News

Learning is always happening at Parker. Before and after classes each day, students have many outlets available to inspire their passions, creativity and critical thinking while learning more about themselves and the world around them

Second graders have been learning about story mapping and tracking the path a character takes in a story. They used their literacy skills to create a map that traced the path of a character or characters in a story, then drew their interpretation of the path in a map

The 4th grade brings back the pure joy of the toy vending machine with books

Seniors in the Upper School Climate Science and Environmental Politics course hosted Congressman Mike Quigley for a discussion this week. Congressman Quigley, who represents Illinois’ 5th District, has long had a focus on issues of the environment and sustainable energy and was named vice-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) for the 115th Congress

Parker believes that one way to ignite and develop students’ passions and talents is to provide opportunities for them to apply their knowledge in new and exciting ways. To this end, we have developed a robust listing of clubs and activities through which we aim to engage the enthusiasm and interests of our student body

Interested 6th through 12th graders recently gathered with Ms. Lesak and Ms. Shelby in the Kovler Family Library for the first “crafternoon”!

Seniors in Matt Laufer’s Literature and Censorship class celebrated their freedom to read by saluting Banned Books Week recently

While members of the Parker community may be accustomed to the brilliance of our fabulous faculty, Lower School Literacy Specialist Heidi Byrnes-Cloet, Ph.D. recently shared her expertise in the International Literacy Association’s The Reading Teacher

In addition to being master teachers, Parker faculty pursue a range of personal interests outside of the classroom. When these passions intersect with their craft as educators, something truly special emerges, like “The Black Teacher Voice” podcast produced by 2nd grade teacher Brittney Washington

Enjoy photos from the Homecoming athletics events

Riya Jain ’24 is leading Kid Con at the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research’s FACES in a Flash this weekend

Junior Kindergarten teacher Jeremiah Howe was recenetly featured in the upcoming series Belonging in Changing Educational Spaces

A new year of discovery is off and running at Parker. And, although safety mitigations are still in place, Lower School art teachers celebrated a return to art classrooms with a multi-week exploratory unit for 1st through 3rd grade students

The annual Homecoming Pep Rally returned as the Athletics Department and the Student Athletics Council once again organized a Spirit Parade

Students in 4th and 5th grades recently gathered in a physically distanced fashion in the Heller Auditorium for the first time this year to participate in a Morning Ex featuring leaders from the Intermediate School, who took to the stage to help orient their charges for the year ahead

The first day back in class after Summer Recess might be a tough adjustment for some students. Anticipating this, Visual Arts teacher and Department Co-Chair Kay Silva engaged her 8th grade students in a lively activity to help them transition back to art class in a fun way and get their creative juices flowing

On Wednesday, September 15, the Upper School hosted its annual Involvement Fair in the courtyard, featuring nearly 40 student organizations

The tradition of Big Siblings and Little Siblings is almost as old as Morning Exercise, and a change in venue wasn’t going to disrupt this tradition

All 6th through 12th grade students are invited to join Ms. Lesak and Ms. Shelby in the Kovler Family Library every other Thursday at 3:15 p.m. for a fun and relaxing “crafternoon”

Since the school’s founding in 1901, Parker has begun each academic year with the Corinthians Morning Ex, and while this year may look different, the tradition continued on

Parker students and brothers Bradley (5th grade) and Alex (1st grade) Cortez-Bzdusek recently competed in the 2021 USA Karate Nationals at the Schaumberg Marriott, where each secured gold medals in their respective competitions

When the global effects of COVID-19 delayed musical instrument delivieries, the Music Department teamed up with the ILIS Department challenge and grow music students in an adrenaline-pumping virtual reality rhythm world

Upper School art teacher Travis Chandler and Upper School history teacher Dan Greenstone have done it again

Parker wanted to take this opportunity to once again welcome the newest members of our school community!

This August, Parker’s Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) team competed at the 2021 Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International ROV World Championship at East Tennessee State University

Senior year at Parker traditionally begins with a meeting of all grade-level students and team members

Soon your children may come home sharing news about things they experienced during the day’s Morning Exercise

As part of their recent study of Chicago, 3rd grade students learned about significant architecture and landmarks for which Chicago is known

The Upper School Scholastic Bowl team celebrated its accomplishments and paid tribute to the graduating seniors on Thursday, June 3 with team parents

At Parker, we strive to develop creative students who think for themselves, listen to others and are inspired to apply their idealism in ways that address critical issues facing our world. Senior Eleanor Buono and her work this past semester are living examples of this mission in action

This past weekend, the Parker ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles or Underwater Robotics) team took their ROV to the MATE ROV Competition hosted by the Shedd Aquarium

Last week, 6th grade students participated in Mystery Night, an evening full of activities that led to clues to help students solve the crime of who stole the Progressive Stone from Colonel Parker

Junior Leilani Kulkarni discusses a fundraising event the Asian Alliance Club recently hosted

Dr. Farah Fahim, deputy head of quantum science at the Fermi Quantum Institute and Parker’s 2020–21 Robert A. Pritzker Visiting Scientist•Inventor•Engineer in Residence, met with members of the Upper School Astrophysics Club to discuss her work on developing detectors for dark matter particles

Although this academic year has looked very different from years past at Parker, employees in the Parker PM program have never stopped searching for ways to create and foster a sense of community and togetherness among the JK through 5th grade students for whom they provide care and excitement after school each day

While this year may have been unique in many ways, it would not stop the 4th grade from producing the year’s traditional Greek Play

Upper School historians and other members of the Parker community had the special opportunity to listen to avid history enthusiast Michael Grant ’62 speak about one of his specialties, World War II

US French teacher Cynthia Marker and JK teacher Tisha Johnson combined forces for a cross-divisional experience

Junior Ashley Golden has spent the last semester working with science teacher Ryan Zaremba on an Independent Study

This year's COVID protocols required some creative solutions to keep La Mesa Hispana fresh

Last Thursday, Parker was proud to have our first, live, in-person music event in more than a year

There is a new poetry installation on campus thanks to David Fuder and the 8th grade English students

In a year plagued by many differences, one aspect of the Upper School physics curriculum was maintained: the annual physics rocket launch

On Saturday, May 22, our Varsity Tennis Team made a huge splash at the ISL Conference tournament placing second overall

The University of Chicago selected Upper School Latin teacher Sean Miranda as a University of Chicago Outstanding Educator

Thank you to everyone who participated in one of the Parker Spirit activities

The Spring 2021 issue of Schools: Studies in Education was recently released!

The COVID-19 vaccination clinic Parker recently hosted was the working embodiment of our school community doing its part to make the city a safer place for everyone

Middle and Upper School Technology and Innovation teacher Seth Bacon and Upper School Computer Science teacher Brianna Ifft oversaw a full day of conversation between Upper School Programming I students and expert and professional software engineer Emily Chao

As a component of their studies related to climate change and renewable energy, 6th grade students recently potted more than 100 basil and tomato seedlings as part of establishing the school’s first perpetual seed library

A question many good teachers ask is, “How can I bring this lesson to life for my students?” In Parker’s Upper School chemistry classes, the master science faculty has one way to answer this question when learning about stoichiometry—calculating the quantities of reactants and products in a chemical reaction

The US Orchestra embarked on a virtual project this semester, which we would like to share with all of you. We made an audio recording of “Jupiter,” from The Planets by Gustav Holst, and added a collage to the music. This project put us all in realms far from our comfort zones, but we are proud of the result

For the last 15 years, Upper School French teacher Lorin Pritikin’s advanced-level French classes have participated in the Global Voices Initiative (GVI), a program that connects U.S. students with peers across the globe

Every year, juniors are challenged to discover what citizens can do to fight injustice, solve inequity and achieve social justice in their year-long Civic Lab. Students participate in groups that focus on topics such as LGBTQ issues, immigration, the rights of those with disabilities, drug policy, women’s concerns and environmental justice

One of Parker’s goals in educating students is to create “lifelong learners”—individuals who realize that growth and development don’t end after graduation, but instead continue throughout our lives. And few understand this better than French teacher Lorin Pritikin, who perfectly embodies this belief for her students

Parker’s 6th grade scientists have recently immersed themselves in a multi-week lesson investigating climate change

Upper School computer programming II students recently completed a lab that charged them to use their knowledge of the Python programming language to tell a data-driven story in a graphical format

More than 60 young, self-identified men of color from 12 area schools—representing three states—virtually joined together for a day of character-building as part of Parker’s third annual Cullen J. Davis Young Men of Color Symposium

Recently, Parker celebrated freshman Benjamin Kagan for his tremendous efforts in helping seniors overcome technological hurdles when booking COVID vaccine appointments. However, it turns out that we aren’t the only ones who appreciated his incredible work

Thanks to Alya Satchu, her entire sophomore class engaged in a scintillating conversation with author Mohsin Hamid. English teacher Cory Zeller and her World Literature students facilitated the discussion

This week, Secrets of Success, a club that aims to inspire and motivate the community by sharing the paths of successful entrepreneurs and executives, welcomed Jermaine Thomas and Jordan Leslie

Upper School students in Ryan Zaremba’s Climate Science class recently engaged in some hands-on beautification of the local neighborhood surrounding campus as part of their observation of Earth Day

Like many other students their age, Parker’s Senior Kindergarteners learn their ABCs. However, while other curriculums lean heavily on rote memorization to instill these early lessons, Parker’s master teachers have developed the Letter of the Week campaign, which devotes a week to creating multi-disciplinary activities around concepts that will help children remember the sounds they are studying

This past October, Special Olympics Illinois and the Illinois High School Association combined to create the Inclusive Youth Leadership Certificate. And after an arduous process, junior Samantha Coleman was recognized for her excellence in completing and helping create this new initiative

Upper School students in French teacher Lorin Pritikin’s Studies in Language and Cultures class recently shared an experience with Oscar-nominated documentarist Ben Levine.

Parker has always taught students to use their voice and stand up against injustices in the world. Alumnus Prexy Nesbitt ’62 has truly taken this message to heart and spent most of his life as an educator, activist and speaker on Africa, foreign policy and racism. This week, Nesbitt spoke with US History teacher Andy Bigelow’s Civil Rights Movement class about his career, his relationships with leaders such as Nelson Mandela and his work to end apartheid in South Africa

While part of Lower School Spanish teacher Franko Mansilla’s curriculum focuses exclusively on language concepts and terms, he understands there is more to learn than the spoken word. It’s also important to teach the culture and traditions of this language to provide these young minds with a more complete, robust educational experience

Sophomore Lily Moss recently qualified for the Illinois History Day Competition (IHDC) State Final

Ninth grade students and parents recently had their chance to participate in the school’s time-honored tradition of painting the windows around campus

Nearly 200 young women of color from more than 20 schools around the city and country gathered on Zoom to explore and celebrate their identities at the inaugural Young Women of Color (YWOC) Symposium, a collaborative endeavor between Loyola Academy and Parker

The Upper School recently debuted the musical Virtually Yours!, a revue of musical numbers and scenes from shows like Newsies, The Wiz, A Chorus Line and many more

New to the Parent Education Resource this week are the resources the Parker administration provided on Tuesday, April 20

The Weekly continues an award-winning year with an article from juniors Jake Boxerman and Tess Wayland 

Ninth grade biology students recently had a virtual field trip to meet with MIT microbiologist and geneticist Jon McGinn

Musician Michael Taylor recently joined Middle School music classes to share his deep knowledge of the djembe and Mandingue culture of West Africa

Joining Catie Hickey and the Music Department were musicians Katie Ernst, Joanna Schulz, Christie Chiles Twillie and Gaby Vargas to present this year’s program as an homage to women working as visual and dance artists in Chicago

Upper School Concert Band students were treated to a special visitor last week. Musician, producer and recording engineer Sean Keenan joined music students to help reveal the nuances of professional music production and recording

Nothing can lift one’s spirits quite like the bright colors and fresh aromas of fresh-cut flowers, and a group of 6th grade students recently assembled and delivered custom arrangements to members of the school community as part of an outreach activity

Professor and author Jeanne Theoharis spoke with the US Civil Rights Movement class on the idea that Civil Rights curriculum tends to be overly simplified

Middle and Upper School Director of Studies Sven Carlsson discusses the creation, iteration and development of this US schedule

This fascinating and fun video involves a Sanskrit poet, a magical staircase and a few better names for Pascal’s triangle

In her final presentation for March Mathness ’21, Professor Eugenia Cheng presented highlights from her first children’s book, Molly and the Mathematical Mysteries

Students in US History teacher Andy Bigelow’s Civil Rights Movement class heard about the monumental summer of 1964 in Mississippi from Marv and Rosellen Hoffman

Parker is excited to report that we have successfully completed a nationwide leadership search to find our next Head of Upper School

Eighth grade students demonstrated their understanding of energy concepts by stepping into the roll of roller coaster engineer

Singh’s work is about the power of story and the surprising idea that stories help us experience and understand math

Seventh grade scientists, learning on campus and remotely, had some hands-on experience with the three-dimensional structure of the brain in a recent lab involving the time-tested scientific process of dissection

In this video, Professor Cheng covers the power of shifting your perspective to normal (and standard) deviations to show how mathematics can transform how we think about gender, humanity and identity.

March Mathness continues, this time with a video for Middle and Upper School students about the power of abstraction

Students in Junior Kindergarten recently took part in the celebration of the 100th day of school 

Nearly 50 people gathered on Monday, March 8 in what turned out to be Parker’s first international reading of Parker poets for a Celebration of Poetry at Parker

As a component of the 7th grade students’ recent multidisciplinary investigation into race and ethnicity, history teacher Anthony Shaker wanted them to understand the importance of examining people who have worked (or are working) on behalf of racial/ethnic justice, especially those some might consider “under the radar” in terms of their lives and work

We have some fun and exciting wine-related Cooke 2021 activities up our sleeves, but we need your support Now More Than Ever

Parker is excited to announce that we have successfully completed a nationwide leadership search to find our next Head of Intermediate and Middle Schools.

The Upper School Scholastic Bowl team recently captured the program’s first-ever IHSA Class 1A regional title in impressive fashion

Inspired by the work of Harriet Powers, 2nd graders have been learning about quilt folk art and how to use quilt-making to tell a story. As part of this effort, students read Barbara Herkert’s book Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers’ Journey from Slave to Artist.

Although Parker students have had to adapt to a unique school year, it hasn’t stopped them from exploring and expressing their creativity under the observant eye of the school’s master art teachers

Seventh grade history students recently participated in a cross-curricular culminating project

This week marks the kickoff of March Mathness 2021! Parker friend and scholar Professor Eugenia Cheng has a fascinating video about symmetry for younger mathematicians

Attending school in the heart of a big city is a particular type of experience. Because of their metropolitan nature, large cities tend to be epicenters of events impacting the world. Both Chicago and New York City continue to be affected by the global pandemic and protests against racial injustice. In an effort to encourage student conversation around these topics, US history teacher Andy Bigelow partnered with English teacher Ellen Kwon from The Calhoun School in New York City to bring together students from similar schools to share their experiences in their respective cities during these unprecedented times

On February 16, Parker’s Admission team hosted its first “Sesión Informativa en Español.” Each year, families from many different ZIP codes around the Chicago area, the country and the world apply to join Parker’s diverse and inclusive community. The Admission team created a brand-new event targeting the Latinx community and shared insight and information on Parker’s accessible and holistic admission application process, expansive financial assistance program and resources to guide families in their decision-making

This week the Parent Education Resource (PER) is highlighting author Isabel Wilkerson

The Development and Alumni Office wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone who participated in Parker’s annual Lower School Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Freshman Benjamin Kagan has recently gone viral for his tremendous efforts in helping seniors book appointments to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, earning him the moniker “Teen Vaccine Angel!”

This week the Parent Education Resource features two full length documentary movies

Parker is excited to report that we have successfully completed a nationwide leadership search to find our next Assistant Principal

One of the hallmarks of a Parker education is the close collaboration that exists between teachers and learners. After working with senior Maddy Leja in an Upper School art class, Art Department Co-Chair Kay Silva knew that this self-taught digital artist would be an ideal guest to speak to her Middle School students about her artwork and process

This week, Upper School students had multiple opportunities to learn from and connect with members of the Parker community who are leaders in their respective industries as part of our 2021 Career Week

Middle School journalists have been hard at work producing the third issue of The Clark Street Journal!

As part of an interdisciplinary unit focusing on identity, led by science teacher Angela Miklavcic Brandon and history teacher Anthony Shaker, 7th grade students heard from two members of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics (NCIG): Co-Director, Engagements and Operations Azure Hermes and genome biologist Dr. Ashley Farlow

Upper School French classes have welcomed lively visits by a variety of French speakers, including Parker alumni, a Parker parent, a social media star and musical and theatrical artists

This week, the History Department hosted the return of the ZooMX series. In this latest installment, author and University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Professor Ethan Michaeli spoke to Upper School students from the U.S. History, Civil Rights and Talk of the Town classes, as well as interested faculty and staff, about his new book, The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America

Teachers can assess their students’ understanding of topics in many ways, but using hands-on experiences that physically demonstrate new learning is a surefire method pf making school more exciting—during a pandemic or not

The Weekly staff continues a strong school year with a new Excellence in Writing Badge from Student News Organization (SNO). SNO, which “showcases excellence in journalism,” recognized junior Tess Wayland for her feature “Circling Back on History: Parker Renames Circle Drive after Jo Anderson.”

The Parker community learned about the life of a congressman from former U.S. Representative David Trott at this week’s Secrets of Success meeting. Junior Ari Harris and his sibling, freshman Skye Harris, created this club to inspire and motivate the community by sharing the paths of successful entrepreneurs and executives

During the all-remote learning period that preceded December Recess, 7th grade student Chris Cedillo focused his self-directed art project on constructing a piñata shaped like a COVID-19 molecule. As he worked, he shared his hope to ceremonially smash it with his 7th grade peers. Once students returned to campus in January, 7th grade teacher and Art Department Co-Chair Kay Silva set out to make his wish a reality

Junior Kindergarten students have been exploring what social justice looks like in the world around us, both past and present. Teachers and learners are discussing what people do for change, how we make change and how we can use our voices to speak out for what we believe in and care for in the world

Experience the Morning Ex honoring the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., a collaboration by members of the Parker faculty and staff community

On the heels of this week’s historic events, students in Upper School science teacher George Austin’s Modern Physics and Philosophy course kicked off their own social justice initiative to conclude the semester. Covering a wide range of topics, from quantum mechanics to astronomy, cosmology, metaphysics and epistemology, this elective attempted to illuminate scholars’ quest for the Grand Unified Theory of Everything and addressed the nature of human understanding

Upper School students recently completed the culminating activity in Travis Chandler’s Creating Historical Documentaries course

In a week filled with celebrations of democracy, Upper School History, Modern World History and Elections 2020 students added their voices to the conversation through the Soapbox Challenge. Inspired by the Mikva Challenge’s Project Soapbox, US history teachers Andy Bigelow and Sue Elliott challenged their students, as part of their final, to “get up on their soapbox” and make a two-minute speech on a topic about which they are passionate. The prompt asked students to find examples in the nation’s past, specifically from the time of Reconstruction, that can can offer lessons in the present to help make reforms and unite opposing viewpoints in our polarized political climate

Upper School science students recently participated in two informative remote class sessions with Dr. Farah Fahim, deputy head of quantum science at the Fermi Quantum Institute and Parker’s 2020–21 Robert A. Pritzker Visiting Scientist•Inventor•Engineer in Residence

Before the December Recess, 7th grade science students were learning all about microscopes. As an engaging, hands-on way for students to demonstrate their mastery of this information, science teacher Angela Miklavcic Brandon provided students with playdough and asked them to make their own microscope and label the parts

Enjoy a special Poetry Morning Ex featuring faculty and students sharing some of their favorite and thought-provoking poems

This week, three US science classes brought theory to life when they heard presentations from career scientists. These men and women came to Parker through the University of Chicago’s France And Chicago Collaborating in The Sciences (FACCTS) program, which seeks to foster a broad range of networks and productive partnerships between Chicago-based researchers and France-based colleagues and institutions

As the end of the year approached, 1st grade teacher Bev “Greenie” Greenberg, like many, found herself doing lots of reflecting

Student News Organization (SNO), which “showcases excellence in journalism,” again recognized Online Editor, contributor and junior Jake Boxerman for his feature “Gears of Racism” about Dr. Tricia Rose, the 2020 D’Rita and Robbie Robinson Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Speaker

Parker faculty and staff started the new year with a focus on making injustices visible as part of a professional development workshop through JusticexDesign

Students in Upper School Science teacher Bridget Lesinski’s classes had the opportunity to connect with scientists across the globe, thanks to the nonprofit charity Skype a Scientist

We would like to encourage everyone to read “A School’s Unacknowledged Past,” an article by Principal Dan Frank published in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Winter 2021 Magazine