On December 18th, nearly 180 North Lawndale community members crowded into the Christiana campus of North Lawndale College Prep  for an active discussion about conflict and violence in the community - and the ways that Dr. King's principles of nonviolence might help.

 

NLCP students put Dr. King's nonviolence principles into practice each day at NLCP as they build our peaceful "beloved community."  

Mr. Smith's CAPs class at Christiana decided earlier in the fall that teaching parents and families the principles they learn at NLCP might make a difference - and be the best way for them to help their community.

The students then went to work.  They planned the night.  They came up with incentives to spur participation.  They made 100s of personal calls to parents.  They checked parents in, answered questions, and led all the workshops for the evening.  They even wrote their own grant request to cover all the costs - and got it! 

On a cold December night, the students led some amazing and interesting conversations about conflict and alternative ways to address it.  Then they all sat down and broke bread together, as a community.  It was refreshing to behold - and particularly wonderful for the students to see so many families responding positively to what they had to share.     

 Overall - a heartwarming night and experience.  Nothing like intentional youth activism making some real hope in a gritty world.

From the Principal's Desk:

Reading, Writing, and Thinking at NLCP

            Many of you are very familiar with the successes of our outstanding sports teams. They have brought home city, sectional, and state championships. You may not be as familiar, however, with our academic teams which are also taking the city by storm.

The NLCP Debate team

            NLCP's Debate Team, led by Coach Lavie Raven, is forcing the entire Chicago Debate League (CDL) to take notice. Debate requires students to read and analyze large amounts of research in order to make an argument, support it with evidence, and make a call for change.  Students do not know until the moment of competition whether they will have to argue the affirmative or negative side of the issue. Therefore, they have to be knowledgeable about both.

Practicing and brainstorming

            NLCP students could be content with learning the pre-packaged research given to them by the CDL like most other schools, but they are not. In addition to mastering the given content, they conduct their own research on the topic as well. The students like to bring a culturally relevant flare to the global topics given by the League. This year's topic is about the US economic engagement in Venezuela, Cuba, and Mexico. To bring this issue closer to home, NLCP students are researching whether or not the US should close immigrant detention centers and open new schools.

            After the students develop their arguments, they collaborate with the artists from Raven's University of Hip Hop Club to create art that supports their arguments. The students from Debate and Hip Hop come together and turn evidence into Spoken Word, poetry, murals, and other forms of artistic expression. They use the arts during the competition to support their oral arguments. No other team in the League is taking these extra efforts!

Students preparing their arguments

Our NLCP students spend over 48 hours preparing for the monthly tournaments. When asked if all the hard work is worth it, NLCP junior Gary Solomon said, "Yes. It's important to make people aware of important issues. Debate has increased my focus in class and made me better at working under pressure." Gary also enjoys the time he gets to socialize and discuss issues with students from other schools during the two day tournaments.

Raven is proud of the work of his team. He is pleased with the, "...Great work and labors on the part of our debaters since August!  We are happy to come away with wins, and more importantly for having an impact on the audience and spreading confidence in student voice and agency in the CDL".

To learn more about upcoming competitions, please contact Coach Raven at lraven@nlcphs.org.

Nicole Howard       

Principal - Christiana

 Representatives from Alderman Chandler's office met with Jeff Matula and Tim Bouman the principals of Collins Academy and NLCP Collins, respectively, on January 9th to discuss the proposed  Pedestrian Refuge Island Project at 1313 S. Sacramento Boulevard. 

The Alderman- or a representative from his office - will attend the January 21st Parent Teacher Board Meeting at the Collins campus to discuss the proposed project with parents.

Alderman Contact:

ward24@cityofchicago.org

 Questions ?  Contact Bart Lloyd at Blloyd@nlcphs.org

Colby Sawyer is private liberal arts school located in New Hampshire. The first two years at Colby Sawyer students are able to explore various interdisciplinary courses called Pathways as opposed to completing core requirements.  Over 98 percent of the student population participates in one or more internships in their field of study. Additionally, students complete a Capstone project demonstrating the knowledge they have gained in their major much like NLCP's senior project.

North Lawndale has developed a partnership with Colby Sawyer enabling our students to apply for the Progressive Scholarship, which covers the cost of tuition for four years.  We had seven students apply for the progressive scholarship.  

Please join us in congratulating this year's seniors for their acceptance and scholarships to Colby Sawyer:

Westley Johnson, - Progressive Scholarship totaling over $149,000 for four years

Moesha Miller - Progressive Scholarship totaling over $149,000 for four years

Shania Peterson - Progressive Scholarship totaling over $149,000 for four years

Diamond Williams - Progressive Scholarship totaling over $149,000 for four years

Niecole Banks, Early Action plus  Presidential Scholarship totaling  $84,000 for four years

Deanna Miles, Early Action plus Chargers Scholarship totaling $76,000 for four years