What started in 2013 as an ambition to create a more sustainable education experience and offer a birth through 8th grade continuum model has come to fruition, culminating in the graduation of our first class of 8th grade scholars. This achievement is particularly remarkable considering the past year and the way Covid-19 has impacted the way we teach, learn, and engage with our communities. Despite the challenges, our educators developed creative and effective methods that allowed us to continue supporting our scholars and their families, as our young learners embark on this next exciting chapter of their lives.
Christopher House’s model of connecting with children from birth to 8th grade is demonstrably successful. Our students’ performance consistently ranks Christopher House among the top elementary schools in the city. In fact, in 2018, Chicago Magazine named Christopher House the number one charter school in the city, and in 2019, the University of Chicago’s 5Essentials Survey gave Christopher House the highest possible rating in all five categories, finding our model to be ten times more effective in increasing student learning.
We have learned much about providing high-quality education and supporting our scholars and families virtually this past year, and we’re thrilled to share some exciting updates around our graduating class’s experiences and next steps.
We are ecstatic to share that 92% of our graduates were accepted into one of their top-three best fit high schools, and 98% were accepted into their top-five. Three of our 40 graduates received generous scholarships to attend private schools and 10 scholars are enrolling in Pre-Engineering or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs next year; a testament to the value of the STEM classes that are such an important part of Christopher House’s curriculum.
Pritzker College Prep and ITW Speer Academy were the two most popular high schools among our graduating class, with five scholars enrolling in each school next year. Pritzker College Prep, a part of the Noble Network, was recently ranked the 2nd best public high school by Chicago Magazine and the school offers more than 15 AP courses, 16 Varsity sports and more than 50 clubs. ITW Speer Academy, located in Christopher House’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood, is also a part of Noble and is the Network’s first STEM campus. Speer Academy focuses on preparing students to graduate college with STEM degrees. All students participate in college courses on a local college campus, have access to Speer’s new state-of-the-art educational and athletic facilities, and will participate in a STEM internship during their senior year with a Fortune 500 company.
Three scholars will enroll in Lane Tech and one at Jones High School – 2 of the only 11 selective enrollment schools within all of Chicago Public Schools. Lastly, one of our scholars has been accepted to Walter Payton College Prep High School, another selective enrollment school and the highest ranked high school in Chicago.
We spoke with several scholars to hear more about what they’re looking forward to and what they enjoyed most about the years they spent in our family of schools.
Jorge Diaz has been attending Christopher House since second grade and is heading to Lane Tech College Prep. “I’ve had so many fun, memorable times here, whether it be with teachers, classmates, friends, games and so on,” he said. “I love all the friends I’ve made here and how we’ve all had such great times together.” Jorge is interested in pursuing a career in the arts. “I’ve always wanted to work on a movie,” he explained. “I would love to be an actor, but a cameraman, editor, or director also sound amazing.” In thinking about high school, he’s excited at the idea of how much Lane Tech will have to offer.
Fatima Olivares has a number of career interests, including photography, modeling and the veterinarian field. She was a student in Christopher House’s Music Technology Elective and created impressive compositions throughout the program. Fatima was accepted at INTRISIC’s downtown campus and is looking forward to the close, personal culture of education the school offers. She has been with Christopher House since first grade; the year the school opened and appreciates how she and her classmates were able to support each other throughout remote learning, facing challenges as a team.
Yarley M is one of four Christopher House scholars who will attend North Grand High School next year. Playing basketball, joining a drama club, psychology class, student council or yearbook are among the activities Yarley is excited to participate in during her four years. She has expressed interest in a career in psychology and enjoyed the level of variety that Christopher House’s curriculum provides, like classes around money management and other experiential subjects.
Juan Villegas shared his appreciation for all that Christopher House entailed during the seven years he attended the school, saying, “What I enjoyed there the most were the students and the teachers. They were all kind, and I made a lot of good memories. For that, I’m thankful for being in an amazing school.” Juan selected Phoenix Military Academy and is excited to meet new people and learn how to “become an adult.” His ambition is to study law and ultimately work as a police detective.
Anthony Bahena will also be attending Lane Tech College Prep and has multiple plans for how he’d like to spend his time in high school and beyond. “I am excited about the sports and clubs, specifically baseball. A course I am excited about is computer science,” he says. A future as a professional athlete is first and foremost in mind for Anthony, with engineering and technology being a close second.
We are deeply proud of all that our students have accomplished, not only this past year, but throughout their entire time within Christopher House. Our mission is rooted in the goal of creating genuine, long-term relationships with our students and families that extend beyond the classroom. We are invested in their present and future, and our other offerings like After School and summer programming give us the valuable opportunity to maintain a presence in their lives even after graduation. We look forward to staying in touch with our scholars, providing ongoing mentorship and seeing the many successes they are sure to achieve in the years to come. A huge congratulations to our entire graduating class! We’re exceedingly proud of your growth during your time with us and we look forward to hearing more about your plans for the future.
