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Monday, April 14, 2008
Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." From a reader: 

"For us at gage park tho, this is 4 in one month.  of course the media will report it as two, since 2 of them were "former" studentss (recently graduated or dropped out).  but when our students mourn all 4 in such a short time span, and tension flares as rival gangs seek out retribution, it seems to have no end...a very sad state of affairs for such a cool school, with great kids, a great place to work and call home, gage park, the hidden jewel of CPS, is having a tough month...crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now."

Teen found shot to death in South Side alley Sun Times



Comments
Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:31 PMBy: It doesn't matter Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." if this was a CPS or not...another child has been killed. He SHOULD have been a CPS student but I guess he was a drop out. Someone should care, I do. What is CPS doing about their dropouts. Why don't they have enough alternative schools? Based on this and other stories we need to bring back truant officers OR at the very least the Chicago Police Department should be picking up the truant students. I know in my neighborhood they are not enforcing the new curfew, which may cut down on some of the teens being killed!!!
Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 7:00 AMBy: We are not all universitybound Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." Bring back vocational education. It really is that simple. You will have less droputs--we are putting them out with the difficult curriculum we have chosen for them--It is about the high score. If they cannot score high by the time they take PS, they drop out, unemployable. The dropout rate goes up, but so do our scores since when they leave the building and head for the streets..
Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 8:48 AMBy: crisis, what crisis? Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." Does each school have a well-developed crisis response plan, as CPS policy dictates? Is the district-wide crisis response team effective? Heard tell that it is not. But what have ya'll in the schools with deaths and violence experienced?
Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 9:57 AMBy: Simple Plan ...................................................................................... Just close the schools for the rest of the year.
Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 3:27 PMBy: regarding not universtiy bound Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." I undersand there "We are not all universitybound" is coming from. The problem always has been tracking. Strong vocational programs have links with real employers, in order to maintain those links the quality of students put in programs with these companies must be high. The companies in other words do not want our low performing students, they want our best.

This creates a problem. These are the same students who also could make it in easier four year colleges or junior colleges, but may be short of cash, from low income families, etc. Vocational programs for low performing students and kids with disabilities have tended to be pathways to rather marginal service sector jobs. The vocational programs that will result in higher paying jobs, 30K and above require realy good math skills and fairly strong reading skills.

The construction Trades would be a real vocational option if CPS had direct links to apprentrenticeships, which it no longer has. The Ren 2010 program is supposedly creating some kind of school linked with the CTA which will be called Transportation Academy. Now if our union has not talked to the CTA union about making sure this proposed school is union, then we have no functioning union at all. I do not know how the Austin Polytechnical Academy is currently functioning, another Ren 2010 school but it is union, this is a vocational program for manufacturing.

But real problem are the general high schools were the vast numbers of kids go. The CPS office of high schools Education to Careers program is largely worthless at this point in time.
Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 6:57 PMBy: 1.04 Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." Construction trades


Washburn Trade school at 31st and kedzie was the best trade school in the
Country until the Board Of Ed ran them out of town. That’s why there is no link.
During your high schools annual awards assembly ask the counselors how
many kids they got into apprentice or, pre- apprentice programs.
Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 8:29 PMBy: happy driver Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." Senn's auto program fixed my car (and well) for the price of the parts twice--and the dude who was running it at the time (early 2000s) was AWESOME.
Thu Apr 17, 2008 at 3:45 AMBy: George N. Schmidt Gage Park HS: "Crisis intervention is on everyone's speed dial now." Which gangs are fighting the Latin Kings in and around Gage Park High School at this point in history? How effective is the security inside the building, and how close are the hot spots outside (including across the street in the park)?

As the weather gets warmer, covering these problems will be a no brainer. All it will take is patience, a good camera, a Bearcat, and a zoom lens (unless you want to risk more getting up close and personal). Ditto (of course) Clemente and a dozen other places equally hot.

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