Dilara Akgunduz

News Editor

We were all expecting it. Many remember the day last year when Mr. Graf sat us down and gave a stern speech about the changes that would be going on at Latin concerning Project Week. Recently, the dreaded announcement presented itself with a crucial change: International Project Week, considered the cherry on top of PWeek, would be suspended for the 2009-2010 school year. For any new students, Project Week is one of the biggest highlights of the year. It takes place in March, during the week before the school goes out for Spring Break, and students become acquainted with new cultures and experiences. Students might stay and do a project right in the city, travel to another state (such as go to Wisconsin, Utah, etc), or go around the world (in years past, Latin students and faculty have gone to Jordan, Cambodia, Germany, Nicaragua, Mexico, and many other countries). Last year, before the Latin community set out on their respective projects, Mr. Graf made sure to remind students about how to properly behave on the trips and what was expected of each person as a member of the Latin School community. Therefore, no one was surprised when the administration informed us after Spring Break that due to a series of serious school rule infractions, Project Week 2010 was going to be different than what students and faculty were accustomed to. Needless to say, international project week has been put on hold for 2010, which has drawn several arguments and debates by students. Emma Hirshman (Junior) comments, “I think the international aspect of project week was what made Latin unique compared to other schools. It is sad that it had to be suspended this school year.” “I do not think that the administration should be punishing us for the previous year’s flaws. We’ve also learned the possible consequences from last year, so we understand the seriousness of the school rules. Why stop what makes Latin unique in Chicago if the consequences are now better understood?” Nick Weiss (Junior) adds. Most of the student population reacted vehemently to the new policy. Some students tried to find loopholes in the administration’s policies, such as questioning whether the United States territories were counted as “international” destinations. In response to all the controversy, Mr. Graf states, “International Project Week experiences have been suspended so that the faculty can develop policies and practices to ensure safe, stimulating and educational projects.  This break will allow us the time to fully and thoughtfully implement the recommendations from the faculty committee that met last spring.” Recently, the School Academic Board, headed by Nikki Bank and Senior Prefect Dillon Sharp, has held morning meetings to get student feedback on trying to figure out the best way to reinstate international project week for 2011. One of the ideas that came up was some sort of application process for international trips. On a brighter note, Mr. Graf reminds Latin, “It’s my hope and intention to reinstate international PWeek experiences for the 2010-2011 school year, and we hope to have drafts of new policies and practices in place for the summer of 2010.”]]>