Opposition to activity fee expressed at District 202 Board meeting

By Jennie Berkson

Community members attending a recent District 202 School Board meeting voiced their strong opposition to a proposed fee designed to restore extracurricular and athletic activities which were eliminated in recent years because of budget cuts.

Although the Board and administration reported that community response via email had indicated significant support for the fee, no one speaking during public comment offered that opinion.

Some of the speakers accused the Board of being fiscally irresponsible by granting large pre-retirement increases to administrators in the past, while at the same time cutting student programs. The Board and administration acknowledged that such raises used to be given, but that it was standard practice in many area districts. District 202 gave administrators raises of 20% and then 10% in the last two years before retirement or 15% each of the last two years. In comparison, New Trier gave 10/20, Niles, 20/20, Arlington Heights 20/15 and Glenbard 20/20. According to a recent letter from the Board to The RoundTable, "the practice was intended to encourage higher-paid employees with greater seniority to retire early, thus reducing overall salary expenditures." In 2005, the Illinois legislature limited future pre-retirement increases to 6%.

"I have focused on administrator salaries because those are approved on a yearly basis, and the Board had opportunities to change these decisions as they were weighing what cuts to make to the budget," said Nancy Bruski, whose children graduated from ETHS. "Knowing that administrators do not operate under the same kind of group negotiated contract as teachers, I wanted to find out why the Board had continued giving these raises to administrators." Ms. Bruski said that she had to file a Freedom of Information Act request to get information about administrators' salaries and that "the only document that even described this obligation, was a description of administrator benefits from 1984-85 which stated that ‘in no instance will administrators receive fewer benefits than those provided for teachers'." Ms. Bruski maintained that the document only guaranteed that administrators should receive as many benefits as teachers and did not justify the large pre-retirement salary increases received by administrators.

Other parents, including Mel Furman, Rita Pope, Mary Jo Barrett, and Bob Eder challenged the Board to be more fiscally responsible. "I'm upset about the activity fee and I'm upset about the cuts," said Ms. Furman. "I have concerns over rising fees," said Ms. Pope.

Ms. Barrett expressed concern that her daughter, a freshman, would not have the same opportunities that her older brother had had which "saved his life. You're punishing my freshman because she can't be on a newspaper." In fact, the opportunity for freshmen to write for the newspaper, although no longer an extracurricular activity, is still available by registering for the journalism elective course. The elimination of student newspaper as an extracurricular activity took place in 2004 and was not done for budgetary reasons, but rather as a curriculum decision based on a 2 year study of the Journalism program at ETHS. At the time there was virtually no community objection to or discussion of the change.

Mr. Eder said that he was pleased to see that the Board is considering reinstating the eliminated extracurricular and athletic activities, but "it's not necessary to implement the fee. We already pay enough. The board should go back to the Superintendent and the CFO" and ask them to find the money in the budget.

Omar Khuri, ETHS Booster Club Vice President, who is also running for the School Board, declared that "the Board is taking the easy way out by asking for the fee. They know that a referendum would have no chance of passing."

Ernie Nora, co-President of the ETHS PTSA reported that he had received about 30 emails from parents. "Two-thirds of them were not in support of the fee," he said. Those that were in support of the fee, Mr. Nora continued, had the air of "resignation" about them.

Superintendent Eric Witherspoon told the Board that in order to restore the eliminated extracurricular and athletic activities the Board would have to institute the fee because "I don't see any other way to fund them without sacrificing other priorities." He said that he would be presenting a "values-based budget" tied to the district goals of improving achievement, providing academic and social support for students and maintaining financial solvency. He mentioned several needs that he said were directly related to the goals which would be funded by his proposed budget including expanded learning labs, directed study halls with supervision by certificated teachers, improved programs for alternatives to suspension, anger management programs and year long test preparation classes. He suggested that while the eliminated extracurricular and athletic activities might be desirable to restore, they "will not be part of a value-based budget."

Board members were mixed in their response to the public comment.

"I don't think I understand the budget enough to support the fee," said Board member Martha Burns, referring to how the district's budget was presented in the past. "I hope this value-based budgeting will be a new beginning, can be more readable and we can get more out of it."

"I agree with Martha (about the confusing budget), although I'm not opposed to an activity fee," said Board member Rachel Hayman. "I just think it might be premature. We need to look at the stipend structure. Some extracurricular advisors don't get a stipend. We tabled the activity fee last year and said we would go through a stipend review process but that hasn't been done yet." Board member Missy Fleming said "I'm concerned that some of the emails might be related to resignation. I want more time to think about this. We need to look at a long term solution."

Margaret Lurie, a veteran School Board member, responded that a stipend review is a "huge undertaking" and "contractual" but that it "should be examined again." Ms. Lurie also remarked that the response at the meeting was "somewhat of a conundrum. Very few people came out to protest" earlier cuts and "got so many emails supporting the fee, but maybe we're not ready for it."

"The response tonight took my breath away," said Chasity Cooper, student Board member. "Speaking as a student, the fee is a lot, each year things get more expensive and some of us have to pay even more for uniforms and other things associated with our extracurricular activities. Still, academics always come first."

Board member Mary Wilkerson and Vice-President Jane Colleton had somewhat of a different reaction.

"There is always someone who is affected by cuts," said Ms. Wilkerson. "We cut administrative staff, we set parameters, we kept the cuts away from the classroom." She said that in many of the email responses that the board had received people not only agreed to pay for their own child but offered to pay for more.

"I thought we were pretty transparent," said Ms. Colleton. "I apologize if people weren't paying attention."

Dr. Witherspoon commended the Board for their past action on the budget. "Had you not made the cuts, the district would be in financial difficulty." He continued by emphasizing the importance of focusing on academics. "If we don't deliver academically, (the students) can participate in all the intramurals they want, but it won't help them if they have to train or retrain for new job responsibilities."

The Board is scheduled to vote on whether or not it will institute the new activities fee at its meeting on February 12.

D65 Committee Looks at Washington and Oakton Schools

By Larry Gavin

During the District 65 School Board's discussions about the long-term placement of the Two-Way-Immersion (TWI) program in the latter part of last year, the question arose: Were English-speaking families selecting TWI because it was such an attractive program, or were they fleeing the general education program because they were concerned about the quality of that program?

On Jan. 9, the Board's Program Policy Committee had a wide ranging discussion on the District's general education program. Board member Jonathan Baum said, "In fairness, we have to let it all hang out and explore it."

Washington and Oakton Schools were the focal point of the discussion. Washington is the only school in the District that has two TWI classrooms per grade level; it has 11 classrooms devoted to general education and 13 to TWI. Oakton is the only school with three programs under one roof; it has three classrooms devoted to the African-centered curriculum program; six to TWI; and 14 to general education.

Washington/Oakton School Improvement plans
The heart of both Washington and Oakton's school improvement plans is to provide high quality, consistent instruction in the classroom. Both plans focus on ways to improve differentiated instruction for literacy and math and to provide students challenging instruction at each student's level. Reading specialists at both schools provide support in the classroom to assist struggling readers.

"I think the cultural and economic diversity we have in this school is a great asset."- Susan Lewis, principal of Washington School

Both schools use a large number of coaches who visit the classroom and suggest ways teachers can improve their instruction. Q. T. Carter, the principal at Oakton, said Oakton has a program called "Literacy Walkthrough" where teachers visit each others' classrooms to learn new techniques and to offer critiques to other teachers. He said teachers are very open to this process.

Washington's staff is working with the Center for Research of Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE) to improve ways to work with linguistically, economically and ethnically diverse cultures. Susan Lewis, the principal at Washington, said six teachers have been trained as coaches by CREDE and another seven are undergoing training.

Washington and Oakton are two of three schools in the District that have established 21st Century Community Learning Centers, after-school programs funded by government grants. Both schools are working in partnership with Youth Organizations Umbrella to provide the after-school programs. Students who participated in the program showed significant improvement on the 2006 ISATs, according to a recent evaluation of the program.

Both schools are also attempting to increase parental involvement by using a model developed at Johns Hopkins University and recently approved by the Board. They are also taking other steps to improve student achievement.

On an overall basis, both schools showed substantial improvement on the 2006 ISATs. Preliminary results show that the percentage of students who met standards in reading at Oakton increased from 45 percent on the 2005 ISATs to 66 percent on the 2006 ISATs; in math the scores increased from 66 to 83 percent.

The percentage of students who met standard in reading at Washington increased from 54 percent on the 2005 ISATs to 75 percent on the 2006 ISATS; in math the scores increased from 69 to 83 percent.

Challenges at Washington/Oakton
Karen Johnson, an Oakton parent, said that the principals and staff at Oakton and Washington have done an excellent job, but despite their best efforts students at these schools were not doing as well on the ISATs as other students. She said, "I don't want this Board to lose the opportunity to talk about the challenges these two schools face."

Focusing on Oakton's 2006 ISAT scores, Ms. Johnson said 85 percent of the white students met or exceeded standards in reading, while white students at Washington were five percentage points higher and white students at every other school in the District were at least 10 percentage points higher.

Forty-nine percent of black students at Oakton met standards in reading, compared to 53 percent at Washington, 63 percent at Kingsley and 68 percent at Dawes, said Ms. Johnson.

"Why is it that there is this disparity within our own schools within our own District?" she asked, "What can we learn from these other schools that generate these kind of scores for the African-American and white students at those schools that we're not able to replicate at Oakton and Washington?"

Last year Mr. Baum noted the disparity in scores, when 30 percent of the black third graders at Oakton met standards on the 2005 ISATs, compared to 75 percent at Willard. He asked, "What's in place at Willard that's not in place at Oakton?"

Superintendent Hardy Murphy said the District's curriculum is intended to be consistent throughout the District. He added that Oakton and Washington had more coaches and more support than other schools.

Mary Rita Luecke said the Board had approved more resources for Oakton and Washington because they had a higher percentage of low-income students than other schools, but added "we haven't had the results hoped for."

According to District figures, this year 67 percent of the students at Oakton and 54 percent of the students at Washington participated in the free- or reduced-fee lunch program, which is an indicator of being from a low-income family.

"One of the challenges that both of our schools have is that we do have two ends of the spectrum," Ms. Lewis said. "We have 50 percent-plus students who are receiving free- and reduced-fee lunch that come to us with limited experiences, and we need to somehow mitigate those factors that are concomitant with those kinds of backgrounds. And we have students who come from middle-class and affluent families who want their children to be challenged.

"It is not an easy thing to meet all of those needs in our school communities. It's a challenge. Very frankly, where do we look first? We absolutely have to focus on our lowest students. It is a challenge. We need to talk about it openly and honestly."

Both Mr. Carter and Ms. Lewis said they thought their schools were making progress.

Mr. Carter said, "At Oakton School, I think we've turned a corner," noting that the percentage of black students who met standards in reading increased from 30 percent on the 2005 ISATs to 49 percent on the 2006 ISATs. He said there was no magic formula.

Ms. Lewis said, "I think we are making a difference in meeting the needs of all of our students. And I think the statistics show that in our schools. But there is no quick fix, like Mr. Carter said. We have to keep working on it."

TWI vs. Gen Ed
Both Oakton and Washington have lost students in their general education programs.

At Washington this year there is only one general education class at the kindergarten grade level and two relatively small general education classes at the first grade level. While a number of Washington parents said the general education program at Washington was excellent, they said some parents had opted out of general education because they did not perceive that it would challenge their children.

Sue Patel, a Washington parent and PTA co-president, said general education families were leaving Washington a few years ago because of scores and lack of leadership. "Now we have great leaders. Our scores are up. The general education program is really fantastic. What is wrong at Washington is a perception problem. If we could offer a program, like a math enrichment program, people will be brought back. When people are in the door, they love it."

Terri Shepard, a former School Board member and Oakton parent, thought race was a factor in parents' decisions to leave the general education program at Oakton and that race should be part of the discussion. She said that when white parents leave general education classes for TWI, it leaves a predominantly higher percentage of black students in general education. "I've always heard that was an issue, that there was concern about the general education classroom being composed of -for lack of a better word - low-achieving black students," she said.

"We celebrate diversity under one roof." - Q.T. Carter, principal of Oakton School

Ms. Johnson disagreed. She said a lot of middle-income families were concerned about test scores at Oakton and looked at the school "with sort of a wary eye." She explained, "Neighbors of mine said, 'We're willing to give the school a try for this special [TWI] program, but otherwise we're not because of test scores.' It's not because of income. It's not because of racial balance. It's just because they didn't like the test scores they saw."

"Maybe something really different needs to be done at those schools," Ms. Johnson added. "Maybe you need to do something to bring middle class families back to the schools."

Assistant Superintendent Susan Schultz said, "I don't feel the community really has an understanding of the strength and quality of our general education program…We have to get the message out about what's really happening and what is the strength of our curriculum and our program."

Dr. Murphy likewise said the issue was a perception problem. "I don't think people really understand what we're doing across this District as far as our District's instructional vision and our instructional plan, how we design our program, how we develop our programs, how we more support out into our classrooms with our teachers and our students."

Dr. Murphy said the administration wanted the opportunity to discuss the instructional improvement plan with the Board, and that would provide a forum to educate the community about the plan.

Mr. Baum said the community would not form their view about the school's curriculum based on what they heard at a Board meeting. "The vast majority of our parents form their views based on real life. They form their opinions based on what their children experience what their friends' children experience. If you want to change the minds of parents in our community, you have to change the experiences of them and their friends and their family," he said.

Board president Mary Erickson asked the administration to assess whether there is "anything the District can offer to attract parents," back to the general education programs at these schools.

Dr. Murphy said, "I'd like to continue this conversation with Ms. Lewis and Mr. Carter to see if we can define the kind of initiative that may make a difference as far as their school communities are concerned."

Ms. Erickson also asked the administration to assess the best forum to educate the community on the District's general education program.
PHOTO: "Without the sun, nothing," reads this monument at Oakton School.

Partnering Toward a Safer Evanston

The City of Evanston, School Districts 65 and 202, and Northwestern University invite the community to a meeting on crime, set for 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 3 at the Evanston Township High School auditorium, 1600 Dodge Ave. Attendees will identify and prioritize areas of concern as well as discuss solutions to fight crime. Neighbors, City and school officials, religious organizations, businesses and other community groups are working toward finding solutions for a safer community, in an effort to fulfill the City's goal of making Evanston the most livable city in America. Childcare will be available for children ages 3 to 10. For further information, contact the City Manager's Office, 847-866-2936.

Kindergarten Registration Nights

School District 65 is hosting kindergarten information nights for families of incoming kindergarteners at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center, 1500 McDaniel, Evanston as follows: Jan. 24, 6-8 p.m., open house for families with last names beginning A-M; Jan. 25, 6-8 p.m., families with last names beginning N-Z.

202 School Board News Available Online

The District 202 School Board meeting originally scheduled for Monday, Jan. 22 was postponed until Tuesday, Jan. 23, after the RoundTable's deadline. Coverage of topics discussed at the meeting, most notably the proposed activities fee, will appear on the RoundTable's website, www.evanstonroundtable.com.

D65 Projects Net Operating Surplus Through FY 2012

According to updated financial projections prepared by Dr. Mary Brown, chief financial officer, and Kathy Zalewski, comptroller, School District 65 will operate at a net surplus of about $1.7 million during the five-year period FY 2008 through FY 2102.

The projections show a surplus for each of the five years, except FY 2010, where a deficit of about $600,000 is forecast.
The projections peg operating expenses to increase from $84.5 million in FY 2007 to $102.6 million in FY 2012, an increase of $18.1 million or 21.4 percent over the five-year period.

D65 Board Approves Evaluation Document

District 65's School Board adopted an evaluation document for the superintendent of schools at its Jan. 22 meeting. The document states the superintendent's responsibilities and duties as chief executive officer of the District, and it states what would constitute exemplary performance, meet expectations or not meet expectations with respect to those responsibilities and duties.

The Board held a number of lengthy meetings over the past few months to hammer out the evaluation document, with the assistance of Dr. James Warren, a former superintendent and consultant to school boards.

The Board also approved an evaluation statement for Superintendent Hardy Murphy for this school year related to the District's three goals for 2006-07. The goals relate to academic achievement, the long-term placement of the Two-Way-Immersion program, and special education. After a lengthy discussion, the Board approved what would constitute exemplary performance, meet expectations, or not meet expectations with respect to the three goals.

Dr. Murphy will also be evaluated on continuing efforts related to prior years' goals, but the evaluation will be wrapped into the evaluation of his leadership and management of the District. The continuing efforts include implementing the middle school study, implementing enrichment programs, and overseeing budgetary issues.

The Board approved the evaluation documents by a 6-1 vote, with Jonathan Baum casting the sole no vote. He argued that Dr. Murphy should be evaluated on the District's continuing efforts related to prior years' goals the same as he is evaluated on the current year's goals, and that the Board should define what would constitute exemplary performance, meet expectations or not meet expectations for each of the continuing efforts.

Dr. Murphy participated in the discussion concerning both evaluation statements.

Rare Joint School Board Meeting Addresses
Transition to High School, Discipline and Safety Issues

By Jennie Berkson

"I've been on the Board for six years and this is only the second time this has occurred," said Ross Friedman, District 202 School Board president at the opening of the joint District 65 and 202 Board meeting Jan. 16.

Mr. Friedman's counterpart at District 65, Mary Erickson, commented that the Board presidents and the two superintendents, Dr. Hardy Murphy and Dr. Eric Witherspoon, had met ahead of time to formulate an agenda "relevant to both districts." She said the joint goals have "generated great interest and some excitement."

Community members attending the meeting were similarly enthusiastic. "It's a dream come true to see you all together and set aside your private agendas about many of the issues," said Anne Sills. Judith Treadway agreed: "I am very pleased that both of the Boards and the administration are working together. I support articulation between the two Districts."

The two topics on the agenda were programs to assist eighth-graders with successful transition to Evantston Township High School and discipline and behavior. Safety was also discussed.

"We'd like to see a seamless education system," said Ms. Erickson, "as we transition students from one District to another." Mr. Friedman remarked. "It's a work in progress."

Transition to ETHS
Dr. Richard Bowers, associate principal for ninth and tenth grades, outlined some new programs that ETHS is implementing to assist eighth-graders with transition to the high school. A new course, "Access ETHS," will be offered for elective credit in summer school to all students.

"This is a similar program to that offered by Stevenson, Deerfield and Highland Park high schools," said Dr. Bowers. "Most successful high schools have transition programs for freshmen."

Material handed out at the Board meeting said that Access ETHS will focus on study skills, test-taking skills, and transition activities such as learning the layout of the school, location and function of subject-area labs, general rules of ETHS and the role of Student Services personnel.

Dr. Bowers emphasized that a key element of the class will be to educate students about "how you ask for help at ETHS."

Other new academics-related changes include a course called "Bridge to Geometry," to be offered in summer school for students who have completed 1 Algebra and "need support to achieve at the desired level in regular-level geometry." In addition, freshmen will no longer be scheduled for first-period study halls. "They might like to sleep a little later," said Dr. Bowers, "but we believe they need to be in class." Finally, all students in the support program "Project Excel" will be required to attend dedicated study halls which will focus on study and test-taking skills, academic support and completion of homework.

Another change in the coming year at the high school will be counselor-parent-student meetings held separately from registration time. The administration believes the separation of the two events will be less stressful for everyone and result in better outcomes. Also, ETHS seniors will be trained as leaders for incoming 9th-graders, as is the case at Stevenson, Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools.

"There was a senior studies project this past year which looked at doing a program like this which looked very promising," said Dr. Bowers. "Senior Studies" is an independent-study project some seniors elect which earns them a full year of English, history and community-service credits. The administration hopes to train enough seniors so that each homebase will have two or three seniors assigned to it.

Discipline
Students identified by District 65 principals as potentially benefiting from education in anger management will participate in a pilot program during summer 2007. Sessions will be held at the conclusion of the summer school day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for six weeks. Students who attend will be provided with lunch.

Another program that will attempt to treat misbehavior in a proactive fashion is the new referral reaction team, consisting of a counselor, a dean and a social worker who will evaluate for placement/services any freshman with between three and five behavior referrals during any quarter. Assistant superintendent/principal Marilyn Madden said that the earlier students with problems adjusting to the high school are identified, the earlier they can be helped.

Numerous Board members from both Districts expressed concern about the extent to which students, especially those with a special-education designation as well as students of color, might not be getting a "second look" when entering the high school.

Mary Wilkerson, 202 Board member, suggested that sometimes students are classified as special education because of behavioral issues in school and that the designation may no longer apply in high school. "Lots of them are African-American males," she said. "Once they get labeled, that's it. We've thrown away some students. District 65 Board member Mary Rita Luecke asked if the transition to ETHS might be an opportunity "to see kids in a different way. Maybe their history doesn't have to follow a student."

"We have mainstreamed many students," responded Ms. Madden. "We have a very explicit transition process between professionals."

Martha Burns, 202 Board member, commented that she was concerned that students of color were being assigned to regular-level classes too frequently. "If they're in regular classes because that's the best they can do, fine, but I don't think that students of color are being given enough opportunity to be in honors classes."

Dr. Bowers emphasized that beginning in February, every student entering ETHS will be evaluated in a meeting with principals and counselors, and a determination will be made about class placement. Parents have final input about the class levels in which their child is placed. Susan Schultz, assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at District 65, said that middle school principals participate in placement meetings and that they also identify students in need of support.

The meeting then focused on the issue of discipline and behavior. Special services supervisor Joyce Bartz presented the discipline system used at District 65, called "Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports" (PBIS). The program originated at the University of Oregon School of Education. Materials distributed at the meeting said that District 65 is now in its fifth full year of PBIS implementation.

"The impact of PBIS implementation is evident in the positive changes in student behavior and overall school climate" the report asserted.

Associate principal for 11th and 12th grades Bruce Romain presented District 202's point of view on discipline and behavior. "We have 3,100 teenagers and we strive to provide an orderly environment. Most of our biggest concerns come from a small group of students."

Results at ETHS
Mr. Romain indicated that a number of programs have been put in place this year that are having a positive effect on problems at ETHS.

"We have our 'Positive Presence' (community leaders, administrators, clergy) program at dismissal which has cut down on the number of incidents after school. We've met with the Latino community and the Parents for Peace community group. We have a four-minute bell during passing periods that reminds kids to move along."

Mr. Romain also said the new digital cameras installed this year have cut down on graffiti and theft. "If there are assaults we are able to identify people involved. Anonymity leads kids to make poor decisions." He acknowledged that although problems have decreased after school, "some of them were moving further out into the community."

Frank Kaminski, ETHS head of security, presented preliminary findings of a survey conducted by graduate students at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "Based on the survey, 80 percent of staff and 85 percent of students feel safe at school most or all of the time," Mr. Kaminski said. However, only 55 percent of students and staff felt safe after school.

Next steps
Much discussion followed the presentations on discipline and behavior and safety. Board members from both Districts expressed a desire for consistent expectations, even if consequences differ depending on the age of the student. Questions were also asked about what happens when an incident occurs off campus; this led to an announcement of the Communitywide Forum on Crime and Violence scheduled for Feb. 3 (see related story).

Ms. Wilkerson brought up the topic of alternatives to suspension. "Sometimes students who are suspended are the ones who most need to be in school," she said. District 202 administrators responded that some alternatives to suspension were being piloted by Lynn Richmond McAllister, director of the Academy (formerly known as the night school), which might prove to be useful for the general student population.

District 65 Board member Marianne Kountoures raised concerns about incidents in the general area of the high school. "Is it possible for school districts to publish statistics on crime so that parents know what they're facing?" she asked. Ms. Kountoures also brought up the issue of fights at a recent ETHS New Trier basketball game (see sidebar).

Ms. Madden said ETHS is in the process of putting a report together which will focus on crime in the school area. "We want it to be accurate," she emphasized. She acknowledged that although it is good that such a high percentage of staff and students felt safe at school, "20 percent not feeling safe is a lot." Valorie Moore, assistant superintendent of school operations for District 65, said that the District's safety department is "meeting with high school officials around certain issues."

Administrators Make Plans to Prevent Fights at School Functions
At least two major fights broke out during the two basketball games between Evanston Township High School and New Trier on Jan. 12, but neither was fueled by the long-time inter-school rivalry. Instead, said Frank Kaminski, head of security at ETHS, the causes of the fights "were brought to the game." And for the most part those who brought that baggage were not ETHS students, he said. "There were several incidents; some involved middle school students and some, former ETHS students. Our students were fairly well-behaved," he said.

In addition there were "incidents" after the game: A brick was thrown through the window of a PACE bus and police picked up an intoxicated teenager.

Joseph Bellino, deputy chief of the Evanston Police Department, told the RoundTable that the Northwestern Police Department had confirmed the brick-throwing incident and the intoxicated teen to the EPD. In addition, he said, "an Evanston youth was detained and brought into the station for trespass, then turned over to his parents." The youth had been told to leave the game but had returned and was then taken into custody by the police, Mr. Bellino said.

In another incident at the game, said Mr. Bellino, "A 17-year-old young lady was approached by another female, a junior high student. The verbal [spat] escalated to a physical altercation. Then threats were made both by friends and family members of the two combatants. These threats are still being investigated," he said. Later, he said, two 13- or 14-year-olds were involved in an incident "where one person was threatened, and the aggressor was reported to have displayed a small penknife." The incident "didn't manifest into anything," he added.

Both Mr. Kaminski and Mr. Bellino said there was no evidence of gang activity in any of the incidents. Northwestern police did not return calls from the RoundTable.

Although word on the street for several days after the incident blamed ETHS students for the incidents, ETHS administrators say that was not the case. "I think people think they were high school students," Marilyn Madden, assistant superintendent at ETHS, told the RoundTable.

She said parents "felt their kids weren't safe, so we're really trying to coordinate with District 65. In subsequent events held off school property, she said, "we'll coordinate with Northwestern, the Evanston police, and District 65." She said ETHS is working on some policies and strategies "so we can have a safe program."

Among the ideas are having more staff from ETHS and District 65 attend such functions - perhaps dressed in white, so people would be able to identify them; mandating that middle school students be accompanied by an adult at such functions; allowing access only though certain doors; and adding surveillance cameras.

Dr. Hardy Murphy, superintendent of District 65, said he "did not want to engage in finger-pointing." He said he had suggested to ETHS that District 65 physical education teachers could attend such gatherings, "because they know every kid in the school," to help promote safety. "We're going to be proactive," he said, "and have more of a presence."

"It's not just an ETHS problem. We have to work together as a community," said Ms. Madden. "It was a wonderful night until the fights broke out," she said.

Pope John XXIII Open House

Pope John XXII School, a K-8 school located at 1120 Washington St., will hold an open house for prospective students from 9 to 11 a.m. on Jan. 30. Call 847-475-5678 or visit popejohn23.org for more information.

Dewey School Newspaper to Begin Selling Ads

By Fourth-Graders Emma Chanen, Sophia Fishkin and Sophie Kornick

Staff members of Dewey's Tiger Times are planning to sell advertisements to local businesses for the spring edition. The ads will be drawn by staff members and put into the Dewey School paper.

In the next few days, Tiger Times staff members and a parent will begin going door to door offering ads. They will only accept ads from stores within walking distance of Dewey, which is at 1559 Wesley Ave., several blocks west of downtown.

Tiger Times is the only newspaper by kids in all of Evanston's District 65. Tiger Times began six years ago and is published three times a year by third-, fourth- and fifth-graders.

The idea for taking ads arose last school year on the first day that staff members distributed papers to the school. The paper is sold for a nickel on the playground before school. If kids don't have money, staff members give them the nickel to buy the paper. Some first-time staff members thought selling the paper for so little was a bad idea. That led to a discussion of how newspapers pay for their expenses. Last fall, planning began to sell advertising.

Bob Heuer, one of the parent volunteers who helps run the paper, talked about the plan at a meeting on Jan. 12. He said that staff members pay a $20 fee to participate in the Tiger Times, but that didn't cover the costs of printing the paper. "The Dewey PTA pays the extra cost," he said. "If we take ads, then we can make more money for the PTA to run all its programs as well as to provide scholarship money."

At the meeting, staff members saw the benefit for local businesses. A staff member said, "We figure that if we print 400 copies, there may be 1,200 people who read the paper. An ad will attract customers. Businesses will make ten times as much money as they paid Tiger Times."

Several staff members volunteered to draw the ads for local stores. The prices for ads have not been decided. To sponsor the Dewey Tiger Times, please contact Lisa Koch at lekoch@comcast.net.