Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School 2111 W. 47th St. Chicago, IL 60609 Volume 3 - Issue 10 May 2018

Taking Aim at Future GloryNews

Culture & Lifestyle

Sports

Student created cranes offer a chance to remember the WWII Holocaust.

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Senior Damien Barlowe signs his intent to play for Elmhurst College.

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Family culture breeds winning culture.

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Aimee LopezBobcat baseball overcome a turbulent season and went into the IHSA tournament aiming to leave a lasting mark . Unfortunately this team came up just short, but they are content knowing that next year will bring a new opportunity for underclassman to represent our school.

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After the exceptional performance of Hamilton,

BOYCP’s choir decided to perform once more with even bigger goals in mind. Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 was an incredible performance as the experience was magnificent and the growth of the students was evident. There were many interactions between the crowd and the actors, which further made the experience immersive.

To ensure that choir would hold an amazing performance, auditions were held with specific traits in mind for each role. Mr. Morrow states, “characters were assigned based on the students’ ability to let go of themselves and lose themselves in the show. Once we see the commitment level in the student, we decide the best fit for them based on everything from vocal range and style to personality and acting ability.” The actors seemed to feel at home with their parts, and their voices suited the characters they were playing.

Once roles were cast, there were rehearsals held to ensure that everyone was performing to their fullest. To keep the actors motivated Mr. Morrow decided to accomplish large tasks weekly, “actors are staying motivated because they are seeing progress. Each rehearsal, each week, something big and meaningful gets done. There is a real sense of familiarity and camaraderie this year that has been contagious.” The cast for Natasha, Pierre and The Comet of 1812 was in high spirits for this performance and their work ethic reflected this. The familiarity of the cast only made a stronger bond and better performance overall, together they were able to overcome difficult tasks and work on choreography present. Being able to dance, act, and sing goes to show how talented BOYCP’s choir really is.

Mr. Morrow states how the cast worked as much as they could before the event, “students are putting hours in and outside of school, sitting on the bus listening to tracks and memorizing them. Working in the classroom during the school day on everything from

full chorus harmonies to miniature mannerisms and inflections by the characters.” The level of commitment from the cast can be seen from the performances given, the choir has definitely grown and seems to be moving onto more challenging performances.

Interactive performances from the cast were unexpected and certainly made for memories that will not be forgotten by the lucky few audience members. Some interactions were sweet while others were frightening, some were humorous. The shifts in lighting and singing made for wonderful atmospheric changes to the stage. The power and passion of the actors could be heard throughout the entire duration of the musical.

News

The Great Comet of 1812By Eleazar Martinez

All pictures by Sandra Diaz and Angeles Munoz

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“Treat Yourself” Pop-Up ClinicBy Liliana Leon

The Mikva Challenge Teen Health Council conducts research to improve

city-wide health policies, and its members lead decision-making meetings with health professionals.

With an aim to improve youth well-being, the council focuses on providing access to accurate mental and sexual health information. As youths themselves, these high school students understand the importance of knowing their rights. Being informed can help today’s youth make safe and thoughtful decisions. Ultimately, the Teen Health Council wants teenagers to know all of the options and resources available to them.

To offer beneficial health resources to Chicago youth, the “Treat Yourself” Pop-up Clinic is being piloted at BOYCP on the 31st of May during 5th and 6th lunch periods for the sophomores and juniors. The event will happen in the hallway outside of the lunchroom, so that students can stop by to talk with different Mikva health partners. Organizations attending the event include Planned Parenthood and the Chicago Department of Public Health,

and each representative is dedicated to providing students with information about the services they offer. Some topics that will be covered are stress management, having safe sex, and balancing a healthy diet.

Additionally, this event aims to show youth the services offered inside of the school. Through the informational pop-up clinic, students can educate others and become health advocates whom their peers can talk to if they feel uncomfortable discussing their situation with an adult.

At times, the lack of accessibility to particular resources could prevent people from seeking out the help they need. Therefore, the young, bright-minded individuals have taken matters into their own hands to provide their peers with mental and sexual health resources. Self-care is an important aspect of daily life, and once

people find their balance, they can enjoy life with those they care about most.

World War II ended on May 7, 1945, and with it came the end of the Nazi regime who was culpable of a large-scale

genocide against multiple groups of people, especially targeting Jewish people, but this estimate included homosexuals, people with disabilities, Polish people, and Afro-Germans.

The word “genocide” was not coined until 1944 by Raphael Lemkin. The United Nations was able to put a name to what the Nazis had done and created the appropriate laws in 1946 and 1948 that would allow them to prosecute the participants of this genocide.

Nevertheless, after the term originated and laws were made, genocides continued to occur. Since 1948, the Rwandan genocide occurred without the U.N. or another party successfully intervening using existing laws. Politics, money, and alliances were placed before attempting to halt the murders of countless people in these genocides.

This year, a group of BOYCP juniors took it upon themselves to foment conversations about these atrocities using a display of paper cranes in hopes that their generation will acknowledge that the Holocaust may have ended, but its importance will remain. As stated by Melissa Hernandez, a member of the group, “Now more than ever people are paying

attention to discrimination and hate crimes that are happening around the world, but aside from creating consciousness, we hope to encourage people to be more accepting and more willing to be a part of that positive change they want to see in the world.”

The display of 1,006 paper cranes will be shown all of May, but the group is realistic about their display, stating that commemorating the end of hatred should not be something done once an year, rather it should be what we learn from to form lessons that last a lifetime and positively impact those around us.

Holocaust RemembranceBy Nanci Lopez

Angeles Munoz

4 Culture & lifestyle

The idea to found the Sputnik Coffee Company was hatched by long-

time friends and Chicagoans, Vova and Greesha Kagan, Diarmuid Horan, and Michael Royman, in the walks they had to and from the train station when they had office jobs. In Russian, Sputnik means “travel companion” and the coffee shop name came from the fact that customers would buy up to eight bags of coffee and ship them outside the U.S. to family as gifts when they first started producing coffee. Vova stated that when they found this out they realized that they wanted their bag of coffee to be a travel companion and a friend for people from all walks of life. Since their opening in April, they have provided locals with fresh, affordable coffee and pastries ranging from donuts with homemade raspberry jest filling to jamon con queso croissants. In the future, they hope to continue creating a simple menu that

contains fun drinks that will rotate every month. Currently, they are working on summer drinks, including espresso shots over ice cream and foamed milk to pour over espresso on ice. Aside from the menu options, they provide a space for members of the community to enjoy a cup of coffee while doing work or talking to a friend. Sputnik’s owners have recently teamed with Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council and One Summer Chicago to provide a lucky individual the opportunity to spend the summer working at Sputnik, learning the coffee-making process as well as learning management skills that they can take with them no matter what career they end up choosing in the future. These entrepreneurs hope to build relationships with locals with a caring atmosphere and passion for coffee. This is customer service and for the betterment of our community.

Color on the Big ScreenBy Marlen Gongora

Sputnik Launches in 2018

The world of Hollywood has played a huge role in all of our lives. Hollywood is an outlet for artists to express and create a

variety of worlds and characters in both film and television. This form of entertainment greatly impacts the lives of adults and youth by providing people with something to look up to or by influencing their interests and personal opinions. Throughout the years, Hollywood has had one recurring problem: cultural diversity. Despite its praise and popularity within all people, regardless of ethnicity, Hollywood still lacks the representation of people of color. According to PBS, in 2014, 73.1% of film actors were White and the remaining 26.9% were people of color, and filmmakers had no progress in portraying people of color between 2007-2014. Despite new arrivals of more diverse films, such as Coco and Black Panther, the diversity in Hollywood remains the same, leaving us to wonder: why is cultural diversity so important? BOYCP filmmakers have recently taken a field trip to meet the film director of many Latino films including Selena, Gregory Nava. Nava talked to the students about certain techniques used in his

filmmaking, why he chose them, and the importance of their voice in Hollywood as minorities. According to Giovanna Hernandez, a BOYCP junior, “Nava talked about how it is crucial for young Latinos to be in Hollywood because the stories that we, as a culture, experience cannot be told by another person that isn’t or hasn’t been through the same struggles as we Brown people have.” It is important to include the minority voice in Hollywood because without it, people of color will not be accurately represented and will continue to be portrayed as a common stereotype, such as a thug or a maid. Hollywood is a major source of influence, and if

minority groups continue to be shown in a negative light, society will continue to treat them in a similar manner. With more cultural diversity in Hollywood, cultures will be more accurately represented, giving people of color hope of becoming more than the common stereotype. “I think that with movies like Coco and Black Panther, young kids that are growing up can say: I want to be just like that actor or actress. He or she looks like me and if they can do it so can I,” stated Hernandez.

By Nanci Lopez

Seniors Sign National Letters of Intent

This year three inspirational senior Varsity Football players each signed a National

Letter of Intent to continue their athletic career at the college level. Jeremiah Harris signed for McKendree University, Jakhari Johnson for Quincy University and Damione Barlowe for Elmhurst College. “Damione embodies everything you would want in a student athlete. He is disciplined, hardworking, kind and his leadership qualities are exceptional. I’m confident Damione will do great things at Elmhurst College both on and off the field,” Varsity Football Coach Murphy stated of Barlowe.

Bianca Jones

Aaliyah Stottlmyer

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The concept of “trying out” is used to make sure that

the process of picking the right person for a team is fair. An individual must show that he or she has the proper skills in order to gain a spot on the team and can help in the future success of the team. Although tryouts seem to work and avoid the risk of bias during player selection, this is not always the case. As seen at BOYCP and even in larger scale platforms, tryouts are not always honored as some individuals are allowed to join a team without participating in the official tryout process. Automatic additions to a group are also relevant with auditions for entertainment productions. In these situations, it becomes difficult to continue trusting the tryout or audition process.

But is it considered wrong to allow individuals to join a team without trying out for something? For many who believe in a fairly ordered system, the answer would be yes. Students work hard during tryouts, and some would find it unfair for others to skip tryouts yet make it onto the team. However, there are also circumstances in which a person can be exempt from missing a tryout. According to BOYCP senior Kelvin Valentin, “...if there is a family emergency and a committed student-athlete was not able to attend tryouts, then try should be given a chance to practice or show the coach what he/she has to offer the team.” Therefore, it is important to understand that there is always more than what meets the eye.

As several athletes and musicians may know, tryouts can be extremely nerve-racking and even disappointing if they unable to make the cut. But without tryouts, teams would be extremely large,

reducing the playing time of all members. Therefore, tryouts provide a way to have a team with members who have the skills and are willing to commit towards pushing the team forward.

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Starbucks Taking ActionBy Dallese Hunt

The Ethics of Trying Out

On the 29th of May, Starbucks will close its 8,000 company-owned stores in the United States for one afternoon to educate

employees on racial bias. On Thursday April 12, 2018, two men walked into a Starbucks in Philadelphia and asked to use the bathroom. An employee told them that to use the bathroom they would have to be a paying customer. Then, as the men chose to sit in the store without ordering anything, the manager called the police, and the men were arrested for trespassing. Currently, that manager is no longer working at that store. The Philadelphia police department released a recording of the call from the Starbucks employee that led to the arrests. In the recording, the woman said, “Hi, I have two gentlemen in my café that are refusing to make a purchase or leave.” Including this recording are people who chose to disagree and share their opinions while some choose to sit and watch. A Facebook video taken at a Starbucks in California shows a black customer saying that he was not allowed to use the bathroom when a white customer was. That story was taken into consideration and will be used to inform nearly 175,000 employees across the country about racial-bias in the hopes of preventing discrimination

in their stores. Many people are still discriminated for their race. Many also think that this is something we should work to solve. This discrimination happened to occur in one of the most famous cafés in the world, a place loved by millions. Think of this though, if this incident had never happened, would we still be worried about racial-bias? Has Starbucks caused us to reexamine the issue? I know that that living in Chicago, many people are still discriminated agsinst and I’m pretty sure it will take a while for everyone to accept each other fully. I also wonder why this is only being talked about in Starbucks? I want everyone to ask that question. Where else have you experienced this issue? We are all to aware that discrimation happens on a daily basis, and many of us are searching for ways to effectively deal with it. In my opinion, it will be difficult to re-educate many people about not only this issue. I also don’t want it to be a waste of time. I do believe the Starbucks employees have handled this situation incorrectly but also believe that if this had never occurred, people wouldn’t have been as aware of what is happening in places of business all around us. Now I ask you- what do you have to say about it? What will you do about it?

By Jaqueline Almaraz

Sandra Diaz

6 OpiNiON

Holidays are times of celebration, some of which

are federally recognized like the 4th of July and Thanksgiving. While others we have adopted as a society, such as Easter and Valentine’s Day. Gathering a lot of people in a country to recognize and participate in a holiday is difficult on its own; now imagine accomplishing that but worldwide. Well, conspiracy theories have accomplished this year after year with the annual End of the World event. The End of the World is one humanities longest ongoing occurrences with some dating back to 300 AD when French Bishop Hilary of Poitiers announced the alleged birth of the Antichrist and set a due date of the year 365 for humanity. Or in 1533 when monk mathematician Michael Stifel announced he

had mathematically calculated the end of the world for 8 am on October 19, 1533, according to the Digital Dying blog. More commonly known is the iconic Y2K on New Year’s Day in 2000 when all technology was predicted to fail and lead to the demise of humanity. The year of 2018 has been no exception either after the April 18th date went viral after the circulation of a conspiracy theory circulated regarding a strange voicemail followed by the death of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. In all, what do these dates have it common? None of the predictions ever came true. Regardless of how ludicrous the story behind the hoax may be, it still manages to pry into one of humanity’s biggest fears: death. It is remarkable,

the way in which fear can overpower people’s logic and blind them with the reality of all these dates being hoaxes. The only thing these predictions accomplish is spreading unreasonable and unneeded fear within the community. There is no reason to fear these hoaxes, past predicted dates have come

and passed just like the future one will. No one knows or can predict when the last day of existence will be, why live in fear? Although these theories appear bizarre to those who do not believe, the annual End of the World event will continued to be celebrated in all its glory and mysterious speculations.

Have you ever started to lose interest in your

academic career as if everyday is the same because you talk to the same people, walk down the same hallways, and enter the same classrooms? Spending four years in high school can become tiresome, especially during your senior year as the finish line rapidly approaches.

With all AP and IB testing completed, it is difficult to stay interested when many students, and even teachers, are ready to enjoy the summer. But for those who have finals coming up, it is important to pay attention in class and stay alert, but there are many students who feel that same disinterest. Especially for the current and soon-to-

be seniors, they may experience this decline in motivation more often since they have spent more time in high school than other grade levels. It is common for students to get

tired throughout high school, and this is called senioritis.

So how does it begin? Well, when students no longer find joy attending classes during the weekdays, they might begin to think that the classes they are attending will not matter in the long run of their career goals. These feelings often times occur during the middle or the end of senior year of high school. Similarly, as senior student Qilin Wu stated, “Some students begin to lose motivation in school which affects the senior class’s atmosphere.”

When college applications are completed and senior activities are approaching, students can easily lose

ambitions to focus on their studies. Therefore, senioritis may bring forth unwanted consequences that are difficult to fix. Some of which may result in grades dropping and colleges revoking their acceptances. While seemingly just a stage of laziness, there can be major repercussions to senioritis. Make sure that when taking important IB and AP exams that you do not put off studying. Obtaining college credit is important since you can save money by skipping specific courses and have a smoother transition.

Therefore, senioritis can only harm you in a negative way, so please be more aware of school and your future!

Senioritis: Class of 2018

Annual End of the World Event

By Amy Wu

By Saira Gonzalez

Kevin Quiroz

Mary Chen

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Being on a sports team at BOYCP is like being a

part of a family; everyone depends on each other and no one is excluded. There are high expectations for student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom. To grasp a deeper understanding of why some students join sports, The Maroon set out to understand this familial attitude and

interviewed a freshman student on the BOYCP softball team. Madison Novak has played softball for four years before becoming a part of the BOYCP JV team. She watched her older sister play softball and then became curious about the sport herself. Also, Madison learned how to play from her stepdad who was talented at baseball and was able to transform her

baseball skills to softball. Madison knew the sport was for her when she recognized she was really interested and cared a lot about it. Madison later tried out for the team and made it. When asked how she felt about being a part of the team, Madison responded, “I was nervous at first because it was was a whole team of girls I didn’t know, but soon enough, I actually was super happy about making the team because they have all became my close friends.” As the season goes on, Madison’s feeling of butterflies in her stomach is a funny memory for her as she reflects back on where her journey once began. “I feel now my love for the sport has definitely

grown a lot stronger because I’ve grown as a player with the help of my coaches and my teammates.” Surely being in the team was beneficial and worth it for Madison. She is thankful for the opportunity to play with the best team and best people. A tip from Madison was “try your best and always be a positive teammate”. She wants us to remember that it doesn’t matter if your not the best in the field as long you try your best. Madison made a great decision on joining a boycp sport team, will you?

A Family AffairBy Alvaro Pulido

UPCOMING EVENTSMAY

Aaliyah Stottlemyer

JUNE

Day 1 of Senior Final Exams - ODD periods

5th Annual Fine Arts STEAM Festival4:00 - 7:00pmPerformances begin at 5PM in the theatre

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Senior Prom at the Palmer House Hilton 7-11:59pmBring $10-20 cash for professional portraits!

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Senior GraduationDoors Open @ 9AMCeremony @10AMTickets required

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Senior Luncheon at Navy Pier Cruise$50 Due ASAP!

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The Maroon Staff

Editor-in-Chief: Liliana LeonAssociate Editor: Nanci LopezArt Director: Jazmin Espana MultiMedia Directors: Dhamar Diaz and Juan LopezPhotography Editor: Bianca JonesEditors: Jaqueline Almaraz and Eleazar MartinezWriters: Arturo Ballesteros, Marlen Gongora, Michelle Gongora, Saira Gonzalez, Dallese Hunt, Citlali Perez, Alvaro Pulido, Fernando Soto, and Amy Wu Artist: Kevin QuirozPhotographers: Sandra Diaz, Mary Chen, Aimee Lopez, Angeles Munoz, Darita Higareda and Aaliyah StottlemyerGraphic Designers: Diana Duarte, Vanessa Rogers, Jessica Corona, Arianna Luna, and Selene VitalFaculty Sponsors: Mr. D’Agostino and Mrs. Strentz

Follow us! @TheMaroonBOYCP boycpmaroon BOYCPMaroon

www.boycpmaroon.org

spOrts

Day 2 of Senior Final Exams - EVEN periods1

Senior Graduation Practice in gym

Cross Country Meeting at 3:30pm in Room 333

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Day 1 Final ExamsODD periods12

Senior Graduation Practice in gym

Orchesis Dance Show6pm in the theatre

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Day 2 Final ExamsEVEN periods13Last day of school for students! Have a safe and relaxing summer!

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Aaliyah Stottlemyer

8 spOrts

This season, it seemed as though the baseball team at Back of the Yards

has started off on the wrong foot, but the players’ overall commitment to the sport has managed to pull the team through the tough times. Now, when it comes to competitive sports, like baseball, many people are quick to reduce those sports to nothing more than a ratio of games won to games lost. Such a simple ratio, however, often completely

overlooks and dismisses the several factors that influence the game. It is true that this season the baseball team has lost a few more games that it would have liked, but as sophomore player Jose Muñiz puts it, one major obstacle the team has faced this season is “the Chicagoan weather as it keeps delaying the spring.” Given that baseball is an outdoor sport, the more the crazy cold weather patterns in Chicago persist,

the more the team becomes limited in terms of how much and how effectively it can practice. Less practice usually results in lower in-game performance.Nevertheless, the baseball team has managed to make progress throughout the season, and its victory against Senn High School could not be a greater example of this. “We were more awake and we were encouraging each other… The guys made more plays that required

trust in one another,” Muñiz recalls.And now, even with the teams unfortunate loss in the IHSA Tournament, it is important that the team continues to grow because, as Muñiz shared, “I feel like we can still make it to regionals... if we keep our heads up and get ready for the next ball game.”

As the end of the year is arriving and the spring sports are wrapping up, each

spring sport begins to notice the highlights and efforts that they have put into their sport. The BOYCP water polo teams have big things to look back on. The girls’ water polo team made it to playoffs and the boys’ team was able to improve their record. Although many sports in BOYCP face issues over sharing the gym or fields, both water polo teams are delighted to share the

pool with each other because in doing so, the teams have gotten to know each other well. The girls’ water polo captain, Michelle Martinez, states, “The boys’ and girls’ team have a strong bond because we all have been to each other’s games and if the girls’ team loses, it hurts the boys and the same thing in reverse. It has taught us that the sport isn’t about

the genders, but it’s about the people in the team that make it into a big family.” This bond helped the teams become stronger and better at the game. The boys and girls got to learn and develop different techniques to use on their opponents during the times they practice with each other. The teams have gone

through many rough patches during the season, such as the departure of their old coach and a couple of losses. These moments affected many players and made it hard for both teams to keep their head above water. Eventually, the teams were able to help each other get through these trying times and have a successful season. The teams dedicated themselves to the sport which helped them push through, not only as a team but as a family.

Weathering the Storm

Water Polo: Bond Between Teams By Michelle Gongora

By Arturo Ballesteros

Aimee Lopez

Darita Higareda