Scholars Recognized for Environmental Stewardship

Maine East Scholar Alyanna Villapando accepts her certificate for environmental stewardship.

On Saturday, April 20^th, three Schuler Scholars graduated from the Center for Conservation Leadership’s Certificate Program. Alyanna Villapando of Maine East High School, Karla P. Figueroa of Round Lake High School, and Kala Juett of Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep were among 15 graduates who presented their self-designed environmental stewardship projects at the ceremony.

The Center for Conservation Leadership, a Lake Forest Open Lands Association initiative launched in 2009, “provides more sustained programming [in environmental education] to students who have shown an interest in nature and the environment but are not yet ready for, or do not have access to, internships at some of the major conservation organizations” (CCL). The Certificate Program is a year-long environmental education program aimed to provide students with an understanding of important conservation issues, strong leadership skills, and experience in research and recreation in the natural world.

Figueroa, a sophomore, worked with a mentor to develop a project called “Kids in Conservation”, which focused on teaching children about their role in caring for the environment. She developed lessons including hands-on activities and crafts to engage students in conservation education.

Villapando, also a sophomore, designed a campaign to raise consumer awareness of batteries’ harmful effects on the environment. Through her efforts at Maine East High School, she increased her community’s knowledge of this issue and collected 58 pounds of batteries to recycle.

The Schuler Scholar Program is pleased to recognize these Scholars for their impressive projects, commitment to environmental stewardship, and outstanding community engagement. Read their individual reflections below to learn more about their projects. For more information on the Center for Conservation Leadership, visit the CCL blog.

Anyone Can Learn Math

by Alyssa McNamara, AmeriCorps Math Scholar Coach

“I’m just not a math person.”

“I’m just not good at math.”

Many of us have heard friends, family members, and students utter this phrase.  As a Math Scholar Coach for the Schuler Scholar Program, it is my goal to show my Scholars that anyone is capable of learning math.  Each of the three main components of our math program serves our goal of helping all Scholars learn math to their potential.

Remediation of Previous Math

Schuler uses an online learning program, ALEKS (http://www.aleks.com/), which uses adaptive questioning to determine a student’s mastery level at a specific level of math.   We use ALEKS to assess every incoming Scholar’s understanding of middle school math and determine which topics need review and development.  Scholars then work in the program and with Scholar Coaches to build their understanding of these topics. During the summer, Scholars work to finish the course, and they take periodic assessments to ensure that they understand the material.  Beyond middle school math, ALEKS is also used to prepare students for their next level in math. 

Support in Current Math Classes

I spend the majority of my day helping students with the material in their current math classes. In addition to tutoring them on topics from their coursework, I help them create study plans and learn study techniques.  In addition to developing a study schedule they can use outside of the classroom, I always encourage Scholars to meet with their math teachers and develop a positive relationship with them.

Patterns of Mathematical Thought

We stress the idea of patterns in all areas of the math program, but in Math STEP (an after-school program) we have an opportunity to explore this idea further.  Each grade has between two and four math STEPs a year focused on solving creative math problems.

For one of the problems I present in the freshman math STEP, I draw a 4 x 4 square on the board.  I then ask them to figure out how many squares are on the board (hint: it’s more than 16!).  This kind of problem can be solved in many ways, and it is a good way of demonstrating that math is about the solution, not the answer.

In addition to ALEKS, one-on-one tutoring, and STEP, our program is also focused on creating a positive culture surrounding math.  This positive culture is critical to helping Scholars become comfortable with seeking help.  In my two years as a Math Scholar Coach, I have seen the Scholars at Highland Park High School make huge improvements in their attitudes about math and their study habits.  The programming is still relatively new, and we are constantly thinking of new ways to engage and challenge Scholars in math. 

Schuler Scholar Program Announces Partnership with CICS Ralph Ellison

CHICAGO - April 8, 2013: This spring, 20 incoming students at CICS Ralph Ellison, a college preparatory charter high school in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood, will be selected by the renowned Schuler Scholar Program. This partnership, representing Schuler Scholar Program's ninth high school collaboration, will give the Schuler program participants at CICS Ralph Ellison an additional leg up in their academic pursuits through rigorous programming and generous scholarships.

Click here to read the full press release from CICS.

Louder Than a Bomb 2013

Louder Than a Bomb is the world’s largest youth poetry slam. It is held in Chicago every year, and in 2012, freshman and sophomore scholars from Warren Township High School attended the finals. It was such an influential exposure that six Schuler schools brought scholars to the Cadillac Palace Theater on March 9^th for the 2013 competition. Four high school teams from the Chicagoland area competed for the title of LTAB champion. It was one of the biggest Schuler exposures of the year.

Highland Park High School Scholars at Louder Than a Bomb 2013

Here's what our scholars had to say:

“LTAB was explosive, it was mind-blowing, and heart-warming. My favorite part is when the poem reaches its climax and the poet is all into it.” –Bree Booth, ‘15

“The best line of the night: I’m thick like Harry Potter, Books 1 through 5.” –April Johnson, ‘16

“LTAB was life-changing.” –Eliot Ayala, ‘15

“I thought that the kids were really talented. They definitely exceeded my expectations, which were already high.”- Yarisamar Cortez ‘13

Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep Scholars at Louder Than a Bomb 2013

Happy AmeriCorps Week 2013!

From March 9-17, 2013, the Schuler Scholar Program is joining organizations across the nation who are recognizing the commitment of AmeriCorps members and alums. Since the first class of AmeriCorps members in 1994, volunteers have served over one billion hours in programs that strengthen our nation. From VISTA to NCCC to State and National programs, AmeriCorps connects dedicated individuals with opportunities to enrich communities through education, affordable housing, environmental initiatives, after-school programs, and many other initiatives.



AmeriCorps volunteers who serve with Schuler are recent college graduates with a passion for education and social justice. These young men and women join us as Scholar Coaches, serving as tutors and mentors for highly motivated students in one of our eight partner high schools. To celebrate AmeriCorps Week 2013, we asked Scholar Coaches to tell us why they chose AmeriCorps and how their service has impacted the community. Here are some of their thoughts:

Geoff Wright, First Year Scholar Coach at North Chicago Community High School

I am an AmeriCorps member because...Coming out of college, I felt a deep sense of gratitude toward those that helped me to reach my goals. I simply wanted to pay back those who served before me while, at the same time, helping young men and women to succeed in college and in life.

Alyssa McNamara, Second Year Math Scholar Coach at Highland Park High School

How do you feel your service has impacted the community?
In helping students achieve their academic goals, I have also helped them realize that they can have higher expectations of themselves in all areas of life.  

Najma Osman, First Year Scholar Coach at Waukegan High School (pictured at left)

I am an AmeriCorps volunteer because…I value community and hope to dedicate my life to social activism and service. In high school, I was deeply impacted and inspired by the work of AmeriCorps volunteers that helped me navigate the college admissions process. In college, I spent countless hours reading about the injustices of the world and learning about the critical importance of doing work that aligns with my personal ideology. Therefore, I believe that working for the Schuler Scholar Program as an AmeriCorps volunteer has allowed me to make my small individual contribution to help eradicate greater social issues.

Minnie Nguyen, Second Year Scholar Coach at Waukegan High School (pictured at right)

How do you feel your service has impacted the community?

By modeling optimism and enthusiasm for education, social justice, and diversity, I hope that my scholars come to better understand that intellectual curiosity, cultural competency, and individuality are all wonderful assets to possess. Through my every day encounters with the scholars, I hope to inspire them to not only shoot for the stars, but to also periodically reflect upon their journey, self-identity, and successes thus far. My dream is to nourish the next generation of “agents of change:” a group of highly motivated, determined, and empowered youths, who have goals and aspirations to change their communities and ultimately, the world, for the better.

Devin Daugherty, Second Year Scholar Coach at Warren Township High School (pictured)
I am an AmeriCorps member because...I believe that children deserve to be excited and inspired by the people around them and I strive to be one of those people.

Are you a college senior interested in a life-changing service experience after graduation? To learn more about our AmeriCorps Scholar Coach and Math Scholar Coach positions, check out the following resources:

• On our website: Service Opportunities (see the position description)
• On our blog: AmeriCorps Scholar Coach Recruitment for 2013-2014
• How to Apply

Reading as Imaginative Rehearsal

by Claire Reeder, AmeriCorps Scholar Coach

“A book is a chance to try on a different life for size.” Marrion Garretty’s quote hangs over my desk as a caption on a postcard, below an image of a small boy, book open on his lap, and dream bubble above his head of a tall ship sailing the high seas. Whenever my eye catches this postcard, I feel filled with wonder – the wonder of reading to escape the mundane, and of finding myself in a new world.

It comes as no surprise, then, that I love my work as a reading tutor. Reading tutor is one of the many roles I play as an AmeriCorps Scholar Coach (SC) with the Schuler Scholar Program. Each Scholar Coach has a caseload of 10-15 underclassmen Scholars with whom we meet one-on-one, twice a week, to read many different kinds of texts: from short stories to novels, scholarly articles to poems. In fact, reading tutoring comprises the bulk of my daily work as an SC.

For a number of reasons, the Schuler Scholar Program emphasizes reading as core programming for all of its Scholars:

Reading is foundational to being a “Scholar.” We believe reading fosters and invigorates the intellectual curiosity and higher-level thinking that drives Scholars’ success in college and beyond. By reading and discussing texts, Scholar Coaches work closely with Scholars to develop their “ways of thinking”: making connections between texts and the world; challenging and supporting opinions with evidence; asking “how” and “why” questions; forming and revising predictions; and reflecting on a text’s deeper meaning. Within the 20-minute sessions, SCs also guide Scholars to branch out from reading and discussing to writing, drawing, and creating as ways to engage more deeply with texts. Therefore reading becomes a launchpad to building critical writing and creative thinking skills.

This is where the Garretty quotation inspires my work with Scholars. My biggest success in building deep, critical, and passionate readers comes when Scholars “imaginatively rehearse” for real life through novels. Reading immerses Scholars in situations where they can live, play, decide, question, and speak up vicariously.

Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Bean Trees follows Taylor, a smart, ambitious young woman from rural Kentucky on her cross-country road trip to Tucson. Like the heroes of many great literary quests, Taylor confronts many obstacles along the way, including the feelings of guilt she must navigate upon leaving home. One Scholar with whom I’m reading The Bean Trees rehearsed for her college departure, saying, "This book makes it okay for me to leave when I go to college, because I see that I can still be in touch with my family." Only a freshman, this Scholar already reveals fear about going away to college, but her reactions to this novel show that Taylor provides a road map to successfully transitioning, even in the face of struggle.

Robert Cormier’s classic young adult novel The Chocolate War is another example of a novel where Scholars, alongside the protagonist Jerry, consider future situations or choices they might confront. Centrally, Scholars ponder the novel’s essential question, which T.S. Eliot’s poem “Love Song for J. Alfred Prufrock” made famous: “do I dare disturb the universe?” The Scholars who have read The Chocolate War with me struggle with Jerry to stand up as one versus all in this David and Goliath story. But by the end of the novel, Scholars imagine what it would feel like to push against the status quo, even if theirs is the only voice doing so. Whether it’s in a reflective journal entry or a Project Soapbox speech, Scholars who’ve read The Chocolate War demonstrate that they dare to disturb the universe because they have already played out the experience in their minds.

Creating opportunities for imaginative rehearsal – “trying on a different life for size” – is the key to creating more passionate and thoughtful readers. More importantly, this creates better human beings, and building character is even more important than building reading skills.

So what life will you try on today?

“Paths They Take, Moves They Make”: A Presentation by Anthony Jack

by Megan Melloy,  Program Associate (College & Alumni Programs)

College Scholar Michael "Mo" O'Connell, Anthony Jack, and Jack Schuler
at the College and Alumni Scholars Winter Party

We recently posted about Anthony Jack’s presentation to our college and alumni scholars at the Winter Party. We asked Anthony to speak at this event because his personal experiences are similar to those of many Schuler Scholars. Originally from Miami, Florida, Anthony is the son of a school monitor and is a first-generation college student. He studied Women’s and Gender Studies and Religion at Amherst College where he graduated cum laude in 2007.  Currently a Harvard Ph.D. candidate in Sociology, Anthony is generally interested in race, culture, urban poverty, and education. His research at Harvard explores diversity in higher education with particular interest in the college experiences of first-generation college students at elite colleges after the enactment of more expansive, class-based affirmative action. As a college access program, we were excited for him to join us and share his personal experience and his research, both of which are so relevant to the work we do.

In his presentation to the scholars, Anthony covered his personal experiences before and at Amherst, with a focus on identifying strengths and specific skills one acquires through overcoming adversity. Before speaking at the Winter Party, Anthony met with Schuler Scholar Program staff members to discuss his findings and implications for our program. His presentation to our staff, entitled “Paths They Take, Moves They Make,” covered his research at Harvard. This research explores why individuals from equally disadvantaged class backgrounds and similarly impoverished neighborhoods experience the same college so differently. The majority of students who participated in his research participated in programs that give first-generation students accelerated access to cultural capital that they need in order to be successful in college. Some of the students Anthony interviewed participated in pipeline (extraction) programs like Prep for Prep while others participated in enrichment (non-extraction) programs like the Schuler Scholar Program.

One key hypothesis from Anthony’s research is that students who are permitted greater access to dominant forms of cultural and social capital before college experience the culture shock of entering college to a lesser degree.  The extent of exposure—whether it be arts participation or total immersion via relocation—influence the degree of culture shock felt on the college campus. While the specific results of this variation in exposure vary for individual students, we’d like to look at the implications of Anthony’s research for our program because the type of programming we offer that focuses on development of cultural capital can be more targeted to the college experience.

Because we are situated in our Scholars’ neighborhood high schools, we focus on supplementing their home and school experiences with programming that exposes them to the culture they will experience at highly selective private colleges and universities. We know giving scholars the tools to navigate the dominant culture will help them when they get to college, but we are also beginning to see that empowering our scholars to recognize their own resourcefulness and resiliency will equip them to succeed uniquely on their college campuses and beyond. Anthony’s presentation helped to drive this point home, especially with regards to our Transitions to College program for high school seniors. He advised that we focus on mitigating culture shock, negotiating relationships at home, and helping scholars find mentors and institutional resources on their campuses. We aim to continually incorporate these tenets into our programming while acknowledging the strengths that our scholars bring to any table at which they sit, whether it is in their homes, their high schools, their colleges, or beyond.