PAGE 3 • ARTS PAGE 4 • FEATURES PAGE 7 • SPORTS Graduating senior and Actor Rainn Wilson spoke Despite Chicago’s urban U-High Midway artist about his company, environment, the city has Amber Huo is not a SoulPancake, to U-High one of the world’s largest woman of many words, community members. freshwater fisheries. yet through her art she Afterward, he talked to U-High students and expresses beauty and the Midway about his teachers fish to de-stress appreciation for others. career and philosophies. and connect with family. University Of Chicago Laboratory High School 1362 East 59th Street, Chicago,U-HIGH Illinois 60637 MIDWAY uhighmidway.com • Volume 94, Number 10 MAY 31, 2018 Graduation speaker heals through stories bring it into fruition,” Ms. McCampbell said. Debra Gittler credits “The people on the board believe in and want to help her fulfill the vision.” U-High experience for During her time at Lab, Ms. Gittler had al- so experienced the death of her sister. Seeing building her foundation it as an opportunity to understand and nav- igate what the loss meant by GRACE ZHANG to her, she realized that ARTS EDITOR the literature and writing Working in jails, cities, and countries with taught at Lab had helped high violence rates, Debra Gittler seeks to her, even though most of give thorough education to those affected her classmates hadn’t ex- by trauma. As a founder of ConTextos, an perienced the same type educational organization established in El of loss. Salvador and Chicago, Ms. Gittler appreci- Ms. Gittler was a teach- ates the experience learning at Lab, espe- er in the Bronx, New York, cially how it guides her work, personal life, Darlene who then worked in El and worldview. McCampbell Salvador and Honduras Ms. Gittler, a 1998 U-High alumna, will in educational programs. share her experience and advice as the fea- When she left those activities, she started tured speaker at this year’s U-High gradua- ConTextos in 2011 to provide better educa- tion June 7. tion to kindergarteners through 9th grad- For Ms. Gittler, Lab’s education is very ers in El Salvador, a country with one of the profound and not just about learning. At highest homicide rates, as well as high pov- Lab she gravitated toward the humanities, erty, domestic violence, migration, and low learning and understanding how to think literacy rates. critically, become a writer, express herself, “When the environment started shift- and engage in meaningful conversations. ing, kids started engaging and sharing their “I would say what has been a guiding ideas,” Ms. Gittler said. “They wrote about force as I’ve moved forward is the education was loss, they wrote about hurting and be- I had,” Ms. Gittler said, “which encouraged ing afraid, and all of that resonates with me.” me to be a deep thinker, have my own voice, She realized that people experiencing and strong opinions based on real experi- trauma also inflict trauma onto others, and ences. That is not just the foundation for my to respond to people living in environments PHOTO PROVIDED BY DEBRA GITTLER work now, but for much of my world view.” with high levels of trauma was most mean- Debra Gittler reads to students at San Jorge School in She explained that teachers encouraged READING AND WRITING. ingful. rural El Salvador. ConTextos, Ms. Gittler’s organization, originated in El Salvador. questioning and taught her that learning Ms. Gittler started from providing educa- was cumulative and iterative, and how dif- tional opportunities at various schools to what caused it, maybe we can heal it.” fairness were things to be explored and de- ferent extracurriculars brought an under- going into schools in areas labeled as gang Outside of work, Ms. Gittler also often manded and worked for.” standing of working in teams and leader- territory, prisons, then finally expanding to sees classmates from Lab also doing work in “What was planted is being a profession- ship. English teacher Darlene McCamp- Chicago, especially working in Cook Coun- fields that is helpful to others, such as edu- al that brought justice, beauty, discovery or bell, who was one of Ms. Gittler’s influential ty Jail. cation or social justice. She said Lab’s edu- learning.” teachers, is working with Ms. Gittler as a “All of our work is based on ‘hurt people cational philosophy impacted her and her Citing Lab’s education as motivation, Ms. member on ConTextos’ board. hurt people,’” Ms. Gittler. “If we think about classmates. Gittler said: “Lab really challenged us as stu- “Working with her is inspiring because all these young people, and some of their “There was a common sense of values,” dents to consider a life of purpose and mak- she has a mission and she knows how to behavior in ways that we can understand she said. “Concepts of social justice and ing a difference in the world.” RITES OF MAY Council holds one meeting with appointed students By IVÁN BECK The student members, select- FEATURES EDITOR ed at the end of winter quarter The All-Schools Council, a through an interview, are junior group made up of administra- Rachel Zemil, sophomores Ben Ci- tion and faculty from the prima- fu and Anika Gupta, and freshman ry, lower, middle and high schools, Zach Sharp. was given a larger role this year by Although the council has met Lab Schools Director Charlie Abel- four times this school year, stu- mann, but four students added to dents have only attended one the council only participated in meeting. They will continue on one of the meet- the council next ings. school year. The mission of “I felt like I the council has was a very val- been the same ued member of for many years: the council,” An- to meet quarter- ika said. “They ly in order to dis- encouraged my cuss schoolwide involvement in goals and foster Charlie Anika discussions and communication. Abelmann Gupta I felt amazing to However, Dr. be a part of such Abelmann said that in the past this a great group of administrators.” goal was often not achieved, as the Dr. Abelmann said Dialogos, the group rarely met. strategic planning firm selected In order to revitalize this group, by the council, will interact with which Dr. Abelmann saw as ex- stakeholders related to the schools tremely important, the director and will have an “open and hon- both re-established the group’s est dialogue about the school” in meeting patterns, as well as took order to discover the strategic pri- on two new initiatives. The first of orities and vision Lab should have MIDWAY PHOTO BY ABIGAËL THINAKARAN these was to find a consulting firm moving forward. HIT ME UP. Graham Waterstraat and Julian Ingersoll compete at the Rites of May on May 19. to work with the council on strate- The firm will begin its conver- This year, the school-wide event had more inflatables to attract high school students. gic planning, and the other was to sations with members of the Lab involve students in the council. community as soon as next week. THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2018 2 • NEWS U-HIGH MIDWAY • UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL, CHICAGO BRIEFS Four years in a foreign land New Dean will work with teachers to innovate U-High has hired a dean of Tuition, culture, specialized college education add to international appeal teaching and learning to help by PRIYANKA SHRIJAY education at a low cost,” she said. teachers design and structure cur- EDITOR-IN-CHIEF “So Spain, the cost is 1,200 euros a riculums to follow current educa- As students think about educa- year and that’s one of the most ex- tional practices. tion after U-High and begin their pensive universities that’s public Noah Rachlin, currently a his- college search, they might look be- in Europe. So for instance, Germa- tory and social science teacher at yond United States borders and ny, once you’re accepted, it’s free.” Phillips Academy in Andover, Mas- consider international universities. A factor worth considering is sachusetts, will hold this position According to world language the cultural difference. In Ms. starting July 1. teacher Suzanne Baum, European Warehall’s opinion, internation- Mr. Rachlin will be an academ- institutions are excellent options al exposure and cultural diversi- ic administrator and will pri- in which students specialize ear- ty in the student marily support and collaborate lier than in America. Her daughter body are bene- with U-High faculty and depart- Zoe, a 2017 U-High alumna, stud- fits of studying ment chairs, according to Princi- ies business in Spain at the Univer- international- pal Stephanie Weber. He will work sidad de Carlos III in Madrid. ly. However, the with these groups to design the “Zoe is doing business, so that’s language barri- modern curriculums. all she’s doing,” Ms. Baum said. er can be diffi- Mr. Rachlin brings experience “She has accounting, calculus and cult according to from his time as a fellow at Phillips economics courses. She does have Ms. Baum. who Academy Andover’s Tang Institute, one history course and it has an found that her which according to its website is economic slant. So I think it’s very daughter’s dual Melissa “an ideas lab dedicated to devel- specialized. Whereas, when you citizenship and Warehall oping and sharing innovative ap- study in America you have usual- familiarity with proaches to teaching and learn- ly four years of a liberal arts edu- the Spanish language eased her ing.” cation.” adjustment. As a fellow, Mr. Rachlin helps Because of this, Ms.