You walk in. You see students towering above you by about a foot—some that look old enough to be your teacher. There are no more single-file lines walking down the halls. You no longer have to go to the office or the bathroom with a partner. What is this strange world, and how will you ever survive?

“The hardest thing to adjust to was the work, and being required to really push yourself in order to get grades that you previously breezed through in elementary school,” says Elena, a 15-year-old sophomore at Walter Payton. Remember your teachers in elementary school, reminding you daily to do your homework and get started on your big paper due next week?  That isn’t necessarily the case in high school. While most teachers during your freshman year will do their best to ease your way into the high school environment, it can still be quite difficult. Amalia, another 16-year-old sophomore at Walter Payton, said, “Coming in freshman year, everything was kind of so sudden I hardly knew what to do with myself.”

High school is on an entirely different level. There are a lot more students, and thus a bigger difference in maturity levels, intelligence, and social skills. However, that doesn’t mean it will be any more difficult finding people to relate to and become good friends with. With more students comes a greater mixture personalities and interests. John Angelo, 16-year-old sophomore attending Walter Payton, “embraces Payton’s diversity.”

So, how can you prepare for high school? A lot of your preparation will depend on your own determination and your experience at your old elementary or middle school. Coming into high school, you could have come from the top 5 in your previous school, but as Elizabeth, a 16-year-old sophomore at Walter Payton states, “coming to high school I was and am competing with all the kids that were in the top 5 of their classes.” You can either work hard and do your best in order to adjust to this new workload, or slack off and fall behind. Anna, another 16-year-old sophomore, suggests, “Talk to and meet as many people as you can. Not only will you make close friends, but you will also create a network of people that you can look to if you ever need any help in a class, with homework, or if you need to know an assignment…”

Regardless of the difficulty, you may end up considering high school some of the best years of your life. Elizabeth comments, “There is a lot more freedom to learn what you want and more opportunities to learn how you want.” “It was generally fun, and it was also great to meet people that I have a lot in common with, which generally didn’t happen in elementary school,” says Elena. Chelsa, 16, provides another perspective. “I think the best and most fun part about high school were the teachers. They were really cool and helped me become independent.” There’s freedom, fun, and support from your teachers—so, just make the most of it and enjoy it while you can . . . because if you thought elementary school went by fast, high school is only four years and will fly by that much quicker.

“No, I hate it. The white people are coming in and it’s getting too expensive to live here.” That is a common response amongst the Humboldt Park community when asked about gentrification, and how it is affecting the community.

The reason many long-time Puerto Rican residents feel resentment toward the white population moving in is because they don’t want to succumb to change and they want to preserve their culture within Humboldt Park. Rafael González, 30, who used to live in Humboldt Park, refers to it as “Little Puerto Rico.” For years the community has worked towards establishing a strong Puerto Rican presence. The fact that condominiums are being built here, slowly flushing out the Puerto Rican residents, is upsetting. Property taxes are rising and the cost of living here is becoming unaffordable.

However, for some the effects of gentrification are not all negative. Some people living in the community are happy to see it improving. They want to see the community thrive and prosper and are happy to see the betterment of its conditions. Residents also like to see gangs being pushed out of the Humboldt Park community, making the streets safer and more comfortable to them.

While some see the effects of gentrification improving the community, residents are unhappy to see the preservation of the Puerto Rican culture sacrificed in order to do so. It all depends on a person’s beliefs and needs. If someone feels threatened walking down the street, then seeing gangs pushed out of the community will be their main priority. Although, that person or group out on the street may not feel threatened, and want to see their friends and family remain in the community.

In order to counteract gentrification, Puerto Ricans and other longtime residents have united in order to ensure that the same would not happen in Humboldt Park that has happened in the Lincoln Park and Wicker Park communities. The Humboldt Park Empowerment Partnership was created out of concern for the Puerto Rican residents being forced to move out due to unaffordable housing and previous attacks on service organizations. As described on their website, in order to stop gentrification, the Humboldt Park Empowerment Zone Strategic Plan was founded in 1996 to uphold the character of the community through programs dealing with cultural traditions, business, and housing.

Whether we like to admit it or not, gentrification is becoming prevalent in the Humboldt Park community. It is up to the community’s residents to ensure that gentrification is stopped, or a peaceful medium is found where the residents can still retain their cultural roots with a condominium here and there.

“Flags of Steel,” a documentary film by Mildred Amador, recently premiered before a packed audience of community leaders, elected officials, Humboldt Park residents, and high school students. For example, Pastor Pedro Windsor of the Capilla del Barrio brought his whole family.

In the film, important Puerto Rican community history is showcased. Pastor Windsor remarked, “This film is a celebration of the history in Humboldt Park. It takes you on a journey and shows you the struggle and the fruit that was born of that struggle.”

The film shows many scenes from the history of Humboldt Park, including the Three Kings parade and the construction of the Paseo Boricua flags on Division Street. “The film showed me that we should be proud of our contribution to our community and our city,” he commented. José Lopez, Ald. Billy Ocasio, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, and other early community residents were shown in the film. News articles and documents were also included.

The most important aspect of the film is its coverage of the struggles of the community. Chris Pérez, a BACCA program student, commented, “The effort that people put into making the flags really showed their dedication to the cause.” Batey Urbano member, Cindy Maldonado pointed out, “This film is important because it relates the reason why they put the flags up. They wanted to make sure that people knew that this was a Puerto Rican neighborhood and that we’re never going to leave.” Pastor Windsor agreed, saying, “The whole film was a historical stream. It told the whole story of our community…”
Xavier Luis Burgos, Outreach Coordinator of the Humboldt Park No Se Vende! campaign, remarked, “This film was selected for viewing because it is about the community, and our community leaders want us to remember our history.” Chris Pérez noted, “Humboldt Park is where the flags are located and for that reason people appreciate the movie more.” This film is about us, and it is important to us. Cindy Maldonado commented, “They were trying to educate people on how the history of Humboldt Park began and educate the people in Humboldt Park about their own history.”

Pastor Pedro said that when he viewed the film, “This is a story of Humboldt Park, past, present, and future. I felt good being who I am in Humboldt Park and seeing how God blessed Humboldt Park.”