Mr. Peacock visits his namesake

By Christine H.

On Tuesday, December 1, Mr. F.E. visited his namesake school to attend the dedication of his portrait at a special school assembly. Peacock believes that an education is the most important thing you can have in life. He wants people to remember him for the many years he gave to the school system. Mr. Peacock now owns a publishing company and lives in Itasca. Mr. F. E. Peacock has been dedicated to the Itasca school system for a very long time. He was on the school board for over a quarter of a century. Mr. Peacock donated a large amount of money to the school system, and just recently, he donated a portrait of himself. Dr. Nickisch has decided to hang the painting in the front office for all to see because he wanted students to know that Mr. Peacock is "not only a person that is very much alive, but a person who made a large difference in District 10."

Mr. Peacock thought that the school looked wonderful, he had not been in the building for ten years. According to Mr. Peacock, the students, faculty, and school were "superior and wonderful." He said that he was particularly impressed with the amount of work the students and teachers accomplished, and the different technologies that were used today.

Furby leads the pack

By Krissy M.

Every year around Christmas time, there always seems to be one gift that everyone wants to buy but no one can find. To try to figure out what this year's hot gift would be, I consulted a few sixth grade students. Ashley C. said "I think that since so many kids have Playstation or Nintendo 64, they will want variety of games to pick from, so I think video games are going to be popular." Aubrie H. thought that since kids care about their appearance, they would want clothes.

Another group of sixth graders said that "Furby" will be on everyone's wish list this year. For those of you who don't know, Furby is a battery activated stuffed animal that has six senses that react to touch, music and light. Furby can dance, perform tricks, play games, and talk with a vocabulary of over two hundred words! Furby usually costs around thirty dollars, but is awful hard to get your hands on this year.

Students try to give back to the community at the Arbor

By Christine H.

Every week, some students from Peacock Jr. High go to the Arbor, a nursing facility for the elderly. They play cards, games, read or just walk around and talk to the residents. Student Council President Janelle B. and Vice President Christina S.organized by the trips to enable students to give something back to the community. Students volunteer for visits through the student council. Generally speaking, they hope that they will be able to make a few people’s lives a little happier and more exciting.

Most of the students who attend the Arbor said they enjoyed it. They said that it was fun to interact with all of the people that have been around for so long. When they first went for a walk through at the Arbor, many of the students were struck by the amount of time and care that the staff puts into the facility. Some students, when walking through the home felt sad when they first saw the residents, but they subsequently learned that the residents were happy.

Congratulations to Amy F. and Christine H. for having chosen the names of the Peacock Quintuplets! The boys are named Cody and Kyle, and the girls are named Sara, Kara, and Ashely.

Most sixth graders plan holidays close to home

By Ashley S.

Most of the sixth graders said that they were going to stay home for the holidays. Jon M. and Jason D.said that they would not be travelling much. Jon is going to Geneva to visit family, and Jason said he would be going to a nearby town.

There were some students, however, who said that they would be travelling some distance. Amanda B., for example, said that she would be spending her holiday in Wisconsin.

Chess Club

By Jeff R.

Among the new clubs this year at Peacock is the Chess Club, which meets every Tuesday after school in Mr. Behrendt’s room. The club got started after Jayson D. started a petition to create a chess or strategy games club. Although the Chess Club only involves chess playing, most of the members don’t seem to mind. They have fun playing their friends and people on their same playing level. "It was really fun and enjoyable," commented eighth grader, Joe Klein of the club’s first meeting.

The club's advisor, sixth grade math teacher, Mr. Behrendt, said that people should not be afraid to attend the meetings because they think they are not skilled enough or don’t even know the basics of the game. People of all different levels are welcome to come and play someone of equal skill. If you don’t want to play someone you don’t know, bring a friend along. There is plenty of room and there are enough boards for many chess games to be played.

Mr. Behrendt said that he hoped that students who came to the Chess Club would enjoy themselves and learn a few things about chess. More advanced players can teach beginners how to play and give them some tips on beating their opponents. Students who are new to the game sometimes become formidable opponents in short order. Later on in the year, around January or February, the club is planning an all-school tournament. Players of different ranks would compete with each other for the title of Best Chess Player at Peacock. This tournament is not a definite, but there is an extremely high chance of it happening.

By the way...

By Scott P.

Irving Park Road (Illinois Route 19) was originally called the Chicago and Elgin Road, named for its two destinations.