School portraits / A fencing seminar in 2023
Payton, the sophomores have brought foils
The activity was student-led. So was getting the equipment there.
At Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago, sophomores Ana Beckman and Sylvia Urdaneta Largura started a fencing seminar in 2023. Both already fenced outside school; Sylvia had long said she would start a club if her school lacked one.
A parent who says to find an activity usually means an existing adult and a link to click. Becoming the supplier is more ambitious.
Payton makes room for interests during the school day, with two seminar sessions roughly every other Wednesday. Its students come from across Chicago. There is a great deal to be said for trying something new in a building you have already managed to reach. Nobody needs to discover an extra hour between dismissal and dinner.
In 2024, the school’s art teacher Mr. Johnson described that problem to the student paper: travel time could stop students staying after school for activities they wanted to try. He also talked about listening to their interests when planning seminars and enrichment. The adult need not be the person with all the ideas. Sometimes the useful thing is to make room for someone else’s.
The fencing students began with tag and worked on footwork. Before the glorious duel, you need cooperative feet. They practiced with foils, a type of fencing weapon.
RedStar Fencing Club supplied and washed the equipment. Ana and Sylvia transported it between the club and school for each session. They hoped eventually to have their own gear and a team.
The fencing seminar had a transport department. It was also in tenth grade.