OPINION

The State of BOYCP

Mateo Curiel and Cristian Martinez

November 23, 2021 | Opinion

Part of what makes BOYCP a standout high school is its inclusive and welcoming environment for students and staff alike. Unfortunately, the rising cases of vandalism, tardies, and absenteeism in our school disrupt the safe space our community has worked diligently to maintain. The student body is ultimately responsible for upholding our school’s values.

With issues like vandalism or littering on the rise as of late, identification of specific actors can be difficult. Dr. Brekke acknowledged that, in these instances, “We’re not one-hundred percent sure that we can say ‘it was this student’ because there’s generally a cluster of young men in the restroom, and when we find it, we look at the camera, but it’s four or five students who went in and out around the time that we think it happened.” That being said, some, but not all, students involved in these acts eventually confessed about their roles. Rather than punishing students with suspensions and other traditional means, Dr. Brekke emphasized the CPS student code of conduct’s restorative justice aims. Town halls held in early November for the lower grade levels touched on the issue of respecting the school, but Dr. Brekke conveyed an important message for seniors: “We’re depending on you guys to be role models, and…it’s a big ask, but it’s also gonna take every adult in this building to be committed to that kind of work.”

Consequently, many students have begun to wonder whether or not BOYCP will transition back to mandatory uniforms as a form of punishment for misconduct. “When we were in remote learning, we had a lot of students that had to go work full time because they had to help their parents. We were trying to figure out how to help students who were working a full day shift. One of the LSC members asked, ‘Is it appropriate for us to ask [the class of 2022] to buy uniforms for one year and then [they’re] out? Is that appropriate for us to ask parents to make that big financial sacrifice for many of our families?’ The LSC voted, and not everybody was in agreement, but the majority voted to have uniforms suspended for one year,” explains Dr. Brekke. Thus, the optional uniform policy will not be repealed this year specifically to alleviate the financial burden as a result of the pandemic. However, the LSC will have the opportunity to reconvene to discuss uniforms further during the second semester and it is likely that uniforms will be mandatory for the next school year.

Readjusting to in-person learning has certainly been an extremely important and challenging task this semester. Regarding the student body in general, reestablishing routines and bonds with peers and staff members is crucial. “We have to play some catch-up, though students learned a lot during the pandemic.” With respect to who has been affected most, Dr. Brekke stated that “the [students] who are more impacted were those who came directly from seventh and eighth grade into freshman or sophomore year.” In addition to the remote instruction during the pandemic, many freshmen and sophomores lacked the support systems and guidance that the juniors and seniors benefited from when learning in the building for the first time.

While vandalism is currently the most pressing issue at our school, tardies and drug use further highlight the difficult transition from remote learning to in-person instruction. “The tardies have been a hard battle. Teachers are all working on that; we have all banded together with this. We’re making parents aware about the chronic lack of punctuality issue. We are meeting with students. We are goal setting with students,” said Dr. Brekke. “I cannot speak to drug abuse. I will tell you that vape pens are a big thing — a super big thing. I haven’t noticed generally when students are being scanned that there are things we can identify. Sometimes there aren’t, but we have noticed an increase in vape pens. That’s a whole different concern that we work with students on.”

Lastly, student commutes to and from school have arguably been more of a logistical nightmare than usual ever since the pandemic began, and the city’s infrastructure is a source of this problem. One factor is the inconsistent bus service provided on the 47 and 48 routes, especially in rainy or snowy weather. Dr. Brekke stated, “I hadn’t thought about, ‘I wonder how many of our students are impacted by that.’ I’m making too many assumptions that our students are either walking or being driven by a parent or a sibling or on their own.” However, another and equally problematic situation is at play — backed-up car traffic on Hoyne exacerbates an already busy intersection with 47th Street. Dr. Brekke elaborated, mentioning, “We’re on a very tricky intersection. [BOYCP’s] corner is one alderman; the other side is another alderman. We’re in the middle, and we’ve been asking for a few years for something simple: a left turn lane arrow.”

Taking everything into consideration, our school community remains committed to building upon the foundation of a sound learning environment. Although the aspects that our student body could improve on receive the most attention, BOYCP still has time to grow as a school that fosters respect and accountability for everyone who walks through our halls. In Dr. Brekke’s words, “We still have good young people here, we probably have to provide a lot more social-emotional learning in our curriculum to be able to help students reacclimate and to learn what it means to go to school here, in this place. Despite these issues, it’s still a special place. We’re different from other high schools, and there are other high schools that are striving to [adopt] parts of what we do.” Let’s do our part to keep our school community the best it can be.

Photo courtesy of Cristian Martinez

Honest Advice on College Applications

Cristian Martinez | November 10, 2021 | Opinion

Close to home or starting a new life hours away? Anonymity or intimacy? This loan or that loan? Any student can agree that the application process can become stressful despite the excitement. But it doesn’t have to be. Punctuality, preparation, and researching now can save you hours of frustration and burnout during an already crucial senior year.

Freshman and sophomore students should not wait until junior year to begin gathering their thoughts about college! Researching types of colleges, attending information sessions, and asking teachers and other trusted adults about where they went to college can help you have a much better idea of where you want to go by the time college mail begins arriving in earnest. Talking with people who work in a field you are interested in as a career can also help, making mentorship programs and career-oriented extracurriculars a worthwhile investment.

There are many types of college applications (some of which actually have scholarships embedded into them), but some of the most prominent are the Common Application (Common App), the Coalition Application, the Posse Scholarship, and the QuestBridge Application. Ms. Cox, the IB Coordinator at BOYCP, mentioned that, out of these choices, the Common App and Coalition Application are the most similar, but for one main difference: “The Coalition App is technically a group of schools that give more significant financial aid than other schools do...versus Common App, which has everything.” Common App is by far the most used application at BOYCP, which Ms. Cox attributes to the ease of completing it; Common App can link with students’ Naviance accounts, which allows easier submission of letters of recommendation and other documents.

QuestBridge and Posse are unique in that they have scholarships to partner colleges built in as an integral part of the application. The two programs also provide students with on-campus communities at each partner college consisting of fellow program members. However, Ms. Cox pointed out that “QuestBridge is a full ride scholarship, versus Posse, which technically only covers the tuition.” However, it must be clarified that QuestBridge and Posse both have unique selection processes and criteria, unlike the Common App and Coalition App. QuestBridge and Posse are consequently very competitive, and not every student would be advised to pursue these paths. “I would say that, for QuestBridge, you should be in the top 10% of your class at least and have some of the highest SAT scores, or above an 1100 at least, to attempt to do the QuestBridge application,” Ms. Cox elaborated. As for Posse, Ms. Cox explained that it often looks for “outgoing students” who can ignite conversation with anyone and demonstrate “leadership ability.” Students can be nominated for Posse as early as the second semester of junior year, and juniors can also apply to the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars program in February and March of junior year.

The best thing you can do ahead of time to prepare for college applications is to begin making yourself a formidable candidate. Joining extracurriculars and sports teams demonstrates responsibility, leadership, and a cooperative ability as well as good communication and time management skills. Seeking the most challenging courses possible while maintaining good grades also helps, as does practicing for standardized tests early on. College admissions officers will naturally gravitate more towards students who demonstrate good qualities, a variety of interests and activities outside of the classroom, and good academic performance.

At the end of the day, a student can only thrive in the college application process if they avoid a few common but damaging mistakes. Ms. Cox specifically cautions students against “1) underestimating their abilities and the types of schools they’re eligible for, and 2) not spending enough time on their essays, because those are big components.” After all, giving yourself sufficient self-care and self-love during the application process, in addition to being honest and emotionally mature when writing responses, can make the process somewhat therapeutic and keep stress and anxiety at bay.

Whether you haven’t started your college search just yet, or if you are looking for another school to consider, here are some often overlooked schools that Ms. Cox believes Bobcats should consider. You might just end up finding your dream school amongst these!

Case Western Reserve University
Davidson College
Denison University
Grinnell College
Macalester College
Oberlin College

Photo courtesy of the International Baccalaureate Organization

DP/CP: What's The Difference?

Sophia Sosa | November 10, 2021 | Opinion

If you're a sophomore, you have probably heard about “DP” and “CP” classes and might not know or understand what they mean yet. Well, in short, they are both 2-year academic pathways within BOYCP that help you prepare for college.

Firstly, in the Career Program, students can choose one of several tracks: broadcasting, digital media, engineering, and, starting next year, law. In broadcasting, students learn how to use a camera, Adobe Premiere (what professional movie and TV editors use), script writing, and news anchoring for Bobcat news! It's divided into two teams, and each team's producer is in charge of a certain episode. In engineering, students learn 3D design and printing, product design & manufacturing, and circuits/Arduino based devices. Students also experience working for real-world clients and pitching products. Lastly, in digital media, students learn about photography and graphic design, completing projects like magazine layouts, t-shirt designs, and portrait photography. After completing these tracks, students graduate with a portfolio, resume, and, for some tracks, certification for a service or software. BOYCP’s IB Coordinator, Ms. Cox, noted that “CP is great for students who want career exposure or are interested in any of the pathways we offer...If you're interested in any of the pathways, I very much encourage you to apply to them as applications roll out in December - especially if you're intrigued enough to pursue Digital Media, Broadcast, or Engineering in the future!”

Next is the Diploma Programme. Unlike the CP program, the DP is less career-oriented and more academic and conceptual through course offerings like English Literature, History, Visual Arts, Dance, Global Politics, Biology, and, new this year, Psychology. The DP is more rigorous than the CP, but it can be worth it; students can earn college credits from earning certain scores in standard level and higher level courses, allowing them to graduate from college faster. With regards to why students should consider DP, Ms. Cox explained that “DP is important if you want full college exposure - to know what you're up against and to have the opportunity to earn lots of credits that will hopefully transfer over to your future college & university - potentially saving you a lot of money!”

Photo courtesy of Lisbeth Cortes

Are IDs Really Worth It?

Emely Alvarez | November 10, 2021 | Opinion

Another unpredictable journey of traveling to high school. Supplies, homework, and stress are good to go when you catch a glimpse of the maroon lanyard attached to your identification hanging on the back of your door. You know the drill: bring your ID every day or risk spending two bucks daily. Oh no, you damaged or misplaced it? Five dollars is the cost.

IDs have been a thing since the school opened. IDs are things schools all across the country have and use for many different purposes. People who you don’t recognize can be identified and you know that they are a student, not an incognito person. Another use for IDs is to remind yourself in case you forget your schedule, and you can check out books at the Media Center.

Five remarkable pupils from the student body make their way to the stage to report their opinions on this topic. One of the students, Eduardo Quinones, stated, “I don’t mind. I see the reason why and I get it’s important so I don't really mind it. I like that it has our schedule on the back.”

Two students, sophomore Caroline Medrano and freshman Amy Romero, are slightly on the opposite side of the radar. Caroline said, “It’s okay, but it would be great if teachers stop bugging literally every second to have them on.”Amy asserted that “they should remove the picture from the ID.”

Another student, Dayanara Robles, doesn’t find the idea very fulfilling. “I think they’re really dumb and I don’t find the point of it. I find it dull that you have to pay extra if you [mislocate] it, and the school security is already enough. Not to point out that it adds stress trying to find it every day.” Robles opinionated.

Another student, Martin Cervantes, stated, “I’m okay with wearing an ID. I don’t have to have lots of sets of uniforms, and I just have to wear a lanyard with what I would normally wear. Plus, I can tell who people are by their IDs if I’m unsure.”

To sum it up, there isn’t a single position everyone could agree on. One thing’s certain; the IDs are here to stay.

Photo courtesy of Erika Martinez

The Maroon Tastes Tamales From The Yards

Uriel Reyes | November 10, 2021 | Opinion

Throughout the neighborhood, there are many stores selling various products, ranging from clothes to home supplies, and one where there is always competition is food. Food is one topic always being discussed about, with examples being how people debate which restaurant has the better tasting food. Recently, after a few talks, members of our newspaper pitched in and purchased tamales from a handful of vendors to taste and compare which seller has the best tamales.

The tamales that were brought in for the taste test were from Rosa’s Tamales, El Milagro, the lady by El Guero, Manolo’s Tamales, Gordo’s Tamales and Guapo Taco. For two dozen tamales, Rosa’s charges $30, El Milagro charges $36, the lady by El Guero charges $42, Manolo’s charges $34, Gordo’s charges $36, and Guapo Taco charges $36. When it was time for the taste testing, we placed the tamales from each vendor on different tables, and each table was labeled with a different letter. The only people who knew where the tamales were the members who went out and bought the tamales themselves. They made sure not to tell anyone else where the tamales were bought from. This was done to make sure the votes for best tamales were fair and to avoid any possible bias.

After counting all the votes, the results concluded: Guapo Taco's Tamales ranked first, Rosa’s Tamales ranked second, El Milagro's Tamales ranked third, Gordo’s Tamales ranked fourth, Manolo's Tamales ranked fifth and the tamales from the lady by El Guero ranked sixth.

Some of the critical reviews from the members explained how the texture of one of the tamal groups was hard, and another was better, but not balanced since the tamales broke apart very easily. Other reviews were how another tamal group was good, but a bit too salty, and another tasting like it was leftovers from the previous weekend.

As for more positive reviews, members talked about how good one group of tamales tasted and how another had just the right amount of spiciness that didn't overpower the entire tamal.

Like many reviews, it’s not the end all be all, and there may or may not have been factors which affected our decision, such as how we purchased on a weekday compared to the weekend where tamales are usually bought the most as well as not having more taste testers due to it just being our limited group.

Of course, this is just our ranking of these six tamale vendors and if your rankings differ from ours, we respect that. Moreover, feel free to try tamales from these vendors to your own liking, since everyone has a different taste in food. If you wish for us to taste test another type of food, feel free to let us know so we can plan accordingly. Until then, we hope you enjoyed our tamale taste test results!

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