Article: Students united in grief: The death of Taft High's Darius Gordon brings together a diverse and divided student body.

Byline: Michelle S. Keller

Feb. 1--The cafeteria at Taft High School has long been divided territory, just as it is at many urban high schools. "Usually the black kids stick by themselves, the Hispanic and Polish kids all stick in their little groups," said sophomore Anna Czekaj. "Or you see people divided by activities. You have your nerds, your athletes, your cheerleaders."

But the death last week of basketball player Darius Gordon, who collapsed after a home game, has shaken the social order of this Northwest Side high school. The invisible walls between cliques have begun to break down, Czekaj and other students say. And students who once ...

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