South’s Mission Statement claims that its goal is to empower “individuals to grow, develop their voice, and contribute meaningfully to society”, according to Board Policy 1:30. But, how are students...
Sitting at the faux wooden tables, your eyes strain at the fluorescent lights beaming into your irises. You mindlessly space out as your teacher lectures to a hollow classroom. For many, a headache bleeds...
Chants echoed through the streets as Chicago and suburban high school students came together recently in a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to abc7chicago.com. This...
Glenview’s motto “Hug the Bear”, inspired by the 1917 Jackman Park Bear statue, serves as a reminder for residents to serve, care for, and give back to their community. While students and residents...
District 225 earned Niche’s title of “Number One School District in America” because its students constantly strive for excellence. It is a wonderful honor that sometimes has its downside.
Just...
Journalism is being silenced.
In the past year alone, six newspapers in the state of Illinois have been shut down, placing Illinois sixth highest for newspaper closures in the country. We have lost 86...
Now, more than ever, it is important to read the news.
With access to thousands of news sites and billions of opinions at our finger tips, we consume media in almost every waking moment of our day. But...
Finding fine arts
In Issue 1, The Oracle Editorial Board discussed student body indifference towards South’s exceptional Fine Arts programs. Almost half of the students involved in Fine Arts reported...
Controversies surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies have become one of the most disputed issues in higher-level education today, which could result in major implications on our school’s...
ChatGPT uses roughly 16 ounces of water for every 100-word email it generates. That same email uses enough electricity to power 14 light bulbs for one hour, according to a study conducted by The Washington...
Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL 5th) visited South to talk to and answer questions from the Oracle Edboard, Etruscan staff, and Civic students. Throughout, he consistently urged students to take politics...
Democracy cannot function without a free press.
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Walter Cronkite, and many others throughout history have shared this sentiment. Yet, President Donald Trump has referred...
Sundays are no longer a day of rest, but a day of dread for the upcoming week.
The “Sunday Scaries” are a phenomenon that describes students’ mounting anxiety as the weekend comes to an end and...
It is late in the afternoon on the day before winter break and hundreds of students are gathered in the auditorium, waiting while they count down the remaining minutes. Suddenly, the lights dim, and a...
Crush of competition
In Issue 1, The Oracle Editorial board reviewed the competition at South, discussing the crushing effects on students from a lack of inclusive activities for the student body. Of...
“I wish finals were after break.”
“Spring Fling was lame.”
“The cafeterias are too small.”
Students’ opinions float around South’s halls, but nobody ever seems to take action.
Students...
“What did I do wrong?” “Was I not good enough?” “Why didn't I prepare enough?” After getting cut from the volleyball team, these questions swirled through sophomore Haniah Mohammed’s mind...
Each day, thousands of television stations broadcast current events for people to watch on the hour, organizations post articles and updates through social media sites such as Twitter, and podcasts are...
Breaking the stigma around the word “disability” is a goal that senior Joey Hitzeman hopes South can accomplish. Hitzeman has cerebral palsy, and at times it is all people see him for, Hitzeman noted.
“Even...
10:14 a.m. Independence Day, 2022.
The day began with excitement and anticipation for the annual Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. That was until, 14 minutes into the parade, 83 gunshots...
The shift from last school year to now has not been an easy one, Principal Dr. Barbara Georges acknowledged. The behavior of students in the halls, concerns for safety, and the overall cleanliness of the...
The holiday season is a time of gifts and gift giving, but as people begin their holiday shopping, it should also be a time to consider the materialistic consequences behind the holidays.
In modern society,...
From European history to Latin American history, South’s Social Studies Department offers many options for classes that immerse students in different cultures and narratives. However, African American...
To ensure students stay in appropriate areas while outside of the classroom, South’s administration met to discuss new policies for this school year, Dr. Lara Cummings, Assistant Principal for Student...
Language has the power to unite society.
Conversely, words can prove divisive and alienating when not used carefully. It is vital that in the classroom, we are considerate of the language we use as refusing...
Being a proud Titan and having school spirit is not just wearing blue and gold, but finding your place in the South community, Tomoki Imura, Student Body President, explained.
For Imura, joining a...
As early as primary school, students are introduced to the idea of the “gifted” class. These students are deemed smarter, more talented, and more likely to succeed. In elementary school, the “gifted”...
“We need some assistance, there has been an altercation,” blasts from the walk- ie talkie on Dean Damien Braude’s desk. He sprints into the hallway packed body to body, and pushes his way...
“It’s about learning, not the grade.”
It is a line repeated in almost every class and on many syllabi. Yet, with the weight that grades and academic achievement hold, it is often difficult...
On Aug. 7, senior Veronika Gliwa spent the night in shock, pouring through a 1036-page document detailing allegations of harassment between former Principal Dr. Lauren Fagel and staff members, and text...
As Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman stood in court to testify against Larry Nassar, a former team doctor who pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual violence, her hands trembled and her eyes became fixed...
Among the numerous challenges posed by Covid-19, unemployment rates have significantly spiked, leaving millions of families across the country struggling with financial hardship. The Illinois Department...
As Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman stood in court to testify against Larry Nassar, a former team doctor who pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual violence, her hands trembled and her eyes became fixed...
Let’s face it: this school year is weird. We never thought our whiteboards would project half our classmates’ faces, we likely didn’t expect to have Owls in the classroom and we had probably never...
Acceptance for everyone at South is an expectation for all students and faculty. This appreciation of one another is exemplified during Black History Month, when the U.S. celebrates the role Black citizens...
In a year filled with immense stress, District 225 has taken commendable steps to prioritize the mental health of its students. The “Do No Harm” policy enacted before first Semester final exams in...
As a student’s eyes are glued to Zoom a few feet away from their bed, the once fine line between their home life and school life is blurred. While collaboration with classmates and interaction with teachers...
In a District 225 board meeting on Sept. 21, masked school board members sat six feet apart around a square table, tapping notes onto keyboards and shuffling papers. The meeting, streamed to the public...
The natural routine of interacting with classmates, teachers and faculty in-person is long gone. For the start of the 2020-2021 school year, eyes glued to a screen on Zoom has become the new normal for...
Walking through the hallways of South at the start of second semester, senior Hiroki Imura was told “not to get close” by students passing by. While attempting to do laundry, freshman Sabine Lee’s...
67,516. Approximately 67,516 sheets of paper are used every day at south, according to data collected by The Oracle.
Approximately 45,000 sheets of paper from the print shop, according to printer Frank...
During finals week a junior student sits down at their desk, opens their chromebook, and clicks on a web browser, then types www.rogerhub.com. With three borderline A’s, they realize they have a long...
While most students initially focus on the structure of their essays and the amount of times they participate in discussions, others focus on concealing their political identity.
Students suppressing...
While walking through the halls of South, one might hear conversations about weekend plans or homework complaints. However, Andrea Ball-Ryan, Black Student Union sponsor and South social worker, expressed...
“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words… I should be back in school… We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of...
Slumped in a chair, the typical South student forces their dreary eyes to focus on the blurry words scattered on their Chromebooks’ glaring screen. The PowerSchool logo threatens their mind, already...
You open up the fridge in the cafeteria and look at all the possibilities Quest has in store for you today: Starbucks, Pure Leaf, Pepsi. . . the options are endless! But one bottle in particular catches...
As your eyes scan over the repetitive rows of your history textbook, you read something that should stop you in your tracks. 10.7 million enslaved people arrived in America between 1526 and 1867, according...
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was recently appointed to the Supreme Court after confirmation hearings that confronted sexual assault allegations made against Kavanaugh. His nomination and subsequent...
Beginning this school year, students have seen the blue and gold posters plastered in the hallways that read “See Something, Say Something.” The posters ask students to report potentially dangerous...
Junior Matthew Baumstark, despite arriving early in the morning everyday, does not receive credit for his enrollment in Jazz Band. According to Baumstark, he is one of many students whose transcript does...
Junior Macy Galante always dreamed of being a teacher. When she took Child Development, her enthusiasm furthered, and now, she has solidified her passion for education through an internship. Though Galante’s...
Sitting in math class, a student’s test is returned. He looks at the date written on it. The assessment was from over a month ago. His teacher goes over the questions, but he struggles to even recollect...
His sophomore English teacher passes around a sheet with scenarios of academic dishonesty. As the teacher reads through each scenario, John* thinks to himself: I’ve done that dozens of times, how is...
It’s no secret technology plays a bigger part in people’s lives than ever, and there is little doubt the trend will continue. However, as people move to digital communication, the importance of face-to-face...
The Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia saw an unprecedented gathering of various far-right groups, including white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Attendees, who originally came to protest...
Helpless. In the collaborative, experimental classroom, communication is crucial, but without it, a student is helpless. Whether it be because of fear or stress, there are some students who simply cannot...
Every 60 seconds, 20 people in America alone have been physically abused by a partner. According to ncadv.org, it only takes this short amount of time for someone to have a terrifying, life-altering experience.
The...
Words can be destructive; no one knows that better than journalists. A single inaccuracy or biased statement can be the line between complete trust and total loss of credibility. Reporters struggle with...
For some students at South, class selection is a breeze. They usually follow their core classes’ track to their comfort level and lock in an elective. To others, the process is a difficult one, having...
Don’t you just love it when you get one test in a quarter and you fail it? Well, 40 percent of your grade isn’t that much anyways, right? *cries* I mean, if you’re not crying every week about stress...
It’s 10:00 p.m. and you still have to study for two tests, write a paper and finish math homework. When you check your phone, you see that forecasted snow will probably create a very cold wait for the...
In light of college application season, many students may suddenly realize that the way they represent themselves on social media is not the way they want admissions counselors to see them. Some students...
Everything in today’s world costs money. From club shirts to school lunch, the expenses of life are high and come up more often than we think. Since all families’ financial situations are different,...
For parents watching their kids grow through middle school and approach high school, a discussion about drugs becomes inevitable. Most can only hope that their kids will never have to deal with such an...
Among the 2,747 students at South this school year, 567 receive lunch free or at a reduced price. That means that unless they want to pay money out-of-pocket, 21 percent of the student body must...
