Spring is filled with new beginnings, and that’s no exception for our students! The school year may be ending, but the next chapter of their stories is just beginning. From step up excitement and career exploration to high school and college decision days, our Distinctive Schools students are forging their own paths toward the future they choose.
Stepping into 4th Grade
3rd grade is an important foundational year in a young scholar’s life: learning becomes more conceptual, independence and maturity deepen, and expectations rise. For our CICS Loomis Lions who are getting ready to step up to CICS Longwood Elementary, elementary school leaders visited 3rd grade classrooms to tell them about new academic opportunities, sports, and clubs they can join when they step up to 4th grade.
Students met teachers, heard from current 4th grade students, watched a performance from the dance team, and toured the school to get a better feel for life as a Longwood Panther, followed by an open house where Principal Melinda Jean-Baptiste spoke with families about all CICS Longwood Elementary has to offer. Students asked thoughtful questions about what goals look like for 4th graders, how academics differ at the elementary school, and if they can participate in multiple extracurricular activities at once.
As our 3rd grade CICS Loomis students gear up for elementary school, their excitement for what comes next and their eagerness to explore new passions is a strong indicator of the leaders they are becoming.
A Year in the Making: High School Decision Day
This past fall, our 8th graders participated in the 15th annual Distinctive Schools high school fair, bringing together high school representatives from across Chicago and special programming specifically meant to prepare students for what comes next.
“I want to go into computer science when I’m older, so I asked a lot of representatives what dual enrollment looks like so I can get some of my college credits done in high school,” Fernando, a student at CICS Bucktown shared. Providing access to a variety of high school options allowed students to explore their options and apply to schools that meet their unique goals and aspirations.
To further celebrate this 8th grade milestone, some schools, including CICS Bucktown, held high school decision days for students and their families! Students celebrated each other’s choices, from neighborhood schools to charter schools to selective enrollment schools like Lane Tech and Walter Payton.
Life After High School
Our CICS Longwood High School seniors, who recently held their college and career decision day, have worked hard toward this moment and it shows: this year’s graduating class saw a 100% college acceptance rate with $25,777,288 in scholarships and counting!
Kaylee, a senior at CICS Longwood High School, received special recognition for having been accepted at more than 60 schools and offered over $3.88 million in scholarships on her own. “Kaylee applied for every scholarship she could and went above and beyond applying for colleges,” shared Tabby Jackson, College and Career Readiness Coordinator for CICS Longwood High School. “This accomplishment is a testament to how hard she worked to graduate in the top ten of her class.”
During this celebration, students shared their next steps and their aspirations with their families, staff, and the junior class. Their future dreams are just as unique as they are: from forensic science to nursing, from Purdue University to the Navy, they are excited and ready for what comes after graduation.
Each closing school year marks progress to the next step in a student’s life. Whatever their next chapters hold for them, Distinctive Schools is proud to have prepared our students to take on whatever their future holds!