As a part of the Urban Studies History Class curriculum, each semester students travel to a school located in the West Engelwood community called Lindblom Math and Science Academy to shadow students attending this school in Chicago.

According to Daniel Rhoades, Urban Studies teacher, the purpose of this field trip is for students to be able to recognize both the differences and similarities between these two high schools.

“In our class we talk about issues and education problems with city schools and suburban schools,” Rhoades said. “One way we try to explore that issue is by taking some of these students from Glenbrook South to a school where they can actually experience these differences.”

Sophomore Michelle Kolkevich describes the presumptions she made about the school, strictly due to its location. Sophomore Emily Sonneborn goes on to verify that these initial stereotypes of the high school were proven to be completely false and very similar to the structure and quality of South.

“Engelwood is a neighborhood where a lot of kids are scared to even walk to school and it was weird because I was expecting the typical bad neighborhood but the kids are not about the gangs or about the fighting,” Sonneborn said. “They’re extremely similar to us and it helped me understand that the stereotypes aren’t true at all.”

Rhoades highlighted the significance of the trip and the impact he hopes it will have on the students.

“They’re only about 25 miles apart,” Rhoades said. “It helps them realize that they have a lot in common, and what they have in common is more important than what they perceived to be different.”

Kolkevich described an experience with a girl who attended the school.

“I ended up meeting a girl [who] I realized shares a lot of the same interests as me and who was really easy to talk to,” Kolkevich said. “By the end of the day it almost felt like I had known her for a while.”