Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/246730
Background: Latin's Amnesty club Computer literacy was a focus of the '80s. Latin's library computerized its card catalogue in 1985. curriculum a year later. While students at Latin had always been encouraged to be charitable and had sponsored all manner of collection drives as early as the '20s, this was the first time that service – with a focus on community engagement and volunteerism – was a requirement. Slater had a special interest in arts and athletics, and both these programs flourished in all three divisions. Clubs and activities also grew, and Latin no longer closed its doors to students once the school day was done. Moreover, throughout the '80s, additional honors and AP classes were offered, the number of graduation requirements grew, and students were increasingly encouraged to challenge themselves. Slater called on Latin students to be intellectually curious, not just academically successful. In response, upper school students especially felt the pressure to succeed. In 1983, the school formed a "stress committee" made up of faculty, students and administrators to address the issue. In addition to greater academic expectations, the school formalized discipline processes and policies during Slater's tenure. The Forum of the '80s is filled with student complaints about Saturday detentions, the new unexcused absence policy, a clause introduced in the 1982 registration contract that stated that the school reserved the right to "take appropriate disciplinary action" when a "student's conduct away from school involves activities that reflect adversely on the Latin School of Chicago" and other disciplinary measures. Members of Latin's Service Club. "Computers were still fairly new at Latin when I was a student. They were these huge machines where you put in punched cards. But even then, computers were a thing. There was a group of boys who were always in the computer lab. Later, some of those boys who lived in the computer lab went on to great success in the tech world." – Lara Shipp Shiffman '85 LATI N SCHOOL OF CHI CA GO 95