S.W.A.T. (Students Who Assist Teachers)
S.W.A.T. is a team of Crane students chosen by Mr. Penn, the disciplinarian of Crane High School, to be leaders and facilitators. These chosen few were put together to keep order, change their own lifestyles, and show some type of leadership. They were given this special job in assurance that kids could help each other handle disputes without involvement of the Chicago Police Department.
Many of these S.W.A.T. team members have some kind of leadership, be it gang-related or a symbol of school pride. Having held a leadership role already in gangs they were asked to channel their gifts into something more positive. Our own Crane mascot, “Oreo”, was a student picked to become a S.W.A.T. member. Members were chosen based on the thought that developing leaders would calm down the rising violence in our school.
S.W.A.T. was established some time last year containing roughly 9-11 teenage students who are mostly upperclassmen. Many knew that the violence in our school was only going to accelerate so they were appointed to maintain some kind of peace.
S.W.A.T. encountered one hardship when one of its members, Ruben Ivy, was shot down on Jackson Blvd. At the time he was doing what any chosen S.W.A.T team member would, keeping the peace. S.W.A.T. disbanded shortly after that, because of the oppressive sight of that faithful day. S.W.A.T. envisioned a goal to make school life better, but never accomplished its goal. Maybe one day its dream of a better school would become a reality.
~Written by:Lajuwon Farley
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