News & Calendar
News
2020
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September
Alum Interviewed After Publishing First Book
Alumna Bea Koch ’08 recently published her first book, Mad & Bad: Real Heroines of the RegencyRead More -
Homecoming 2020 Spirit Soars
Although this may not look like a typical Homecoming at Parker, Student Athletics Committee member and senior Emily Simon produced this video to help get everyone ready for Homecoming 2020Read More -
Maxine Inspires Makers in 1st Grade
Recently, the 1st grade and I read the book Made By Maxine by Ruth Spiro, which is about an innovator and inventor named Maxine who loved to take old things and make new thingsRead More -
What Does On-Campus Learning Look Like?
Learning in our model home may look a little different, but the dynamism of the student-teacher experience enduresRead More -
Alum Launches Chicago Sports Podcast
Alumnus Joey Gelman ’12 has just launched a new Chicago sports podcast called “Bleav in Chicago Sports”Read More -
Exploring Planetary Health in 5th Grade
Students in Mike McPharlin’s 5th grade class last year collaborated with a school in California and India to explore the connections between environmental change and human healthRead More -
Principal’s Vantage Point — September 2020
Read MoreWith great care, responsibility and optimism, we will navigate our way into the start of this school year and steward Parker’s future in a manner that supports our core values and current and anticipated needs. -
Read the Newest Issue of The Live Creature
The Summer 2020 issue of The Live Creature is available online!Read More -
Student Publishes Two Educational Children’s Books
Riya Jain ’24 recently published two ebooks, one helping to educate children in kindergarten through 4th grade about coronavirus and what they can do to stay safe and one about food allergiesRead More -
What is Morning Exercise (or Morning Ex)?
Read MoreSince 1901, Morning Ex has been an important part of school life at Parker. Students gather for a 40-minute curriculum-based program to allow all four divisions of the school (Lower, Intermediate, Middle and Upper Schools) to share common ideas and learning opportunities. This year, to ensure the safety of all, Morning Ex will be a virtual experience. -
July
Parker Alum Raises $55,000 for Equal Justice Initiative
As protesters poured onto the streets of Boston in early June, When We Disappear author Lise Haines ’69 watched with a growing sense of frustration that she could not join them.Read More -
June
“Finally: A Beetle Named After The Beatles”
US science teacher Ryan Zaremba worked with Taxon Expeditions and uncovered two new species last summer on a trip to Vondelpark in AmsterdamRead More -
Junior Kindergarten Organizes Virtual Field Day
Parker’s shift to remote learning required our teachers and staff to adapt and alter many plans; nowhere was this more evident than Field DayRead More -
Neighborhood Nature Walk in 2nd Grade
Since they couldn’t all be together at school, Cathy Davidson’s 2nd Grade class held a virtual neighborhood nature walkRead More -
Pritikin Classes Go Global
Upper School French Teacher Lorin Pritikin shows how even under stay-at-home conditions, students can “go global”Read More -
Two “Weekly” Reporters Receive Best of SNO Awards
Weekly reporters Nick Skok ’21 and Tess Wayland ’22 received Best of SNO (Student Newspapers Online) Awards, which “showcase excellence in journalism”Read More -
Share in the Class of 2020 Commencement Exercise
Read MoreAll are welcome to share in this unique moment in our school’s history and in the lives of our 12th grade students as they are honored and recognized in Francis W. Parker School’s first virtual Commencement Exercise. -
In Support of Our Colleagues, Students, Alumni and Families of Color
I have been thinking about our Parker colleagues, students, alumni and families of color, especially, in light of recent eventsRead More -
May
Bite into an Independent Study on Nutrition
Senior Madeline Friedman has spent the last semester engaged in an Independent Study taking a closer look at people’s relationships with food. By studying diet, food and nutrition, Friedman wanted to gain a deeper understanding of why we need/choose to eat certain foods and how the human body processes and uses nutrientsRead More -
Discovering the Beauty of Math Remotely
These past months of remote learning have provided teacher Vicki Lee and her students an opportunity to stretch their mathematical mindsets well beyond the classroomRead More -
Enjoy these AP Calculus Music Videos
Upper School math teacher Steven Tyler challenged his AP Calculus class with a nontraditional form of mathematical assessmentRead More
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Experts on Vietnam and Evidence at ZooMX
The History Department closed the last full week of classes with a bang, orchestrating a pair of ZooMX experiences featuring experts from the University of Kansas and Harvard UniversityRead More -
Grab a Taste of Summer with Chef Zac
For those of you yearning for the taste of summer during this time of social distancing, Chef Zac is here with a video designed just for the Parker communityRead More -
Hear the Concert Choir Singing “I Lived”
Enjoy this recording of our Concert Choir singing “I Lived” as a tribute to the Class of 2020Read More -
Looking at the Human Side of Science
In guiding her Upper School students as they study biology, teacher Kara Schupp likes to take the time to help increase appreciation for the human beings actually practicing the science she teaches in classes, in addition to their important contributions to the disciplineRead More -
Parent and Juvenile Defender Visits 6th Grade History and Social Studies
Keedra Gibba’s 6th grade class recently hosted Marjorie Berk Moss, a social work supervisor and staff attorney at Northwestern University’s Bluhm Legal Clinic Children and Family Justice CenterRead More -
Share the Talk of the Town
This semester in Jeanne Barr’s Upper School Talk of the Town history course, she has guided 13 seniors and one junior in reading The New Yorker and other publications and joining together in small groups to track themes in one of four categories: Art, Culture, Politics or Science and TechnologyRead More -
Video Creation in The Corona Chronicles
This semester gave two teachers a unique opportunity to tweak their curriculum in asking students to produce video logs or “vlogs” of life since remote learning beganRead More -
Virtual Hackathon Goes Lunar
In their ongoing efforts to curate creative outlets for our student community to learn and grow together despite social distance, members of our Integrated Learning and Information Sciences (ILIS) Department have recently orchestrated the school’s first-ever virtual hackathon, which invited interested students to join together remotely and work in small groups to design and build a virtual worldRead More -
Celebrate our 8th Grade Graduates
We could not be more proud of the 8th grade class of 2020Read More -
Empire Expert Gives ZooMX
Read MoreIn the latest installment of our ZooMX experiences, American history expert, author and associate professor in Northwestern University’s History Department Daniel Immerwahr gathered virtually with students and teachers to share insights from his second book, How to Hide an Empire: Geography and Power in the Greater United States -
Junior Kindergarten Self-Portraits Ready for Viewing
Read MoreAfter working one-on-one via Google Chats, students in Tisha Johnson’s Junior Kindergarten class recently completed their self-portraits virtually -
Musical Messages from Grape Jam Bring the Joy
Grape Jam continues its efforts to bring joy to the Parker community through performanceRead More -
Our Virtual Gallery Grows!
Teacher Anne Blasko has been directing the creative talents of many Parker students during this time of remote learningRead More -
Project Invent Team Wins Seed Funding!
Parker is proud to announce that our first-ever Project Invent team, Team Vita Voca, was awarded $600 in seed funding at Project Invent’s May Demo Day competitionRead More -
Read Clark Street Stories
Enjoy the latest issue of The Clark Street Journal Middle School newspaperRead More -
The Sounds of Parker Music Mayfest Resonate
Read MoreIt is not too late to enjoy the sounds of the first-ever Parker Music Mayfest! -
Student Examines Changes in Clark Street Retail Composition
Senior Jared Saef conducted an independent study under the guidance of faculty advisor Susan Elliott, examining the compositional change in the retail lining Clark Street in Lincoln Park over the last thirteen years, which he submitted to the Mikva Foundation’s Action Civics ShowcaseRead More -
Eric Klinenberg ’89 Talks on Social Solidarity
The History Department treated the 8th grade and the Upper School to their second “ZooMX.” New York University Professor of Social Science, published author, New York Times columnist and Parker graduate Eric Klinenberg ’89 recently hosted the virtual gathering with more than 70 students and facultyRead More -
Inside the OR with Dr. Dinee Simpson
Pritzker Visiting Scientist•Inventor•Engineer in Residence Dr. Dinee Simpson recently shared a video with Parker science studentsRead More -
Junior Kindergarten Presents Virtual Creation Gallery
Students in Tisha Johnson’s Junior Kindergarten class typically design and create new projects surrounding different themes in the classroom each week. Despite current circumstances, Johnson wanted to continue fostering this creativity, so she has encouraged students to design and create new things each week on their own at homeRead More -
Musical Messages from Grape Jam Press On
Grape Jam continues its efforts to bring joy to the Parker community through performanceRead More -
Send Your Best Recipes
Parker is gathering recipes from the community, and we need your helpRead More -
Student Musically Pursues His Passions
Social distancing has not stopped junior Benji Gourdji from pursuing his passion for musicRead More -
Who is That Senior Baby?
Social distancing couldn’t stymie our annual tradition of pairing baby photos of our seniors with photos in their current gloryRead More -
ZooDay Goes Virtual in 2nd Grade
When school dismissed for remote learning in mid-March, Ms. Wild knew she would need to integrate the classroom pets into her remote learning curriculumRead More -
Musical Messages from Grape Jam Continue On
Grape Jam continues its efforts to bring joy to the Parker community through performanceRead More -
A Dance Intensive Independent Study
Junior Camille Freedman recently completed an Independent Study that allowed her to take on a pair of unique leadership roles within her dance studio community at Extensions Dance Center and better understand the work and responsibilities involved in running a nonprofit dance studioRead More -
A Meeting with the Doomsday Clock Timekeeper
Eighth grade students recently participated in a virtual experience with President and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsRachel Bronson, also a Parker parent, that helped connect lessons from nuclear risk and climate change in the past with the current pandemicRead More -
Alumni Connection Triggers Inspiration
Parker faculty frequently tap their personal experiences and professional networks to enhance engagement in their classrooms, whether they teach classes in person or remotelyRead More -
Broadway in Chicago Features Parker Senior
Senior Giselle Lopez, who played Little Sally in this year’s production of Urinetown, submitted her video, that which Broadway in Chicago shared as part of “Around Broadway in 80 Days”Read More -
Make Fleisch Bierock with Chef Zac
Read MoreIn his effort to bring the tastes of our model home to each member of the Parker community while socially distancing, Food Service Director Chef Zac offers up his latest video, showing how to make Fleisch Bierock with his secret family recipe passed down through generations! -
Photo Students Offer Kitchen Table Narratives
Art teacher Katie Palmer recently asked Upper School students in her Photo I and II classes to respond to The Kitchen Table Series, the seminal work by artist Carrie Mae WeemsRead More -
Poet Kate Baer Visits Parker’s Writing Studio
Students in Alicia Abood’s Writer's Studio class recently attended an intimate virtual gathering with poet Kate Baer, who shared three poems from her new book What Kind of Woman and fielded student questions about her craft and processRead More -
Senior Essay Eyed for Excellence in History Day Competition
Senior Molly Taylor is receiving recognition for a recent essay on the failure of the 1937 Exposition Internationale to build bridges between nations and assuage culminating pre-World War II tensionsRead More -
Support Parker’s Creators at Project Invent’s Demo Day
In Parker’s inaugural year of building a Project Invent team, students have been using design thinking, engineering and computer science to create a physical device for a junior with multiple severe allergiesRead More -
2nd Grade Poetry Sharing
Students in Cathy Davidson’s 2nd grade class recently completed their poetry unitRead More -
First Through Third Grade Artists Surprise
Check out this gallery of “Surprise Drawing” images created by students in 1st through 3rd gradesRead More -
Keeping Connections Central with the Virtual Choir
The Virtual Choir experience aims to maintain the sense of community that exists in making beautiful music togetherRead More -
Middle School Claymation Creations
Knowing how important it is for students to share their own efforts and take in each other’s work, teacher Kay Silva presented students with a live Claymation Watch PartyRead More -
Musical Messages from Grape Jam Continue
Grape Jam is back in its efforts to bring joy to the Parker community through performanceRead More -
Recreating Paintings in English
Upper School English teacher Mike Mahany is known for bringing the fun to every class he teaches. Inspired by online photos of people recreating famous paintings at home during the pandemic, he put up juniors in his two American Literature sections to a similar challengeRead More -
Stop-Motion Assessments in History
At the end of an eight-week unit, Upper School history teacher Jeanne Barr recently asked her 11th grade students to render their interpretations of the consequences of modern industrial capitalism using stop-motion animationRead More -
Student Committee Awards Berkowitz Grant to Youth Outreach Services
The 2019–20 Berkowitz Committee is proud to announce that Youth Outreach Services (YOS) will receive the $10,000 Susan F. Berkowitz Award for Outstanding Service to ChildrenRead More -
Students Cavort and Connect During Virtual Recess
With remote learning now an everyday reality for students around the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools are having to look at everything they have traditionally offered students through an entirely new lens—and the concept of recess is among themRead More -
The Cuban Missile Crisis Meets Coding
In his Themes in World History class, teacher Otis Pope recently asked his students to demonstrate their understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis and its impact on the Cold War by creating online narrativesRead More -
World-Class Luthier Zooms with Orchestra
In a recent virtual gathering with conductor, teacher and professional musician Betty Lewis, Upper School orchestra students had the opportunity to meet with world-class violin maker—also called a luthier—Antoine NedelecRead More -
April
A Virtual Art Gallery for Student Work
Although Parker students are currently learning in their homes, it hasn’t stopped them from exploring their own creativity as remotely guided by our master art teachersRead More -
Check Out the Parker Reading Circle
Enjoy Parker employees reading their favorite children’s books in the Parker Reading Circle!Read More -
Chicago’s Next Monument Challenge
The 7th grade recently worked not to remove statues in the Windy City but rather to add overlooked and forgotten individuals to the monument landscapeRead More -
Exploring the Music of Poetry in 2nd Grade
Read MoreIn her class’s exploration of reading and writing poetry, 2nd grade teacher Sarah Willett works to help train students’ ears to listen and find the music within each poem -
Filmmaker Talks Stories with 5th Grade
Students in Jeff Stone’s class had the unique opportunity to meet and creatively collaborate with director Marc Webb as they work on their 5th grade language arts curriculumRead More -
Grape Jam’s Musical Messages
Although Grape Jam is unable to perform together in person, they still want to use their love of music and singing to lift the spirits of the Parker communityRead More -
Make Wedding Day Scones with Chef Zac
In his effort to bring the tastes our model home to each member of the Parker community while socially distancing, Food Service Director Chef Zac offers up his latest video, showing how to make his famous Wedding Day Scones in your kitchen at home!Read More -
Making Math Work Remotely
For some, the novelty and challenge of remote learning serves as a catalyst for inspiration, as 8th grade math teacher Tim O’Connor is currently modeling in teaching his Algebra 1+ classesRead More -
Students Offer Creative Consult to the Obamas
After discovering Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West for the 10th grade English curriculum, teacher Matt Laufer devised an assignment that put students in the role of unsolicited, unpaid consultants to the movie adaptationRead More -
WFMT Features First Place Student Pianist
Seventh grade student Zarin Mehta won first place in the 2020 New Music School Concerto Competition in late January at the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts in ChicagoRead More -
Alumni Expert Adds Insight on FDR
Recently, history students in Parker’s 8th and 11th grades participated in a special Zoom-based class session on the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt with American political journalist, best-selling author, documentary filmmaker, former Newsweek magazine senior editor and Parker alumnus Jonathan Alter ’75Read More -
Celebrate the Class of 2020!
Share in this online homage to Parker’s graduating class of 2020Read More -
Clark Street Stories
Enjoy the latest issue of The Clark Street Journal Middle School newspaperRead More -
Gaining Perspective from a Pandemic
Prior to Parker’s shift to remote learning, when one student used the morning meeting to share her independent efforts to write get-well notes to patients who had recently contracted COVID-19, a number of her peers were interested in lending their hearts and pens to the effortRead More -
Love Letters to a City in Lockdown
History teacher Sue Elliott recently embraced the remote learning opportunites to lead her students through a closer look at the 1918 flu pandemic and its connections to todayRead More -
Make a Parker Bagel at Home with Chef Zac
For those of you yearning for the flavors of our model home during this time of social distancing, Chef Zac is here with a video on how to make Parker Bagels at homeRead More -
Make a Sewless Mask with Nurse Anne
School Nurse Anne Nelson is back this week, continuing her quest to save lives and stamp out diseaseRead More -
Physics Students Turn Home into Science Lab
To assess their understanding and mastery of new concepts, Upper School Advanced Physics students recently took on the role of teachers to explain resonanceRead More -
Speculative Robot Design for a Sustainable Future in 8th Grade
Eighth graders recently concluded a science project that challenged them to exercise their creative imaginations and envision technologies that could help shape a more sustainable future for our global communityRead More -
Zoom Backgrounds
Want a fun Parker background for your Zoom meetings? We’ve got some great options for you!Read More
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A Virtual Meeting of the Minds
Upper School history teacher Andrew Bigelow orchestrated his first-ever virtual “Meeting of the Minds” to dig deeper into the early 1900sRead More -
Connecting Over Family Celebrations in Spanish
To get her students acclimated to remote learning, Upper School Spanish teacher Liz Villagomez added a video-share component to an element of her curriculumRead More -
Curated Links for Recess Reading
Read MoreThis might be the best time to read some of those resources the school has been sharing during the past few weeks. -
Enjoy a House Concert with Mark Aymar
All are welcome to enjoy the sweet sounds of Upper School Latin teacher and renaissance man Mark Aymar in this series of performancesRead More -
From College Counseling
Looking to learn more about a college remotely?Read More -
From the TIDES Garage to the Hospital
Rather than let the current COVID-19 crisis make him feel powerless, one Parker sophomore has partnered with the school to produce PPE using a 3D-printer from the TIDES Garage at home, donating the results to health care workers on the front lines at hospitals around the cityRead More -
How You Can Do Everything to Help
While we shelter in place for the benefit of our global community, the Colonel in each of us might yearn to do more to assist those in need during these difficult timesRead More -
ILIS Isolation Resources
Being stuck at home can be boring, so the ILIS crew has put together this resource of fun and cool activitiesRead More -
IS and MS Optional April Recess Activities
During April Recess, Intermediate and Middle School students have a variety of optional activities in which they can choose to participate from their homesRead More -
Make Hand Sanitizer at Home with Nurse Anne
Read MoreSchool Nurse Anne Nelson has dedicated her career to saving lives and stamping out disease, and she wanted to do something about the sanitizer shortages -
Matilda Rehearsal Footage for Smiles
Our Middle School performance of Matilda may not able to take the stage, but we can still share the fun, magic and energy of some fantastic rehearsal footageRead More -
Parker Faculty Film on Amazon Prime Video
Remember the film Last Believer that teachers Dan Greenstone and Travis Chandler produced as part of their joint Creating Historical Documentaries class?Read More -
Play with Parker PM During April Recess!
The Parker PM team wants to ensure everyone has a smile on their faces this April Recess.Read More -
Science Teacher Making Masks for the Masses
Using her skills as a fabric artist, Upper School science teacher Elizabeth Druger sewed face masks for her family and is now focusing on others who may be potentially at high riskRead More -
Student Art and Poetry Share Out
Middle School Head John Novick invited students in 4th–8th grades to share their poetry and artwork during the school closureRead More -
Student-Athlete Coleman Named to IHSA Student Advisory Committee
Parker is proud that the IHSA Sportsmanship Advisory Committee has chosen sophomore student-athlete Sammi Coleman for its Student Advisory CommitteeRead More -
Tech Help for All in a Time of Distance Learning
In addition to supporting our community of teachers and learners as they work together remotely during the coming weeks, Parker’s Tech team wants to do their part to do “everything to help” as wellRead More -
We Miss You Too!
First grade teacher Greenie recently shared this poem, which helped put the feelings so many Parker employees are experiencing right now into wordsRead More -
Weekly Reporter Wayland Receives Best of SNO (Student Newspapers Online) Award
Sophomore Tess Wayland received a Best of SNO (Student Newspapers Online) Award for her Weekly article on the coronavirusRead More -
March
Musical Sharing in the Kindergarten
Senior Kindergarten students recently enjoyed a musical treat when music teacher and Upper School Orchestra conductor Betty Lewis brought her students to the Kindergarten Atrium to perform for their younger peersRead More -
Parker’s 2018–19 Annual Report is Available Online!
As Francis W. Parker School continues its efforts to be fiscally responsible and environmentally conscious, we are pleased to offer the 2018–19 annual report as an electronic document.Read More
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Poet Natasha Trethewey Visits Parker
Two-term U.S. poet laureate, Pulitzer Prize winner and 2017 Heinz Award recipient Natasha Trethewey recently visited the school as Parker’s 2019–20 Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed PoetRead More -
Social Reform, Activism and Minecraft
Each spring, 3rd grade students learn about industrialization, immigration, the Great Migration and present-day Chicago as part of their classroom studyRead More -
Upper School Musical: Urinetown
Enjoy a selection of photos as our students took on this roaring American musical, UrinetownRead More -
Coronavirus Teach-in in the Upper School
Members of Parker’s Asian Alliance gathered on Tuesday, March 3 to make a presentation about the coronavirus, including background information on the virus, the global economic impact and microaggressions/xenophobia/racism around the virusRead More -
Fourth Graders Bilingually “Piece Together” Their Identities
Read MoreFourth grade students recently completed an interdisciplinary unit that addressed their knowledge of Spanish vocabulary for personal descriptions and colors, in conjunction with a Social-Emotional Learning unit on identity led by the Counseling Department. -
Morning Ex Spotlights Women in Music
The Music Department has worked together for the past four years to orchestrate a Morning Ex to help students take a closer look at gender inequity in musicRead More -
Sensors and Motors and Blocks, Oh My!
Recently, the 5th grade celebrated the culmination of their engineering and programming unit during STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) weekRead More -
Students Learn the Truth About Vaping
Middle and Upper School students got the straight dope on the vaping industry and its inherent risks in a recent Morning Ex with Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Matthew QuinnRead More -
Traffic Safety, Reasoning and Love with Engineers Teaching Algebra
Read MoreMark Love, an engineer with international experience in transportation systems, returned to Parker to work with the entire 9th grade. Love is the founder of Engineers Teaching Algebra, a program that brings an engineer into the classroom to encourage the pursuit of advanced math and science studies. -
February
Advanced Bio Students Learn about Gene Therapy
Parker parent and Avexis President David Lennon visited recently to talk about his work with gene therapy and spinal muscular atrophyRead More -
Chicago Opera Theater Brings “Freedom Ride” to Parker
In the third year of the Joan W. Harris Visiting Music Scholar in Residence program, Parker welcomed Chicago Opera Theater (COT) to campusRead More -
Coding, MakeyMakey and a Field Trip Around the Solar System in Senior Kindergarten
Read MoreJoin the SK and the ILIS Department in a trip around the sun! -
Exploring Identity Across the 7th Grade
Seventh graders recently explored the important question of “Who Am I (now)?” from four different anglesRead More -
Parker Robotics Wins Second Consecutive State Championship
On Saturday, February 22, Parker’s robotics team 3507 Robotheosis competed at the Illinois State Tournament and clinched the second consecutive Illinois State ChampionshipRead More -
Parker Student-Athlete One of “100 Players To Watch From The Class Of 2023”
Recently, student-athlete Ana Franco was named one of field hockey’s “100 Players To Watch From The Class Of 2023” by MAX Field Hockey!Read More -
Parker Students Become “Featured Poets” in Literature Magazine
Parker students Uma Morris ’25 and Kumiko Muro ’24 were two of the Featured Poets in the most recent issue of VOICES de la LUNARead More -
Chicago Sinfonietta Brings Project Inclusion to Parker
On Wednesday, Parker enjoyed a special Morning Ex performance by a quartet of Project Inclusion Ensemble Freeman Fellows from the Chicago SinfoniettaRead More -
Entrepreneurial Spirit and Service in 4th Grade
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Exploring Shades of Difference
As part of learning about examination of identity in Junior Kindergarten, teacher Jeremiah Howe has been leading his charges in a closer look at the different shades of skin that we live inRead More -
Math Masters Count in Nationwide Competition
A group of Upper School students who are nimble with numbers participated in the American Mathematics CompetitionRead More -
Melanie Nutter ’89 Encourages Students to Find their Passion
On Monday, February 10, Parker welcomed Melanie Nutter, a proud member of the class of 1989 as well as a new Parker parent, to present at Morning ExRead More -
Parker Robotics Leads the League!
Robotheosis (Team 3507) and Frank’s Garage (Team 9410) hosted and competed in the Chicago North League Championships this weekendRead More -
Student Vocalists Perform with Chicago Opera Theater
As part of this year’s Joan W. Harris Visiting Music Scholar in Residence program, members of our Middle and Upper School student choirs were invited to audition for Chicago Opera Theater (COT)Read More -
Upper School French Students Wow DePaul Peers
Advanced French students Lauren Hughes ’20, Lily Koltun ’20, Isabel Olesinski ’20 and Will Rantala ’20 joined French III student Bodie Florsheim ’21 to perform a short play for a DePaul University French classRead More -
“How This Philanthropist Hopes to Boost Mid-Career Women Artists”
Parker alumnus Amie Siegel ’92 was recently featured in the PBS NewsHour segmentRead More -
Author and Illustrator Shares and Inspires
Don Tate, award-winning author and illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed children’s books, visited Parker recently to share more about his work and inspire students to discover and hone their personal passions with practiceRead More -
Diplomacy, International Relations and Fun
Parker hosted 250 delegates from all around Chicago for a day of debate at FWPMUN IV, Parker’s fourth-ever one-day Model UN conferenceRead More -
Dr. Dinee Simpson Returns to Parker
Read MoreParker welcomed Dr. Dinee Simpson as she returned to the school in her role as the Pritzker Scientist for a full day of academic enrichment -
Freshman Goalie Selected for State
Parker freshman Shira Wein was recently selected as a member of the 2020 Amateur Hockey Association Illinois All-State TeamRead More -
Intermediate School Exercise Experts Shine
The Physical Education Department recently combined forces with 4th and 5th grade students on a new unit of study that focused on peer teaching, creativity, problem-solving, cooperation and new product developmentRead More -
Len Goodman ’80 Speaks at Morning Ex
On Wednesday, February 5, Parker alumnus Len Goodman ’80 spoke to students at Morning ExRead More -
Senior Michael Pitts’ Blog Featured on the Radio
Read MoreSenior Michael Pitts recently was featured on WVON radio for his sports blog Pitt-Stop -
Seniors Captain the Fun at the JK and SK Winter Games
Parker’s Physical Education Department hosted a Winter Games Event for JK and SK students on WednesdayRead More -
Tour France with the Upper School!
As part of their work during the first semester, Upper School French I and II students designed elaborate Google virtual toursRead More -
Upper School Writers Earn Honors
Read MoreTwo Upper School writers recently received prestigious regional awards for their achievements in art and writing as part of The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers’ 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards -
January
Alumnus Defies Labels at Morning Ex
Parker alumnus Regine Rousseau ’90, a businesswoman, entrepreneur, poet and author, spoke to the Parker community at Morning Ex on MondayRead More -
New Art for a New Year
With 2020 at last upon us, new student artwork is on display throughout campus, showcasing a wide range of materials, processes and techniquesRead More -
New Student Novels Hit the Bookshelves
Beginning in the New Year, the Kovler Family Library welcomed 35 new original novels written by students in 5th–12th grades as part of this year’s National Novel Writing Month project (NaNoWriMo)Read More -
Read the Winter Issue of “The Live Creature”
Read MoreThe Winter 2020 issue of The Live Creature is available online -
A Helping Hand with Raising Digital Natives
Author and educational consultant Devorah Heitner recently returned to Parker to speak with Intermediate and Middle School parents and caregivers about teaching kids to use technology in a smart wayRead More -
Honoring the Life and Work of MLK
Lower School students combined their talent, energy and enthusiasm for the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a special Morning ExRead More -
Winter Rocket Launches Bring Frosty Physics Fun
A little cold couldn’t keep Upper School physics students from getting some firsthand experience with the principle of energy conservation, as science teacher Xiao Zhang recently led the charge across our ice-speckled turf field to launch rockets.Read More -
Making Great Teachers Even Better
Parker recently welcomed author, consultant and speaker Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. and author and professor Dr. Marguerite W. Penick-Parks to the school for a special workshop.Read More -
Scholastic Bowl Team Sees Success
Read MoreStudents on Parker’s Scholastic Bowl team recently had a very successful tournament at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. -
“Living Planet: New Species in Amsterdam's City Park”
US science teacher Ryan Zaremba worked with Taxon Expeditions last summer on a trip to Vondelpark in Amsterdam where they uncovered two new species!Read More -
A Closer Look at Worry, Stress and Depression with Lynn Lyons
Internationally recognized psychotherapist, author and speaker Lynn Lyons recently spent three days at Parker to provide differentiated strategies and interactive discussion addressing the most common concerns and issues that parents and teachers have regarding stress, worry, mood and behaviorsRead More -
Math for Understanding: Angles are All Around Us
Read MoreEach year, 4th graders at Parker immerse themselves in math through multiplication, geometry, fractions and more. However, a favorite topic among Intermediate School students is geometry—and there’s a good reason for it. -
Pioneers in 3rd Grade
Students in 3rd grade recently immersed themselves in a study of European settlers in this region during the 1800s for this year’s annual Pioneer Activity DayRead More -
Project Invent Builds at Parker
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Recent Graduates Share Expertise
As they returned from December Recess, seniors and juniors gathered with recent graduates for the annual College Counseling Alumni PanelRead More
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2020
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.