“Christopher House has made me who I am today and that is because of my classmates, my teachers, and the school environment where I am comfortable being myself.” – Noemi, attending Lincoln Park High School
On June 10, Christopher House graduated its second 8th grade class. The Class of 2022 includes many students who have attended our continuum of education model since kindergarten. This group is unique. They were acutely impacted by Covid-19 and completed much of middle school remotely because of the ongoing pandemic. In March 2020, these scholars pivoted to remote learning as 6th graders and arrived back at our Stewart Campus in September 2021 as JoAnne L. Cicchelli Middle School 8th graders.
Among the graduating class, we are pleased to share that for the second year in a row three students were awarded the Daniel Murphy Scholarship, a prestigious scholarship awarded to only 150 Chicago students to attend college preparatory schools. Nine students are attending CPS Selective Enrollment High Schools, including Lane Tech College Preparatory High School, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Jones College Prep, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, and Northside College Preparatory High School. This is a 25% increase from the year before and 92% of students are attending their top five best-fit high school.
Reflecting on their Christopher House journey, students shared how Christopher House has supported them holistically – socially, emotionally, and academically – to achieve their success and thrive.
“Christopher House has impacted my life by becoming a place I can look forward to seeing friends and familiar faces. Not only that but academically I have grown so much because of the amazing teachers.” – Jocelyn, attending Lane Tech College Prep High School
“Christopher House taught me commitment and courage to have trust in myself.” – Uriel, attending Marine Leadership Academy
We know that this grade will go far based on their thoughtful, reflective advice to Christopher House’s rising eighth graders. Omar, one of our two Valedictorians, who will be attending Walter Payton College Preparatory High School shared:
“Advice #1: prioritize your mental health – it is what helps you keep going and a positive attitude will catapult you into greater success. Advice #2: prioritize grades – grades will help you get into the high school of your dreams! As it lets schools know how you are doing academically, and also shows them how much you value school.”
These leaders are excited about high school and are eager to meet new friends, build community, and take the Christopher House values with them. Fernando, who has attended Christopher House since Kindergarten and will be attending Lincoln Park High School – IB Program, shared he is looking forward to a “change of scenery because I have been at Christopher House for so long. I’m looking forward to going to a new place where it is completely different then where I have been my entire life.” Brizett, who will be attending Noble ITW Speer Academy this fall, is “excited to meet new people, make new friends, start new bonds, try out for volleyball, be changing classes and moving around more, learning new things not just as a scholar, but learn things about life.”
Christopher House has been a profound place in our scholars lives. Many shared that Christopher House is a second home and a place where they grew up. Many students learned English at Christopher House, it’s where students recognize they developed their sense of self and character. For Jason, who attended Christopher House since Pre-School at our Logan Square campus, Christopher House is “like a second family. I’ve gone here my whole life.” Melanie, who will be attending Prosser High School, reflected, “Christopher House means a lot to me because I’ve been here since Kindergarten, and I grew up here. It also means a lot because this is where I met my friends.”
This eighth grade class is success bound! Christopher House is humbled by our scholars’ achievements and grateful to all the caregivers, who have partnered with us to build a supportive, collaborative, community to nurture and educate their children. We can’t wait to see what the Class of 2022 achieves in high school and beyond!
