Palos Hills
EDUCATION
Beloved high school band director retires after 33-year career
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) – Saying goodbye to a job you love is never easy, and that was the case for one beloved teacher who made the tough decision to leave behind generations of students who said there's no one like him.Chris Pitlik, or Mr. P, is the band director at Shepard High School in Palos Heights, and one of Chicago's Hidden Gems. But when CBS 2 recently visited, it was on a sad note as the band got ready for Mr. P's last concert, just hours before he'd put down his baton and retire.Reporter: "If you had to pick...
Disruptions at University of Chicago graduation as school withholds 4 diplomas over protests
CHICAGO (AP) — Dozens of students protesting the war in Gaza walked out of the University of Chicago’s commencement Saturday as the school withheld the diplomas of four seniors over their involvement with a pro-Palestinian encampment. The disruption to the rainy two-hour outdoor ceremony was brief, with shouts, boos and calls to “Stop Genocide.” A crowd of students walked out between speeches, and a demonstration followed the official ceremony. Some chanted as they held Palestinian flags, while others donned traditional kaffiyeh, black and white checkered scarves that represent Palestinian solidarity, over their robes. Four graduating seniors, including Youssef Haweh, were informed by email in recent days that their degrees would be withheld pending a disciplinary process related to complaints about the encampment, according to student group UChicago United for Palestine. “My diploma doesn’t matter when there are people in Palestine and in Gaza that will never walk a stage again, who will never receive a diploma. What about them? Who’s going to fight for them?” Haweh said in a Saturday statement.
UChicago faculty, seniors address alleged withholding of degrees over Gaza protest
University of Chicago faculty and graduating seniors held a news conference Friday morning to discuss four seniors whose degrees are allegedly being withheld due to a university disciplinary process.
4 UChicago students denied diplomas pending disciplinary process after protests
CHICAGO — The University of Chicago is facing criticism for its disciplinary response to the campus protests against the war in Gaza. It is commencement weekend and at least four graduating students said their degress are being withheld pending the university’s disciplinary process. At a press conference Friday, one of those graduating seniors threw his robe […]
CPS budget shifts funds to neediest schools
Next year's Chicago Public Schools budget proposes staff cuts in 150 schools while adding employees to other, mostly small, high-poverty schools.Why it matters: The plan, released this week, reflects Mayor Brandon Johnson's signature promise to create more equity among district schools.The big picture: Despite CPS' predicted $400 million deficit next year, the budget largely maintains previous spending levels through cuts at the central office level.Yes, but: That money will be distributed under a new formula.While each school gets a base level of staffing, additional money will be determined by student needs rather than just enrollment numbers, officials say.The intrigue: Though...
South Side middle school students get an interactive guided tour of a historic recording studio
A couple dozen students took the stage in the 35th Street Studios in McKinley Park, several of whom hopped on the mic during an interactive tour. The tour included information from the pros on pathways available for a career in the music industry.
Letters saying kids had won seats at selective Chicago preschools sent by mistake
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Around 100 families said they were overjoyed to find out their kids were accepted into highly-competitive Chicago Public Schools preschool programs.But they were only to learn later that the offers were sent by mistake.Leslie and Tim Arnold applied for their daughter to attend preschool at CPS' Drummond Montessori Magnet School in Bucktown."We had applied, and Drummond was our first choice," said Leslie Arnold.Drummond Montessori, 1845 W. Cortland St., was described by the Chicago Tribune in 2008 as "harder to get into than Harvard."Families are enrolled in the coveted school through a lottery system."We'd received a notification that...
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