Isi Frank Ativie

Freelance Journalist | Essayist | Photojournalist 

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Runner's World •

He Built a Running Community From Scratch. Now, Hundreds Are Crossing Finish Lines Together

In 2006, 32-year-old engineering technician Terrance Lyles was engulfed in a series of depressions that included his mother’s diagnosis of diabetes and their own financial trouble. That same year, he eventually signed up for a fitness group in Chicago, where most of the participants were training for the Chicago Marathon.That experience—watching dozens of others train for and complete the 26.2-mile distance—subsequently encouraged him to one day train for the World Marathon Major. It also pushed...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood basketball star Aleks Alston headed to Maryland on full-ride scholarship

Kenwood Academy basketball standout Aleks Alston is headed to the University of Maryland this fall with a full ride after a record-breaking season that saw the team win its first city championship.  Alston, who ESPN ranked 76th in its list of the top 100 basketball players in the nation, committed to the university late last month. Juggling offers from Michigan State, Oregon, Ohio State, Iowa and Indiana, the 6-foot-10-inch forward said he landed on Maryland because of an “instant connection” he...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood baseball wins second city championship in dramatic fashion

Kenwood Academy baseball are city champions once again after Thursday night’s nail-biting 10-9 victory over Lane Tech High School. The 17-6 Broncos took a swift lead in the May 22 game at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Les Miller Field. At the bottom of the first inning, Kenwood recorded a pair of hits and two stolen bases by senior third baseman Jimmy “Jimbo” Downs, second baseman Phil “The Thrill” Thigpen and shortstop Damaurion Butler. Kenwood closed out the inning with a 6-1 score.In t...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood basketball coaches named CPS' Coaches of the Year

Two Kenwood Academy basketball coaches are recipients of this year’s Chicago Public League Coach of the Year award, capping off a pair of record-breaking, title-taking seasons.The coaches, Andre Lewis of the state championship-winning girls basketball team and Joe Mason of the city championship-winning boys team, learned of the awards last month via an announcement on social media. “It’s a great honor,” said Lewis, who recently wrapped his 13th season with Kenwood’s girls team. With a stellar 35...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood boys fall short in state basketball super-sectional

The Kenwood boys basketball season came to a bitter close Monday with a 70-65 loss to Rich Township High School in the state playoffs.The super-sectional defeat, which came just under a month after the Broncos’ city championship win, didn’t come easy. No. 1-ranked Kenwood started the game strong by taking control of the court – senior guard Amari Edwards scored an impressive 10 points in the first quarter. But the Raptors showed their mettle, turning the match into a back-and-forth battle that l...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood girls basketball head downstate for first time in school history

Kenwood girls basketball are headed to the state semifinals for the first time in school history. The 33-3 Broncos handily defeated  Marist High School 62-48 in Monday’s super-sectional matchup. On Friday, Kenwood girls will head downstate for the final games of the state playoffs.Kenwood took an early lead in the March 3 game, bringing the score to 14-2 by the middle of the first quarter.  The Redhawks rallied, bringing up the point totals to 20-15 by the end of the quarter, complete with a buz...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood boys basketball cruises through first round of state playoffs

Fresh off their first-ever city championship win, the Kenwood Academy boys basketball team was back on the hardwood in full-force for the state playoffs on Wednesday, besting Benito Juarez High School with a breezy 120-34. Coming into the game with a 28-1 record, the Broncos immediately took full control of the game in the first quarter. They entered half time with a 68-13 lead. In the third quarter, senior star forward Aleks Alston recorded two consecutive dunks within five seconds. Late in tha...
Hyde Park Herald •

Hyde Park Academy girls basketball faces season of rebuild with new coach

A month into the season with a new coach at the helm, Hyde Park Academy’s girls basketball team is struggling to find its footing. The team has yet to win a game since Corey Morgan, its coach of six years, departed the South Side this summer for DePaul College Prep.Morgan told the Herald his departure was motivated in part by the reality of having to start from scratch with this year’s Hyde Park team, most of whom are freshmen.“I had six seniors and two juniors (last year), and my two juniors tr...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood girls basketball wins eighth straight game

With a cool 78-49 win over Lane Tech High School last week, the Kenwood Academy girls basketball team is on an eight-game winning streak. But even with a solid 12-1 record this season, not everyone on the team is happy.“I’m never satisfied,” said coach Andre Lewis with a chuckle after Wednesday’s game. “We can be better.”The Lady Broncos had gained a considerable 51-29 lead by halftime. In the third quarter, senior star guard Ariella Henigan and her sister Amillya each scored a basket five secon...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood boys basketball start season strong under interim coach

With a new head coach at the helm after a season that ended in controversy, the Kenwood Academy boys basketball team is off to a strong start this year with a three-game winning streak.“It’s been good,” said Joe Mason, the Broncos’ new coach and an assistant principal at Kenwood. “The young men are great and bought in on what we’re trying to do. I haven’t deviated much away from what has already been done in the past. So, we’re trying to keep it consistent for the guys.”  Mason, who graduated fr...
Hyde Park Herald •

Mt. Carmel football captures 16th state title

Mount Carmel football has done it again, and then some –  with an easy victory over Batavia High School this weekend, the Caravan has clinched its 16th state title.Defending IHSA Class 7A champions, Mount Carmel bested Batavia 55-34 during the November 30 title game at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium. The 16th title victory, which came on the heels of a rockier than usual season, set a new record in the state.“It’s a pretty special ending,” said senior star quarterback Jack Elliott i...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood girls basketball players get full rides to Division I schools

Three more star players on Kenwood’s girls basketball team are getting full rides to Division I schools. Just days ahead of their season opening, seniors Icesis “Ice-Cold” Thomas, London Walker-George and Jade Hamilton-Gill signed college offers in an emotional Kenwood ceremony. Joining them in signing offers were teammates Ariella Henigan and Diann Jackson, who committed to their DI institutions earlier this year. Five players on one team getting full-ride scholarships to Division I schools is...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood football heads back to city championship

Kenwood Academy is headed back to the city’s football championship this weekend.On the upswing after a season of ups and downs, the Broncos bested Lincoln Park High School 15-11 in the Nov. 16 Chicago Public League semifinals. The defending city champions quickly took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to Anthony Crooms, Kenwood’s starting junior quarterback. The Lions would go on to tie the game in the next quarter after Crooms was taken out of the game due to an injury, and then take the...
Hyde Park Herald •

Mike Irvin, Kenwood basketball coach, resigns

Eight months after an enrollment investigation cut short Kenwood Academy’s state playoff run, boys basketball coach Mike Irvin has resigned. Irvin, who led the Broncos to two consecutive city championship appearances in his four seasons with the team, announced his resignation on November 4. In an interview with the Herald, Irvin said he’s stepping away from the demanding world of high school sports to take time for himself.“I had a good time at Kenwood,” Irvin told the Herald. “(But) it took a...
Hyde Park Herald •

Mount Carmel football advances to state quarterfinals

Mount Carmel football, two-time state champions, will once again advance to the state football quarterfinals this week after a weekend blowout against St. Charles North High School.Coach Jordan Lynch and the Caravan defeated St. Charles North High School 48-15 on Nov. 9 in the second round of the state playoffs. Though the Polaris scored the first touchdown in the opening quarter, Mount Carmel’s star quarterback, Jack Elliott, helped tie the game just moments later.Elliott continued to carry the...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood football loses close game in state playoffs, sets sights on city

Kenwood Academy’s football team fell short to Whitney Young in a close game in the first-round of the state playoffs on Friday, the latest development in a rocky season for the Broncos.The team, which finished last season with an 8-5 record and as two-time public school champions, lost the Nov. 1 game 13-12 to the Dolphins. Kenwood started the game strong with a 12-0 lead into the second quarter, thanks in large part to junior running back Jaeden White and senior linebacker Rayne Holmes, the lat...
Hyde Park Herald •

Mount Carmel football rallies for state playoffs

After a disappointing conference loss and a tighter season than the last few, Mount Carmel’s varsity football team still has its sights set on a third consecutive state title.On Saturday, October 25, the Caravan lost 31-7 to Loyola Academy in the East Suburban Catholic Conference title game, finishing the season with a 6-3 record. But, head coach Jordan Lynch says, the team is working to turn things around in time for the state playoffs. “The pressure is high,” said Lynch, who has been with the...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood Academy flag football wraps standout season

When Chicago Public Schools introduced a pilot flag football program in 2021, an eager group of Kenwood Academy girls approached the school’s athletic director, Karen Garland, with the idea to form a team.Three years later, the team has had successive winning seasons and a second-place finish in the city championship. This year, the first season that the Illinois High School Association recognized the sport, the Lady Broncos also made a run at the state playoffs. Though the season came to an end...
Hyde Park Herald •

Kenwood loses homecoming heartbreaker

Kenwood Academy football narrowly lost their homecoming game this weekend in a rough-and-tumble match against their former head coach’s new team.The Broncos held the lead going into the final minute of Saturday’s game at Lane Tech, but a devastating last-second touchdown saw the 2-5 Broncos fall 22-20  to Simeon Career Academy.It was Kenwood’s first match against the 6-1 Simeon since the Broncos’ former coach, Sinque Turner, left Kenwood and took the same role at his alma mater. Turner coached t...
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