Whitney Young Weekly - June 5, 2022

J U N E 5 , 2 0 2 2

Congratulations to the Whitney Young Class of 2022! You are well-prepared for college and we wish you nothing but success in the future. We know that you will make us proud as alumni throughout the world!

Has it been decided yet whether this year’s eighth graders will have a mixed advisory with the incoming freshmen in the 2022-2023 school year?

Next year we will continue with our current advisory format. Students from other Academic Centers across the city will be assigned to a current Academic Center advisory.

A former student of Whitney Young allegedly returned with backlash and a message. He was bullied at his time here at Whitney Young, and decided to delete the Whitney Young Discord server. While this was not a good choice, it was met with some things that I don't think should represent Whitney Young. Students from this school doxxed him, sent him death threats, and spoke negatively about the LGBTQ+ and colored communities. In light of this controversy, I want to ask if you know about this and what you'd like to say about it.

Unfortunately, I do not have any knowledge of this. However, I feel strongly everyone has the right to be who they are and respected as an individual! Please know if the police were to get involved with any person sending death threats, it is a strong possibility you will be prosecuted. Further, why speak negatively about the LGBTQ community or anyone of color? I believe if you ask yourself truthfully about why the negative thoughts, you probably don't have a solid reason for the position you have taken. I am hopeful everyone will reflect on the recent shootings in Buffalo and Texas. Twenty-nine people (including children) have lost their lives. If it was your mother, father, sister, or brother how would you feel? I would ask everyone reading this - if you don't have anything positive to stay please just be quiet! Let us strive for a more peaceful existence and be accepting of all differences!

Is the Whitney store open year round to purchase t-shirts, sweatshirts; hats and the like? Can I buy online? If so, what’s the link?

Yes. If the school is open you can buy items. To purchase item is online, you can go to wyoung.org. At the top click on the school store and you can purchase items.

It is extremely hot in many classrooms, especially as the temperature is rising. Is there a way to ensure that there will be air conditioning in all classrooms during school so students and staff can be accommodated?

Our school engineers are working on this problem. I believe most of the units are now fixed. Most classrooms should have air. If not, please have your teacher notify the Main Office/Engineers Office immediately.

Can we implement graduation chords/tassels? I think it will help raise school spirit and involvement as well as show appreciation for students that excel academically.

Once you experience a Whitney Young graduation you will understand why we have implemented specific standards. The only chords that will be allowed are the ones that will be worn by our National Honor Society members. Seniors will not be allowed to decorate their caps. These policies are in place for uniformity amongst our graduates. Parents please know gym shoes (regardless of their value) will not be allowed.

An Academic Center coach was not dedicated to the job. This is very demotivating to our kids and to us parents. Is there anything can be done this year?

This is the first I am hearing of this. If there ever is a concern please let administration know asap. Hopefully we will resolve any issues that you may have.

Whitney Young HS Covid-19 Data

Note: Free weekly Covid testing takes place every Tuesday during lunch periods in room 104. Students 17 years old or younger must be signed up by a parent/guardian using this link: https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=tf-you-609755-students. At this time, parents need to sign up their student just ONE TIME for their student to be in the system for these weekly Covid tests. Students who are 18 years old may sign up without a parent/guardian.

As of 6/5/22; Source: https://www.cps.edu/services-and-supports/covid-19-resources/covid-19-readiness-data/

School-wide Days of Service

All students in grades 7, 9, 10, and 11 will participate in three School-wide Days of Service on June 10, 13, and 14. Students will first go to their advisory for attendance. After that, students are able to help teachers and staff get ready for summer and fall. Students can earn service learning hours for their help. Students should speak with their teachers to see where their help is needed. The bell schedule for all three Days of Service are as follows:

Friday, June 10 | Monday, June 13 | Tuesday, June 14:

8:00 AM - 8:15 AM -- Advisory (to take attendance)

8:15 AM - 1:00 AM -- School-wide Day of Service

Summer School: Students who have failed a class that is required for graduation should attend summer school. This year, all students enrolled in summer school are required to attend class in person during one of the sessions below.

Dates: July 6th - July 29th (Monday - Friday)

AM Session: 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

PM Session: Noon to 3:30 p.m.

If you need to attend summer school, please fill out the attached form or meet with your counselor by June 10th. For a list of sites and class offerings click here.

Counselor Availability Over Summer: Please check this schedule for counselor availability this summer.

Juniors: Reminder to attend College Boot Camp this summer!

Your counselors want to help you start college applications before the school year is in full swing. We will help you complete your Common Application, sync it with Naviance, request teacher letters on Naviance, discuss when and how to request transcripts...lots of helpful stuff.

Here is the schedule:

Barnes | Divisions 313/332 | 8/10 | 8:30am-11:30am or 12pm-3pm

Brownridge 311/321 8/2 12pm-3pm or 8/8 9am-12pm

Edwards 331 8/2 8:30-11:30am, 312 8/2 12-3pm

Howard 323/333 8/3 9AM - 12PM or 12:30 PM - 3:30PM

Jimenez 314/324 8/8 8:30-11:30am or 12-3pm

Martinez-Quintero 322/334 8/9 9am-12pm or 12:30pm-3:30pm

Melton 341 8/2 8:30-11:30am

Nicholson 342/343 8/9 9am-12pm or 12:30pm-3:30pm

You do not need to sign up. Just add the date and time to your calendar and join us. It is free. Email your counselor with any questions.

Weekly Over Summer Break

This is the final Whitney Young Weekly for 2021-2022 school year. We will not send a weekly newsletter during summer break. Please be on the lookout for email updates periodically with important information for the 2022-2023 school year. We wish you a restful summer break and we look forward to seeing you Monday, August 22 for the first day of school!

To The Class Of 2022 and Their Parents

Many graduates like to receive information about Whitney Young after they graduate. You and your parents/guardians will continue to receive the Whitney Young Weekly unless you unsubscribe from these emails at the bottom of this page. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Powerlifting Team

Last weekend, the powerlifting team competed at the IHSPLA state meet. Whitney Young had 5 lifters. Two Dolphins tied for first place at state in the 148 weight class (Idden Tsai and Eric Chen). As well as a second place finish in 198 from Babanifesimi Opadele. Congratulations!

Early Bird Ticket Price Ends June 15

Get your tickets now for the Dr. Joyce Kenner Retirement Celebration & Roast! Help us wish her well as she heads off to retirement! Spend the evening with Dr. Kenner and many others and enjoy great food, open bar, dancing and lots of laughter as friends and colleagues roast our favorite principal! Click here to buy tickets before the price goes up!

Summer Camp Savings

It's not too late to sign up for Camp Galileo! Families can now save up to $350 when they enroll for up to 3 weeks! Use code SUMMER SPLASH and save $100 off one week of camp, $225 off two weeks of camp, and $350 off three weeks of camp! Camp Galileo runs from June 27th-August 5th. Learn more about their programming and enroll at https://galileo-camps.com/

News from the Principal Selection Committee

The LSC has recently formed a Principal Selection Committee that will be responsible for executing the CPS process to search for and hire a new Principal. Every member of the LSC was trained on the CPS Principal Selection Process by the CPS Office of LSC Relations. The Principal Selection Committee is currently drafting the Principal Job Posting to be published in the next few weeks. The next immediate steps will be to evaluate all of the submitted resumes and schedule 1st round interviews with potential candidates.

Be on the lookout for special Principal Selection Committee editions of the Whitney Young Weekly to drop throughout the summer for the latest news on the Principal Search. Questions, comments? Email us at WYPrincipalSelection@gmail.com.

Homecoming Theme Vote

Hey Dolphins! To vote for your next Homecoming theme click here and choose a theme that you would want to see.

College Campus Visits

This year the Counseling Department planned 5 different field trips to take students on college campus visits. We took students to University of Illinois - Chicago, University of Chicago, Loyola University - Chicago, and University of Wisconsin - Madison. We also traveled to Washington University in St. Louis and visited Illinois State University on our way there. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us! We hope to continue with more college visits next school year!

AP Equity Student Survey

The AP and Equity subgroup of the DEI committee is surveying all students who took an AP class. This information will be used to create an informative guide for students interested in AP courses. This is your opportunity to provide information about your personal experience in each of your AP courses. Use the link provided to access the survey. It should only take 5-10 mins to complete. Please click here to access the survey.

All-Conference, All-Sectional Award

Please congratulate Sophia Huh and her achievements in Girls Lacrosse and being selected to the 2022 All-conference and All-Sectional teams. Sophia will be participating in the 2022 Illinois Senior All-Star game on June 7th.

NJHS Invitation for 8th and 9th Graders

NJHS invitations will be sent via CPS email to qualifying 8th and 9th grade students by Tuesday, June 7th. Information and application details will be shared with invitees. Minimum requirements for invitation include a 3.75 unweighted grade point average, good attendance, and no discipline record. Students must fulfill all application requirements to be considered for membership.

Looking for Host Families for 2022-2023

Whitney Young has had classmates come through the AFS Intercultural Exchange program from countries including Japan, Thailand, Albania, Italy, Pakistan, Portugal, China and many other places around the world. This year Francisco from Spain and Tineke from Germany became Dolphins. They return to their home countries in a few weeks with stories about attending Whitney Young and living in Chicago. We wish them safe passage home and thank them for their contributions to our community.

Now it's time to think about new students arriving in the Fall. If your family is interested in hosting, visit afsusa.org/host to meet the students and learn more. Contact our school representative, viccirodgersafs@gmail.com or Ms. Turner rturner18@cps.edu, our WY exchange student coordinator for the new school year. You also can learn about amazing opportunities to study abroad as foreign exchange student.