Bikes, Trains, and Automobiles!

Cecilia Thyen

By the time the 8 am bell rings, Whitney Young students are sitting in their first period classes, but how do they get there? Students at Whitney Young travel from all over the city of Chicago to and from school everyday. Morning and afternoon commutes range from five minutes all the way up to two hours, depending on how far they live. Many different modes of transportation are used. Each person’s commute is different. 

With the Blue Line Racine stop less than a block from campus, public transportation is the best option for most students. The Chicago Transit Authority provides reliable busses and trains that can be taken year round and reach far and wide. Seeing that is it just one block away, the Ashland bus is also heavily used. “I get on the Brown Line and transfer to the Blue Line in the mornings. It’s a nice option because the Brown Line train stop is only a block from my house. Taking the train during rush hour is awful though,” stated Cori Mendez, ‘21. The parking lot makes it easy to drive to school, if you have a parking permit. Some upperclassman who have their driver’s licenses drive themselves to school. Often, they also drive their friends in carpools. Underclassmen who can’t drive sometimes catch a ride with their parents. “My mom drives my sister and I to school in the morning and then we take the train home at the end of the day. It’s very convenient, especially in the winter months,” noted Nathalie Schnitz, ‘23. Walking and biking are also great ways to get to school, when the weather is right! “I live close to school so I usually walk or bike when I can. I love that my commute is short because I can sleep in just a little longer,” said Logan Sanderson, ‘20. Bike racks outside of Whitney are a secure location to lock up bikes during the school day. Whitney M. Young high school students travel from far and wide to school everyday- that’s part of what makes our school cool!