GNHS Students Brave Cold, Sleep Outside in Boxes for Homelessness Awareness

It was a chilly 36 degrees—with a wind chill of just 31 degrees—Thursday night as Grayslake North High School students prepared to spend the night under the stars.

The students, to raise awareness about homelessness in Lake County, slept in boxes in the school's courtyard, keeping warm with blankets and sleeping bags.
To make the experience more realistic, students couldn't eat during the night (they were allowed to have water), and the Grayslake Police Department planned to drop by unannounced at about 2 a.m.

The students, who are all participating in Public Service Practicum (PSP) classes, were also expected to attend school as usual Friday morning.

"I hope they get an appreciate for what they have, and a little less judgement of the homeless community," said Chris Kubic, PSP teacher. The annual "Knight in a Box" event is done as part of a unit on poverty, Kubic said. Students learn about how easily people can become homeless and about issues like the poverty line. "If you're $5 above that (line), you don't get services."

The PSP students are also doing a community-wide food drive. Kubic said students are sometimes able to deliver food directly to people in need. Doing so, he said, provides a good source of conversation, particularly when students deliver food to a home with a big SUV parked in the driveway or a nice flat-screen television in the living room. 

"(Poverty) is not as simple as they thought," said Kubic.

Junior Shannon Dacey and seniors Emily Erickson and Emily Sauer helped coordinate this year's "Knight in a Box" event. Students started the evening with an educational program that included various activities. Students participated in a role-playing game and watched a video that a student made about homelessness, said Erickson.

In preparation for the event, students were joined by a guest speaker from Lake County Haven, who shared information about homelessness. Erickson said what surprised her the most was the number of children under age 18 who are homeless.

"That statistic really stayed with me," she said. 

Dacey said what surprised her was hearing about people who used to be homeless, and learning how to help those who are still without homes. 

The three girls said they weren't nervous about sleeping outside Thursday night. They planned to dress in layers and cover up with blankets to make the experience "realistic, yet safe," said Sauer.