Note from Editor Susy Schultz: Many people in Evanston talk about Evanston Township High School as being the heart of the city. If you believe that, or if you believe as Nelson Mandela said that there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children. This issue of The Evanstonian is giving the community a rare gift, a clear insight into its own heart and soul. We really urge our readers to follow the suggestion from our journalism colleague Ahania Soni, executive editor of The Evanstonian, who wrote: “We hope that you take the time to read as many of these pieces as possible, identify the broader trends and tensions that exist and consider the vision of this community that we have presented you with alongside your own views and experiences.”
Exactly one year ago today, on Dec. 16, 2021, Evanston Township High School students experienced a traumatic, hourslong lockdown after a school resource officer discovered two loaded handguns in the backpacks of two students.
This morning, ETHS student newspaper The Evanstonian published a special issue featuring articles covering multiple aspects of public safety, both in school and in Evanston as a whole.
“In the past year, the conversation around safety has become increasingly loud at the school and in Evanston alike,” said John Phillips, an ETHS English teacher and the faculty supervisor for the paper.
“The Evanstonian’s December issue cuts through the noise and considers the issue from many angles, featuring articles about what can be learned from past gun violence spikes in the city, the alternative school 30 minutes away that some students who break the code of conduct attend, and how one ETHS school resource officer’s tense relationship with police growing up has led to him putting an emphasis on relationship-building with students in his current role.”
You can pick up a print copy of the paper at the high school, or check out any of the stories online at The Evanstonian’s website.