Lee A. Holmes repeats the phrase for what might just be the hundredth time that day: “Would you like to purchase a copy of StreetWise?” 

People walk right past him. They pretend not to notice…

By springtime, Susan Augustine’s 20-by-30-foot garden will be filled with 300 bulbs of tulips and dozens of allium plus crocus and daffodil flowers. Since the pandemic, she has also added raised beds…

Peering through the windows at Virtue restaurant, the soft warm glow of orb lights illustrates the outline of magnolia flowers — a symbol of dignity and Southern hospitality — adorning the windows….

In July 2020, a single mother and eight children from the Congo began to settle into a small Hyde Park apartment. Contributing to the millions of people displaced from the Congo due to ongoing violence…

In 2001, Paul Sagan had only worked for a few years as chief operating officer then president at Akamai, a security and cloud service company. On Sept. 11 of that year, the company experienced trauma as…

Gage Park, a working-class neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago that is six miles due west of the Laboratory Schools, is an area made up of a diverse Latinx community — old, young, undocumented,…

Community organizations demand reparations from University of Chicago

Since 1901, a bronze plaque hung in Hutchinson Commons on the University of Chicago campus, which honored the contributions…

English teacher Rachel Nielsen greets her class with music — sometimes overly loud music — streaming out through the Zoom. While some students roll their eyes, many nod their heads or mouth a few lyrics…

As the head designer of Leaders 1354, a Chicago-based sneaker shop, Ms. Ma is using her platform to lead by bridging the gap between Chicago’s Asian American and Black communities through streetwear…

The 2020s so far have paralleled the later years of the 1960s  — both are periods of racial inequality, newfound perspectives and social activism. Something especially positive about the ’60s was…

From warm apple turnovers to chocolate chip zucchini bread. Berry delight. Decadent snickerdoodle cake. Chocolate chip cookies made with brown butter.

Junior Chloe Ma has perfected her recipes for treats…

Click. “Joining breakout rooms. It may take a few moments.” 

The gallery of tired students and an even more exhausted teacher is replaced by a white box warning that this transition may “take…

Last June, the Illinois national guard was stationed outside my apartment complex, in anticipation of violence following Black Lives Matter protests. Having a Humvee and a group of armed National Guard…

With 77 neighborhoods, 234 square miles and more than 2.5 million residents, it is an ambitious task to tell the story of Chicago’s people. Award-winning Chicago documentarian Steve James set out to…

Isolated at home, teenagers and adults alike are bored and looking for excitement. For some U-High students, drugs and alcohol seem like the escape. Although teenage substance use is nothing new, the expected…

Starting from several small boxes of seemingly random parts from a multitude of brands, senior Sean Zhang tries to build his first computer. After hours of careful wiring, screwing and unscrewing parts…

Oddly enough, I was excited to take my first PSAT, but before we even got started, I was faced with a question that made my stomach drop. As I filled in the bubble on my Scantron indicating that I was…

At 5 a.m., on Nov. 30, Sophie Raphael opens the door to let out two energy-filled foster puppies, Starsky and Hutch. They run outside to play in the fresh snow for the first time in their lives. Sophie…

In 2017, Donald Trump announced he would like to be buried at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. After the statement was made, Indecline, an activist collective made up of anonymous…

U-High Midway · Winter Dining
While many restaurants only sat customers outside during the summer, colder temperatures begin to pose problems for Chicago’s dining scene. As the city heads into winter,…

An army of muted portraits of old white men stares blankly out from the walls above the stage. Below, the animated features of actress and writer Heidi Schreck light a dim Broadway stage. Ms. Schreck…

With most people on Zoom trying to get their internet connection to work, at least one teacher is also concerned with wearing outfits that he, his students and his co-workers can thoroughly appreciate. 
…

The moment October begins, it seems that the spooky season grips everyone and everything. Families dig out fake cobwebs, companies begin Halloween-themed ad campaigns and candy prices begin to skyrocket….

As a half Black, half Indian American woman, Kamala Harris has already made history as the 2020 Democratic vice presidential nominee. She is the first woman of color to run to be nominated for national…

When asked about their feelings in regard to the upcoming presidential election, seniors responded with adjectives like “worried,” “terrified” and “hopeful.” While these seniors are clearly…

Waves splash onto rocks, pooling into crevices that small groups of masked people jump over as they walk along the water. Further from the waterline, the rocks form stairs that hug the side of a large…

Sophomore Leila Garfinkel ended the weekend remembering police officers smiling while beating a woman. 

“They just started throwing some people to the ground, and there was this one woman right by…

COVID-19 breakouts and coronavirus-induced slowdowns at meat processing plants have significantly reduced meat supply and increased meat prices in the US, forcing some families to reshape and reflect upon…

Despite canceled and postponed programs worldwide, the coronavirus pandemic has not stopped students from planning a productive summer break that maintains social distancing.
Internships

Internships…

The governor may have deemed hair salons to be non-essential businesses, but when teens are stuck at home facing extreme boredom, some take matters into their own hands by turning changes in hair color…

Whenever someone enters one of the Laboratory Schools buildings to pick up something out of a classroom, they have to be escorted by security personnel. And when they leave, custodial crews clean up everywhere…

Elizabeth Park puts down the mats and prepares her desk for the inevitable mess that will be left on it. Elizabeth’s sculpture teacher, Candice Latimer gave her the mats before they left school back…

“You can kill the revolutionaries: but you can’t kill the revolution!! Remember KENT!” reads a poster pictured in the May 12, 1970, U-High Midway newspaper. This attitude toward protest proved itself…

About 50 years ago an estimated 800 schools around the country closed at the same time  — but there was no coronavirus pandemic. Instead, over 4 million students went on strike in response to the Kent…

At sundown on April 8, Vivi Corré joined her mom as they go through the now-familiar process of starting up a Zoom call. Only that night, instead of attending a class or a gathering of friends, Vivi and…

On the morning of March 19, junior Emelia Piane woke up to a surprise. Her shock didn’t come from seeing that the first song on her first album, “Quarantunes,” had more than 100 listens already….

Being 18, a legal adult, leaving home, starting college and living independently for the first time are usually what follows high school graduation. For recent alumni, though, their first year of college…

Ever since the loss of her family’s first dog one year ago, Sara Charles Waterstraat has been wanting another dog. But it wasn’t until the coronavirus pandemic shut the school and forced people to…

Beginning March 30, U-High is going online indefinitely. U-High’s transition to remote learning due to the pandemic COVID-19 means most high school classes will continue to use Schoology or Google Forms…

Students run up and down the court of Upper Kovler Gymnasium, dribbling and passing  the basketball. Kennedy Coats runs alongside with a whistle in hand, carefully watching the game as the referee. Physical…

Originating in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus COVID-19 has impacted people all around the world and forced the University of Chicago and Laboratory Schools students, administration and faculty to respond….

After being told they had to sit or stand rather than kneel during the National Anthem, Dance Troupe members were left feeling silenced by the idea that protecting modesty is more important than political…

Teachers across curriculum areas are implementing “gradeless” classrooms. Sari Hernandez, Zachary Hund and Mark Krewatch began this system in their classrooms this year, while Naadia Owens is continuing…

At an age where self-image can be fragile, it’s hard to imagine being styled, posed and photographed by a team of near-strangers. For some people, the modeling world looks cutthroat and toxic.
But what…

In an age where social-media “slack-tivism” is ruthlessly criticized, these student protesters say they’re committed to walking the walk. Literally.

Joining a nation-wide “youth climate strike”…

Whether driving, doing homework or just laying down to rewind after a long day, music plays a big part in most teens’ lives.
Claire Piccirilli, a sophomore, said music helps her to think.
“I usually…

The results of the health and wellness survey have confirmed what many students have anecdotally suspected: a lot of  U-High students are not just attracted to the opposite gender.

But only a few…

Dance troupe has grown from 5 members to 26 members in the past year as a result of strong coach-student relationships. With their increased size, the dance team has more team spirit and has been able…