A Letter to All the Brilliant Girls of Noble

By The Noble Schools

“Dear brilliant and beautiful girls of Noble, As I pen this letter, memories of my younger, high school self float through my mind. The friendships, laughter, and extracurricular activities were all core to my high school experience, which created so many fond memories that I keep near to my heart even now. And while I have those fond memories, I also remember all too often being told how loud I was or how I questioned too much. That criticism created a set of insecurities in me that I didn’t even realize would impact how I am as an adult.”

Exploring the Student Internship Program at Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy

By The Noble Schools

“Every day is a new day to capture something amazing at Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy. Telling our students’ unique stories through pictures, videos, and blogs is something our Rowe-Clark social media intern, Makya Stuckey, takes pride in. For her, it’s not only meaningful that she is capturing memories but also developing career skills and earning school credit.”

Music For Everyone: A Look at Noble’s Music Festival

By The Noble Schools

“On Saturday, February 25, over 150 members of the Noble Schools community gathered together to celebrate music and student musicians at Noble’s 5th annual Honor Music Festival. The mixture of musical talents on display at the festival was stunning. Student choirs, orchestras, string ensembles, and more from across several Noble campuses took to the stage of the Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium to perform.”

 

FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT SOARS AT CICS LONGWOOD

By Chicago International Charter School

“Meet Ikechukwu Nwokej A.K.A. Ike! Ike is one of our top scholars at CICS Longwood High School and is set to attend a 4-year university next year as a 1st generation college student! Ike aspires to be a forensic scientist and has attended Longwood since his Junior year. In preparation for the next step in his academic career, he has racked up quite a few awards and acceptances: Ike has received $720,000, and counting, in scholarship money!”

 

Comparing Chicago’s 2023 mayoral candidates on 5 key education issues

By Mauricio Peña  and Becky Vevea for Chalkbeat

“Chicago voters are facing a choice between two mayoral candidates with vastly different backgrounds and views on education.  Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas has a long record managing urban school districts as an appointed bureaucrat. His opponent, Brandon Johnson, is a former middle school teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer. The next mayor will be the last to have control of the school district before it transitions to being governed by an elected school board. The city’s runoff election will be held on April 4. Here is a side-by-side breakdown on where Vallas and Johnson stand on five key education issues.”

 

Chicago mayoral candidates offer divergent paths on declining enrollment and small schools

By Mila Koumpilova for Chalkbeat

“Chicago’s two mayoral candidates have starkly different visions for reckoning with the city’s steep enrollment losses and under-enrolled schools. Paul Vallas has said these shrinking campuses could become or share space with specialized magnets, charter schools, or alternative high schools — the kinds of overhauls he oversaw during his tenure as Chicago Public Schools CEO from 1995 to 2001. The city should continue to give families more quality choices, he argues.  Brandon Johnson, on the other hand, says Chicago’s system of choice — in which families can pick from a myriad of district-run, charter, and private programs anywhere in the city — has created a “Hunger Games scenario” in which neighborhood schools lose out to better-funded competitors. The solution, the Chicago Teachers Union organizer says, is a major influx of resources for schools that already exist.”