Latest news with #SouthlandCollegePrep
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
145 Southland College Prep seniors receive full college scholarships for 12th year
The Brief For the 12th year in a row, all 145 Southland College Prep seniors received college scholarships, totaling over $52 million this year and $300 million overall. Forty percent earned full-ride scholarships, with at least two students offered more than $1 million each from top universities. Families and staff celebrated the class of 2025 at Harris Theater, highlighting determination and breaking stereotypes about Black student success. RICHTON PARK, Ill. - For the 12th consecutive time, graduates from at Southland College Prep Charter High School have all been offered a college scholarship. This comes as families and faculty members gathered to give them a send-off before their next chapter in life. What we know The Harris Theater was packed with family and loved ones celebrating the next generation of professionals at Southland's 2025 graduation ceremony. Geraldine Franklin wiped away tears as she cheered on her granddaughter Julia, the senior class president. "There is a stigma thinking that Black students can't achieve, but when you see a school with 100% students, majority Black, going to university, top universities, it warms my heart," Franklin said. All 145 seniors in the Class of 2025 are college-bound, with scholarship offers totaling more than $52 million collectively. Forty percent received full-ride scholarships, and at least two students were offered more than $1 million each from top universities. One graduate spoke candidly about his journey. "I was a bad kid, did a lot of acting up. Southland really shaped me up," one student said. Southland College Prep CEO Blondean Davis encouraged students to stay focused. "You can learn from any environment, you just have to put forth the effort. It's not so much academics that we're teaching although we teach that. It is the mindset and determination," Davis said. Southland's graduating seniors have received a collective total of more than $300 million in scholarship offers.
Chicago Tribune
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Ron Harrigan named Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra's first music educator of the year
Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra's annual gala typically celebrates the performing arts organization's achievements, but this year's event also will honor someone else's accomplishments. Soaring Strings on April 26 at Olympia Fields Country Club includes the presentation of the inaugural music educator of the year award to Ron Harrigan, director of bands at Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park. 'We partner with many of the schools and we find there is a lot of great work being done in the Southland,' said Roosevelt Griffin, education and community engagement director for the Park Forest-based orchestra. The inaugural honoree was determined by Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra executive director Christins Salerno, Griffin and his fellow Education and Community Engagement Committee members, including the namesake of the Marilynn Tannebaum Youth Music Education Institute. Judging criteria included impact within the school and community as well as ongoing display of musical excellence, especially the actual process of music making. 'I was ecstatic, shocked, honored and felt extremely humbled,' Harrigan said. 'I felt an expectation or a larger duty that I need to uphold the honor. It motivated me to push myself a bit more, do more research for the students, study more, study harder.' When Southland College Prep opened in 2010, Harrigan was the band director for two years while also teaching at Huth Middle School in Matteson. After being full-time director of bands at Huth, Harrigan returned to Southland College Prep part time in 2017 as associate band director and became full-time director of bands in fall 2020. 'His way of teaching is such an engaging transformation. Within the confines of an actual classroom he is able to get the most out of his students,' Griffin said. 'He's a great example and mentor for a lot of newer teachers who don't have a lot of funds and are looking to do the same thing with their programs.' Born and raised in the British Virgin Islands, Harrigan leads 130 Southland College Prep students in five main troops: marching band, wind ensemble, concert band, jazz ensemble and percussion ensemble. The school also has smaller chamber groups including bass ensemble, flute ensemble and clarinet choir. The Southland College Prep Charter High School marching band and Lady Eagles were invited to WorldStrides' Orlando Heritage Festival at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, where students performed Saturday during the first overnight trip the school had for the band. 'We establish a structure of leadership within the band itself where we have different leaders teach others around them and uplift those around them,' Harrigan said. 'It goes beyond learning how to play an instrument or learning how to sing. They learn how to work with each other when problems arise.' His wife, Diana Wiley-Harrigan, is choir director at Bloom High School and Bloom Trail High School, both in Chicago Heights, and was choir director at Sauk Elementary School in Richton Park. Their oldest son, Nathaniel Wiley-Harrigan, is a top high school trumpeter pursuing a career in jazz trumpet performance and their youngest son, Noah Harrigan, plays violin and is learning piano through Suburban Youth Symphony Orchestra. 'Sometimes teachers have a lot of challenges so not only do we want to actually celebrate what they're doing to encourage students but we want to encourage other educators and teachers,' Griffin said. 'We see what you're doing. What you do matters. You're making an impact. We want to celebrate you.' The black tie optional Soaring Strings celebrates Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra's 47th season via a silent auction with online bidding, The CoverGirls Violin Show, cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and music and dancing until 10:30 p.m. on April 26. Proceeds benefit the orchestra's artistic and educational programs. 'Attendees of the gala believe in Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra's mission because we believe in education. We want attendees to know not only the great work we're doing within our education department but all the great educators making an impact with students,' said Griffin, of Matteson. Harrigan, of Crete, also made history with Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra in March, when he conducted Southland College Prep Charter High School jazz ensemble's first opening act performance in the Ozinga Chapel Grand Lobby in Palos Heights before the orchestra's concert at Trinity Christian College. Another way Harrigan helps students is by hosting historically Black colleges and universities auditions at Southland College Prep for his students and others in the community while music educators and musicians are in Chicago for the annual Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. 'We thought it would be a good idea to get them all in one place to hear students in the south suburbs as well as Chicago,' said Harrigan, who has taught music collectively for nearly 18 years. Harrigan explained that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School in Chicago also serves as a HBCU band audition site during The Midwest Clinic, which typically takes place in December. 'Part of our goal at Southland College Prep is to prepare the kids to go to college. Unfortunately. some of our students don't have the means to fly out of state to do some of these auditions,' Harrigan said. 'We try to do everything in-house for our students especially those who are in need.' According to Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, its educational programming reaches more than 4,000 schoolchildren of all ages each year through offerings such as Artists in Schools, Meet the Maestro, Meet the Musician, coachings and guest artist visits. Upcoming programs include All-Star Wars Youth Concert, recommended for third graders to eighth graders, at 10 a.m. and noon on April 22 at Governors State University's Center for Performing Arts in University Park. Soaring Strings When: 6 p.m. April 26
Chicago Tribune
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Around the Southland: Students get full-ride scholarships, MVCC art exhibit, more
Southland College Prep students win scholarships to NU, Brown Rickaiya Bernard and Mofoluwake Arogundade, students at Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park, have earned full-tuition scholarships totaling more than $750,000 through the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship program. The scholarship includes room and board, books, supplies and travel fees as well as tuition. Arogundade has been matched to Brown University, and Bernard has been matched to Northwestern University. The young women, both immigrants, were chosen from more than 25,500 applicants. Arogundade, of Park Forest, plans to major in biomedical engineering. She was president of the Spanish Club, on the track team and participated in the Finance Club and Model UN. She hopes to create medical devices to stop strokes and heart attacks because her father, Adebayo Arogundade, who came to the United States from Nigeria, died from a stroke in 2019 when she was 12 years old. Her mother, Rachel Taiwo, emigrated from Nigeria when she was 16 years old. Bernard, of Olympia Fields, plans to study biology on a premed track to eventually become a forensic pathologist so she can be a 'detective' and doctor at the same time. Her parents, Richard and Ceava Bernard, came to the United States from Jamaica. Among her accomplishments, Bernard is a mentor for underclassmen in the school's mentorship program, medal-winning competitor on the Speech Team, is head drum major of the 130-member Southland Ambassador Marching Band and plays clarinet in the concert band and wind ensemble. She has participated in Student Council and the basketball, volleyball and track teams. Fiber artist displays work at Moraine Valley art gallery The exhibit 'Structure & Color' by contemporary fiber artist Heather Macali is on display through March 2 in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery in the Moraine Valley Community College Fine and Performing Arts Center. The show features work exploring the 'psychology of limitations' through the medium of a single weave pattern. Her pieces 'consider color theory, optical blending, architectural components and yield inspiration from op-art and pop art,' a news release notes. Macali worked in the fashion industry as a print and pattern designer at Abercrombie & Fitch as well as La Senza. She has a bachelor's degree in crafts from Kent State University and a master's degree in textiles from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The fiber artist and Wayne State University professor lives in Detroit. Admission to the gallery is free. It's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 708-974-5500. Learn about Underground Railroad at celebration The Midwest Underground Railroad Network hosts a free Black History Month celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 21 at First Reformed Church, 15924 S. Park Ave., South Holland. Attendees can meet members of the network, formerly known as the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project, as well as learn about the activities of the Underground Railroad in the area. History, music, drama and storytelling will be included. Information is available at 773-370-3305. Second Southwest Job Fair drew 'enthusiastic participation' More than 1,200 job seekers and more than 100 employers participated in the second annual Southwest Job Fair held in January at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Attendees could submit resumes, engage in interviews on the spot and learn about positions and career paths in a variety of fields, such as food and hospitality, education, manufacturing, health care and finance. Government agencies included Forest Preserves of Cook County, DuPage County Health Department, Cook County sheriff's office, other Cook County departments and police departments in Chicago, Tinley Park, Palos Heights and Orland Park. Mock interviews, professional headshots and individual meetings with human resource professionals were included. Attendees were entered in a raffle for backpacks, laptop computers and gas and gift cards. Caregivers gain support via Zoom with Pathlights Pathlights hosts two free support groups via Zoom this month. Caregivers Connecting meets at 10 a.m. Feb. 19, and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group meets at 11 a.m. Feb. 24. Caregivers Connecting meets monthly and provides a forum to talk with others in similar situations, sharing experiences and receiving words of advice and encouragement. The grandparents group aims to provide encouragement, inspiration and education and resources available for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. To register to receive the link for either Zoom session, visit Information is at 708-361-0219. Police T-shirt quilt raffled as part of pancake breakfast A police-themed quilt created by Mount Greenwood resident Jean Ricker will be raffled off as part of Ald. Matt O'Shea's Get Behind the Vest Pancake Breakfast, set for 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 23 at St. John Fisher's Kane Hall, 10300 S. Washtenaw, Chicago. The quilt, 6.5 feet by 6.5 feet, is made up of Chicago Police Department T-shirts. Raffle tickets cost $5 for one or $20 for five. Buy them by visiting or at the breakfast. The winner needn't be present. The breakfast, in its 11th year, has raised more than $680,000 for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's Get Behind the Vest initiative, which buys bulletproof vests for officers in the CPD. Admission is $5 per person or $25 for families, which includes all-you-can eat pancakes and sausages donated by the Harrigan family, owners of the Original Pancake House in Beverly.
Chicago Tribune
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
19 step teams to perform at Southland College Prep in Richton Park
Nineteen teams from six states will travel to the south suburbs for what is billed as the biggest non-Greek middle school and high school step show in the United States. The Evergreen Park Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., which has about 70 members including Chicago, Chicago Heights and Richton Park residents, hosts the third annual Kappa League Step Show on Feb. 15 at Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park. 'I've been involved with Kappa League for over 20 years,' said Corey Levy, director of operations at Southland College Prep and director of Kappa League at the high school. 'Kappa League is our mentoring program.' Kappa Alpha Psi states on its website that Kappa League is a career-development program for the educational, occupational and social guidance of male students in sixth to 12th grades. The majority of Southland College Prep's Kappa League consists of male freshmen to seniors from the school, but some step team members come from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, which Levy said typically has an all-girls team, and St. Laurence High School, a former boys school that went coed in 2017 in Burbank. 'We all do community service,' said Levy. She said about 38 of the 58 Kappa League members at Southland College Prep are nonstepping. 'One of the things we really try to focus on is that self-dignity piece. What does it mean to be a good citizen?' she said. Jadyn Erves, a Southland College Prep junior and one of the step team's three captains, said Kappa League members encouraged him to join. 'I enjoy the brotherhood bonding the most and also enjoy competing with the step team,' said Erves, 17, of Park Forest. 'I've gained responsibility definitely. I hold myself accountable more — leadership skills, caring for others on my team. The school aspect and the mentorship aspect help me a lot.' He was part of their 'Phantom of the Step Show' exhibition performance at the 2024 Kappa League Step Show, which drew 1,400 attendees. 'The complex movements and the way the team has to interact with each other to make the moves form properly, the way the entire team has to be in unison and the performance has to be the best it can be, is what's different from any type of dance style or performing art,' Erves said. With Southland College Prep being the host, the high school's 20-member step team cannot compete but will present an exhibition routine of 'The Cinderella Story.' The event also features Kappa Alpha Psi members DJ Malik Shabazz and DJ Knowledge, both of Chicago's South Side. 'We try to find a theme that we haven't seen done before. We try to be as unique as possible,' said Levy, director of Southland College Prep's step team. 'There's gonna be that little twist. In the original Cinderella story she loses her slipper whereas with the Kappa League twist she loses her step show jacket.' Stepping has deep roots in African American culture and has always been about unity, pride and powerful expression, according to Southland College Prep. '(You) use your entire body, not only your feet and hands. You're verbalizing as well. It's an expression of dance using the entire body,' said Levy, who started Kappa League programs at other schools including O.W. Huth Middle School in Matteson and Calumet Middle School in Calumet Park. The show has grown from nine teams at the inaugural event in 2023 to 12 teams in 2024 and 19 teams ranging from all-boys and all-girls to coed from Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia this year. There are middle school and high school divisions. A Homewood-Flossmoor High School team will compete for the first time. The show will also feature returning high school division competitor GenXsis Step Team, of the south suburbs, and its middle school team called Childish Behavior returning to compete in the middle school division. 'It's a warm, welcoming environment,' Levy said. 'The big thing is word of mouth. We try to make sure we have our eye, our pulse on all the little details, making sure everyone is comfortable, giving them their own space.' Each team performs one 10-minute routine and trophies are awarded for first, second and third place. Levy said a cash prize of $250 goes to each division's second-place winner, $500 to the first-place middle school winner and $1,000 to the first-place high school winner. The event also features exhibition performances by two middle school teams that Levy said are not at competition level, and an inaugural guest performance by Devastating Divas of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. His wife, Tasha Levy, is president of the sorority's Chicago Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter. 'Seeing the progression of levels is going to be a good thing for the audience to see,' Corey Levy said. 'It will be a fantastic time for everyone.' Southland College Prep's step team, which recently did a half-time routine at Loyola University Chicago, performs for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago on Feb. 22 and before an April staging of 'Bust' at Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The team will compete at the national Stomp Wars on April 5 in Texas. Corey Ballenger, a Southland College Prep senior and one of the step team's captains, said older friends prompted him to become part of Kappa League and try stepping. 'We have a bond that is not just stepping. We can talk with each other. We're all really friends. That's a big part of it,' said Ballenger, 17, of Matteson, who is also a member of the Soul Children of Chicago, which incorporates some dance moves into its choir performances. Ballenger, who said it was challenging to prepare 11 new Southland Charter Prep step team members during practices six days a week for the Kappa League Step Show performance, praised Levy's leadership. 'He's a great mentor. He's taught us a lot of things. He's just a great person to talk to,' Ballenger said. 'For everyone he's there to talk with you and he's just been a great role model through the years.' Kappa League Step Show
