The Kimochis Are Coming

Twenty-five teachers and students from CPS high schools gathered on February 08, 2012, to learn about the kimochis. Kimochis is the Japanese word for emotions, and the American iteration of kimochis is a great chance for our high school students to provide social/emotional learning opportunities for K-3 students in neighboring schools.

Research indicates that it is critical to address the social/emotional learning needs of our students in order to reach academic achievement goals. The kimochis service-learning project will bring high school students together with elementary students to learn how to identify and manage emotions. After two professional development workshops, teachers and their high school students will leave with curriculum, kimochi dolls and other tools necessary to lead activities at their neighborhood schools. The magic of the kimochis experience is that everyone (adults, high school and elementary students) learn about the power of emotions and our abilities to manage our emotions effectively.

Illinois is fortunate to be one of the few states to mandate the instruction of social/emotional learning skills (http://www.isbe.net/ils/social_emotional/standards.htm). It is also the home of the CASEL (The Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning), which has conducted voluminous research about the need for strong social and emotional teaching and learning practices.

A follow-up session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, at which time teachers and their high school students will receive the tools and support necessary to carry out this innovative and powerful service-learnign project. Stay tuned for more reports on the kimochis project. We can't wait for the exciting days when high school students begin to teach and mentor their elementary students.

Tilden Students Press for Affordable Housing

Students at Tilden School are doing amazing advocacy work for the rights of homeless and unaccompanied youth! Students in Ms.Totske’s first hour class began this service project by learning about homeless issues. The students talked with one another about the challenges experienced by homelessness youth, and their own concerns for their neighborhood. When the students were asked what they would say about these issues to someone in power, one student said, “I would want them to understand that people don’t have anything, and I believe that they can make a change only if we help them.” Empowered with new information about issues surrounding homelessness as well as a better understanding of Illinois government, Tilden students prepared to meet with their State Senator.

To get a meeting with Senator Hunter, the students first practiced making phone calls to the senator’s office. They were a little nervous at first, but eventually were incredibly confident. The senator agreed to meet with the students! On January 30, at 9:30 a.m., these sophomore students excitedly boarded the bus to Senator Hunter’s office. Ms. Hunter was warm and friendly while she met with the group in a large conference room and talked to them about her involvement in the community. She also listened to their concerns about homeless youth and agreed that more funding and programming needs to be available. Each student had a role in the meeting that morning, and each participated in the political process. It was inspiring to hear students speaking to a State Senator with an almost 10 year tenure in Illinois politics. It was definitely an amazing opportunity for the Tilden Students...and for Senator Hunter!

Tilden students and their teacher, Ms. Totske, partnered with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless on this project. Their work is not done. On April 18, 2012, the students will travel to Springfield to continue their advocacy efforts on behalf of homeless youth in Chicago and around Illinois.

CPS Students Honor Legacy of Dr. King

More than 1,200 CPS high school and middle school students spent this past weekend honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Saturday, 500 students from across the city convened at Union Station in a Celebration of Service organized by Chicago Cares. Students heard a stirring keynote speech by Manuel Walker, one of the original "Freedom Writers". Walker talked about his struggles as a high school drop-out and how he has risen to become a multi-lingual PhD candidate in Chicago. Governor Pat Quinn, Senator Dick Durbin, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle also delivered thoughts about the meaning of Dr. King for our communities today.

Following the opening rallly, students and more than 2,000 adults in attendance fanned out across the city to serve at schools, community organizations, senior centers, and libraries.

On Monday, January 16, the National Day of Service, CPS high school students served across the city once again at senior centers, food pantries, shelters, the Illinois Council Against Hand Gun Violence, and the Peace Institute. Students lived out the legacy of Dr. King by working for causes he cared deeply about. While high school students served, middle school students came to Loyola University for a Day of Reflection and Inspiration. Student took part in six arts workshops and created presentations for their peers including murals, spoken word, hip hop, theatre, and drumming.

Once again, CPS students showed how much they care about their communities throughout the city.

Foreman Students Serve at Historic Northwestern Settlement House

The Northwestern Settlement House, in existence since 1891, hosted Foreman High school students on Friday, December 9, 2011. Students participated in activities with the "Golden Agers", a group of senior citizens from the community who come to the settlement house regularly for activities and services.

In the tradition of Jane Addams and the settlement house movement, the Northwestern Settlement House seeks to be a community center that provides opportunities and services for neighbors of all ages.

Foreman students led a rousing game of bingo then socialized with the seniors, many of whom access the settlement house as one of their few social opportunities of the week. The Golden Agers were thrilled to see the Foreman students and have them join in the activities.

Following the activities, Foreman students were able to tour the facility and learn about the important, and uniquely Chicago, history of the settlement house. For the past 120 years neighbors have been accessing the unique blend of opportunities. For our Foreman students it was a great opportunity to literally step into history and learn more about how individuals and organizations are civically engaged in the city.

Harris Fellows Host 7th Annual Leadership Conference

More than 350 CPS high school students came to DePaul University on Saturday, December 3, for the 7th Annual Harris Fellows Leadership Conference. The conference theme - Education: Shape Your Future; Shape Our Future - encouraged students to take control of their own education and use it to collaborate with others to build a better world.

Students found that the messages about college education are too frequently about winning the ability to make more money. Harris Fellows student leaders wanted to explore in more detail how post secondary education could lead to a different kind of fulfillment that creates a more just world and a deeper sense of personal fulfillment.

Throughout the conference, students participated in student-facilitated workshops that enabled them to identify and build on their own skills, passions, and fires, and then work together to create a different kind of a future based on the issues they cared most about.

Students were excited to attend the conference and were enthused about the workshops, opportunities to meet other student leaders, and the chance to have some fun during the lunch session which featured great music and dancing. One student reported she learned that "social networks are important and you have to feel comfortable in your own skin." Another said: "I built my confidence." Another said: "This [conference} should keep going on cause it's a good thing to inspire people."

The Harris Fellows Student Leadership Conference is unique in that it is conceived, planned, and implemented by student leaders. The adults take the back seat for the day. It was amazing to see the students plan out and facilitate their workshops and witness how favorably other students responded.

At the conference, four student leadership groups were recognized as members of the Harris Fellows Network: Phoenix Brotherhood, Foreman Peer Jury, Phoenix Sisterhood, and John Hope HS Brotherhood. Each of these organizations enables student leaders to make a real difference in the lives of fellow students at their schools.

Vaughn Students Serve in Tradition of Jane Addams

20 wonderful Vaughn High School students served in the tradition of Jane Addams today by preparing lunch and socializing with seniors citizens at The Kenmore Apartments as part of the CPS Jane Addams Week of Service.

During the week of December 5, students from across Chicago Public Schools learn about the important work of Jane Addams, a turn-of-the century reformer and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, then serve at various settlement house and community locations throughout the city. Addams built settlement houses as a strategy to develop community among and support the aspirations of newly arriving immigrants. But Addams also advocated for justice in those communities.

CPS teachers attended a professional development workshop at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum in November in order to prepare for the week of service which culminates on Saturday, December 10, with Addams' birthday celebration. Teachers help students learn about the progressive movement at the turn of the century and the work of Jane Addams and other reformers then accompany their students as they serve in communities across Chicago - just as Jane Addams herself did. On Jane Addams' birthday students from Curie, Hancock, Foreman, and Dyett will be working with immigrants, serving and getting to know seniors, and learning community organizing skills.

Today, Vaughn students displayed great teamwork, positive energy, and a wonderful spirit of community as they prepared lunch for 30 senior citizens then settled into play games with a very diverse group of Uptown senior citizens.

Recyclers Set to Smash Target Goals

20 CPS teachers gathered at the Center for Green Technology on Thursday, October 6 to get ready for the new recycling season at CPS. Teachers in attendance learned about great new curriculum from Facing the Future called "Buy, Use, Toss." Ten lessons and a bounty of extra online and video resources will enable students to dive deep and explore the social and environmental problems when we consume without thinking about the aftermath (particulary to the environment) of our choices.

Each teacher will lead a team of students that will develop and implement a recycling strategy at their school. Teams will be able to track their progress at www.cps.edu/gogreen and seeh how they are fairing on their recycling goals. We believe that each team will help its school smash the 100% goal of targeted recycling volume.

As recycling teams meet to strategize and implement their plans, they will also be able to participate in field trips to several locations to learn more about environmental issues and recycling processes. These experiences will help students build 21st century skills as they will be forced to think critically and creatively, collaborate with their peers, and solve problems that inevitably arise as the school works to get adults and students on board with recycling.

CPS is lucky to have such great teachers and students who are dedicated to the environment and engaging young people in such important work. Kudos in particular to Whitney Young High School which was represented by two student leaders who are anxious to implement plans at their school.