Parents, guardians, students, employees, families and friends joined together to support Parker’s student-athletes for a beautiful day of community, fun and cheering at Homecoming
From Wednesday, September 13 to Friday, September 15, the class of 2026 kicked off the beginning of their sophomore year with a retreat at Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center
On Tuesday in the courtyard, the Upper School hosted its annual Involvement Fair, featuring more than 50 student organizations. Each group staffed a table as a way to promote their club, committee and/or affinity group
The tradition of Big Siblings and Little Siblings is almost as old as Morning Ex. On Monday, the seniors entered the Big Gym to the strains of bagpipes and sat facing the rest of the school community.
Upper School Math teachers Robert Wilson and Christopher Riff and 6th grade Math teacher Robin Masters attended the Oxbridge Teaching Seminar Thinking Mathematically this past summer.
This summer, while many students were enjoying a brief break from responsibilities, one senior decided to spend his time on Capitol Hill. Benjamin Kagan spent the month of July working in the U.S. Senate Page Program, which “introduces students from diverse backgrounds to many interesting and challenging experiences in the nation’s capital. Read more about this experience from Kagan here.
Parker fosters community, which plays into the curriculum of 1st grade; students are taught their school is an extended family that they will get to know and learn how connected we all are regardless of division—Lower, Intermediate, Middle or Upper. Faculty throughout the school make connections all the time socially, and as teachers, helping their students become connected via projects of various types with a range of grade levels.
Alumna Diana Llamas ’23 will receive a full, four-year Evans Scholarship worth more than $125,000 thanks to Viktor Hovland’s hole-in-one during the final round of last year’s BMW Championship
Alumnus and Parker parent Ralph Shayne ’85 discussed his new graphic novel “Hour of Need: The Daring Escape of the Danish Jews During World War II,” the novel’s inspiration and the creation process with Mitch Hurst from The North Shore Weekend
This summer, senior Hannah Bilgin received some amazing news: A poem she submitted to the 2023 Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards competition has been recognized by Illinois Humanities
Since 1901, Morning Ex has been an important part of school life at Parker. Students assemble every Monday and Friday for a 40-minute curriculum-based program to share common ideas and learning opportunities
Earlier this year, the Chicago Opera Theater served as the 6th Annual Joan W. Harris Visiting Music Scholars in Residence, dazzling the audience with a performance, lecture and more information on bringing their newest opera, The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing, to the stage. More recently, they came to Parker to meet the Lower School and help explain opera in a way that resonates with these young minds
After attending a Steppenwolf Theatre performance of Eve Ewing’s book of poetry 1919, English teachers guided Upper School students in a generative process, wherein they published an original book of poetry reflecting upon America and their own lives
Junior Kyle Feitler spent the first semester of this academic year immersed in a hands-on experience learning more about Congress as a Senate Page for Illinois Senator Dick Durbin
Junior members in our Students for Sensible Drug Policy civic-lab group recently met with 43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen to advocate for greater access to Narcan within our ward, and further promotion throughout the city.
During the annual Woodland Activity Day, teachers and parent/guardian volunteers transformed the school’s courtyard into an interactive learning environment
After reading Corrine Luyken’s picture book about the creative process The Book of Mistakes, 1st grade teacher Beth Joebgen paired up her students with some grown-up artists to make simple inkblots into something beautiful
Students in 1st and 9th grades recently came together for a poetry project in which older students shared what they had been learning with their younger counterparts, and both collaborated in developing original poems and artwork
Second graders have been studying activism and learning about child activists around the world, whose passion, stories and activism have inspired them. Through this exploration, they learned that taking action and using your voice to create change is powerful, even at very young ages
What, you may ask, do 7th grade artists and Upper School French students have in common? Thanks to Art teacher Caroline Gardner and her innovative mosaic project inspired by French street artist the Invader, more than you might suspect!
Freshman Ava Farhat recently qualified for the USA Karate team and will represent our country at the World Championships in Dundee, Scotland this summer
Parker’s Upper School Scholastic Bowl team traveled to Atlanta during Memorial Day weekend to participate at the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament
A documentary made by a pair of seniors for their Creating Historical Documentaries class is an official selection for the online Student World Impact Film Festival
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the Upper School affinity group Asian Alliance took the month as a time to celebrate their culture
A 90-year-old survivor of the Heart Mountain prison camp shared his personal story of the difficulties he, his family and other Japanese Americans faced before, during and after their imprisonment
On Saturday, May 20, four students—junior Warner Vance, sophomores Victoria Batts and Beckett Nikitas and freshman Spencer Koh—and faculty member George Austin traveled to the Richard Bong State Recreation Area in Wisconsin to launch the rocket that they had worked on during Cookies
Parker is so proud to announce that this year’s Project Invent team was awarded the Moonshot Award and $500 in funding at Project Invent’s Demo Day in San Diego this past weekend
The community is no stranger to the accomplishments of pianist and Parker sophomore Zarin Mehta, who recently traveled and performed across the globe. Now, Mehta is turning heads again as he is set to perform at Ravinia
From Tuesday, May 2 through Saturday, May 6, 15 Middle School students, 12 Upper School students and five Parker science faculty members participated in a week-long outdoor science adventure at Teton Science Schools
The Parker ROV (Underwater Robotics) team rose to the occasion and earned second place in the Midwest MATE ROV Regional Competition—and first place in the Engineering and Technical presentation
Congratulations to senior Nariya Cooke on receiving a Cboe Empower Scholarship, securing her one of the five full-ride scholarships they awarded to Chicago students this year
Parker welcomed the community to the Signing Day Ceremony for student-athletes Luca Lennon and Hudson Lin, who signed agreements to continue their athletic careers in college
On Thursday, May 11, 15 Upper School students and four science faculty members from each division visited Dr. Mika Tosca at the School of Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum
The Appreciation Committee celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week by presenting Parker faculty and staff with a beautiful array of flowers, inviting them to take a couple of their favorite ones, as well as adorable wildflower seed packets decorated with the words, “Thank You Bunches!”
Upper School English teacher Mike Mahany’s Graphic Novels senior elective hosted Chris Ware, a graphic-novelist from Oak Park and author of novels such as Rusty Brown and Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, in a Zoom meeting on Wednesday
Parker wants to congratulate junior Kumiko Muro for her tremendous achievement in winning the newly established Timuel Black Essay Contest for Chicago high school students
Student creativity, scholarship, determination and drama were on display in this year’s annual 4th grade Greek Play, where students shared the story of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspectives of three characters
Alongside Spanish teacher Liz Villagomez and History teacher Andy Bigelow, 23 eager juniors and seniors took part in an incredible opportunity to dive into the heart of the Civil Rights Movement
The school community recently gathered to honor retiring faculty and staff members Jimmy Contreras, Gary Childrey, Anne Nelson, Lorin Pritikin and Chris Turner.
Upper School student-artists recently visited renowned African American sculptor Richard Hunt’s home and studio to learn more about his life and creative process.
Parker welcomed pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Dana Suskind to campus this week as part of the 25th Annual Francine C. Rosenberg Memorial Lecture Series.
By ILIS Department members Mary Catherine Coleman and Sarah Beebe
During Integrated Learning and Information Science, 2nd graders put their design, building and collaboration skills to the test to prepare for a visit from the mythical monster Godzilla.
Fifth graders transformed their classrooms into interactive monasteries, townmarkets and castles from the Middle-Ages to share what they had been learning as part of this year’s medieval presentations.
On Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, Parker’s Upper School Scholastic Bowl team competed in the NAQT Small Schools National Championship Tournament at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, Illinois.
Upper School students campaigning for a Student Government office next year recently appealed to their peers for support as part of Parker’s annual Democrafest.
For the first time in their Upper School career, the class of 2024 took off for an old-school overnight retreat—the first junior overnight retreat since the spring of 2019, before the pandemic.
Fifty alumni from six decades and several industries returned to campus last week for Career Day, an all-day event for Upper School students to hear from alumni about their professional lives
On Tuesday, April 25, advanced classes in French, Mandarin, Latin, and Spanish gathered to celebrate their progression in their programs and share dramatic interpretations of various artistic works in the original language
Upper School female student-athletes had an opportunity to learn more about leadership from Utah Jazz Chief Experience Officer Andrea Williams via a Zoom meeting orchestrated by Director of Athletics Bobby Starks
Starting on Monday of last week, Parker welcomed Julian Randall ’11 to campus for a week and a half of poetry, writing, mentorship and more, culminating in the 9th Annual Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed Fund for Poetry presentation on Wednesday
Students in Upper School Advanced Biology welcomed a special guest Zoom lecturer to the Kovler Family Library this past week. Speaking as a senior conservation scientist, Lincoln Park Zoo’s Charles Foley, PhD, spoke discussed his work with lions
Upper School scientists and chocolate fans had a hands-on lesson in the art of tempering chocolate when Sarah (Levy) Imberman ’99 and her Chief Operating Officer Alexa Sindelar visited Science teacher Gigi Mathews’ Chemistry of Cooking class to share their expertise
We are excited to announce that Parker has successfully completed a nationwide leadership search to find a Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
The 2023 Young Women of Color Symposium hosted at Parker on Saturday, March 25 was an enormous success. More than 150 students registered, representing 17 schools from the Chicago area
The Middle School proudly entertained the community this week with a fun trip to Bikini Bottom! A cast and crew of more than 80 Middle School students joined together for this exciting performance of The SpongeBob Musical
Third grade students presented what they had learned about various inventors, artists, scientists, authors and more at two special Morning Exes for the school and their parents
The Appreciation Committee reminded faculty and staff on Thursday that “We Couldn’t Be S’more Thankful” with bags of a delicious trail mix containing Golden Grahams cereal, marshmallows, chocolate chips and Hershey’s chocolate bars
During their Integrated Learning and Information Science Department class time, SKers have been learning about different emotions—talking about what it means to be calm and the difference between that feeling and feeling energized
Second grade students recently studied various biomes in their classrooms and used this opportunity to learn about different animals, landforms, weather patterns and more
Loyola University Chicago Associate Professor of Philosophy and Department Chair Jacqueline Scott, PhD recently visited the school to speak with juniors about the concept of “meta-oppression”
In a recent study of work focusing on themes of power and social reform, Art teacher Caroline Gardner introduced her 6th graders to work by artists Laetitia Ky and Asya Kozina
Please help Parker congratulate our Upper School athletic teams as they continue their push for excellence throughout the IHSA State Championship Playoff Series
Upper School students got some hands-on experience with the process of fermentation in their Chemistry of Cooking course when Food Service Manager and master baker Zac Maness combined forces with teacher Gigi Mathews to make bread from sourdough starter
Members of the Upper School South Asian Student Alliance (SASA) shared a fun, interactive and informative Morning Ex with their peers about the celebration of Holi
On a recent Monday, Parker’s Immigration Justice group, a Civic Lab consisting of 15 juniors and their faculty adviser, Matt Laufer, traveled to Devon Avenue, where they purchased household goods for the Burmese Rohingya, Ukrainian and Congolese refugees settling in the Chicago area
With the expertise and support of Middle and Upper School Librarian Annette Lesak and the Integrated Learning and Information Sciences team, French I students completed their annual Francophone-themed Makers’ Project
The school community got a glimpse of a new artistic addition to campus when Parker’s Mural Club shared more about a work in progress at the Visual Arts Morning Ex in February
Parker is proud to report that USA Gymnastics has selected Uemura to lead the eight-athlete delegation for the 2023 FIG Junior World Championships in Antalya, Turkey
Senior Grant Koh recently gave a lunch presentation featuring a gentle yet mathematically rigorous introduction to Abstract Algebra, a public sharing of the fruits of his independent study
On Wednesday, March 1, students in Advanced Spanish took a field trip to sample some Spanish tapas at Bulerías as a follow-up to a reading about the tradition of “el tapeo” (going out for tapas) in Spain
This past Saturday, March 4, Parker hosted our annual Diversity Job Fair for Independent Schools, an important recruiting event Parker established 19 years ago in partnership with The Latin School of Chicago and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
In honor of March Mathness at Parker, the Lower and Intermediate Schools gathered for a special Morning Ex to share the ways different grades and classes approach math
This past Tuesday, the Middle School’s Pop Vocal Ensemble, an extracurricular choir, traveled to Evanston to perform and work with music education students at Northwestern University
On Friday, March 3, all Upper School spring student-athletes and coaches gathered to participate in a workshop provided by the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA)
Upper School student writers from The Weekly recently participated in a data gathering and writing workshop with faculty from Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University
First grade students in Beth Joebgen’s class celebrated Black History Month by reading and discussing biographies and stories by Black authors and illustrators
Upper School students in the Immigration Justice Civic Lab group are currently collaborating with Refugee One on a fundraiser to buy household necessities and appliances for the Burmese Rohingya, Ukrainian and Congolese refugees settling in the Chicago area
Senior Owen Stepan spent the fall semester engaged in an Independent Study with Upper School Computer Science teacher Brianna Ifft, wherein he coded an app for 2nd graders to practice their math skills
Student members of the Social Justice Committee recently spent a Saturday morning assisting with setup and food distribution at the St. James Food Pantry
Parker congratulates the FTC Robotics students and mentors for a very successful season, including two teams participating in the State Tournament for the first time
Junior and Senior Kindergarten students spent a very full morning engaged with their Big Siblings and PE teachers in their annual Winter Games extravaganza
Much like any rocket launch, from NASA’s Artemis I circling the moon to a high school event, weather plays an important part. And as a school so close to Lake Michigan, Parker is no stranger to a bit of wind and cold trying to impact students’ launch experiences. However, Upper School Science teacher Xiao Zhang and his team were determined to persevere and get firsthand experience with the principle of energy conservation
Senior Zeynep Altunbas is partnering with fellow exchange students from Türkiye to organize a relief effort to help those affected by the recent earthquakes in the region
Six Parker students recently discussed their trip to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas at Morning Ex, where they not only participated in the conference but also acted as student leaders in moderating discussions and panels
Parker welcomed the Chicago Opera Theater to campus on Wednesday for the 6th Annual Joan W. Harris Visiting Music Scholar in Residence lecture and performance
Second grade students in Brittney Washington’s class have been learning how to build inclusive communities by showing appreciation for others and themselves
As part of their study this semester, Upper School American History students produced original artwork that focused on moments in the American Revolution from a variety of perspectives
A group from the Midwest Workers Association visited Parker this week for a special Morning Ex to celebrate a partnership that stretches beyond 20 years
Upper School Robotics teams recently conducted a Morning Ex to share about what they do, how they do it and convey more about the accolades their teams have garnered leading up to a league tournament taking place at the school
This past week, senior student-athletes Payton Pitts and Caleb David each broke the 1,000-point mark in basketball for regular season play against Latin and Northside College Prep, respectively
On Friday of last week, Rebeca Fernández from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Office of Public Affairs visited with 3rd grade students to discuss water and the question, “Where does it all go?”
The Parents and Guardians of Black Students would like to thank the Parker community for donating and assisting with the assembly of the Blessing Bags for our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Project. In total, 113 bags were created with love, which exceeded our goal of 100 bags
A COVID diagnosis did not stop Parker’s 5th Annual D’Rita and Robbie Robinson Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Speaker Ijeoma Oluo from sharing her time and message with the Parker community on Monday
Last week, 18 seniors in English teacher Alicia Abood’s Poetry Elective class came together to showcase their passion and work for their families, faculty and staff who gathered in the Harris Center
Sixth grade students have been learning all about planet Earth in their science studies this year. Recently, each had to develop an independent project tied to their studies of climate change with the objective of encouraging others to take action to protect our shared environment
Upper School students in Travis Chandler’s Photoshop class recently put their newly acquired skills to some practical use when they designed book covers for their peers who recently completed novels as part of their participation in National Novel Writing Month
Tim Sinclair’s iconic voice sounded all too familiar to Chicago sports fans during a Morning Ex this week. Sinclair serves as the public address announcer for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Fire and the University of Illinois Illini. Senior Emre Emanet interviewed Sinclair, asking questions about how he began his career in sports and sharing some of his amazing accomplishments, including being the PA announcer for the NBA All-Star Game and a voice on video games in the NBA 2K series
On Friday, November 11, 24 Upper School students took part in the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC), a written problem-solving contest more than 300,000 students nationwide take annually
Upper School singer-songwriters and musicians in Alec Synakowski’s Songwriting and Music Production class recently shared highlights of their work from the first semester in a Music Elective Morning Ex
Students in Art teacher Caroline Gardner’s 7th grade classes, after wrapping up their unit in digital art, began a new lesson that focuses on sculpture and mixed media work. To kick off this new unit, students studied weaving
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.