Pritzker ‘very impressed’ after seeing students’ Mikva Challenge civics projects at Waukegan High

Students from Waukegan, North Chicago, Stevenson, Libertyville and Mundelein high schools got to showcase what they have learned about government and civics this school year in front of hundreds of attendees, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Friday at Waukegan High School.

Held in conjunction with the Mikva Challenge, which seeks to empower youths to be informed and active citizens in society, many students said they view the showcase as a chance to use their voices to speak up about issues they care about.

Students made their cases about a variety of issues affecting society or their school communities, from mental health and motivation, to Waukegan roads and student parking.

One presentation that caught Pritzker’s eye was the bold vision of four juniors to construct a new building that could house all of the students from Waukegan High’s Washington and Brookside campuses.

“This building (at the Washington campus) is over 100 years old,” one of the students told the News-Sun. “We’re behind technologically, and just in general. This project is to hopefully bring us a new high school down the road. Our thought process is, every time you ask, they can say no. But eventually, they’re going to have to say yes.”

Another of the juniors, who said his great-grandparents took classes in the same building he now does, hopes the idea for a new school will travel far beyond Friday’s showcase.

“Waukegan is a city of progress, and I want us to live up to that name,” he said.

The junior, who will represent Waukegan at the Mikva Challenge’s national event in Washington D.C. later this year, pitched dozens of people on the plan on Friday, including U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, who said he’ll see him soon in the nation’s capital.

When asked for his thoughts, Pritzker exclaimed, “Oh my gosh,” before recounting some of what he saw.

“First of all, so impressive, the range of projects and the focus on issues that really matter in the community,” Prizker said. “Mental health, substance (abuse) treatment, trying to address the problem of needing a new high school and some support for renovating the whole campus here. I’m very impressed with the civic-mindedness and how smart these kids are. Just a terrific day.”

Tava Perry and Ashlee Paz prepared a detailed presentation about altered graduation requirements they believe do not prepare students well enough for success down the road.

Through their research, Paz explained, they found some students had not been able to graduate on time because they were unaware of tutoring options or extra help available, lacked certain required credits and perceived a “lack of proactiveness” from the school administration.

“I think it sends a message that we don’t value education,” Paz said. “It’s just too easy to graduate now. Students know they can blow off entire years, and still make it to graduation.”

Perry said a survey showed that some students were unmotivated and uninterested in their classes, which they attributed to doing poorly in them. Out of 51 students they surveyed, 41.2% reported being unmotivated or disinterested in courses as the primary reason for failing grades.

“Our first solution was to train teachers differently by making lessons more engaging, just by adding games, fun discussions or activities students would be more interested in,” Perry said.

Christopher Hernandez and Sergio Jimenez-Rosendo found through their project that there is a correlation between having psychological and behavioral disorders, such as depression or anxiety and ADHD, and they broadened their aim to also include increasing awareness of a free therapist at school available to any students.

“We had a sit-down with the therapist that same day, and we talked about what we could do to make (the services) more known,” Hernandez said. “We learned we could make posters, flyers and surveys, but we needed the administration.”

Two weeks later, Hernandez said, they met with administration and now plan to display posters around the school, online and distribute surveys to learn just how many students are aware of available resources.

Plenty of local politicians, including Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor and Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, stopped in to observe in the projects.

“Our students want to be thought partners,” District 60 school board President Brandon Ewing said. “They identify the problem, but they are also solution architects.”

As Pritzker gradually made his way down the line of projects, two students looked on, wondering what the governor might think of their project about school lunches.

“We chose school lunches because it’s been an issue for a very long time, and not just here,” one of the students, a senior, said. “We’ve talked with kids from Warren and neighboring high schools, and they all say the same thing. It’s either rotten (or) extremely greasy.”

Another group of students who did their project on what they believe is a shortage of student parking at school had already racked up about 90 signatures in support of adding more parking options. They said students are sometimes late after struggling to find a place to park, and that nearby residents have occasionally complained of students taking up residential parking spaces in the surrounding area.

Fresh off a handshake and conversation with the governor, Stevenson sophomore Jacob Zerull reflected on “amazing action plans” from Friday’s showcase.

“This just goes to show how this next generation is going to be just as good as the last at making change in our world,” Zerull said. “Making positive change, not just in our schools, but also in our communities, in our society.”

Waukegan High School AP U.S. Government teacher Ron Ashlaw said students begin preparing for the event first semester, then apply knowledge and research their projects during the second semester. He said some students have enjoyed the experience so much that they continue to build on their projects even after the challenge is complete.

“The momentum builds, the topic selection has happened, the research is being done and really what it is ... we are trying to have them have civics as a lifestyle,” Ashlaw said.

After surveying classmates for her project on student mental health, junior Ashly Roman found that a majority of students who responded reported feeling unmotivated at either school, home or work.

As Pritzker drew near, Roman stepped up and shared her findings with the governor, and then the News-Sun.

“Some people do make some kids feel like outside of their own selves,” Roman said. “They just don’t feel like they can be their own selves around them. They start overthinking and having all kinds of thoughts, like anxiety.”

Her teacher, Ayana Bankston, said days like Friday are, “Why we teach.”

“Ashly is one of my quietest students and I just see her talking to the governor, shaking his hand, doing interviews, showing all of the work she has done,” Bankston said.