Latest news with #WaukeganHighSchool
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan program aims to keep students from being left back; ‘Ensure they receive targeted, timely support … before promotion decisions are made'
A new summer school bridge program in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 — which has been years in the making and will give students with unsatisfactory performance an opportunity to advance to the next grade — debuts next week. Amanda Patti, the district's associate superintendent of strategy and accountability, said a plan was developed in 2018 to give students more tools to succeed rather than requiring them to repeat a grade or advancing them without the needed skills. Though the plan had wide community support, Patti said in an email that when the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close for the rest of the academic year in March 2020, and learning was remote for most of the following term, the program was never implemented. 'The policy has since been revised through an equity-focused review process,' she said. 'The new policy emphasizes classroom performance and academic growth over standardized test results. In past years, retentions were rare, with just a handful annually.' The Summer Bridge program begins Tuesday at select elementary and middle schools, as well as the Waukegan High School Brookside campus, giving students with poor grades over the past school year a shot at promotion, as well as traditional summer school. Giving the District 60 Board of Education an update Tuesday at the Education Service Center in downtown Waukegan, Patti said students who complete third grade, eighth grade or their freshman year in high school with a subpar report card can choose summer school over retention. All 253 students — 56 third graders, 121 middle schoolers and 76 freshmen — who did not meet the necessary academic benchmarks chose the bridge. They include 5.4% of the district's third-grade students, 12.1% of those in middle school and 8.4% of the high school freshmen. Patti said third graders performing below grade level in both math and reading must enter the bridge program to move on to fourth grade. Before entering high school, eighth graders must have a rolling 2.0 grade point average or go into the bridge program. Freshmen must enter the bridge program if they do not earn three credits. The bridge program recommendation was not a surprise to the families involved, she said. With each report card, parents knew if their child was performing poorly. Simultaneously, Patti said there were interventions with the students and supports put in place. 'We had parent notification and conferencing throughout the year,' she said at the meeting. 'So, parents and students had a lot of information to know where they were, and how to potentially get off this list for promotion/retention.' Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said in an email that the policy is designed to avoid requiring a student to repeat a grade by helping them learn the required material rather than increasing the number. 'This policy is designed to identify students at risk of falling behind and ensure they receive targeted, timely support to address their academic needs before promotion decisions are made,' she said. At the end of the first quarter of the school year, 85 third graders were notified. The number averaged 88 in the next two grading periods before dropping to 56 by the end of the year, according to district records. The number of middle school students needing extra help hovered at 200 at one point, but fell to 121. High school students were steady through the year, settling at 76. Plascencia said helping students advance is a joint effort between the youngsters, their families and school personnel. It is important that everyone does their part to ensure students are not required to repeat a grade. 'We hope to reinforce that students understand their responsibility as learners, that parents are informed and actively partnering with us to support their child's academic performance and that schools are expanding opportunities to ensure every student has access to the supports and interventions they need to succeed,' Plascencia said.
Chicago Tribune
27-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan High Class of 2025 buries time capsule; ‘We don't know what the world looks like when you open this'
Imagining how the world and Waukegan High School will be different 50 years from now is a challenging task, but some experienced members of the school community know what they want to happen by then. Many members of the Class of 2025 will have a tool to reminisce. Theresa Plascencia, the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 superintendent, knows what the current student body wants, and Board of Education member Anita Hanna, now in her seventh term, knows what she hopes occurs. 'The student body has been actively advocating for a new high school, a state-of-the-art athletic field and a 21st-century environment,' Plascencia said. 'By then, I hope there is a new high school, and Bulldog pride will permeate through the community.' By 2075, the Washington campus will be more than 150 years old and the newer Brookside building will be almost as old as the present Washington Street structure. Hanna hopes neither is there in 50 years. 'I hope that we have two new high schools,' Hanna said. 'If I were to say what I want to say, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) has been a positive program for our community, our society and for the world we live in.' Members of the Class of 2025 will have the opportunity to relive in some ways what happened during their time in high school when they gather for their 50th reunion as they open a time capsule containing items from their high school days. Representatives of the Class of 2025, the school community and others filled and buried a time capsule Friday in front of the Brookside campus as they look forward to their future and the opportunity to see relics of their past when the current graduates are nearly 70. As more than 75 people gathered around two tables containing a variety of keepsakes — from school T-shirts, to a cellphone, to a yearbook, to posters, to copies of the News-Sun, to banners, to caps and more — they talked about the present and hopes for the school's future. Along with the items on the table, Nick Alatzakis, the district's communications director, walked around with a Polaroid camera, asking to take people's pictures, giving them the image and an opportunity to write a message on it for burial. Someone else gave people paper to write notes. After the capsule was lowered into its hole, many members of the crowd took turns using a shovel to cover it. Arvin Paul, one of the two student organizers of the event, is one of the people who said he will continue with others to make the wish for a new school expressed by Plascencia and Hanna a reality well before 2075. He and seven others created a group and crafted bylaws. 'It is now also another legacy we're passing onto our future Bulldogs, to continue our fight and to make sure our students get the best facilities they deserve,' Paul said after the event. 'This is another thing I hope that changes.' Ja'Kayla Tennin is another student organizer of the time capsule project. She and Paul held the items up and talked about them. They worked with Ali Schultz, an English teacher with a passion for history, to organize the time-capsule project. Tennin said she wants her classmates to feel proud now and in 50 years. Her long-term goal is to become a surgeon. 'I can say with pride Waukegan is a great place to be from,' Tennin said. 'We're doing this to give the senior class something to remember (one day). We started talking and the idea got bigger, just like a (rolling) snowball.' Schultz said when she watched members of the Class of 1974 last fall open a time capsule they buried 50 years earlier, she started thinking about doing it again for the class which graduated May 16. On Friday, she had a message for the Class of 2075. 'We in 2025 packed this capsule with our voices, our values and a lot of our T-shirts,' Schultz said. 'These items are more than objects to us. They're memories, questions, our hopes for the future and a little bit of who we are in this moment. We don't know what the world looks like when you open this, but we hope it's kinder, wiser (and) more connected.'
Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan High seniors talk about goals at graduation; ‘I want to make the world a better place'
Most of the 897 members of the Waukegan High School Class of 2025 walked across the stage to receive their diplomas as they embark on the next step in their journey, be it at an elite college, in the military or the start of a career. Class valedictorian Brandon Aguilar started working as a sales associate at a home improvement store at age 14. He said he gave it the same energy as he put into his studies, which gave him the highest grade-point average among his classmates. Wanting to remain close to his family, Aguilar said he will attend Northwestern University in Evanston in the fall. He plans to study mechanical engineering so he can learn how to make things and make them work better. 'I want to make the world a better place,' he said after the event. 'Engineers are the ones who make things work. They change the world.' Aguilar and his classmates received their diplomas at the 152nd-annual Waukegan High School graduation Friday at Weiss Field, with thousands in the stands as graduates step into the world of adulthood. Just as many of the students had their successes and rough spots during their four years of high school, the afternoon and early evening presented its own challenges. It was windy and sunny when the students marched onto the field. Some put their hands on their caps to keep them in place. Before the ceremony was over, there was light rain, three intermittent downpours and more sunshine. There was pleasant weather again as they left the stadium. Scores stood for pictures as family and friends memorialized the occasion. Waukegan missed the dust storm that engulfed other parts of Lake County on Friday. Senior class President Lamero Ceaser will attend Augustana College — a school just over half the size of Waukegan High School — in Rock Island in the fall. Planning to wrestle, he said he wants an environment with a tight community. 'I like knowing everybody around me,' he said. 'I like having a community where everyone can be included.' 'I'll be back here in Waukegan,' he added, referring to his goal of eventually practicing law in his hometown. Speaking to the crowd, Ceaser said graduation is a time to say hello and goodbye all at once. Whether his classmates are continuing their education or embarking on a career, the situation is the same. 'As freshmen, we came in full of unknowns,' he said. 'We will leave here today with that same feeling, only geared at a much bigger world beyond the walls in which we have spent our last four years.' During his valedictory address, Aguilar first read a paragraph in English and then repeated it in Spanish — the native tongue of his parents. He talked about how his entire family contributed to his success. Singling out his father, he said he is, 'the man who taught me to be hard-working, the man who taught me to never throw in the towel, and the man who dedicated his whole life for his family to succeed.' Aguilar said experience taught the graduates the most valuable lessons. Admitting to making mistakes, learning from them creates strength, he said. 'Experience teaches us something that no textbook could teach us — life will take turns on us, and we won't always have all the answers, but slipping is only part of this journey,' he said. 'We've all made mistakes. Mistakes don't define a person, but rather how you learn from them.' Frida Arenas sat among her classmates wearing three medals and seven rows of ribbons on her purple gown. She said they were for her efforts and leadership with the school's JROTC program. She plans to go to the College of Lake County to study nursing. 'I want to make a difference,' Arenas said. 'There aren't a lot of nurses from the Hispanic community. I want to help my community.' Marilyn Alvir had a scarf draped around her with multicolored lines across the material, a cross and words in Spanish. It also had the words 'Class of 2025.' Several senior women were wearing them. 'This is for my Hispanic culture,' said Alvir, who plans to study political science at CLC. 'I am proud of my parents and everything they've done to help me get to this stage.' Danai Serna-Jimenez offered her senior classmates some advice as the featured speaker. She said they should not fear what may lie ahead. Embracing the present will help transport them into the reality of the future. 'We're always adjusting, whether we realize it or not,' Serna-Jimenez said. 'To live is to adapt, and it is okay to be afraid because that is what makes us human. The ability to hold both joy and sorrow is something we learn — and take with us wherever we go.'
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan seniors visit elementary schools to inspire students; ‘It's a passing of the torch'
Some members of the Waukegan High School senior class dressed in their caps and gowns, participating in Return to Your Roots Day, took it literally, joining students at their former elementary schools for recess, while others took the opportunity to connect with younger relatives. Alexa Guzman hopped on a merry-go-round with a group of fourth graders during recess at Lion Magnet Elementary School, as one of her classmates pushed her around, as a group of young students clung to their teenage guest. 'I was reliving my childhood,' she said. 'It was crazy; real crazy.' Guzman said that after she graduates Friday, she plans to attend the College of Lake County (CLC) and become a preschool teacher. Helping children is a passion she intends to turn into a profession. 'I like being around little kids,' she said. 'I want to try to help them, and give them a good start in school.' Not long after Guzman got off the merry-go-round, she took off her cap and gown and ran around the playground with three of the younger students. When Valeria Rodriguez arrived at Lion Elementary, where she was once an elementary school student, she said she was looking for one student in particular — fifth grader Caleb Rodriguez, her brother. 'I came to see him,' she said. 'It was very emotional,' she added after they connected in the hallway. 'I want to give him something to look forward to.' 'It was real cool,' Caleb said. 'I'm going to try to be like her.' Rodriguez and Guzman were among the 120 Waukegan High seniors participating in the second-annual Return to Your Roots Day on Tuesday, going to the elementary schools they once attended to remind the students there of where their schooling started and inspire the youngsters. Seniors started the day by boarding one of four buses at Weiss Field, where they will graduate Friday. Each bus took the teens to three or four elementary schools, covering all 15 in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Andy Kramer, the principal at Whittier Elementary School, said Return to Your Roots Day gives seniors a chance to remember their younger school days and gives his students something to look forward to. 'It's a passing of the torch,' he said. 'They're coming back to familiar surroundings. They can see things that are still here. It celebrates the kids as they go to the next step in their life.' Family connections were abundant. When the seniors arrived at Whittier, they were greeted outside the door by Amber Sanchez, a paraprofessional. Each was handed a balloon. The teens began to inflate them. 'As you walk through the school, find someone special to give it to,' Sanchez said. 'Give them something so they remember you.' Giselle Gomez, a senior heading to CLC to become a nurse, knew precisely who she wanted to give her balloon — her niece, fourth grader Adriana Sanchez. Gomez spotted Sanchez as she paraded through the halls with her classmates, and handed her the balloon. 'I was excited and happy when she came by,' Adrianna said. 'It was a 9.9,' she added, referring to joy on a scale of one to 10. 'I feel proud I was able to do this,' Gomez said. As Damaris Melgoza walked through the halls of Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School to the cheers of students holding their hands out, hoping for a high five, first-grade teacher Berenice Fajardo handed her a bouquet of roses. 'My aunt is a teacher here. She gave them to me,' Melgoza said, referring to Fajardo. 'I'm feeling very, very old now. My message to them is never give up.' Fajardo gushed with pride over her niece. She said Melgoza is among the top 10 students in her high school graduating class. She is excited for Melgoza, as is the rest of the family. 'She is going to do amazing things,' Fajardo said. Melgoza said she will be attending Dennison University in Granville, Ohio, in the fall. She plans to major in biology and then go to medical school to become a cardiologist. Neisa Escamilla, who went to Washington Elementary School, will study business at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Annabelle Rivera, a onetime Cooke student, will head to Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to major in women's health and gender studies. When they got to Lion, it was time for recess. Both Escamilla and Rivera said once they got to middle school, recess was a thing of the past. They had fond memories from their younger days as they each sat in a swing next to each other. 'I used to have to fight to get a swing,' Rivera said. 'Now, I was just able to come and sit here. I'm enjoying it.' 'I get to enjoy recess one last time,' Escamilla added.
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Officials urge Lake County grads to apply for scholarships; ‘A lot go unclaimed'
As high school seniors graduate this month in Waukegan, North Chicago and other parts of Lake County, scholarships small and large remain available for those trying to lessen — or even eliminate — the financial burden of going to college. Bari Schwartz, the college and career counselor at Waukegan High School's Washington Campus, said even students who receive a full ride with tuition, room and board, find they still have expenses related to their post-secondary education. 'We call it stacking scholarships,' she said. 'They play a huge role in filling the gap and eliminating (or reducing) the need for loans. An extra $500 here, or $1,500 there, can help with books, fees and supplies.' Scholarships large and small, some of which may go unclaimed, remain available for graduating seniors in Lake County, allowing them to more completely finance their education, from community colleges to elite private universities. As a Title 1 district, all students at places like Waukegan, North Chicago, Zion-Benton and Round Lake high schools qualify for financial aid. Schwartz said 100% of those going to college from Waukegan are receiving some form of relief from the costs of college. When students start looking at college, whether at a four-year university or a community college like the College of Lake County (CLC), Schwartz said there is an online platform to educate them about their options. It helps find the best fit in terms of schools and available scholarships. Schwartz said the cost of a four-year university can range from slightly less than $30,000 a year at state schools like Northern Illinois, to more than $40,000 at the University of Illinois. The expense of an elite private institution like Northwestern University can exceed $90,000 per year. Though some schools will cover all costs, including incidentals like books and fees, she said often there is a gap between the total cost and the financial aid a school offers. A gap can mean repaying loans for years, or obtaining smaller scholarships available from a variety of places. 'We call that stacking scholarships from places like the Lions Club or the (Waukegan) Township,' Schwartz said. 'They can add up for a number of needs like books, fees, supplies or a computer. A lot go unclaimed. People should really look for them.' Waukegan Township is offering 10 scholarships this year. Township Supervisor Marc Jones said that the deadline to apply has not passed for any of them. Some requirements are the same, and some are more specific. College-bound students who live in Waukegan Township have until May 30 to apply for five $1,000 Waukegan Township scholarships. Applicants must be township residents, supply three letters of recommendation, a 500-word essay on the role of the township in today's society and a letter of acceptance from the school. Along with the township scholarships, Jones said four $1,000 grants are available to students attending a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and either went on the annual tour of HBCU schools or the township's HBCU Experience. The deadline is June 30. 'They must show proof of enrollment and write a 400-word essay on why they are attending a HBCU and what they hope to gain from the HBCU experience,' Jones said. Lake County residents seeking a degree in criminal justice, psychology or human services can apply for the township's $5,000 Coalitions to Reduce Recidivism scholarship. Jones said it requires three letters of recommendation, a 250-word essay on the importance of recidivism in the community and how the degree will enable them to better serve the community. Jones said the current coalition scholarship is for the 2026-2027 school year, and the deadline is Oct. 14. Though the Waukegan Park District's five $1,000 scholarships were already awarded, Josue Pasillas, the organization's communications manager, encouraged students to apply next year. He said they can be a supplement to other financial aid. They go to people interested in a career in parks and recreation. Waukegan to College, an organization that helps students as young as middle schoolers navigate the path to a higher education, will send 37 participants to college in the fall. Executive Director Aaron Arnold said all have some sort of financial aid. 'Our goal is that 80% of our students will have less than a $3,500 gap,' Arnold said. 'We had 37 seniors apply to 373 colleges. They were accepted to 184, and more than $27 million in financial aid was offered.' Arnold is also a believer in stacking. While the goal is 80% of students have a gap of $3,500 or less, he said he wants to see all of them get the gap number to zero. The less the financial burden, the easier it is to focus on education, he said. 'Every little bit helps because something can always come up,' Arnold said. 'It can help with meal planning. There is a percentage of college students who experience food insecurity. It can be the difference at times between eating or not eating,' he added, noting not all meal plans are alike. North Chicago School District 187 has its own plan to help college-bound North Chicago Community High School graduates. This year, 23 seniors are receiving a Warhawk-Lancer scholarship, and three more are part of the early childhood apprenticeship program. District 187 Superintendent John Price said Warhawk-Lancer recipients receive tuition, books and fees at CLC for three years, a $3,500 annual stipend and a laptop computer. In its sixth year, 103 people have received the award. High school graduates in North Chicago who want a career in early childhood education can become employees of District 187, which includes union membership. Price said tuition toward an associate's degree in early childhood education is for eight semesters and is included as well. 'They can go on to a four-year school or become paraprofessionals in District 187,' Price said. 'As union members, they get a nice pay bump.' Schwartz said some scholarships remain available besides the ones offered by the township. They are both local and national. For students attending one of nine colleges through the University Center of Lake County in Grayslake, there are $2,100 grants available through June 30. Applicants for the University Center scholarships need recommendations and must write an essay. They are good for those going to the University of Illinois at Champaign, the University of Illinois at Springfield, the University of Illinois Chicago Circle, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, University of Southern Illinois at Edwardsville, Northern Illinois University, Northeastern Illinois University and National Lewis University.
