by Carol Oblinsky

One high school in Chicago refuses to conform.  It is an experimental school called the Chicago Public High School for Metropolitan Studies, and the classes meet in all different parts of the city.

The school is temporarily located in the Consumer Building at 220 S. State, and has an enrollment of 150 students.  Andrea Temkin, a former student at Roosevelt, recently became a student there.

Andrea’s classes consist of filmmaking at the Art Institute, journalism, which includes working on the company newspaper for Illinois Bell Telephone, and politics, taught by a black alderman on West Madison.  Her courses in Spanish, creative writing, poetry, and black literature are temporarily being taught in the school building.

Andrea comes to the school at 9 a.m. and leaves at 3 p.m.  Each of her classes are 2 hours long.  All of the classes are 8 week sessions, and no class meets more often than twice a week.  There is no homework, but the students work on individual projects in school and in their free time.

The primary purpose of the school is to get students to learn by doing.  The students and teachers are very informal with one another; the students even call their teachers by their first names.  According to Andrea, “Many students came to Metro to escape the conformity and boredom of their high schools.”

There is no set structure in any of the classes at Metro, and the students completely govern the school.  Gym is the only class which is absolutely required and the students can choose courses on anything from retail merchandising to TV production.

The Urban Research Center is responsible for the establishment of this school.  Other U.S. schools like Metro are the Milwaukee Independent School and the School Without Walls, located in Philadelphia.

Right now, students can turn to these schools if they find the present structures ineffective.  The problem is that only a few students from each school are granted this opportunity.

Maybe with some luck and much effort this effective structure can become widespread.

 

by Marc Primack

The last Human Relations Forum was concerned with America’s politics and particularly its draft.  The guest speaker, Ralph Hergert of the American Friends Service Committee “making no claim at objectivity” explained both his attitude on the draft and his organization’s function.  The A.F.S.C. is a Quaker group that runs about a dozen draft counseling offices in this area.

This group and the many others in this area serving similar function seek to help a youth do what he wants in respect to fulfilling his military commitment.  The A.F.S.C will not push a boy into resisting the draft; it merely wants him to be aware of the alternatives to fighting in a war.  Information on obtaining classification as a conscientious objector is provided, as are explanations of the penalties for draft resistance or emigration.

Although the A.F.S.C. is not allowed to campaign against the draft, Mr. Hergert claimed that just as slavery could not be reformed “you don’t reform the draft, you do away with it.”  He said that from its conception the draft is an evil.  He said that the government should not have the power either to ask a boy to kill or to be killed and that by its make-up the draft is class discriminatory.

The majority of the Forum consisted of a question and answer session which sought to determine the legitimacy of violence as the foundation of a foreign policy.  Mr. Hergert advocated unilateral disarmament and said that to break the cycle of hate, fear, and distrust that our country is in we must assume that throughout the world people prefer peace to war and we need to “take the risk that other people are people.”

March 1970

by Russ Hirai

Two years of petitions and requests are finally paying off for Roosevelt students as Roosevelt’s evening social center is now in full operation.

Over 300 students have bought tickets to the Friday night sessions, engaging in a variety of activities, including basketball, pool, swimming, table tennis and volleyball.  The $1.00 tickets are good for ten sessions, so an RHS student pays only ten cents for each session.

The operation of the center is maintained by a faculty-student group under the supervision of Dr. Zimmerman.

Teacher supervision is provided by Mr. Massey, Miss Koffman, Mr. Klein, Mr. Layden, Miss Kaplan and Mr. Cetinske.

A student group of Ricky Karlin, Eileen Cooks, Jan Matsumoto, Don Maruyama, Carol Reinisch, Jim Shroeder, Janet Ohka, Mike Quaintance, Marcia Yoshizumi and George Kondiles is responsible for the setting-up and care of equipment.

At various times in the past two years, Roosevelt has asked the Board of Education for permission to start an evening social center.  Not until this year, however, with an increase in revenue and the closing of the Max Straus Center, has it been possible for Roosevelt to begin a lighted schoolhouse program.

The major concern – that of enthusiasm and participation – appears to be solved.  The sessions thus far have enjoyed great response in both areas.

How much of this enthusiasm is attributed to novelty remains to be seen, but right now Roosevelt’s evening social center program is a success.

 

 

A peek into Room 329 any day after school makes the average peeker wonder just what exactly is going on.

Room 329 is the meeting place for those students interested in helping the Review staff in its participation in the “Pine Bros. Cough Drops Contest.”

This needs some explanation: A few weeks ago, several members of our school’s journalism class attended a Tommy James and the Shondells’ press conference.

At this conference, reporters were told of a contest, the object of which is to collect more Pine Bros. Cough Drop boxes (or the words “Pine Bros. Cough Drops printed on 3X5 cards) than any other school. The prize, it was announced, would be a Shondells’ concert for the winning school, plus a monetary award.

This should explain why a dozen kids or so can almost always be found writing industriously in 329 – the only sounds being the scratch of pens on paper, the ancient paper cutter begging for some oil, and the groans when someone accidentally writes “Pine Bros. Cough Droughs.”

Each day an increasing number of students become involved in card-writing, and each day more and more cards and boxes come pouring in.

The total now – believe it or not – is more than 400,000.  The cabinets in Room 329 are slowly but surely getting filled to the brim.

Because the contest’s prize (the concert) is one that will be shared with the entire school, the staff hopes that everyone will help print the cards.

“The doors of 329 are always open,” says one card-writer, “so everyone can come in to write or to deliver cards.”

If it’s hard for you to stay after school to help with cards, there are always boring Sunday afternoons at home, a perfect time to busy yourself with this school project.

Either way, remember to print “Pine Bros. Cough Drops” on our 3X5 cards, and to keep those cards and boxes coming in!

The contest ends March 21. All cards and boxes must be in by this date.  So, if you want to bring Tommy James and the Shondells, plus the Litter and Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters to Roosevelt to perform a rock concert, get busy.  There are only a few days left so Riders – write on!

by Diana Lenik

If you’ve seen all the movies in town, and can’t think of what to do next, here are some places you may never have considered.

It’s Here, at 6455 N. Sheridan is a coffee house with live entertainment.  For only $2.50, you can sit on the floor and listen to university and professional groups sing and do comedy routines.

Shows start at 8:00 and 10:30 and a reservation will insure you a place against the wall.  The atmosphere is very casual, so don’t worry about what to wear.  Featured now are The Now, a rock-folk group, but they won’t be there long.

If you aren’t watching for it, you may miss The Body Politic at 2259 N. Lincoln.  It’s a storefront theater started by Paul Sills, the original founder of Second City.

Almost completely improvisational, the young performing troupe act as both actors and narrators.  They work with little props and costumes, much like Second City, so much is left up to the imagination of the audience.

Currently playing is “The Master Thief and other Tales” some of which are loosely based on fairy tales.  The actors are accompanied by a guitarist-singer using contemporary music.

Performances on Thursday – Saturday are at 8:30 and 10:00.  Prices are $3.00 on Saturday, and student rates are $1.00 on Thursday and Friday nights.  It’s a good idea to get there early so you can get a parking place.

After the show you can stop in the curio and head shops, or look at the unusual people that live in the North Lincoln area.

Summer’s not far off, and the Ravinia music schedule is being announced.  Located in Ravinia Park in Highland Park, the musical series has both classical and popular concerts.

Seiji Ozawa will be conducting for classical enthusiasts.  Also popular artists such as Dionne Warwick and B.J. Thomas will be featured.

The park admission price is $2.50 for a cozy spot on the grass, with reserved seats a little more.  Concerts are given on week nights as well as weekends, so check your newspapers closely for exact dates.

Better yet, try to get your hands on a complete schedule.  They’re always done creatively, something to hang on your bulletin board.

So don’t worry if the movie section looks bad, there’s always something else going on.

by Diana Lenik

There are two groups of people who watch television, those who watch anything and those who are more select.  For the second group, I present the Rough Riters TV guide.

“Our People” on Sundays, channel 11 at 8:00, provides you with knowledge of prominent blacks, watch it once, no matter what race you are.  Big Brother isn’t watching.

“Mission Impossible” on Sundays channel 2 at 9:00 is an action-packed drama, although a little farfetched.  Anything’s possible with the IMF, those imposters who consistently trick everyone with their identities.  Besides Leonard Nimoy didn’t sink the starship Enterprise.  He’s alive and well and living on ” Mission Impossible.”

One funny show is “Love, American Style,” on Mondays, channel 7 at 9:00.  It features short sequences showing many humorous sides of love.

Another is “Room 222” on Wednesdays, channel 7 at 7:30.  It is one of the new shows that has survived the ratings battle.  Life in Whitman High is very much like life in Roosevelt High, and there’s nothing more satisfying than laughing at yourself.

Sports shows take up a large percentage of viewing time, but most sports shows are one-shot deals (no offence, Bulls fans, your team definitely makes more than one shot).

And speaking of sports, there are only 86 days until the Cubs’ first home game in Wrigley Field.  Bleacher Bums, get your pencils and beer cans ready.

If none of this appeals to you, there are three things to do.  One, wait for the new shows. Two, turn the set off. Three, just watch commercials.   Watching basketball players singer about Diet-Rite Cola is funnier than Laugh-In anyway.

“Students will not be allowed into the building tomorrow until 8:55,” is a familiar welcomed though to all Roosevelt students.

We all know Roosevelt’s administration graces its students once a month by having one of their friendly faculty meetings. However, it’s amazing the number of students who fail to take advantage of this opportunity to sleep an extra hour.

If you’re like most absent-minded students, and haven’t already forgotten, you too will probably forget about the meeting and foolishly arrive at 8 o’clock.

It’s an extremely frustrating and embarrassing situation. Each student who experiences it finds his own method of handling it.

First of all, there’s the kid who absentmindedly leaves his house at 7:30 and plods sleepily to school. The thought, “Teachers’ Meeting” suddenly hits. He stops short, gasps, groans, and about-faces in an effort to return to his warm bed.

The next person isn’t as lucky. On the way to school she wonders why the bus is so empty and why there are only a few heads in front of Roosevelt. Pretending to ignore her surroundings she reaches for the door only to find it locked. Now she remembers what day it is but she is too late. She has no choice but to stand in the cold, cursing all those who should have reminded her of the 9:00 division.

The next absent-minded group comes sprinting off their bus, in an attempt to be on time for once, when some yells, “You’re not late.” Suddenly it occurs to them, “Teachers’ Meeting.” They spend the next 45 minutes catching their breaths.

The greatest of the early birds are the ones who try to act “coolish” instead of “foolish.” As they approach the school and realize it’s a late day, they casually turn their heads and stroll on by, pretending they had every intention of walking up and down Lawrence Avenue for 45 minutes.

So if you’d like to spend an interesting morning sometime, try coming early on the day of a teachers’ meeting. On second thought, don’t bother trying, because it’s bound to happen accidentally.

But try and remember the February 4th meeting and all other future meetings.

by Diana Lenik

“Jim Shoe? Is Jim Shoe here?”

(“Poor substitute,” the class is thinking, “she must be new.”)

“If Jim Shoe isn’t here, where is Al Kaseltzer?”

(The class is now roaring with laughter.)

Jim and Al are as familiar to most students as the members of their families, since every time an attendance sheet is passed around they become members of the class. But has anyone ever considered Czar E. Abouthat or Barry Mesoon? The supply of names is limitless and it may even be habit-forming.

There are military names, like Private Bath, Colonel Ofcorn and General Welfare. For the scientists, may I suggest the Ray family – Alfie Ray, Betty Ray and Grandma Ray. Or if you prefer music, there is Don Wenowour-gayapparel, Iris Iwereindixie and soul sister – Jane Offools.

Besides their use delighting substitute teachers these names make good Sue Donims (didn’t I say it became habit-forming?) if you wish to pursue a writing career. They also can be used for writing biting letters to the editor when you wish to seem clever without possible embarressment.

Mia Myshadow, Pete Za or Judy Ism may not seem as close to you as Jim or Al but they are a little more original.

So next time the A. Nonamous urge strikes why not give Igor Beaver, Robin D. Cradle or Ron A. Round a chance?