Good afternoon, everyone. I'm here for a Sullivan update. Today was "Backwards day", which meant boys dressed like girls and girls dressed like guys. Some of the outfits were real funny while others looked cool.
In other news, there's just been some ordinary goofiness. A couple of fights have broken out, though, mainly who's dating who at Friday's Homecoming Dance (this is Spirit Week, show your Sullivan pride!) in the gym from 7-10pm. (If you're a Sullivan student reading this, if you'd like to go, you've got to purchase the tickets in advance and they are $7.00). No tickets at the door. The dance should be fun. I won't be there for personal reasons, however.
Also, today, I helped one of my teachers promote our Autism program by asking regular kids to sign up for the Friendly Friends (formerly known as Best Buddies) program. There were 5 pages of signatures filled up, but personally (when I was at the table), hardly anybody seemed interested. Oh well. 5 pages worth of signatures is more than enough, anyway. A vote of some sort will be held next Thursday in our room after school to decide who's in the program.
The main point of this update, though, is to talk about a rumor I heard about school uniforms being implemented. It wasn't a staff member or a teacher who related this to me, though. Let's just say a little birde told me. Anyway, personally, I am strongly against school uniforms. As you may know, I just got out of a school a year ago that had a uniform and it sucked (wearing it 4 years and all). And so did most other freshmen and sophomores. Another reason why I'm against the uniform is because, well, people get to wear different clothes and colors, which to me expresses an individual. It's nice to look different every day. A third reason why I'm against school uniforms is because the troublemakers are NOT going to stop being troublemakers, regardless. I could tell who's a troublemaker and who's not regardless of colors. A fourth reason why I'm against it is because many people can't afford all of this stuff. Some people can barely get food on their tables.
I really hope that if or when there's a vote, the school votes against it. This is supposedly going to be brought up at the next LSC meeting next week at the school.
I was told this was proposed in Beat 2432's CAPS meeting last night. The residents want this to tell us apart from other kids. Now, if they feel so strongly about it, the administration could propose something like a mandatory thing where you have to wear your ID on you as you go home and come to school. And have severe consequences if you didn't. But this probably won't work. And If this uniform thing comes into effect, I will be leaving Sullivan faster than you can count quarters and will go to a magnet school or something like that. Elementary school was, and is, the last time I wear a uniform until I get a job, at least.
That's all. I'm out for now.
Update, 10/8/09: Today has been kind of crazy. There's been arguing and fighting going on. I saw a few girls getting arrested around 10 this morning. One girl was real mad, yelling at the arresting officers. Also, a kid threw stuff (I don't know accidently or on purpose) at the kids in my Autism room at lunch. Teachers saw this and told the kid off. They made that kid collect everybody's lunches (when they were done) as a punishment. Lastly, the homecoming football game is occurring right at this minute as I type. Sullivan VS Well @ Winnemac Park. I really hope the team wins. Let's go Sullivan Tigers!
Update: It's 7:15pm. The reports are starting to come in. I got an email from a friend who could only tell me it was a good game. Also, there's some miscommunication between me and the school. The school website says we played Clark-Rowe but I was told that they were playing Wells today. Does anybody know who Sullivan is playing today?
Sullivan High School Homecoming Game:
Rowe-Clark - 12
Sullivan - 30
Update, 10/9/09: I attended the Homecoming Dance tonight after all. It was a total blast. I enjoyed just about every minute of it. One teacher said I danced so hard until he thought my legs were going to fall off, LOL ;). I also danced with some girls. Some people got pretty wild with their dancing, but it was fun. From what I saw, there were no arguments or fights in the gym whatsoever. Everyone had fun. However, there was reports of a fight brewing outside of the school. It was supposed to happen right after the dance let out. The person who took me home, a close friend of my mom's, who happens to work security at another Chicago high school, noticed there was a group arguing. Allegedly, there were also 12 cops in front of the school. As I was leaving (about 15 minutes before the dance let out), I did notice a few kids kind of arguing in a stairwell. I wasn't the only one who left early, though. There were a couple of other kids behind me. So I wasn't the only one who left. But other than that, the dance was great. I will most likely go to next year's as well.
18 comments:
Funny things about uniforms. Some like them, some don't.
I personally don't care for them either, Timmy. We had this discussion with our race team this year, I told the kids they could wear whatever gear they liked. Phil likes colorful, splashy looking gear. Pat's like me, he just wants to be protected and wears a solid colors.
You're so correct. Wearing a uniform isn't going to change the person with-in.
If you ask just about all of the kids at school if they do, you'd probably get no for every answer, LOL.
I know it isn't fun but uniforms are a good idea. I mean a "dress code" is a good idea, I don't think CPS schools can technically have a uniform. Anyway, it cuts down on gangbangers wearing colors, it also is a nice thing for those kids that can't afford to have the designer shirts and what not. Believe it or not a lot of kids get teased and made fun of because of what they can or can't wear. It's also one less thing to worry about or decision to make in the morning.
Although non-conformity is nice, these days differences in priorities show their true colors. The ability to get students to focus on school, not black and red, nor green and red, makes a difference.
Whether it is Air Jordans or the P-Stone Rangers, uniforms can be an equilizer and a comfort.
If you asked me in the seventies about uniforms, I would say, screw it.
With the me generation and the tendency to put classism above class, we don't see Kaftans, we see Fila and gang wannabe-dom trapsing the aisles.
When pants descend to the trim of a pair of boxer shorts, schools need to take control of indecency. A polo and a pair of jeans is a bit less distracting to look at than someone's skid marks!
The last school I went to before Sullivan had an actual uniform. It was a white polo shirt and blue school pants. The reason why we had a uniform was because of high gang violence in the area, but that didn't stop it at all. Gangbangers who went to school there still wore whatever they wanted to, and still caused all the violence they could think of. That led me to believe uniforms don't help anything. So why is it different for Sullivan? And, before anyone says anything, let me make this clear: Sullivan does not have HALF of the gang problems my last school had. It was hell on earth where I attended.
Also, I just started buying a whole ton of new shirts and pants, so if this uniform happens, I'd wasted most of my money. And now my family isn't in the best of times. We're almost on end's meet. We first thought that Sullivan would remain uniform-free as long as I went there. That would be great. But, it looks like I'll have to apply to other schools because I'm not wearing a uniform again anytime soon.
I don't see kids at Sullivan being made fun of what they're wearing. If anything, they get lots of praises sometimes for what they wear. I don't certainly get made fun of for what I wear, and I don't even dress like other boys at school.
When I was going to my last school, the uniforms were made fun intensely by both people who didn't wear them or people who didn't attend our school. I was always made fun for the uniform clothes I wore.
I know this, the school and these little people at that CAPS meeting can give us uniforms free of charge (or for $1.00 or $2.00), or people like me will be getting out of Sullivan real fast. They wouldn't want the attendance to drop, would they?
Lafew, the school tries it's best to control of the indecency, but do you think they listen? No, not most of them. And if this uniform goes through, the pants will NOT be pulled up. They'll still be the way they are, uniform or no uniform.
Ironicly, the only people who seem to be complaining at 2432's meeting about this are the neighbors who live directly across the street from the school.
Oh, before I forget, Fenyx, we've got a dress code (well, sort of). It is:
- Visible undergarments are NOT acceptable.
- NO sleeveless tops
- NO bare midriffs
- NO shorts or skirts SHORTER THAN KNEE LENGTH
- NO representation of alcohol, drugs or tobacco.
- NO headgear or head coverings of ANY kind.
Students who are inappropriately dressed will be disciplined according to the School Discipline Code.
*source: www.sullivanhs.org
Timmy, why wasn't the uniform policy enforced at your last school?
Driftin, they tried their very best to, but the kids didn't listen, at all. The kids basically ran the school in my opinion.
Kids having kids have kids having kids. When will the cycle be broken?
Some of the mother's of those kids should lecture your classmates. The challenge is that some teen mom's are more responsible than others. Perhaps, the ones who lost the kids to DCFS might be encouraged to speak as part of their rehabilitation. Perhaps, they could care less and will simply pop out a few more.
Than again, perhaps, I expect common sense to prevail.
The challenge with the system is that some are more willing to work with the system than others. Some parent's look at the school system as 'daycare.' Others don't. Some CPS schools get near 100%compliance on uniforms; some don't! Our CPS school gets compliance!
I wonder whether the school would stock uniforms. Assuming not, there are some CPS schools that are simply better than others. Those parents who treat the CPS like daycare ignore the best educational options for their kids.
Some kids have parents who care, some don't Some kids get the test scores and actually learn; some don't. Life goes on.
Yeah Timmy I agree with your second reason about uniforms and the possibility of confinment
toward a pupil's individuality,burgeoning self-awareness or creative expression to drab conformity.
Although in refering to confinement it may help some individuals when they make that transition from a 4 year plan to a 20 to life in a maximum facility.
I guess i have to post this there,
I dont know what has to happen before i myself get a blog entry.
Im not looking for notoriety just safety and no one seems to give a crap on my block.
I was hanging out in my garage and i could hear the guys hanging out in front on 6914 n wayne again on the steps even after the landlord was nice enough to put some bright lights on it. I guess its not bright enough. Before I hand a chance to call the cops, a bummy looking guy walks over and starts knocking on 6906 n wayne's window, which is private property and he doesnt know anybody there. I know, because I know the tenant there.
I am afraid, but I dont want him to continue knocking on my building, I ask him to please stop knocking on the building, he continues and says he knows someone there.
I have to call 911, he walks away, I then had to run down the street of wayne because like 6 guys are hanging out in front of 6914 n wayne. I dont want to been attacked, gooned or anything like that again. So im running down wayne street at like 10pm tonite, and run into a cop car at pratt and wave them down. They drive me back to 6914 and everyone is gone ofcourse.
Im breathless and they keep telling me to calm down. I love how cops are always telling you to calm down. They tell me that he isnt trespassing because the concrete apron is accessible to the sidewalk and that he didnt break the window so he didnt do anything wrong. I guess I should waited until he broke the window or worse.
But the end result is, I have to protect my property and my person, wouldnt it be weird not too? No one cares, No one who live at 6914 n wayne cares, thats for sure.
And all I wanted to do was drive to cvs to get someone some cough syrup and vicks, before this I have to run down the street. Why?
If I have my possee, I guess I wouldnt have to, but I am a single person outnumbnered, so I had too.
The cops were understanding, and atleast alerted the problem around the area.
Thanks for clearing that up, Craig.
Oh, by the way, be sure to mointor the scanner starting around 10. Homecoming dance lets out at that time. With the arguments and fights this week, something may jump off tonight.
ok craig, i have officially decided to sign off your blog,
its over, you dont care about the neigborhood, you did once, but now you are just lazy and since things are cozy by you, you dont care.
you have lost a loyal contributor and follower,
nuts to you.
jeffo,
(person who doesnt matter to mr broken heart)
Jeffo needs to relax!
RIP, Jeff-O.
I also think you need to relax, jeffo. I don't think it's that Craig doesn't care, but you do seem to be the only one who's complaining about this problem. I don't see anyone else or other blogs complaining. Maybe if more people complained, or there was a major (these incidents are pretty minor) incident, I'm sure Craig would've covered for it by now.
Also, I don't think incidents like loitering can really become a major story on this blog.
Craig does care about RP. If he didn't, would there be all these posts up here? I don't think so.
I'm sure that wearing the school IDs back and forth to school is not going to work. Some students won't wear their IDs because they don't like their ID picture. Others don't like the hassle of having to remember to bring their IDs to school everyday. I remember fellow high school classmates who never carried their IDs with them, even though we needed to show them when we entered the building in the mornings. Other students were always misplacing and losing their IDs.
Uniforms aren't going to make angels out of troublemaking students. But uniforms are financially easier on parents because they don't have to lay out money for whole new wardrobes for their kids every school year. They just buy a few pieces, and they're done. Uniforms also help eliminate dress code violations (the girls are usually more guilty of this than the guys are).
Of course, students will vote no, because in addition to some treating school like one big social hour, a place for gang recruitment, and a host of other negative things, too many think of school as their own personal fashion show. Getting an education is supposed to be the focus, not about wearing the latest name brand crap, right?
I speak and act in a more refined way when I dress up.
ever feel lazy if still wearing pajamas long after you are up and about?
Uniforms won't create angels but they influence the state of mind.
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