At Perspectives, on July 27th and 29th we celebrated the amazing results of College for Certain at our annual College Send Off held at our Perspectives Calumet and Joslin campuses.
 
At Calumet, nearly 100 students, friends, family and staff gathered to wish the class of 2010 well as they prepare to leave for college. A highlight of the afternoon was the announcement of the 2010 Ernst & Young Scholarship recipients. Ten students were selected to receive scholarship awards that totaled nearly $10,000 including Basia Brown, Lyneisha Cottrell, Katherine Green, Briana Hinton, Devante Holt, Chantelle Knox, Jasmine Leeper, Shawndra Pitts, Elizabeth Tolbert, and Jaleesa Walker. Ernst & Young's Kiva Laughead was on hand to congratulate each winner.
 
Students were also encouraged to reach back to Perspectives when they need to when in college.  Co-founder Kim Day reminded both students and parents that, "Perspectives is here to serve as a resource even after you graduate. It's going to get hard, and sometimes you won't know how to pay for things or how to talk to your professors about your grades - but all you have to do is call us. Call your principal, call your counselor, call me and we will find a way to help you."
 

Joslin students bid farewell to friends and teachers.

A very special scholarship was awarded to 2010 Joslin graduate Najee Shields who will be attending Columbia College of Chicago to study music. The Jeff Abbey Maldonado, Jr. Memorial Scholarship was founded in 2008 in memory of Jeff Maldonado, Jr., a Joslin alum who had been studying music production at Harold Washington University when he was killed in a case of mistaken identity by gang violence. The memorial scholarship was established by Jeff's family and Perspectives Advisory Board member, Steve Milter to celebrate Jeff's life as a musician and is awarded every year to one Joslin senior who will pursue studies in the creative arts. Jeff's parents attended the send off to present the award personally.
 
Across all campuses, 46 students received the Lurie Scholarship - a "gap" scholarship ranging from $500 - $1,000 to help students bridge the gap between their financial aid award and the full cost of tuition, room and board. Since 2009, the Louis R. Lurie Foundation has helped 62 Perspectives students meet their financial needs to make attending college a certainty. Along with the Lurie Foundation, Perspectives Advisory Board Member, Steve Milter has also funded gap scholarships since 2000 and recently established the Presidential Election Scholarship to help Perspectives college graduates pay down student loans.

Perspectives Calumet High School Assistant Principal Wes Bradley said, "It was like 70 angels got off a bus and filled our school with positive energy. It was an amazing experience that I look forward to continuing."
 
In an annual event, 70 volunteers led by Ernst & Young volunteer leaders Jon Ball and Kiva Laughead spent an entire afternoon on July 29th at Perspectives Calumet High School - soon to be renamed Perspectives Leadership Academy - helping us prepare for a new school year by painting five classrooms, hanging plaques with college graduates name's in the new Scholar Hallway, cleaning out supply rooms, and assembling classroom and office furniture.
 
Thanks to Ernst & Young, school leaders and three Perspectives Calumet High School students who also pitched in, Lateef Brumley, Kaheem Hill, and Michellay Wells, the school looks great and is ready to welcome students on August 23rd!

We are very pleased to welcome new leaders to Perspectives and to congratulate staff who have assumed new leadership roles as a result of our commitment to 'educate our educators' through extensive professional development.  In the coming months we'll be sharing more profiles of staff changes.
 
Glennese Ray has transitioned from her role as founding principal at Perspectives Calumet High School to Director of Community Relations for the entire Perspectives network. In her new role, Ms. Ray will build upon the strong ties that Perspectives has established in our school communities to create even stronger relationships with parents, community leaders and community organizations - making high-quality education in a safe environment a number one priority of the entire community.
 
Heather Haines transitions from assistant principal at

Principal Heather Haines chats about the new year with Dean of Students Eron Dowell and teacher Ryan Beaudoin.

Perspectives Calumet High School to principal. Leading a year of strategic change, Ms. Haines will direct the school in the integration of a new and intensive focus on the development of student leadership skills in all curriculum and in the school culture. Leadership classes for all grades, both in school and after school, and an inaugural fall leadership retreat are planned.  Later this year we look forward to celebrating the re-naming of this school as the Perspectives Leadership Academy
 
We welcome James Joiner as the new principal and Gina Holloman as the assistant principal at our Rodney D. Joslin campus.  Prior to joining Perspectives, Mr. Joiner was the former principal at Fall Creek Valley Middle School in Indianapolis and at other schools in the same region. With a background in science and business, Mr. Joiner has gained a reputation for improving school performance with marked growth in academic achievement, attendance and graduation rates, as well as improving teacher professional development.
 
Ms. Holloman comes to Perspectives with over 17 years experience as a teacher, department head, special education coordinator, dean, assistant principal and principal. Having spent the majority of her career in Atlanta, Ms. Holloman was most recently the principal at Campagna Alternative High School in Indiana. Ms. Halloman says she is "the very proud and shamelessly excited AP at Joslin."
 
Lastly, Diana Shulla-Cose, Perspectives co-founder, will now focus her passion for urban education on integrating A Disciplined Life© more fully into our curriculum at all of our schools. Since the inception of Perspectives' first school in 1997, Ms. Shulla Cose has worked tirelessly to define, refine, and promote the 26 principals of A Disciplined Life© in every classroom and in the daily life of students, parents, teachers, staff and the community at large. Ms. Shulla Cose will work closely with teachers, principals and the Director of Community Relations to integrate A Disciplined Life© into every aspect of the Perspectives culture.
 
We welcome all new staff to the Perspectives family and look forward to a successful school year ahead!

Co-founder Kim Day presents student achievement data to teachers and staff during Network Day.

Key to the success of Perspectives College for Certain culture is the additional time and preparation spent on advance planning for the coming school year by Perspectives teachers, Principals, Instructional Leaders, the Executive team and administrative staff.  Well before the school year begins on August 23rd, Instructional Leaders have been meeting for weeks this summer, developing curriculum and preparing their teachers for a year of academic success.
 
On Network Day, August 11th, new and returning staff from across the network gathered to kick off the school year as one team. The morning session included all 300 staff who heard presentations on data-driven instruction, instructional excellence, and the new Peace Initiative. The afternoon was broken into sessions on specific curriculum areas, A Disciplined Life©, and extra-curricular programming.
 
Network Day is just one of the ways in which Perspectives is dedicated to growing educators, who in turn grow students.

Help Perspectives students discover an exciting career path! As a key initiative of our College for Certain education model, Perspectives places our junior year students in internships with Chicago businesses to help develop their awareness of career choices and to introduce them to the culture of the business arena. Students are paired with a mentor and will work in the mentor's office for five Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning in February. This school year we are doubling the number of interns across all campuses.
 
If you have an internship opportunity, we'd love to speak with you. Please contact Jane Esser, program director at 312-604-2109 or jesser@perspectivescs.org for more information.

In addition to traditional business areas such as finance, accounting, or marketing, our students have a wide range of career interests including professional sports, medicine, science research, entertainment, crime scene forensics, police/fire/public safety, veterinarians, funeral services, computers, video/digital/photography.

 

Enroll now for 6th-8th grade at one of our three campuses.

Wait-list spaces are also available for 9th and 10th grade at four schools.  

Enrollment is non-selective, open to all students.

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