Grappling with the Golder College Prep Panthers’ Wrestling Team

By The Noble Schools

“This is part of a series of blogs from Noble campus representatives to give a deeper look at campus life. Wrestling is regarded as the oldest sport in the world, but it’s a sport that is more niche and unknown among high school and college sports, especially in Chicago. Yet despite it being a less known sport here, many collegiate wrestlers competing at the national level are from the Chicagoland area. Out of 330 wrestlers in the 2021 NCAA National Championship, affectionately known as “March Matness”, 33 of those wrestlers were from Illinois, many of them originating from the Chicagoland area.”

Some Chicago School Advocates Say Proposed Elected Board Map Doesn’t Accurately Reflect Latino Population

By Blair Paddock for WTTW

“State lawmakers released a draft of Chicago’s elected school board — and some parents want them to go back to the drawing board. The glaring issue for many parent advocates is that they see the proposed map as not representative of the majority Latino student population in Chicago Public Schools.”

Local Charter School’s Drama Club Takes Production on the Road

By NBC 5

“Singing, dancing and acting are all part of what students enrolled in the drama club at Learn 6 Charter School in North Chicago get to do.  The drama club lived up to the name of their show, taking a field trip to perform their “On the Road Again” show for their sister school, the LEARN Herro Family Campus in East Garfield Park. “I like how I can be challenged to memorize things, learn dances and have so many different ranges of skills,” fifth grader Cameron Wilson told NBC Chicago. Cameron is one of the leads in the production.  He was inspired to join the drama club because his older sister was involved.”

An alarming number of Chicago youth witness gun violence. Schools need support to help them heal.

By  Jemia Cunningham-Elder for The Sun-Times

“The American Medical Association released a study last week about gun violence in Chicago, with a key finding that is startling: by the age of 40, nearly half of all Chicagoans will witness a shooting. That is almost impossible to conceive of if it is not your reality. If it is your reality — if it has been your reality for decades, like it has for far too many families and children on Chicago’s South and West sides — it is just another reminder of what we’re up against as we seek to protect our children. The study found that only one-fourth of white residents are likely to witness a shooting before age 40, but the percentage increases to over 50% for Blacks and Latinos. And the average age when that happens? 14.”

 

From middle school teacher to Chicago mayor: Brandon Johnson sworn in to city’s top office

By Becky Vevea for Chalkbeat

“Brandon Johnson, a public school parent, teachers union organizer, and former middle school teacher, has been officially sworn in as Chicago’s 57th mayor.  Johnson defeated former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas in a runoff election on April 4 after both candidates surpassed incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot during a Feb. 28 general election, dashing her hopes of a second term.”