnson said. “I have received a Huskie Scholarship, Chicago Scholars Scholarship and a CPS Fund-ing Scholarship.”

But it NIU won’t be her home for long, as she has an

Collegebound consider in or out of state

Percentage of First-Time Students at Public Four-Year Institutions Who Were State Residents, Fall 2006 and Fall 2016


IN-OR-OUT?

06 FEATURE SPREADEMPEHI NewsJ U N E 2 0 1 9

Princess Aleya Griffinand Prince Xavier Green

Duchess Ashlee Clarkand Duke Daccarius Chapman

King Daquiane Blackand Antoinette McCauley

Lady Taleya GriffinandLord Michael Arnold

Prom court winners!

Senior Prom 2019

The Senior Class celebrated the upcoming end of their high school career at the annual prom held at the Chicago Cultural Center on Michi-gan Avenue on June 7. The event was sponsored by the Senior Class, coordinated by librarian and Senior Class sponsor Kandice Morgan.

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Lady Taleya GriffinandLord Michael Arnold

Senior Prom 2019

The Senior Class celebrated the upcoming end of their high school career at the annual prom held at the Chicago Cultural Center on Michi-gan Avenue on June 7. The event was sponsored by the Senior Class, coordinated by librarian and Senior Class sponsor Kandice Morgan.

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08 FEATURESEMPEHI NewsJ U N E 2 0 1 9


A GOOD LAST YEAR

Collected by Dequisia Hendricks and Aberiyanna Phillips

I, Dequisia Hendricks, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my favorite teacher Ms. Joseph with memories of me because she loves me and I love her just as much. I also leave my WOW group. I love those girls with all my heart. Especially Ms. Suzy

I, Aigne Berry, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my locker combination to nobody. I only share a locker with people I am cool with.

I, Najee Bynum, will miss all the chaos that Morgan Park had to offer. I also will miss all my favorite teachers, specifically Mr. Cummings.

I, Zoe Gilbert, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my younger siblings Nene, Amanee, and Lauren love and motiva-tion to start their senior year off strong and to end strong. Make me proud!

I, Carl Jones, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave all this basketball and friend stuff behind. I’m state champion and the GOAT.

I, Deshawndre (NoGood) Wash-ington, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my impact and basketball legacy at MP and ball-up for my boy Boss Dudda.

I, Frank Morrison, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave Morgan Park, knowing I’ve left my mark, completed what I had to complete, said what I had to say and helped who I had to

help. I’ve done my time, from AC program, to countless days of practice in the bandroom.

I, Amariea Adams, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my favorite teachers, specifically Mr. Berger, and my everyday friends.

I, Brian Wrek, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave all my friends that I hangout with in this school. There was so much stuff that I learned and I’m leaving all the negativity in the school.

I, Danesha Morris, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave behind the old Danesha because she was kind of a spiteful person. I will miss my teachers, Mr. Majeske, Ms. Wil-liams, and Mrs. Morgan.

I, Jasmine Johnson, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave nothing but my memory in the yearbook. I will miss my favor-ite teachers Mrs. Arthur, Mrs. Joseph, Mr. Majeske and Mr. and Mrs. Ruggles.

I, Alex Ivy, of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that I will miss playing football. I built bonds I would want forever over a game.

I, Kiyasha Truitt, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave some advice to all upcoming seniors and freshman: Finish your years

off strong and never give up. I’m glad my high school years are over.

I, Korrie Jones, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my teachers who I will dearly miss. I will specifically miss Mr. Majeske the most because he’s the best teacher. I also leave my advice to upcoming freshmen: Go to class.

I, Michael Moore, of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that I will miss playing sports and the journey of the four years of high school.

I, Jamauri King, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave behind the old Jamauri because I’m just going to get more bolder, wilder, and badder.

I, Clifton Lyons, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave behind the legacy I made on the bowling team. I’m going to miss my high school bowling season.

I, Jiana Chambers, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave positivity to my friends to help them turn this school around.

I, Tamera Watkins, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave

my words of wisdom, always follow your dreams also, I give you my love to both sisterhood and brotherhood.

I, Taryn Rhodes, of sound mind and body, do hereby

leave advice and guid-ance. I hope you make

the best of your four years. Participate in

everything, Go to the games,

the parties and make

as many memories as you can. These four years fly

by fast and you

definitely will want to remember the good and bad.

I, De’Avion Thomas, of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that I will miss walking down the halls with my “6-4”.

I, Tiffany Edwards, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my love for Mrs. Becton.

I, Destiny Hall, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my

great basketball career here at Morgan Park.

I, Alexandria Jarmon, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my teachers that I will miss dearly. They helped and pushed me so much to achieve my goals.

I, Kyel Grover, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my lovely friends who I will miss so much and leave all the fake friends here at Morgan Park.

I, Iyanna Edwards, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave all my crazy memories and fights in the hallways here.

I, Nikkel (Kellz) Evans, of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that I’m gone foreal. I’m gonna miss walking the halls doing stupid things, being in famous videos you know… But this isn’t goodbye, I’ll be back soon. If you know you know, hit my jack, add me on Snap @brianna_bossy and facebook @Kel Evans.

I, Faith Obaebor, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave the imprint in my teachers heart and mind. I know they won’t forget me.

I, Nia Boyson, of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that I will miss the hallways for sure, my favorite teachers Mrs. Author, Mrs. Williams and Mr. Majeske. Thank you all for pushing me and also being there for me! It was fun while it lasted but now, issa wrap!

I, Jacob Scholp, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my lesson and kind words to the younger players on the baseball team.

By Ananda Jacobs

End of the school year. The time when lots of

students look forward to summer break, and a relief from loads of school work.

Senior Frank Morrison reflected on his biggest accom-plishments this year.

“My biggest accomplish-ment this year was probably being the first Morgan Park student in Morgan Park history to make it to the All State Band in Peoria and getting a full ride scholarship to my top choice school, Univer-sity of Louisville,” he said.

Morrison explained the chal-lenges he faced his senior year.

“I can’t say it’s been a particular hardest part, but just everything as an collective, trying to balance school and my extra curricular activities involving music and all the programs I was in at one time,” he said. “Overall

this year was difficult trying to keep a flow of stuff.”

Senior Richard White ex-plained his accomplishments this school year.

“My biggest accomplish-ment this year was completing my senior checklist so that I can participate in senior activities,” he said.

Senior Sondra Toresse ex-plained that her biggest accom-plishment was passing her classes, while junior Tatianna Hardimon kept her grades “decent.”

Junior Natavia Edwards admitted that she didn’t quite reach her goal.

“This school year I was set on being the best of version of myself I could possibly be,” she said, “but eventually it didn’t go as planned as the year progressed.”

Morrison expressed how he has left his mark at MP, and is ready to start a new chapter in his life.

“I’m pretty happy about [my

year], actually,” he said. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been here since sev-enth grade, so I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I think I’ve done what I needed to do here.”

White explained how he is glad this is his last year of high school.

“I’m extremely relieved that this is my last year,” he said. “It’s been rough, and I believe all of the hard work paid off.”

Toresse explained that social bonds were important for her.

“One good thing was form-ing close friendships with people I would’ve never thought being friends with and getting rid of the toxic ones,” she said. “It made me happier this school year.”

White explained one good thing about his senior year that he is proud of.

“My attendance has gotten progressively better through my high school years, but has been at it’s best

Senior year enjoyable for mostduring my senior year,” he said.

Edwards explained a few good things that happened this school year.

“One good thing about this school year was being named most improved student in my English and art classes,” she said. “It was good because I felt as though I was not working hard enough and didn’t deserve the rewards I received, but I was grateful in the end because I at least know I tried.”

Morrison explained how he changed over the years he has been here.

“I think I’ve changed as a person, a musician, and maybe student as well,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot more life skills and social skills at Morgan Park rather than academic skills. Not saying I didn’t learn anything academically in here, but I just learned how to be a better person.”

Edwards explained how she felt about this school year.

“This school year has definitely been a challenge, both mentally and academically for me,” she said.

Toresse expressed how she felt about her senior year.

“It was a breeze, but with all these requirements it’s harder and annoying,” she said.

White explained how his school year was pretty easy, minus the few little obstacles he faced throughout the year.

“This school year was kind of a breeze,” he said. “There were only slight parts of the school year, like the beginning of the second semester in which classes and college prep got much more difficult.”

Edwards explained a down-

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I, Kamal Williams, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave memories of some good times and a reminder of growth.

I, Brandi Stewart, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my tardiness to my baby Amanee Green. Always remember if you late you might as well get some food.

I, Taylor (Tay Wavy) Robinson, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my style and ener-getic moves to my favorite babies Kendall and Dorian. Always leave your heart on the dance floor. To my softball team, I leave my laughter to the funniest people on my team the juniors. I leave my personality and to anybody who can match which I doubt could happen because I’m one of a kind.

I, Mariah Ashby, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my tardiness to Ashanti Williams. Better Late Than Never :)

I, Kassandra Beyes, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my position as captain from girls soccer team to Mia Gilliean. Mia has shown great leadership and commitment to the team, she will be a great captain for the girls soccer team. I would also like to say how great the entire team did this year. We have worked and trained really hard!! Everyone has done great this year for working really hard and giv-ing it your all. I’ll miss you girls! Shoutout to Samiayn and Nya <3

I, Elliott Cummings, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave this school and everyone behind.

I, Michael Arnold, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave the office of presidency of the yearbook and newspaper crew to My’Air Pratcher and Tyreese Williamson. We the members of the Junior ROTC Department, of sound mind and body, do hereby, leave say in the words of Sergeant First Class Otha Davis, Nia Hamne Dah, best wishes.

I, Maxi-mus Bullock, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave to play baseball for the rest of my career and play pro; I will miss the environment very much.

Collected by Dayjah Stantonand Mercedes Fenton

I, Kimberly Mitchell, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave make sure you try your best at all times and never give up even if you feel discour-aged. Also try to make the best out of your high school experi-ence.

I, Daccarius Chapman, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my knowledge and perseverance through the task we call graduat-ing H.S. No matter how long, persevere: It’ll pay off in the end.

I, Kobe Jones, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave stay to yourself !

I, Brittany Banks, of sound mind

and body, do hereby leave make sure you go to every class; don’t ditch and stay on track with your grades and come to school everyday!

I, Richard White, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my trumpet I used during my sophomore year to the next band member.

I, Mikel Clark, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave the young kids to not procrastinate.

I, Nalon Hurdle, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my advice to the one’s younger than me: “Success is the only option, so keep grinding.”

I, Amari Hazzard, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave “build your own dreams or someone

else will hire you to build theirs.” Also, “I’m gonna go stand out-side if anyone asks I’m outstand-ing.”I, Mya Gilliean, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my cheating and determination to my sister.

I, Raven Green, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my soccer uniform to the other soc-

cer players.

I, Dayjah Stanton, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my thought and wis-dom, by saying,“ go confi-dently in the direction of your

dreams live the life you’ve imagined.”

I, Maya Jones, of sound mind and

body, do hereby leave my little brother, Theodore Jones, all of the light that I have at shine in any and

every-thing that

I have done during all of my years here. As your freshman year ends, I am so proud of you for coming into a new envi-ronment and accomplishing all the things that you have. I have faith that you will ac-complish many more things as you embark on your journey for the next three years. I have enjoyed watching you grow into the young man that you have become, and can’t wait to see where life takes you. Although

I’ll be miles away, I’m just one phone call away. I love you little brother, forever and ever, your big sister.

I, Tylen Harper, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave don’t wait until the end to do anything.

I, Mercedes Fenton, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave a message to the younger class beloe don’t worry about no boy just live your last life and have fun stress free. This is something I wish somebody would of told me.

I, Daminicka Rodgers, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave to strive for the best be the first to get stuff done that way you know it’s out the way. I would like to give a special thanks out to Ms. Williams, Larry (security guard) and Ms. Jank.

I, Tyler Moore, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave, “When I’m not working, I like to play golf.”

I, Walter Houston, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave don’t feed the mice.

I, Jaylen Owens, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave try your best and nothing less. From Jay Duce!

I, Marquis Ezell, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave life is what you make it, so do your best and be successful by any means.

I, Ravious Payne, of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my motivation to stay focused and don’t get influenced by any negatively.

fall in her school year.“One bad thing about this

school year was missing so many days and missing out on valu-able education and work time, because, in the end, it is only affecting me negatively,” she said.

Hardimon recalled one part of the year that really bothered her.

“One bad thing about this school year was the constant pepper stray incidents,” she said. “That wasn’t cool at all.”

White explained how the se-nior activities this year made his senior year great.

“All of the senior activities really made this year pop like it was supposed to,” he said.

White said that one of his favorite parts of the year dealt with a relationship.

“Speaking to a specific girl, getting to know her, becoming her best friend and then eventu-ally we started dating,” he said.

Toresse’s top memory was a time out with friends.

“My favorite memory was when me and my besties went

out to breakfast, and my friend thought espresso was a regular sized cup and it came out to be so small, and we couldn’t stop laughing,” she said.

Toresse recalled a few favorite memories she had from a previous years.

“My favorite memory is when one of my best friends came back from Missouri,” she said. “I thought I would never see her again, and somehow we both ended up in this school.”

Hardimon expressed how she feels about going into the next school year.

“I am so happy this school year is coming to an end be-cause next school year I will be a senior,” she said.

Edwards explained her thoughts about going into the next school year.

“I’m hopeful for the next school year,” she said. “I know my experiences this year will not affect me negatively, overall, because it’s just one small step in my journey of life.”

A GOOD LAST YEARContinued from page 9 Some want more changes next year

By Tiara Youngand Ashanti Williams

What changes would you like to see

2019-2020? Better technol-ogy? Better lunch? Better behavior? More sports? Let’s make Morgan Park a better school.

Majority of students top priority for next year is for the behavior to get better.

“I would like to see less violence in the students next year because to me it’s just too much,” junior Donovan Dudley said. “I would like to see students come together instead of going against each other.”

A lot of students hope that next year is way better that what it has been in the last few years.

“Hopefully, next year there’s no more popping fire-

works and spraying pepper spray in hallways,” freshman Aaliyah Johnson said.

Besides all the violence and things that students would like to see a change in, they also think it would be a good idea if we have a better food selection.

“I would like to see more nutritious food options that we could choose from,” Johnson said, “because the food that we eat now is very unhealthy and don’t give us any type of energy.”

Many feel as if seniors should have off-campus lunch next year because they are gener-ally more mature.

“I think everybody just want off-campus lunch,” Dudley said, “but I think it should only be for seniors because most of us have cars and know how to act.”

Quite of few students feel as if the school should have more clubs and sports that people could join, because some sports/

clubs that they have now are not for them.

“They should definitely have more sport options like badminton or hockey because I see a lot of students that actually enjoy playing it dur-ing gym,” Johnson said. “And I noticed that they don’t have that many clubs and things, so they should really add more of those.”

A lot of students feel as if students should be more respectful towards teachers.

“Every since I been in this school, I’ve seen and heard a lot of students disrespect teachers and staff,” junior Asia Dillon said. And I think it’s sad and disrespect-ful that they would do that, especially if the teacher didn’t do anything to receive the


IDEAS FOR MP

10 FEATURESEMPEHI NewsJ U N E 2 0 1 9

By Brian Culberson

As the 2018-2019 year winds down, we

have seen many artists and musicians come and go in the cut-throat business of the in-dustry of music. Music lovers have enjoyed many hits and listened to songs that have defined the times.

Many students agree that the year has had some real bangers.

“A lot of new music has been dropping,” senior Kamal Williams said.

Some local artists have come out into the limelight and created waves, including “Gunna, Lil Zay Osama, King Von, Da Baby, MAF Teeski, Lil Baby, Polo G, Memo 600, Boo-ka600, FBG Duck,” according to junior Timothy Jones.

Students have also offered some song titles that could be a part of the official 2k19 soundtrack for the school year.

“A good soundtrack for the school year would consist of Thotiana, Suge,Wilt Cham-berlain, Sanguine Paradise, Pop Out, Envy Me, Murder On My Mind, Robbery, Skrubs, Calling My Spirit,” senior Tylen Harper said.

Some, however, say the year could’ve been better, musically.

“There’s a lot of music that came out, but not a lot with substance.” senior music lover Marco Robertson said.

When it comes to who’s making trends and the most hits, there are plenty of opinions.

“Juice Wrld, which is another artist from Chicago,” shows up on the Billboard and his style of music is unique and touches on subjects that no

artist really does,” Harper said.Another student offered

his choice.“This year I would say Lil

Durk had the most hits, because he was dropping the most music out of anybody, and he was working hard to make his music presentable to all,” Jones said.

Students also shared their favorite songs from the year.

“My favorite songs are “Sacrifice” by G Herbo, “That’s A Rack” by Lil Uzi Vert, and a couple songs by Juice Wrld,” Harper said.

Williams had another artist in mind.

“I think Gunna had the most hits, songs like “Drip Too Hard,” “Yao Ming,” “Who You Foolin’,” and his mixtapes have been played and replayed a lot in school and out of school,” the senior said.

When it came to who was his favorite artist, Robert-son was quick to answer.

“Frank Ocean is definite-ly my favorite artist,” he said.

Harper went with a rap-per that most students should be familiar with.

“G Herbo is my favorite because he is from Chicago,” he said, “so some of the stuff in the music I know what he is talking about like the violence and even some of the places in the city.”

Jones named two of his favorite rappers while agree-ing with Harper.

“My favorite artists are G Herbo and Lil Durk,” he said.

Lastly, Williams picked a rapper that recently dropped a mixtape.

“My favorite rapper would have to be Young Nudy as of right now,” he said.

What’s hot--musically

By Tery Turner

Many may wonder if furthering their educa-

tion in college is the only way to be successful in the future. Students and staff members share their opinions about things to do if college doesn’t go well for students and what they would consider doing to stay successful.

Is it possible to get rich without a high-level education? Bill Gates started Microsoft when he was 19-years-old and has since become one of the world’s wealthiest people. Face-book cofounder Mark Zuck-erberg owns one of the most highly-valued tech companies in the U.S. Former Apple cofounder Steve Jobs (deceased in 2011) founded the nearly trillion dollar company building the first Apple computer in his garage.

These ultra-successful busi-ness people are very, very much the exception, thanks largely to their very special talent and dedication. If you have a genu-ine passion for something, and college isn’t the route to use that passion, then it might be time to take another path.

While construction work—which doesn’t require a college education—was once considered lowly, it has become an area of work that offers good pay and benefits—and there are lots of

jobs available. In fact, 79 percent of construction firms plan to expand their payrolls in 2019, but an almost equal percentage are worried about their ability to locate and hire qualified workers, according to survey results re-leased by the Associated General Contractors of America and Sage Construction and Real Estate.

Assistant principal Daniel Buys said that long as you have a plan for your future, college isn’t the only thing to help you be successful.

“In the world that we live in, college is often a path that opens the most doors for people, but there are definitely other ways to be successful,” Buys said. “The biggest key is having a specific plan and being willing/able to put the work in to accomplish your goals.”

The assistant principal of-fered a few recommendations to students who might not make it through college.

“I advise all students who drop out or can’t pull through college to insist on going to trade schools, joining gap years, serving in the military, or become a part of the workforce,” he said.

Buys also said that anything that can assist you and your family in a good way should be considered as a priority to be successful.

“I would recommend anything

that can put you in a position to accomplish your goals, provide for yourself and your family, and help make the world a better place,” he said. “I say this because even the things you may think you don’t like or didn’t have interest in may help you become something better than what you have expected.”

That said, those with at least a bachelor’s degree earn an aver-age of 66 percent more than high school graduates.

Also, people with a bach-elor’s degree will add $1 million to their total lifetime earnings compared to someone without a degree; high school graduates experience an unemployment rate 8 percent higher than college grads.

Some, like junior Tatianna Hardimon, agreed that college isn’t the only way to be successful.

“People can have a city job and still be very successful or you can start your own business,” she said, adding that “If college doesn’t go well for you, you can attend community college, try an apprenticeship, or join the military.”

Hardimon also said that if college doesn’t go right for her, she’ll try to make it on her own.

“If college isn’t beneficial to me in the future, I would just

out-of-state choice, too.“I plan on going-out of-state

after I finish my first year at school because there is another school that is offering me plenty of money which is Alabama A&M Univer-sity,” Johnson said.

Some people are not ready to leave their families at home due to not having comfort for out of town places. Senior Day-jah Stanton wanted to be home with hers.

“The hardest decision on leaving is whether or not I want to leave my family and go far to leave my friends,” she said.

Stanton reflected on her thought processes of staying.

“There’s easy access to your parents, you can go home when you want, and you’re familiar with your surroundings,” Stanton said. “[But] staying in-state doesn’t let you really explore and you won’t know what change is like, and you might find some better things in another state.”

Some are moving out-of-state, but not too far.

Senior Brian Culberson is seeking change, but relatively closer to home.

“I’m staying out-of-state at

Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana,” he said. “The biggest regret is not seeing my little sister and brother, but I think it’s a chance to experience new things besides staying in the ‘hood all day.”

Culberson does have a sup-port system in the Hoosier State.

“I got a lot family members in Lafayette, Indiana,” he said. “They wanted me to go to that one, but instead I ended up get-ting chosen for the one in Fort Wayne, so when I get there, I’m going to end up transferring. I just want to hang with family and friends on a daily.”

IN-OR-OUT?Continued from page 5

disrespect.”She also feels as if it goes

both ways. In order to receive respect, you must give respect.

“Teachers and staff should be more respectful towards students too because it be some that treat students wrong for no reason,” Johnson said.

Students also feel as if they should have more classes that interest them.

I hope they have new classes

that we can choose from,” junior Niara Fleming said. “It would be fun if they had a class where you had to take care of a fake baby or take a cooking class.”

Pitchford agreed, say-ing “I really just more choices for classes. It seems like we do the same classes and not more creative classes. We should have more selections.”

Technology is very common

IDEAS FOR MPContinued from page 9

Not taking the college route

in schools now. Schools rarely have books; they do everything on the computer, and students want improved tech.

“I would like to see bet-ter wifi and better computers since we do most of our work on computers now,” Dudley said. “And they should get more computers for every-body because they don’t have enough.”


ANOTHER PATH


DISTANT LOVE

Can you take a long-distance love?By Mikaya Williams and Darrian Phillips

Having a relationship with someone who

lives miles—even hundreds—can be accomplished, though it’s not always easy.

Junior Levontae Counsell said he’s experienced a long distance relationship only because he thought females could be trusted.

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11J U N E 2 0 1 9

Breaking up is rarely easy for most

DISTANT LOVEContinued from page 11

news briefsCOMMUNITY NEWS

The JROTC, the Marching Band, students, staff, adminis-tration, athletes, and club members participated in the annual Memorial Day Parade in Beverly last month.

start a business for merchandis-ing clothing because that would still be a part of my goal for fashion,” she said.

Some like, senior Mario Lewis, said that college isn’t the only way to be successful because there are more opportunities out-

side of college to be something in life.

“College is definitely not the only way to be successful,” he said. “You can go to trade school and have a good possibility of a guaranteed job.”

Lewis also said that if col-

lege ends up not being good for him, he would like to make arrangements for his future.

“If college doesn’t be what I expect it to be, I would consider playing basketball overseas, or going to trade school to be an electrician,” he said.

ANOTHER PATHContinued from page 10

“I have tried a long distance relation-ship because I thought I could trust the female I was with at the time,” he said.

Counsell claims there was a long distance from each other.

“I’m in Chicago and she was in Detroit, but it kinda worked out,” he said.

He believes it was a difficult situation to handle, but it had a positive outcome at the same time.

“It was a bad situation to deal with, but at the time it wasn’t,” he said. “It was hard because I wanted to be able to see her, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t hard because I thought I could trust her.”

Junior Amari Williams said she would advise anyone to have

a chance to try a long distance relationship.

“If you want to be with that person, then you would do anything for them,” she said. “Basically the moon and back.”

Senior Aigne Berry feels that it is hard and saddening to not be able to physically touch your partner over long periods of time.

“It was sad, but after a while I got over it,” Berry said. “I be-came happy because I can do me, but at the same time, no. It’s hard not being able to hug each other, kiss each other, stuff like that. It kinda made me sad.”

Berry feels that long distance relationships are not for her.

“I wouldn’t do a long distance relationship anymore, because in my view there’s no purpose when you guys aren’t going to see each other. And now Nobody looks forward to saying,

‘We’re going to

see each other

after a year later,’ or something like that.”

Junior Ash- ley Franklin has her own bad experi-ence with long distance didn’t end well.

“I’ve tried a long distance relationship, but it didn’t workout like I thought it would,” Franklin said, “only because he cheated on me with some girl that lived all the way in Florida.”

She believes a long distance relationship could possibly work.

“If you both are in love then nothing can break you two a par,” she said. “Not distance, friends, family, or religion.”

By Antone Blevins and Aaryn Hays

Breaking up is hard to do for some, but not for all.

One senior recalled a soul-crushing break up after his only real relationship that lasted for five months.

“I went home and played sad music,” senior Karl Jones said. I could barely play basketball, I didn’t go to open gym sessions I went straight home after school.”

Some relationships are cool but also have ruff times.

“Fun but it was a lot of argu-ing,” Jones said.

Social media is real relation-ship killer.

“I was put in a facebook trend called “the city girl challenge” and she said she wasn’t feeling it so she broke up with me,” he said.

Some break ups change the mindset of some.

“It make me want to be faithful and not in the mix of everything,” Jones said.

One senior had multiple real relationships that lasted the same amount of time.

“They actually both lasted 11 months,” senior Kyel Grover said.

Some feel as breaking up doesn’t stop a friendship.

“We’re still friends; just be-cause they’re my exes don’t mean I can’t kick it with them,” he said. “We still have conversations, but with my other ex, I don’t see her a lot, but when I see her, I slide up on her Snap and try to shoot my shot sometimes.”

Some feel that your looks can bring the relationship back.

“If they glowed up, I might try to shoot my shot again,,” Grover said.

People break up for a variety of issues.

“The first one, we broke up be-cause I was going into high school and she was going into eighth grade,” Grover said. “The second one I got caught up cheating and a lot of dumb stuff it. It was a lot of insecure stuff going on.”

Some feel as moving on is easier for boys than it is for females.

“I’m a dude,” Grover said. “I didn’t really care; I just moved on to the next girl. I actually did

stuff to make her mad.”One senior relationship

lasted a while. “That relationship lasted two

years,” senior Donnell Plump said.Some feel as if the relation-

ship won’t be the same if they were to get back together.

“I don’t care if they asked me,” he said. “But the reason why I won’t get back with them is because it wouldn’t be the same connection from when we first was together. And I am cur-rently in a relationship where I’m happy, so why would I go back?”

Arguing is the main pain for relationships.

“It was fun until things started happening, and arguing got worse every time,” Plump said.

Doing fun things was a way he got over the break up.

“I got over it by just being around my people and doing stuff I used to do without her,” he said.

Some feel as they should keep a shield over their heart in relationships.

“That shows me to keep my guard up on certain things in my relationship,” Plump said. “It’s

certain stuff I don’t do anymore that I use to do.”

It may take time, but friendships can form after a bad breakup.

“I cheated, and he found out, and we were arguing and stuff so we broke up,” senior Ashlee Clark said. “That’s why we weren’t friends, but we are now.”

There are, however, some things you shouldn’t go back to.

“I would not go back, be-cause there was too much going on the first time that I wouldn’t even waste my time,” Clark said, “and if it didn’t work then, it won’t work now.”

Break-ups can cause long-term views on relationships.

“Now I don’t get attached to people,” Clark said. “I try not to get too attached.”

One student thinks the best way to get over someone is to let them go completely.

“I stopped talking to him, blocked him, deleted all our pic-tures, and stuff,” Clark said.

Some can tell a relationship isn’t going to workout because its unstable.

“It was like a rollercoaster, it had its ups and down, it was fun while it lasted, but after a while your stomach does start hurting riding too many roller coasters,” senior Dequisia Hendricks said.

Sometimes family problems come into play.

“We broke up because when my brother died I became real distant, and she couldn’t handle the fact that i was distant, but when the tables turned she couldn’t take it,” Hendricks said. “When her grand-ma died even though we weren’t together, I was the only one there for her. Her friends didn’t even know why she wasn’t coming to school, nobody was checking up on her, but me, and that hurt my heart.”

12 SCHOOL newsEMPEHI NewsJ U N E 2 0 1 9

Ribbon-pinning ceremony to celebrate Academic Center graduating classThe Academic Center held their annual ribbon pinning ceremony in Blackwelder Hall during which the Class of 2019 was celebrated, including the top 10 in the class, and awards were given to those for citizenship, growth scores on the NWEA, perfect attendance, being on the honor roll, among other recog-nition. Awards were given by the Academic Center assistant principal Lakeya Poston, teachers (Mr. Patrick, Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Nocentelli, Ms. Reilly, and Ms. McEwan), and counselor Mrs. Scaife. Additionally, Eighth grader Emani James (below, center, with her family) was awarded the BAPA Community Service Award by execu-tive director Susan Flood. (Photos by Journey Burns)

Photos by Michael Arnold

“Everybody’s agenda is the same,

but nobody’s agenda is like mine.”

Vote

Briana

Taylor,

2020

class

President

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