February 2023

4 features/westerner
Speading some city love
February 15, 2023
Instead of sitting at home this weekend, why don’t you make Chicago your Valentine? With a three-day holiday ahead, make your weekend
something memorable by grabbing a friend or family member, getting out, exploring, and having some fun during these colder months. Here are
some fun and affordable ways to feel the love, no Hallmark card needed.
Shedd
Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium is offering
free admission for Illinois
residents on Feb. 14, 15, 16. From
dolphin shows to penguin exhibits,
you’ll be transported to waters
around the world without
ever leaving the city.
Field
Museum
Illinois residents get free entry on Feb. 14,
15, 16. With new exhibit “First Kings of Europe,”
there’s even more ancient artifacts to
check out. Don’t forget to blow a kiss to Sue,
one of the largest Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs
ever discovered, on your way through
the main hall. Located at 1400 S Lake
Shore Dr., Chicago.
BY MICHELLE KANER
AND TEAGAN O’CONNOR
features editor and
asst. features editor
Lincoln Park Zoo
Always free year round and with
the warm spell of weather predicted
this week, a date with the gorillas and
lions is a great way to spend a day.
For people interested in long legs and
necks, check out the indoor giraffe
exhibit!
Gates open at 10 a.m.
Ice Skating Ribbon at
Maggie Daley Park
Right next to Millennium
Park with views of Lake Michigan
through the trees, the skating
ribbon is turning into a city
icon. Reserve a time slot at
maggiedaleypark.com
English teacher Liana Bracker
describes the skating ribbon
at Maggie Daley Park as a place
that provides the perfect backdrop
for immersing yourself in
the city, and she likes to take her
nephews, such as Nico pictured
here, to take in the views there.
“I love that you don’t skate in a
circle the entire time and that
it is surrounded by trees and
the Chicago skyline. The vibe
seems to be more about having
fun and less about doing triplet
axles,” Bracker said.
School severing screen time
BY EMMA MCGREEVY
reporter
Hoping to increase student focus and cut
back on distractions during the school day,
District 207 barred access on the schools’
servers to social media apps on Chromebooks,
tablets, and cell phones as of Feb. 1, just a few
weeks after restricting personal email access
from school-issued devices.
While these restrictions may be aimed at
improving classroom performance among
students, many West students are skeptical of
the new policy. “I believe these restrictions will
definitely cause difficulties. Students use social
media apps like Discord and Snapchat to communicate
with classmates about different assignments
and school clubs. These policies will
create issues for communication,” sophomore
Jaiden Maisonet said.
Another concern among students is how
the lack of access to personal emails and social
media while at school will affect certain
students. “I think the main group of students
these new policies will affect are students without
home internet access. Some use school Wi-
Fi to access personal emails for scholarships
and college information
so they’ll have
“Students will find their
way around the restrictions
— it’s inevitable.”
a much harder time
figuring out a way to
do this,” junior Leena
Lugo said. They also
risk being left out of
the information loops
that exist between
classmates on apps like
Snapchat.
Similarly, senior Alexander Haliotis said,
“Students in low-income households without
Wi-Fi will have to go completely outside of
school in order to get into any of their personal
profiles. It’s a huge accessibility issue.”
Despite many students expressing their dislike
for these policies, others in the building
see possible benefits to social media block-out.
“While a lot of students seem to be not in favor
of these new decisions, I believe this will
be beneficial for students,” fine arts teacher
Melissa Lloyd said. “Without access to social
media, there is more time to focus on learning.”
With these rules
being in effect for
just over two weeks,
students will have had
time to adjust to these
restrictions, but only
time will tell if opinions
will fluctuate on
the new policies.
As it is, students
with cell plans that allow for unlimited data are
still able to get to the restricted apps by using
their data plans. “Students will find their way
around the restrictions—it’s inevitable,” senior
Alexander Haliotis said.
— senior Alexander Haliotis