The Chicago Public Schools is installing a Naval Academy in Senn High School. Hundreds of teachers, students, parents, and activists from the neighborhood and beyond spoke out to oppose this military takeover of a wing of our school. Now we continue to fight against the militarization of our schools and for the kind of community high school that will meet our needs.
Senn Students Speak Out:
Senn Student Views on U.S. wars, immigrant rights,
the naval academy, politics, May Day*
Jorge Cruz, junior– May Day is a big day to protest so Mexicans and other immigrants have papers and rights. We are all united on this issue, and want to show everyone that we are united and support the immigrants. I also think we should stop the U.S. wars in Iraq and other places because too many people are killed. And we need to continue the struggle at Senn to get the Navy Out.
Darlin Sabillon, junior– Having May Day is important, as people should not be afraid to express themselves. I say we need to stop the U.S. wars because they are wasting money on things that are not important. Use the money for other things such as in our school. Right now, the Navy is taking over much of our school, which is not right.
Kwame Freeman, senior– I’m not an immigrant, but I support their cause and struggle for equal rights. All people deserve an equal place in society. I also say to stop the U.S. wars, which are not helping anyone.
Sulema Garduno, freshman– I agree that there should be legalization for all immigrants now. The May Day march is a good start on that. Obama needs to do more things, and this is one of them. Also, we need more jobs. We all need to have a voice on the issues.
Jose Hernandez, junior– I think it is important to help the undocumented get legalized and to take up other issues. For example, in our school building, the Navy makes it too crowded. They’re taking over and taking up too much space.
From a Former Senn Student–
Christian Marroquin, a Senn student from 2004-2007 speaks about why he is for Navy Out of the Senn High School building–
“2004 was when the RNA was established. In its first year, there was division between the Senn and Navy students. Some Senn teachers had to give up their regular classrooms, and some left the school because of the RNA and Senn students lost out on some good teachers. One thing that was really disturbing was the yellow line that divided Senn and RNA. It showed so much difference between Senn and RNA. You could see the difference from the walls and classrooms. RNA had their own private gym that was taken from Senn H.S. RNA had all new technology that was not seen in Senn H.S. It made you feel lower than the RNA students, that if you were in RNA you would have better attention and quality of education.
I feel the reason why a military school moved into our neighborhood school was to pull the students into the military way and make them believe what the military would be like. The military is trying to show you that you will get a better education with their way of education if you come to a military school. The military is trying to show you that if you stay with the military, you can get more of this kind of education. They are trying to fool you into becoming a part of the military in the future and fool you into thinking that you can be better than Senn students.”
*ON MAY DAY– These Senn H.S. students spoke to us in the context of May Day, that is, International Workers’ Day on Friday, May 1. This year over 3,000 workers, students and others marched in Chicago. May Day is in honor of the workers who fought and died in Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S. for the 8-hour day in 1886, and in other struggles since then. It is a day for raising important issues for the working class. May Day in recent years in Chicago has had the main demand of legalization of all undocumented immigrants, and pointed out there cannot be equal rights for workers unless all win equality under the law. It also spoke about the need to oppose U.S. wars of aggression and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere, and militarization of the Chicago public schools.
SENN HIGHLIGHTS: GROWING
& SHINING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS!
Senn High School will soon be benefiting from two grants of money that total nearly three quarters of a million dollars.
Some $400,000 will be going to help the AVID college-prep program. The money will go towards professional development, strengthening parental involvement, tutoring and other college readiness activities, and trips and connections to colleges and universities.
Another $381,000 is going for two new state-of-the-art science labs. This was announced by Representative Jan Schakowsky at a press conference at Senn H.S. on April 16.
This money for labs is a start on the equality needed with the Rickover Naval Academy which, with 1/3 of the number of students as Senn, will still have higher quality lab equipment and facilities.
These two grants are signs that Senn High School can be a quality general community public high school open to all students in its attendance boundary. This is important at a time when the corporations are trying to destroy public education and replace it with various forms of selective private schools, known as charter schools or by other names such as Renaissance 2010 in Chicago.
Senn High School students, faculty, parents, and community have been fighting to save and improve Senn High School.
One part of this has been to demand that Rickover Naval Academy leave the Senn High School building, and leave enough room for the continually growing Senn High School program to expand.
Another focus has been to demand that Senn High School have facilities that equal the high quality equipment provided to Rickover Naval Academy. One result is that some additional money will now be spent on the school.
The lesson remains that we have to persist in our struggle to maintain and improve the high quality programs for all at the open enrollment Senn H.S.
Senn High School will present an Art Festival on Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Front Campus. The Festival will feature piano solos, poetry recitals, clay art building demonstrations, student artwork, face painting and henna tattoos. Bring the family.
Are the Cadets Right When They Say RNA
Is Not a Recruiting Program for the Military?
Many Naval academy cadets say to our distributors that their JROTC program is not recruiting them into the military. What they are missing is that the government law for JROTC is for the program to try to recruit them. As we know from marketing, the method can be a soft sell, as it may be in RNA.
For those not convinced, perhaps they can answer the following question? If JROTC is not for recruiting into the military at a time when the military is having a hard time getting recruits for its illegal and unjust and unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, then why is the huge JROTC budget for 2009-10 listed under “Recruiting and Other Training and Education?” See “Department of Defense FY 2009 President’s Budget Exhibit O-1,” p.31– www.defenselink.mil/comptroller/defbudget/fy2009/fy2009_O1.pdf
One way JROTC can involve military recruiting is described by a former Chicago high school student. He told us how he was taken on a field trip with other JROTC students “for a fancy dinner and program to meet a lot of military people talking about how proud they were to be in. They talked about their experiences in going to war. Officers would shake your hand and ask you how you felt about the military and ask you what you thought. They tried to convince you to join up, which felt like pressure because they asked a lot of questions and said things about getting better physical stuff and insurance to try to convince you, to try to brainwash you to join up.”
News and Updates
February 4th, 2007
Chronology of Events Related to the Opening of the Rickover Naval Academy
As presented by David Pickens, CPS, Deputy Chief of Staff and Michael Scott, President, Chicago Board of Education.
Although Mr. Scott and Mr. Pickens claim that a community process took place, the information below suggests that at almost every occasion, the community spoke in opposition to the naval academy at Senn High School, yet the Board refused to listen to the community.
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We have annotated their chronology, an original can be seen by clicking here. Following is a legend for reading this online version of the annotated timeline.
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Activities as presented in the CPS Timeline by Mr. Scott and Mr. Pickens
Additional information about the activity but not presented in the CPS Timeline
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Important events that Mr. Scott and Mr. Pickens failed to note in the CPS Timeline
Additional activities not described in the CPS Timeline
Activities occuring after Feb. 4, 2006 (the last entry in the CPS Timeline)
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TIMELINE OF EVENTS
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ACTIVITIES
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DATE
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CPS Timeline:
- Informational meeting at Ald. Mary Ann Smith’s Office. Attendees: Block club and local LSC’s leadership as well as community members
Additional information about this activity:
- No invitation was made to block club membership to attend the September 23 meeting.
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Thursday, September 23, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Information session held to inform Senn Staff of the proposal
Additional information about this activity:
- Every staff member who spoke at the meeting expressed opposition to the naval academy at Senn High School.
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Tuesday, September 28, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Community Forum held at Senn
Additional information about this activity:
- Community requests to ask questions at the Community Forum, but Alderman Smith and CPS officials instead try to tell the community about the naval academy and attempt to show a public relations video about the naval academy.
- When community indicates it wants to ask questions (and not watch the video), Alderman Smith and CPS officials walk out of meeting.
- After Alderman Smith and CPS officials walk out, community continues to meet to talk among those who remain about the decision to put naval academy at Senn High School with almost all who spoke expressing strong objection to a naval academy at Senn High School.
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Tuesday, October 5, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Student Forum held at Senn
Additional information about this activity:
- CPS officials brought 50 students from military programs to explain to approximately 50 Senn students about the military option. All Senn students opposed the military academy and many expressed frustration that they were not listened to by the CPS.
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Thursday, October 14, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Approximately 8,500 letters and proposal summaries were mailed to parents of 10 area elementary schools (Arai, Stone, Brennemann, Goudy, Hayt, McCutcheon, Peirce, Stewart, Swift and Trumball), parents of Senn and Senn Achievement Academy students, and Senn and Senn Achievement Academy staff.
Additional information about this activity:
- These 8,500 letters were a unilateral act by the CPS to market the naval academy with no opportunity for equal time by Senn High School or the community to express why the naval academy was bad for Senn High School and Chicago.
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Friday, October 15, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Presentation to the Edgewater Community Council
Additional information about this activity:
- Edgewater Community Council December 2004 “ECC Update” mailed to all members includes a story on Senn High School Naval Academy which states: “At a November 16 meeting, the Edgewater Community Council (ECC) board of directors, disapproved a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) proposal to install a naval academy at Nicholas Senn High School, 5900 N. Glenwood, effective September 2005″ (see November update for full particulars). Vote was 10 against, 3 in favor and 6 abstentions.
- Since 16 board members were unable to attend ECC’s monthly meeting, those present approved a motion with one nay to poll the entire board by email on the proposed naval academy. Although ECC by-laws do not establish a procedure for such an extraordinary email poll, the subsequent vote was in favor, though many expressed reservations, which were never published. Such an email vote had never occurred before or since. Nonetheless, many in the community who rely upon the ECC Update think that the ECC has opposed the naval academy proposal.
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Tuesday, October 19, 2004
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Additional Activity:
- More than 1,000 Senn students, parents, teachers, and community members gather for a “Hands Around Senn” expressing opposition to the proposed naval academy.
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October 28, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Meeting with Organization of the Northeast (ONE)
Additional information about this activity:
- CPS CEO Arne Duncan and Alderman Mary Ann Smith meet with representatives from ONE. Every person present except Duncan and Smith expresses opposition to the naval academy and requests that CPS not put the naval academy at Senn High School.
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Thursday, November 4, 2004
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Additional Activity:
- Approximately 60 Senn students, teachers, parents and community members march from Senn High School to Alderman Mary Ann Smith’s office to protest the proposed naval academy at Senn High School.
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November 9, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Notice for upcoming public hearing mailed
Additional information about this activity:
- Although there has been much public opposition to the proposed naval academy, CPS CEO Duncan uses notice letter to express support for the naval academy. No offer is made for any organization that opposes the naval academy for equal time to set forth reasons for opposition to the plan.
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Thursday, November 18, 2004
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CPS Timeline:
- Public hearing on the proposed opening of Rickover Naval Academy
Additional information about this activity:
- The November 29, 2004 Hearing Officer’s final summary report indicated that 65 persons testified at the hearing. The final summary report lists 26 in favor, 34 in opposition of the naval academy and 5 with general comments.
- Upon review of the final summary report and the transcript, the 5 general commentators although commenting on different parts of the proposal, testified either in opposition or asked for a more deliberate community process before the board voted on the naval academy proposal.
- Of the 26 in favor, moreover, three were employees of the CPS, one was the Alderman, one was a paid staff member (although that paid staff member neglected to indicate that she was on the staff of the Alderman when she testified), one was head of the Sea Cadets and Civil Air Patrol, and one was Area President of the Navy League whose business card identified his location as Hinsdale, Illinois.
- Thus, of the non-paid speakers from the community, almost two to one opposed the naval academy or requested a more fair and deliberate community process at this hearing.
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Monday, November 29, 2004
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Important Event Missing from CPS Timeline:
- Senn High School’s newly elected Local School Council votes unanimously to oppose a naval academy at Senn High School.
- For CPS to prepare this timeline without an indication of the LSC’s opinion is a particularly egregious oversight.
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December 3, 2004
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WHOSE NAME BELONGS ON SENN FIELD?
Should the field in back of the Senn High School building be named after Mike North, a controversial Chicago sports radio host, known among other things for his history of racist comments about Asians, Latinos, Italians, Jews?
Mary Ann Smith, 48th Ward alderman, proposed naming the field for North, who is currently once again on the “hot seat” for referring to a Korean pitcher for the Cubs as a “Chinaman” and then for a long time refusing to apologize. The alderman has now said, “Had I known about his pattern of behavior, I would have said ‘no’ to the request (from North’s family).”(News-Star 1/3/07)
The alderman’s choice of North was from the start a questionable one for Senn Field — Senn H.S. takes particular pride in its multi-ethnic student body, and in its welcome for newly-arrived immigrants. The RNA student body is also multi-ethnic.
Alderman Smith sought to have the field named after North through the Senn Local School Council (LSC). Due to recent media reminders of North’s recent and past racist remarks, the Senn H.S. LSC will likely revisit this issue tomorrow, Wednesday, January 10th. The meeting will begin at 6:30 in Room 115. Enter through Senn’s parking lot.
Whose name belongs on Senn Field? The voices of those within Senn H.S, students, staff, and parents, remain crucial to this process and decision. Add your voice to this choice.
Posted in News and Updates |
December 9th, 2006
Helen Murtaugh, retired Senn teacher, spoke on the issue of the Senn Achievement Academy to the Board of Education on November 15th. Here are excerpts of remarks from her on an earlier occasion–
The Senn Achievement Academy (SAA) is a part of Senn High School…. Its students’ educational experiences change for the better - - often dramatically…
Now, this program is threatened with extinction. Over the objections of parents, students, teachers and the Senn Local School Council, a naval academy was installed in…Senn’s building in 2005. The enrollment is less than anticipated; nonethless, the RNA principal made the surprising and alarming announcement to Senn’s LSC that next year the Rickover Naval Academy will completely take over Senn’s West Wing on the second floor, and that as a consequence, the Senn Achievement Academy (SAA) will be gone.
Kids going to the naval academy are selected high-achievers who could succeed virtually anywhere they go, but the SAA kids do not have these advantages…. That its place at Senn is now in jeopardy is a concrete example of how the infusion of RNA at Senn preys on many whose alternatives are slim-to-none….Senn’s location is especially important for these kids…There have been many negative consequences for Senn since the naval academy has been housed there. This is one whose timeline is on an emergency fast track…
Posted in News and Updates |
November 12th, 2006
See Anchors Away, monthly newsletter of the Save Senn Coalition under Flyers.
Posted in News and Updates, Special |
November 3rd, 2006
Chris Persons gave a forceful presentation to the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, October 25. He opposed the denigration of Senn High School perpetuated by Alderman Mary Ann Smith, pointed out the overwhelming opposition of the community to the Rickover Naval Academy in the Senn H.S. building, and called on Board President Rufus Williams to have further discussion with the community on the issue of removing the military academy.
President Williams said he would not attend any meetings on the issue, saying there had been sufficient process, and stating that there that was a demand of at least 10 students for each spot at the Rickover Naval Academy (RNA). This is usually stated that there is a waiting list to get into the military academy, which is a lie as far as RNA is concerned. While we don’t know the facts about the number of applicants for RNA, we do know that they did not meet their quota of 125 by the middle of this past summer.
We will be following up to expose further the actual facts of the situation, and to insist that the Board of Education start listening to the views of the majority of the community, as reflected, for example, in the 70% vote in the March primary for a community process on the issue of removing the military academy from Senn.
Posted in News and Updates |
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