Patricia Barrera-Brekke, principal of the new Back of the Yards High School.

Developments for the new Back of the Yards high school were announced Thursday, Oct. 25, including the introduction of its principal and the students’ selection process.

In a forum open to the Back of the Yards community, Chicago Public School (CPS) officials spoke with neighborhood residents at Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academy, opening a dialogue for questions and concerns.

At the top of the agenda was the presentation of the new high school principal Patricia Barrera-Brekke.

“I’m so excited to come back home,” said Barrera-Brekke during her introduction.

Barrera-Brekke spent 16 years working in the Back of the Yards community at Seward Academy, Chavez and alternative schools.

“I have been extraordinarily impressed by her passion for the community, by her passion for educating students, working with families and her track record of success in Chicago Public Schools,” said Elizabeth Kirby, Southwest Side High School Network Chief of Schools.

Barrera-Brekke will assume her position when the school opens in the fall of 2013.

Responding to parent concerns for student safety, CPS Chief of Safety and Security Jadine Chou outlined the plans to oversee the high school during school and community hours.

Part of the plan, according to Chou, will be security monitoring cameras that will be installed inside the school and library. These cameras can be viewed by administration, the Central Office Student Safety Center and the city’s 911 center.

“We find cameras to be a very positive, valuable tool because we can use them to also look for things in advance. If we see anything that looks suspicious we can intervene in advance,” said Chou.

The doors that connect from the high school to the planned community library inside will remain locked throughout the school day, according to Chou. Any student or teacher that wishes to access the library during school hours will have to go outside and enter through the main entrance.

“If the school decides that that is something they want to open up [it] is certainly something we can work with them to do and yet maintain the safety of both buildings,” she said.

While there is still no concrete plan for administrating the safety outside the school, Chou assured it is something CPS is working hard to develop. Most likely, she said, a safe passage program will be established, where CPS hires a community organization to hire community safety personnel.

“We have not donned the budget for it yet but it’s something we are definitely considering looking at,” she said.

A concrete detail for the high school is that it will be a neighborhood school. Students will not need to take an enrollment exam to get accepted, although they will need to live within the neighborhood boundaries that remain undetermined.

According to Kirby, only 275 freshmen will be accepted into the new high school, a number that falls short of the 320 to 375 eighth graders currently enrolled in the neighborhood’s elementary schools.

Currently, Kirby and her team are polling eighth graders to determine their plans for high school. According to her, history dictates that many students go outside the neighborhood for high school.

However, if more than 275 eighth graders apply to enroll in the new high school a lottery system will be put in place, where students’ names will be picked at random. The remaining names will be put in a waiting list.

“It is a challenging situation and we’re looking at scenarios to figure that out,” said Kirby.

A meeting is planned in the future to announce neighborhood boundaries, which according to Kirby, will be finalized during the CPS board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

Obesity rates are still on the upswing and may reach record highs by 2030, a new study reports. In Illinois, well over 53.7 percent of its residents could end up obese with an increased likelihood for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. For Latinos the numbers are also alarming.

The report “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2012” by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimates the U.S. will likely see over three million new cases of type 2 diabetes and close to half a million incidences of obesity-related cancer in the next 18 years. The study also suggests that obesity disproportionately impacts Latinos where the rates of adult obesity were at 31.5 percent in Illinois.

For Chicago resident Maria Benites, a mother of four children, the study is no shock. Only 34-years-old, Benites suffers from arterial blockage, she told The Gate in a phone interview. The family began a journey towards a healthy lifestyle nearly five months ago as a result of Benites’ heart health and her husband’s diabetes. But Benites admits that in the past few days, she has not been sticking to her workout regimen.

Benites says her children worry when they see her taking so many pills with her morning coffee. But so far, the children have been resistant to adopting healthy habits, which she worries will adversely impact their health.

The report outcomes support earlier studies related to Latinos and obesity. A 2009 study on childhood obesity in Pilsen carried out by the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children found “less than half of caregivers report their child is eating the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.” According to the survey, “over half (54 percent) of children in Pilsen are overweight or obese.”

Inactivity and poor diet take the brunt of the blame for obesity. But lifestyle alone does not account for the disparity between obesity levels. The Benites family, for example, only indulges in fast food a few times per month. So why are Latinos more susceptible to obesity related health issues?

Michael Guarrine, director of Health and Leadership Programs at Erie Neighborhood House, argues that other social issues that impact Latinos, like economic inequity and education, are intertwined with community health.

“Maybe a neighborhood lacks parks or has a lot of gangs. Parents work odd hours and sometimes aren’t home after school and children end up watching too much TV. Families don’t travel much, to say, Navy Pier because it’s cost prohibitive. And once they get there, the only affordable food option is McDonald’s.”

Other times, a balanced diet is just lost in translation. “In Hispanic cultures, people eat well,” Esther Sciammarella of the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition (CHHC) says. “But when they’re coming from another country, they come here and they start to eat more fast food.”

Many CHHC programs focus on children, and Sciammarella sees a disturbing trend among young Latinos: an increasing prevalence of diabetes, which she attributes to soda. And sugar-free pops are not much better. “We recommend people drink water but not any cola. Even if it’s diet, the chemicals change the metabolic system and the children can become obese.”

Alternatives to fast or processed foods are scarce in some communities, and as a result, people eat what is available. “A lot of shopping happens at bodegas and in those they have tons of packaged foods and limited healthy options, on top of tons of ads directed at the Latino population,” Guarrine said.

Mike Limón-Leonas, a Bridgeport resident and a first-generation college student currently pursuing his master’s degree in music education, has struggled with his weight for most of his life and admits he considers price over quality in his food selections.

“My parents don’t have high-paying jobs, so I work [to support myself].”

And even though Limón-Leonas considers his diabetic mother a warning of what the future may hold if he does not change his habits, he says finding time to eat right and exercise is near impossible with a packed schedule. “It’s so much easier to just get fast food. I’m so exhausted from school and work, it’s easier for me to just buy a meal,” Limón-Leonas said.

For Chicago residents living in food deserts – those at least a half mile away from a full-service grocery store – the temptation to indulge in fast food is about more than taste.

“In so-called ‘food deserts,’ there are tons of fast food restaurants. There’s an illusion that it’s cheap food,” Guarrine said.

According to “F as in Fat,” the state of Illinois could save $28 billion in healthcare costs by 2030 if the body mass index (BMI) of the state’s residents dropped by only five percent. For someone who is five feet, 10 inches and weighs 210 pounds, the change would amount to losing a meager 11 pounds.

Over 300,000 Illinoisans could avoid diabetes. The change in BMI would result in a combined 500,000 fewer incidences of heart disease, stroke and hypertension in the state.

Still, planning long term can seem illogical for those living paycheck to paycheck.

Limón-Leonas finds it “ironic that organic and healthy foods cost so much more than foods with tons of preservatives. I’d rather use those two or three dollars towards other expenses.” And while this is not always the case, some healthy options can be cost prohibitive for working families.

Despite the challenges to live a healthy lifestyle, organization is key. Guarrine recommends keeping a food diary for a week to end the “less is more” mentality. A list of everything you eat – and exactly what it costs – will show you “where [your] money is really going.” This exercise allows families to make smarter choices about their diets and better allocate their money.

Monitoring time spent in front of the TV can be another eye-opener for would-be dieters who blame the lack of physical activity on a full schedule. Almost any activity burns more calories than an extra episode of MTV’s Jersey Shore or the Mexican soap opera Por Ella Soy Eva. Other easy solutions include buying in bulk, using fewer ingredients and making food that can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated as needed. Guarrine stresses that reading labels is important, but not as vital as cooking at home.

“Even if you’re making unhealthy food at home, chances are the ingredients are real, as opposed to eating out, when you really don’t know what you’re eating.”

For assistance in obtaining medical care for people without insurance or for a copy of the “Guide to Preventative Health Services in the Hispanic Community” contact the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition at 312-842-2340 or go to www.chicagohispanichealthcoalition.org.

Forty sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls from Lara Academy’s Girls in the Game after school program participated in a basketball clinic on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Sachs Rec Center in Deerfield, Ill. where they met Chicago Sky WNBA player and Olympic gold medalist Swin Cash.

The girls had the opportunity to talk to Cash and hold her medal. After the basketball clinic, the 40 participants were invited to a luncheon at Allstate Arena where they enjoyed a Chicago Sky game.

The Girls in the Game after school program is part of the Pink Panthers program at Lara Academy headed by Rosario Badillo that helps girls make healthy, nutritious and good life decisions. The basketball clinic was sponsored by Nike, who extended an invitation to Lara Academy as part of their partnership with American Girl Doll and the Peace and Education Coalition.

With a high number of students who only speak Spanish, a new report shows few Illinois early childhood teachers have bilingual, ESL credentials

Elva Garcia’s students begin their day by writing and reading in Spanish. As the day continues, they switch to science and social studies—shifting to English to learn both subjects.

“That’s where I have the most wiggle room to use English,” said Garcia. “They need to get that [reading and writing] foundation in Spanish to be able to acquire English as a second language.”

Garcia is the bilingual kindergarten teacher at Seward Academy in Back of the Yards and teaches 24 English Language Learners (ELLs) whose primary language is Spanish.

To better understand and communicate with her students, Garcia acquired a bilingual approval when she graduated from Illinois State University in 2010. She is also one class away from receiving an English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement.

But while Garcia is equipped with these resources, a new report released by the Latino Policy Forum and New Journalism on Latino Children shows only 6 percent of early childhood teachers in Illinois have bilingual or ESL credentials. A disparity, as the ratio of young ELL students to teachers with bilingual training in Latino communities in the state is 50 to 1.

“We know from empirical research that a lot of what happens in the classroom is particularly important because of the interaction with the teacher,” said Dr. Margaret Bridges, a senior research scientist at UC-Berkeley’s Institute of Human Development, who headed the study. “It’s not just the lessons that are being talked about that are important. It’s really the child having a relationship with the teacher and learning from the teacher through lessons and through speaking with him or her.”

The study surveyed 307 program directors, principals, superintendents, teachers, coordinators and other administrators representing 354 preschool program locations in Illinois in order to better understand how the workforce is evolving as children become more diverse.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) 20 percent of Illinois kindergartners are ELLs, as are 36 percent of kindergartners in Chicago. Of those 20 percent in the state, 80 percent are Spanish speaking.

Until recently, teachers were not required to hold an ESL or bilingual endorsement to teach primary grades in Illinois but a new mandate has changed that.

The new mandate requires teachers working in state-funded, school-district administered Illinois preschool classrooms with 20 or more ELLs to hold certification in either Bilingual Instruction or ESL in addition to standard Early Childhood Education credentials by 2014. Bilingual instruction requires teachers to be fluent in a language other than English while an ESL certification does not.

Yet, according to the study, there is little interest among teachers to pursue additional coursework for ESL certification to teach ELLs, as nearly 45 percent of overall program administrators cited “little need” for their teachers to obtain ESL approval.

“Teachers might not see a need to pursue appropriate preparation to teach ELLs for several reasons,” said Dr. Sonia Soltero, chair of the Department of Leadership, Language and Curriculum and former associate professor and director of the Bilingual-Bicultural Education Graduate Program at DePaul University.

Soltero listed some of those reasons, including the misconception amongst some teachers that young children pick up English easily, that it is not the teacher’s responsibility to take on ELLs but the responsibility of a specialist, they are overwhelmed by existing Professional Development Days and curriculum demands, are unaware of the mandate, or lack of time and funds to pursue the certifications.

According to Bridges, the cultural and linguistic competencies of a teacher are key factors in a child’s academic success.

“The teacher-child relationship is a really fundamental aspect of imparting children’s learning, particularly in the early ages, the student and teacher relationship is fundamental,” she said.

Garcia believes her ability to connect with her students both culturally and linguistically helps her ease her Spanish-language students into learning English, allowing them to develop the skills they need to become successful in the future.

“I honestly think that you’re doing kids a disservice if you force them to learn a language that they are not comfortable or ready for yet,” said Garcia. “If you’re going to be working in a community that’s predominantly Mexican or Latino and the language is Spanish then you need to be able to communicate with the parents, make sure that the kid is comfortable communicating with you, and be a little familiar with the culture.”

While the mandate will not be implemented for another 15 months, the study shows that there will not be enough teachers holding an ESL or bilingual endorsement to fill the demand of the increasing number of ELL students in Illinois.

“Clearly this is a concern,” said Sylvia Puente, executive director of the Latino Policy Forum. “I don’t think there’s a resolution on that yet but there is talk about districts making a good faith effort. As we move to these new standards of quality this will continue to be an ongoing issue.”

Walk along any street in Pilsen and you can still see paleteros wearing traditional Mexican sombreros and a horde of Latino children playing by a hydrant on hot summer days. The sidewalks still play host to taco and fruit stands, and the air is filled with the proverbial notes of Spanish.

But while the Mexican presence still holds strong in the neighborhood, over the years it has seen an influx of non-Latino residents—a younger, hipster-like crowd that has been moving in.
While many believe that this new influx of newcomers is gentrifying the neighborhood, others believe it is adding diversity and making Pilsen a more interesting and culturally diverse community.

New neighbors

Once a predominantly Czech neighborhood, Pilsen became a magnet for many Mexican immigrants during the 1960s. Back then, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) had begun to expand its campus throughout Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street, displacing the many Mexican families that lived in that area.

Now the neighborhood is transforming again. Relatively cheaper rent has helped attract white college students into the area, as well as business owners who grasp at the opportunity to open vintage shops, art galleries and furniture stores.

Pilsen’s affordable rent and lively community charmed Jamie Roelofs and Jen Thomas. After living in the neighborhood for five years, they decided to open a vintage shop on 18th and Loomis Streets called Comet.

“We saw what the neighborhood was doing and wanted to move faster and be part of it,” said Roelofs. “It’s turning over. There used to be a lot of vacant storefronts and failed businesses. It’s definitely turning into something else but it’s still a community.”

Roelofs does not believe that businesses like hers are the cause for gentrification, pointing the development on Halsted Street, just south of the UIC campus.

A divided Pilsen

An active art community, Pilsen is home to the National Museum of Mexican Art, a number of small and independent art galleries, and the Chicago Arts District—the art development strip on Halsted Street created by the Podmajersky Family.

According to their website, the third generation Pilsen family created the strip in order to make the neighborhood “the creative and cultural center of the city.”

But some believe the development aids in the division of Pilsen.

“There’s a big division between the arts communities here and it almost seems like it’s divided in color by the Latino artists and the white artists that are occupying a lot of these galleries,” said Carlos Velasquez, a Pilsen resident and communications manager for the Illinois Humanities Council.

Nelson Sosa, executive director of the Pilsen Alliance, a community organization that has advocated for referendums to limit the height of neighborhood buildings and the creation of a zoning committee to interact with local elected officials, said the issue of gentrification is far more complex than racial differences.

“Residents that are coming in are not only not Mexican but are also better off and that’s an unequivocal sign of gentrification,” he said. “You also have to consider the fact that unemployment basically doubled in the last 10 years in Pilsen.”

According to the 2010 census, Pilsen had a decrease in Latino residents from 88.9 percent in 2000 to 82.4 percent in 2010 and an increase in non-Hispanic whites from 8.1 percent to 12.4 percent.

“There are good and bad things [about gentrification] but the key factor is this, are people who want to stay here given the chance to stay or are they pushed out because of economic barriers? We think that that’s the case,” said Sosa.

Can’t we all just get along?

Whether economic barriers are the cause for gentrification or it’s due to the creation of new development; the fact is Pilsen is changing. The question now becomes, can these two groups learn to live together while keeping the flavor that once made Pilsen the home away from home for many Mexicans?

To help answer this question, a collective of both Latino and non-Latino artists, activists and residents came together for a conversation on Pilsen’s changing face on Wednesday, Sept. 5. The forum took place at Human Thread, an art gallery on 18th and Ruble Streets and was part of WBEZ’s Race: Out Loud series—a reporting initiative tackling issues of segregation and gentrification in Chicago’s wide-ranging ethnic neighborhoods.

A central piece in the dialogue was a recent story written by Linda Lutton, a WBEZ reporter, which highlighted some of the tensions between both groups. She interviewed both Latinos and white residents in the neighborhood and described some of the ways Pilsen is changing.

Yet, while many agreed that the neighborhood is changing, some said that the tensions are overly exaggerated.

“I don’t feel the tension,” said Fernando Diaz, a Pilsen resident and editor of Hoy newspaper. “I go to the local grocery store and people respond to me in English thinking that I’m white. I don’t think the issue is race, I think it’s a socioeconomic thing.”

Diaz pointed to the recent closure of the Fisk coal plant, which he said will help increase rent even more in the neighborhood, displacing many families that will no longer be able to afford to live in Pilsen.

Changing the conversation

While gentrification was the focal point at the meeting, residents like Amanda Cortes said, “the conversation should really be about how we should invest in our neighborhood to make it better, not who owns or rents what part of the community.”

Sosa agrees.

“There’s a larger debate of whether [gentrification] is a natural thing, is it unstoppable, are there any merits? Especially thinking of a community like Bridgeport, is it better to have a diverse Bridgeport than the one 30 years ago,” he said. “The key for us is how do we create policies to protect the community from continuing to be displaced. We want to make sure that 40 years from now we still have an affordability option here in Pilsen,” he added

Photo by Eric Allix Rogers via flickr

Chicago teachers returned to the classrooms on Wednesday Sept. 18 after spending seven days on the picket line.

For the first time in 25 years, Chicago public school teachers were on strike leaving some 350,000 children outside of the classrooms for over a week.

Teachers’ union president, Karen Lewis, made the announcement on Tuesday after 800 union members met to decide on a final vote.

Lewis told reporters that an overwhelmingly 98 percent of the union voted in favor to end the strike. She said that it was time to go back to the classrooms and that she expected Mayor Rahm Emanuel to honor the negotiation.

Emanuel stated that the agreement is an “honest compromise” and that the settlement means a new direction for the school district.

“With this agreement, our teachers will receive higher pay and our students will have a higher standard of education,” he added.

The negotiations were delayed over teacher’s evaluations linked to students’ performance and job security as CPS continues to close underperforming schools.

Both parties agreed on a longer school day, teachers’ salary raises, and teacher evaluations based partly on students’ test scores.

After announcing the end of the teacher strike, Lewis said that while the contract was not perfect, the CTU could not strike forever until each issue is suitable for everyone.

In Back of the Yards, teachers and parents walked the picket line outside local schools each morning demanding a fair contract and a better school environment for students.

“We’re fighting for a better school day for our children. It’s not about money,” said John Trock, teacher and union delegate at Seward Academy on Monday, Sept. 10. “There is no air conditioning in our classrooms. Sometimes we don’t have books. We don’t have media. We don’t have computers. There’s a lot of things inner city kids face that suburban kids don’t. They need the support”

Trock joined teachers and parents from Seward Academy, Lara Academy and Hedges Elementary in Back of the Yards as they walked along 47^th Street holding signs and chanted in support.

Raymundo Mora-Alva, whose children attend Orozco Academy and Benito Juarez Career Academy in Pilsen, took vacation time from work during the first week of the strike to walk the picket line with his wife, a teacher’s aide at Hedges.

“We’re walking around the neighborhood to show support for the teachers,” said Mora-Alva. “What they’re asking for is fair. Teachers spend so much time educating themselves to become better instructors for our children, it’s unjust for them not to get what they’re asking for.”

Laura Guillen, a parent of an eighth grade student at Lara expressed concerns that the strike could affect her son’s education.

“As a parent, the amount of educational time my son is losing because of the strike worries me. I’m worried he’ll head to high school less prepared,” said Guillen.

In previous statements Emanuel called the strike “a strike of choice,” saying that it was unnecessary and that kids did not deserve to be out of the classrooms. He said the strike should be postponed given how close the two parties were at reaching an agreement.

Both parties agreed on a framework on Friday Sept. 14 but CTU officials refused to end the strike on Sunday after arguing that teachers needed time studying the 180-page document.

In efforts to end the strike, Emanuel filed an injunction with the Cook County District Court but his request was denied.

“I will not stand by while the children of Chicago are played as pawns in an internal dispute within a union,” said Emanuel in a statement sent to the media before filing the injunction.

Teachers have been negotiating a new contract with the district for months, but the four-year contract between both parties expired last June.

CPS kept 140 schools open during the strike providing children with lunch and breakfast. Community organizations and local YMCAs opened their doors for children in need of a safe haven.

Rebeca Nieves Huffman, executive director of Education Reform Now Advocacy Illinois worries about the educational future of Chicago children and fears that the strike was a setback.

“While we are happy that the strike has been suspended, the reality is that many of our students will be going back to underperforming schools, and the impact of the strike on their educational performance will be felt for a long time,” said Huffman.

CPS opened its schools on Wednesday Sept 19. “Our students [are] back in school with their teachers, right where they belong,” said CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard.

The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance on Wednesday Sept. 12 that protects undocumented immigrants in Chicago.

The ordinance builds on an existing city policy that prohibits agencies from inquiring about the immigration status of people seeking city services, and asks the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to leave out questions regarding immigration status when communicating with victims, witnesses and other-law abiding residents.

The ordinance ensures that undocumented Chicagoans can only be detained if they have an outstanding criminal warrant; have been convicted of a felony; are a defendant in a criminal case where a judgment has not been entered and a felony charge is pending; have been identified as a known gang member; or if they are otherwise a clear threat to public safety or national security.

The CPD will hold trainings in conjunction with immigrant advocacy groups to build trust within immigrant communities, as well as develop public marketing materials to outline the services that law-abiding immigrants can safely access in the city of Chicago.

It’s not all bad news in the ‘hood.

While youth violence has captured the headlines this spring and summer, several communities this week celebrated a lack of it – in part thanks to the summer-long programs of sports, arts and education they’ve forged.

On Saturday, August 18^th, a broad city league celebrated its success at the 6^th annual Hoops in the Hood Cross-City Tournament, in which youth from 12 communities compete in a city-wide contest. Begun nearly a decade ago in Pilsen as an anti-violence strategy, Hoops in the Hood (supported by LISC Chicago) has grown to a city-wide collaboration of 12 neighborhoods, serving hundreds of youth each year. Under program names like B-Ball on the Block, Hoops, and the Safe Summer Basketball League, each week during the summer residents shut down streets, set up portable hoops and invite neighbors to come out and cheer on the young players. Weekly street ball is also blended with community art projects and health awareness education.

In the face of growing calls from across the city for neighbors to take responsibility for their own safety, these Chicago communities are doing just that through Hoops in the Hood. By occupying blocks, kids and residents leave less physical space for gangs in their neighborhoods. With a shared, city-wide slogan of “Playing for Peace, Unity & Respect,” and a zero-tolerance policy for arguing and fighting on the court, the leagues have enjoyed summer after summer of incident-free ball.

“Next to a block party, this is the most fundamental neighborhood engagement you can get,” said Jaime deLeon of Enlace Chicago, who’s been involved with Hoops in the Hood since 2006. “You can feel the tremendous sense of community. It’s a beautiful feeling to see kids playing basketball on their own streets without any fear or worry. For at least a few hours, families own that block, and our hope is that the sense of ownership continues to build, so that everyone can take responsibility for keeping our community safe.”

Participating organizations in the tournament were the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, www.bync.org; Breakthrough Urban Ministries, www.breakthrough.org (East Garfield Park); BUILD, www.buildchicago.org (Humboldt Park); Chicago Men in Action, www.connectnearnorth.org (Near North); The Community Builders, www.tcbinc.org (Quad Communities); Enlace Chicago www.enlacechicago.org and Beyond the Ball, www.beyondtheball.org (Little Village); Lawndale Christian Development Corp., www.lcdc.net (North Lawndale); the Near West Side Community Development Corp., www.nearwestsidecdc.org (West Haven); Neighborhood House and Claretian Associates, www.claretianassociates.org (South Chicago); North River Commission, www.northrivercommission.org (Albany Park); The Resurrection Project, www.resurrectionproject.org (Pilsen); and, Teamwork Englewood (www.teamworkenglewood.org).

See pictures of the Hoops in the Hood tournament in Back of the Yards on Aug. 3, 2012 below.

The results of that tournament were as follows:

1st place: Kids and Kops

2nd place: Brighton Park

3rd place: Holy Cross

Other participating teams included St. Michael, Paulina Pride and Union Impact.

Father Bruce: How Does a Gringo who Failed Spanish in College Become the Best-known Priest in Back of the Yards?

After 22 years in the neighborhood, Fr. Bruce Wellems, CMF, pastor of Holy Cross/Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, calls it fate. But now, fate takes him to Los Angeles, where he will work to promote immigration reform nationally and help San Gabriel Mission Parish deepen its lay leadership.

Fr. Bruce spoke with The Gate on Aug. 3 about how the neighborhood has changed during his stay, how he has been changed during his time here, and his hopes for the future of Back of the Yards. The Q and A below is an edited version of the conversation.

Q. Why are you leaving now? 

A. A year and a half ago the [Claretian] provincial approached me and asked if I would consider going to Los Angeles and connecting work there with Chicago. They asked me to invite the leadership here to connect with Los Angeles and explore how to collaborate with laity and raise immigration reform. How could I say no?

It was conditioned on whether SOS Children’s Villages would take on Casa Tepeyac [the short-term residential center for youth built in 2007 and operated by Boys Town through late 2011]. Mayor Daley helped with that [transition].

Q. When you first came, did you imagine staying as long as you have?

A. No, not at all. When I first came I thought I’d be here for three to six years. In 1995 I thought for sure I’d be moved. I was already into the park and the alternative high school, and that’s why they let me stay. [The Claretians said:] Rather than moving you out, you will be pastor. Six years later, they couldn’t move me because of [Casa Tepeyac]. It was just fate. I never thought I’d be here for 22 years. Boy, was I lucky.

Q. What do you enjoy most about the neighborhood?

A. Working with the young people. Seeing the joy on their face when they’re discovering life is worthwhile. The most discouraging thing is a young person who has given up and doesn’t want to talk about it.

Q. How has living in this neighborhood changed you as a person? 

A. I often tell the story when I first came to this neighborhood. I came to serve the way I thought a priest would serve. I thought I would do sacraments, hear confessions, answer phone calls. I was pushed to go outside the building and meet the people.

Q. Who pushed you?

A. Peter Rodriguez [the previous pastor of Holy Cross/IHM]—I put it on him—Peter and the youth committee of the parish pushed me to look beyond the buildings. [Peter told me:] “Bruce, we’re not serving the people of the neighborhood and we need to do it.” They had a need. They wanted to make Davis Square Park safe.

Q. As you look back, what are some of the key moments of change you remember?

A. One Saturday night we had a Mass in Davis Square Park with the alderman and 300 people. The gang kids came in the park and you could feel the hair stand up on the back of everyone’s neck. What are they going to do? They took off their hats and prayed with us. That was a pivotal moment.

The second pivotal moment was in 1997, when Mayor Daley came and walked down Hermitage from Davis Square Park, toward Seward. He saw a dilapidated building at 46th and Wood. He looked at me and asked, “What are you doing about that building?”

“What do you mean? That’s not my problem,” I told him.

“Don’t you know a building like that makes or breaks a neighborhood?” That was a wake-up call for me. The Resurrection Project bought it and you know the history. [The building now houses career services provided by Instituto del Progreso Latino.] And of course, the opening of the alternative high school in 1998.

Q. Can you give me some examples of the relationships that have made a difference for you?

A. Claudio [Rivera, youth worker at Holy Cross/IHM] was one of the first to attend reflections with [Sr.] Irene Dugan. Today, Claudio is studying for a doctorate at DePaul in community psychology. He married one of the first grads from Irene Dugan [Alternative High School]. She went on to study early childhood and now she’s running her own business.

When Irene was dying I said, “you’re going to die.” She said, “I’m going to live.”

And she lived to the last day when she died. It was a great lesson.

Q. And she still lives…

A. She does, yeah. My faith tells me she’s behind everything. She’s not going to let things wane [with the Peace & Education Coalition High School]. To see somebody like Bridget Swenson making decisions about who is teaching the youth in our neighborhood—that’s one person I can never thank enough.

Q. What do you consider the most important change you’ve seen take place in the neighborhood during your time here?

A. There’s awareness among the teachers, the adults and the agencies that they have a responsibility not just to live in their own territory but to strengthen the others around. If the church falls as we’ve seen east of Ashland, violence is the result.

Not everybody participates but we’re working to understand each other better—schools, parks, churches. Yesterday, we had social workers talking to judges—Bridget, Fr. [Dave] Kelly—telling people what we need in this neighborhood.

I think the church is the mortar between the bricks. Our agenda is neutral. We can call that kind of meeting.

In the last 25 years, we’ve tried to establish a culture of education. The Peace and Education scholarship has done a lot for that. But we need to do more.

Q. What is the change you most want to see here? 

A. What we need is a community system where everybody’s working together. If the cops don’t get it, we educate the cops. If the church doesn’t get it, we kick them in the butt. If the schools don’t get it, we work with the principals. What needs to continue is accountability and communication among the major players in the neighborhood: cops, judges, parks, schools, churches, and businesses. We need to keep meeting with the principals monthly.

This [meeting] yesterday was a beautiful youth forum, but it’s only a part of the puzzle. Jerry [of Jerry’s Certified grocery store] loved his business. When that closed International lost business, the bakery lost business. Jerry was an important piece in this neighborhood. We need to reach out to him. Walmart is coming—they don’t give a damn.

We need more leadership development, even with our established leaders. We’ve trained 150 people in this church in leadership development. I don’t think we can do enough of this.

Q. Tell me what leadership development means to you?

A. We hit it right on with the youth. I just got back from taking some kids fishing in the [Minnesota] Boundary Waters. Andy—he’s 11, the youngest kid I’ve ever taken—he jumped off a 22-foot cliff. We recently buried his grandpa, who was a father figure to him. I said, “you have the spirit of your grandpa in you.”

He’s an antsy kid. After about 10 minutes of fishing, he said, “Boy, you really have to be patient.” Then, he caught the largest walleye I’ve ever seen—it must have been 20 inches. There, he was laughing and giggling, saying, “I can see why this is fun.” He put his hands on his hips and said, “Father, I’m proud of myself.” That’s what I live for in these kids—I’m proud of myself. That’s what I want to hear until you’re about 21. After that I want to hear how you’re going to give back.

Q. In that spirit, what do you think about the young people who have grown up here and are taking on leadership roles in the neighborhood?

A. I’m delighted. I think these people will have to stay in dialogue and see what’s doable and not doable. They have to figure that out. What’s going to continue and what’s going to go by the wayside.

Q. How will you stay connected to Back of the Yards?

A. For the first three months, I’ll be back every month. I see myself staying connected to the neighborhood. I will continue to bring scholarships to the neighborhood. I want to invite our college students, master’s students, to San Gabriel for internships.

Q. What have been the advantages of staying in one place for so long?

A. The advantages are seeing change and building the relationships. I don’t see any disadvantages. People ask me, “Are you excited to be going?” I say, I’ll miss Back of the Yards.

From left: Craig Chico, CEO and President of Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council; Sandy Traback, chair of the Quality-of-Life education committee; Victor Simon, cheif of school for the Pershing Network; Liz Kirby, chief of schools for the South Side High School Network.

CPS officials gave the green light for the hiring of the new Back of the Yards IB high school principal, but the process seems to be extending to mid October.

Community residents and school principals met with CPS officials on Wednesday, Aug. 8 to go over the timeline regarding the hiring of the new school administration and details about the new school boundaries.

Two major points were brought up to discussion. First, hiring a new principal requires a careful selection process that preferably will include community input. And, drawing the new school boundaries is a key factor that will determine the students’ interest to enroll as well as their safety.

“The district has given clearance to hire a principal this fall as opposed to waiting until [the] second semester,” said Liz Kirby, chief of schools of the Southwest Side High School Network. The new principal position announcement has been listed on CPS’s eBulletin.

Kirby explained that finding a strong instructional leader is her number one priority. “This is going to be a full IB school as well, so I’m going to be looking for someone who has experience in the IB program,” said Kirby.

Kirby is also in the process of hiring an IB community coordinator who will be able to start working in the fall.

Community involvement

The process to hire a new principal, explained Kirby, generally includes screening of candidates, one-on-one interviews and panel presentations. At the meeting, participants raised questions about community involvement during the hiring process.

“It seemed from the last meeting that you wanted more input on who will be selected especially through Back of the Yards, it doesn’t seem like that was a piece of the process [explained]. Is that on purpose or is that normal,” asked Hedges Principal, Adelfino Garcia.

When a new community school does not have an established Local School Council (LSC), the chief of schools selects the principal, explained Kirby.

“Without input from the community,” asked Garcia.

“Well, I’m going to get input from the community, I don’t have to but I think that’s important,” said Kirby. “I don’t live in this community and I don’t know the needs of the community so I would rely very heavily on the people who work here and live here.”

In doing that, Kirby’s vision involves a panel of community representatives “it wouldn’t be everyone,” she said. It could be a smaller committee to develop a set of questions and then work with key representatives that will address the community needs, she added.

During this ambitious search, Kirby hopes to tap into a strong and diverse set of applicants. “I really want a strong leader, I really want to see who’s out there not only in Chicago but in the state and nationally too.”

The rough deadline to select a school principal is Sept. 30; this date however is not definite. “It could be mid October, that’s why I said don’t put it in stone,” Kirby said.

New school boundaries
The portfolio office in CPS is the department in charge of drawing the school’s boundaries, but the process is moving slowly. For the Back of the Yards IB high school, two key factors are at stake. One, it needs to ensure that boundaries reflect the students’ educational needs in the community. Two, it needs to appeal to future neighborhood students. In other words, they must consider the school as a viable academic and environmentally stable option.

“The most honest and transparent answer I can give you is that we are not there yet,” said Ben Felton, from the portfolio office referring to the drawing of the school’s boundaries.

The portfolio office is getting ready to take a look at the entire network to then decide what will make the most sense for the Back of the Yards community, he explained.

“We are very mindful of community engagement,” he added.

In the drawing process, Felton and his office want to ensure that the school is an attractive option for students in the Back of the Yards community and across the city, but “to draw boundaries this far out in advance makes us a little bit uncomfortable until we play with the Rubik’s cube and figure out the best option for the community.”

According to Kirby the process to determine school boundaries involves taking a look at the current high school options in the neighborhood. “You look at the whole area to see where kids go,” she said.

The Back of the Yards area currently has two high schools that have received big financial investments in the last year, Richards Career Academy and Tilden Community High School.

In 2011, Richards Career Academy, a transformation school, received $5.6 million over the next three fiscal years in federal School Improvement Grant funds to drastically improve its quality of education. Tilden Career Academy, a turnaround school, recently went through a process of removing or re-hiring its current teaching staff and hired a new principal.

“[Tilden has] lots of funding, a great new principal and great new staff,” said Kirby. “That’s something to really consider when you look at the options for the students.”

In terms of a timeline of when the boundaries will be drawn, the answer is foggy.

“I can certainly get back to you on around specific milestones in this process,” said Felton.

He specified the importance to purposefully draw boundaries in a way that reflects safety concerns. “We can work very closely with security and have community input, but we simply won’t put kids in danger if we could avoid it,” said Felton.

Wednesday’s meeting is part of the Back of the Yards Quality of Life education committee meeting series with CPS officials. The meetings allow principals and community residents to provide feedback and get updates on the internal development process of the new Back of the Yards high school.

“We’ve been lobbying for this school for over 15 years. We all came together because there were rumors relative to the school going to UNO or some other charter school,” said Sandy Traback, chair of the Quality of Life education committee. “We absolutely want this to be a neighborhood school.”

The next education committee meeting is scheduled for the first week of September. For more details contact BYNC Erin Waitz, director of New Communities Program (NCP) at ewaitz@bync.org or call 773-523-4416.