Crystal Marshall '01, CEO and Founder of Write to Success, LLC, draws on her experience as an 8-year Lead Executive Assistant at BET (a subsidiary of Paramount Global), where she earned the Above & Beyond Award for excelling as a book tour manager, magazine Lead Editor, and talent manager at award shows like the BET Awards.

Crystal's Latin highlights include Project Week in China, the Black Student Union, playing basketball and volleyball, and her favorite teacher, Mr. Russell Harris.
 

Latin's junior and senior kindergarten students participated in the rich tradition of Las Posadas to help introduce them to the cultural traditions of the Hispanic community.

Las Posadas, which originated in Mexico, is traditionally celebrated in various Latin American countries and parts of the United States between December 16 and 24. Communities come together for a candlelit procession and the reenactment of a journey that symbolizes the search for hospitality. During this reenactment, they embark on a search for shelter, overcoming obstacles along the way until they are eventually welcomed inside. 

One of the beloved traditions of Las Posadas is the breaking of the piñata, which our JK and SK students got to experience firsthand.
 

One of the most well-known courses at Latin is called “Nazi Mind,” which explores the causes and consequences of the rise and fall of the Nazi party in Germany. Through this course, students investigate the human choices and historical contexts that enabled Adolf Hitler and the Nazis to gain power and commit genocide. They examine the psychological roots of racism and hate, the history of the Nazi regime, and the Holocaust’s enduring legacy. They also engage in thought-provoking discussions and reflection about the enduring question: What does learning about the choices people made during the Weimar Republic, the rise of the Nazi Party, and the Holocaust teach us about the power and impact of our choices today? 

A cornerstone of this class is a simulation of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal, where students grapple with the complexities of justice and accountability. One of the highlights of the simulation, now in its 48th year, is getting to be in a real-life courtroom. This raises the stakes for the students and makes everything feel more real as they portray the attorneys, defendants, judges and others who participated in the real military tribunal that followed the conclusion of the Second World War. This year’s simulation was held in the Ceremonial Courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago. 

When asked for his thoughts about this year’s simulation and the course in general, Upper School history teacher Matthew June said the students were “all so well prepared…and approached their roles with a maturity and seriousness of purpose. It is that intrinsic motivation from the students that truly makes this class so special and so fun to teach!”

Watch videos from the mock trial on Latin's Instagram page.

Editors from Latin’s student newspaper, The Forum, traveled to Philadelphia earlier this month to participate in the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention. They attended a variety of workshops, networked with 3,600 other journalists from across the country, met with industry professionals and sat for a critique of their publication. They also competed in writing and layout contests, with the following students winning awards:

• Natalie A. - Superior in Editorial Writing
• Sofia G. - Superior in Commentary Writing
• Scarlet G. - Excellent in News Editing/Headline/Current Events
• Edie P. - Honorable Mention in Feature Writing

We are excited that our students had the chance to take part in this incredible event and showcase the amazing work they do on our school newspaper. We also want to congratulate the students whose journalistic talents earned them well-deserved accolades.