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Dear Perspectives Friends and Family,
Welcome to summer! While many of us head to the beach or relax in the yard, Perspectives students continue to work relentlessly to prepare themselves for success in college and in life. Last month, we celebrated seven graduations, including our first-ever 12th grade graduation from Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy. Come fall, 98% of Perspectives graduates will be enrolling in college. Right now, those students and many more are preparing for summer internships, study-abroad programs, and local athletic and academic camps, where they will continue to build the skills they will need to lead successful careers.
If anyone deserves a break after the long school year, it is our hard-working teachers, school leaders, and other staff members. But just days after the end of the school year, Perspectives staff members are already preparing the make the next school year even better. A huge thanks to all of our great staff members!
Finally, I'd like to give a big shout-out to all of the Perspectives supporters who helped us celebrate over the past month. These graduations represent the culmination of so much hard work from students, teachers, and principals, and none of it would have been possible without the generous support of everyone in the Perspectives family. Read below to find out more about our fantastic graduation speakers. We are grateful to them and everyone else who helped make this year possible.
Enjoy your summer!
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Perspectives celebrates seven graduations
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Perspectives Charter Schools celebrated seven graduations this year, including our first-ever 12th grade graduation at Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy. We are incredibly proud of all of our graduates and want to thank the seven tremendous speakers who volunteered their time to deliver their inspiring messages to our students:
Dr. Keith Magee, Executive Director, National Public Housing Museum
Cecil Martin, former NFL player and educational speaker
Natalie Martinez, NBC news anchor
Steve Pemberton, Walgreen Co. Vice President
Dr. James Peterson, Lehigh University professor, MSNBC contributor
Anton Seals, Illinois Network of Charter Schools
Sy Smith, Ernst & Young
 Steve Pemberton with Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy graduates
After his commencement speech, Mr. Pemberton spoke of the value of an education based on A Disciplined Life®:
"Teaching the value of the struggle matters--adversity, hard work
and perseverance will help shape you and build your personal success. The 26 principles of A Disciplined Life, such as 'seek wisdom', 'show compassion', and 'accept only quality work from yourself', reinforce how important life skills are to personal success. We need the principles of A Disciplined Life taught in schools everywhere!"
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Perspectives students learn, study and travel the world this summer
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At Perspectives, opportunities for learning and growth don't end on the last day of school. Throughout the winter and spring, our teachers and program managers helped students find and apply for summer programs across the country. Now that June has arrived, our students are headed off to an impressive array of programs:
- 48 students are participating in the four-week Summer Accelerated Math Camp at the University of Chicago
- 14 students are attending a week-long camp at the Kelly School of Business at the University of Indiana
- 10 students are traveling to China for the Beijing International Education Exchange Summer Camp
- Our basketball teams will be attending team camps at Northern Illinois University, DePaul, Michigan State and more
Other summer destinations for our students include New York University, Howard University, Phillips Academy, Stanford University, New Orleans, South Dakota, India, Tanzania, Cambodia and Vietnam. Other students will take advantage of opportunities right her in Chicago, at Loyola, Illinois Institute of Technology, DePaul, among others.
These summer programs help our students expand their view of the world and their place in it, and give them the skills they need to reach their goals. We are truly grateful to the friends and supporters who helped make these opportunities possible by providing scholarships, purchasing plane tickets and more.
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WE NEED
MENTORS FOR
THE 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR!
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We are beginning the process of looking for mentors for the upcoming school year.
There are over 400 ambitious and talented juniors that would be grateful for the opportunity to learn from you and your colleagues.
Areas of interest include advertising, law, graphic design, entrepreneurship and much more.
For more information or to sign up for next year please contact Jane Esser, Program Director at 312.604.2109 or jesser@pcsedu.org.
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INFORMATION ON OUR FALL 2012 ADL® EXPO
COMING SOON! | |
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A Disciplined Life® in the Chicago Tribune:
Perspectives students featured for full scholarships
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ast another vote by texting 109956 to Pepsi (73774) on your mobile phone. to the tune of $50,000 we hope.
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While Perspectives alumnus Anthony Davis continues to dominate on the basketball court, two of his high school teammates were featured in the Chicago Tribune for their work off the court. Manuel Whitfield and Ronald Brown were the topic of a column by Dawn Turner Trice, focusing on their hard work that led to full academic scholarships to college. Manuel will be attending Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., to study entrepreneurship, thanks to a four-year scholarship from Eric Johnson of Baldwin Richardson Foods. Ronald will be attending Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. and will major in economics, as part of the prestigious Posse Scholars program. The column looked at how the principles of A Disciplined Life® helped them become role models:
Whitfield said that although he and Brown have had tough lives, they have benefited greatly from the guidance and support of their mothers and from a set of life principles, called "A Disciplined Life," the school promotes.
"One of my favorite principles is about demonstrating perseverance," said Whitfield, who worked throughout high school to support his family. "There have been times when money was not in my sight, but by the grace of God, it worked out."
Brown and Whitfield said they know they are role models.
They said that although they still have to maneuver around young men in their neighborhoods who want to recruit them into gangs, they also encounter young people who are trying to excel because they've excelled.
"We've learned to challenge the status quo," Brown said. "We've been pushing forward, stepping up and taking leadership positions and not letting adversity stop us. We know that where you started doesn't have to be where you end up."
Check out the full article here!
 | ( Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune / May 30, 2012 )
Manuel Whitfield (left) and Ronald Brown at Perspectives Rodney D. Joslin Campus |
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For more information on Perspectives Charter Schools please visit www.pcsedu.org.
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