Jaguar Journal

Religion teacher Ms. Angela Davis is not connected to religion. She has always had questions about religion and when she went to college at Northeastern University, she was allowed to venture to different people and libraries to seek answers.
Ms. Davis, who ironically went to Catholic school all her life, never felt a connection to religions, and she has tried all forms. From Christianity, to Judaism, to Islam, she had always wondered if she was the only person who wanted to know who and what God really stood for.

“I am not a part of a religion because I don’t want to be limited. I don’t want to be boxed in,” Ms. Davis said.

Ms. Davis, growing up in a Missionary Baptist household, enjoyed great choirs and pastors and often still does. However she just had no satisfaction with the spiritual aspect.

Ms. Davis is more drawn to a traditional African centered religion. She considers herself a spiritualist and feels connected to the practice of Yoruba especially. Yoruba allowed Ms. Davis to make sense of religion, to understand it.

“What spoke to me was traditional African spiritual systems. I was like,  ‘Yes I understand this,’” Ms. Davis said.

Yoruba is a religion based in Nigeria. It centers around the god Olodumare and believes all beings possess a divine fate and will eventually become one with god Olodumare.

Aside from her love of religion, Ms. Davis’s love for teaching was an underutilized talent she discovered when she took a Black Studies course in college. She was originally studying to be an architect, until her teacher, Dr. Nancy Dawson, convinced her otherwise.

“I just admired her confidence. She had a dynamic personality and I loved her deep interest and ability to relate to the culture,” Ms. Davis said.

From then on, African American history not only became a subject she would teach, but when she researched it, she found answers to the question for which she desperately needed answers: religion.

As a result, Ms. Davis became a member of the Kemetic Institute, an organization dedicated to the history and culture of Kemet (ancient Egypt). She said it “enhances” what she does in the classroom, and the African scholars at the institute influenced her to make a trip back to the classroom herself. She went back to school, Northeastern University, and began to take additional courses just for the knowledge.

Her courses at the Kemetic Institute shape what she teaches in the classroom. “ I often take what we discuss in our meetings and make it a part of our discussions in the classroom, it’s a way to engage the students and make them want to learn about our culture and accomplishments.”

Speaking of accomplishments Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, is the president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation that allegedly freed the slaves.

“Abraham Lincoln didn’t free the slaves, they just walked off of the plantation,” Davis said as her students went into a frenzy.

According to Ms. Davis, the slaves freed themselves because mostly all of the male slaveholders were away at war. Only women and children were left in charge. Because women were less of a threat to the slaves, they simply left. Proving blacks ability to control their own fates.

“We as black people are not accustomed to seeing ourselves as scholars,” Ms. Davis said, as she continues to prove herself to be one through each lesson plan, and through each personal relationship she develops with everyone she encounters. She’s an educator, something she will never have to question.

Ms. Sarah Amouipour’s started teaching at King last week. She is taking over for Mrs. Sarada Weber, english teacher, who is on maternity leave.

”I really like that King is a school that holds students by a high standard,” she said.

Ms. Amouipour taught at Lane Tech and Kenwood high schools.  She plans on teaching at King for as long as possible. When asked if she could teach another class, she said she would like to teach German.

“King is already still defining its identity and I feel like I help influence what happens here,” said history teacher Mr. Andrew Lambert.

On April 26, 1985 in Naperville Illinois Mr. Lambert was born. He grew up in a suburb and was desperate to get out the minute he could walk.

“Primarily because where you are is not where you want to be, especially in the suburbs,” said Mr. Lambert.

Growing up in the suburbs there is not much to do. Because of its predictability and boring atmosphere, Mr. Lambert tried to find other ways to keep himself entertained by reading several books.

“In the suburbs I was stuck and books were a way to help me out of that. I think growing up in the suburbs, books were not important; so I tried to make them important to me,” he said.

In high school though, Mr. Lambert was not nerdy history teacher that everyone knows and loves today. He was actually a bit of a jock and a musician. He was on the hockey team and he was the drummer in a band.

Besides his social life, Mr. Lambert was also a hard worker in high school when it came to his grades and job experiences.

“I worked a lot to save up for traveling and on my 16th birthday my parents surprised me with a trip to the Yucatan,” said Mr. Lambert.

He spent the summer after his high school graduation overseas in Europe. During that summer he decided to be a teacher because he liked being in that “uncomfortable situation” where he is still learning new things.  

Mr. Lambert attended DePaul University where he received his bachelor degree in teaching. He still managed to play the drums in another band called The Smoke Daddy in college, but school was still his number one priority.

“In college it was like I didn’t sleep. I would study all night and by the time I would finish I had to get to a class. I had a morning class on Friday and afterwards my band and I would get on the road to go play at different college campuses all night,” said Mr. Lambert.

Even though Mr. Lambert was a cool drummer in college, he still had his nerdy history passion.

“I like history specifically because everyone views the world in a different way and I like being able to go into the city and know why things are the way they are and how all of it is connected,” said Mr. Lambert.

Since Mr. Lambert likes to be in that uncomfortable situation, what better place to work at than KCP. One of Mr. Lambert’s professors had a next door neighbor who worked at King. His professor knew he was looking for an internship and put in a good word for him. The teacher that he was connected with was Ms. Judith McDowell.

“I emailed her and then I started to do my observations at King. I liked the idea that King was a new school and I started interning and then a job opened up,” said Mr. Lambert.

Mr. Lambert then packed up and moved to Hyde Park. Like most new teachers, Mr. Lambert’s first year at King was surreal and a dramatic learning experience.

“One of the things I learned as a teacher is that my students can learn anything without being wrong first,” said Mr. Lambert.

Even though Mr. Lambert is amazing at his job, he still has a few things he wishes to accomplish.

“I would like to see the places I have not seen, be a good husband, improve my teaching, and finish reading War and Peace.”

This year at King College Prep we introduce a fresh face onto the King staff: Mr. Melvin Slater. Mr. Slater is the newest math teacher and will be teaching Algebra 1 and Principles of Engineering courses in room 326. Mr. Slater expressed how he felt about his first day of school, what students will experience in his classes, and dispenses some good advice to all students.

Jag Journal: How do you believe your first day of school went?
Mr. Slater: The students were just wonderful. They were looking they were very skeptical, and so was I, but we made it through the day so far. I have one more class to do, and I have some upperclassmen like yourself, so I’ll see how they make out. I guess the freshmen seem like they were still kind of afraid of what was going in this big new place called high school.

Jag Journal: So in your class, since you are a new teacher, do you have a distinct style of teaching? Are you interactive, or are you more visual?
Mr. Slater: I’m all of the above!(laughs) I change with the weather. It depends upon what’s going on with the class, what’s going on with the students, what we’re trying to teach, and the lesson that we have for the day. I’m very interactive. I move around constantly. I’m not a sit still ‘blah blah blah blah blah’ type teacher.

Jag Journal: Last question, is there any advice that you can give to the students about school or even the subject that you’re teaching? You know, just on how to give in good work or succeed in the class?
Mr. Slater: Absolutely!  I think every student no matter what level they are they should always strive to get as much education as they can. There is no telling where you might need it or where you could use it.  So everything that you are here to learn  you should do the best at, because you can never go wrong with getting more education. You can always go wrong with getting less.

Last spring, Mr. Jungsun Moon a J.Y.E teacher, has won the Golden Apple Award. Now Mr. Moon has to go on his ten week sabbatical.

Now that Mr. Moon is gone Principle Jeff Wright has hired a replacement. Her name is Ms. Shakura Weathers.

Ms. Weathers recently graduated from Grand Valley State University.  She will be Mr. Moon’s replacement until the end of the school year.