What's New at ACT : Fall 2009

Advisory Class of 2015 With a quick, rhythmic series of claps, Ms. Curry calls her 7th grade advisory class to attention. In unison, students respond to Ms. Curry with a matching clap. This particular Friday morning, the response is crisp, and students are eager to listen to what Ms. Curry has to say.  For the last 4 weeks, Ms. Curry’s students have been participants in Paycheck, a fun and effective method of helping students develop a culture of earning while also giving students an opportunity to set personal goals based on ACT’s core values and reflect on their individual progress each week.  It is this kind of “intentional teaching” that ACT’s Principal, Rebecca Watson, champions, and believes will transform ACT’s students from scholars to citizens.   Earning a buck, making the grade At the start of each pay period, which goes from Friday to Thursday, Ms. Curry’s advisory students are given a base salary of twenty Scholar Dollars. They can increase their salary by one Scholar Dollar or more throughout the week by completing quality homework or class assignments on time or by going above and beyond their classroom duties for the day.  Bonus Scholar Dollars are earned for being a model ACT citizen—being prepared for class, staying organized, and exemplifying Initiative, Integrity, Creativity, Teamwork and Perseverance—our core values.  Students are also graded based on the dollar figure earned on their paycheck each week.  Those who have earned 50 or more Scholar Dollars for the week are considered Superior Citizens and earn an A, those who earn less than 37 Scholar Dollars in a week are asked to step up their efforts.   Paying Rent Earning a paycheck isn’t as easy as it sounds. For example, students can also earn deductions in their weekly salary if they fail to turn in quality assignments or are late to class. In addition, to make things a bit more challenging, students must pay a “rental fee” of 40 Scholar Dollars each month for their desks! If a student cannot pay rent for that month, they must move to another area of the classroom away from their advisory team until they are able to pay.  Once students have saved enough money, they can become owners and may purchase their desk or someone else’s.  If a classmate sits in a desk that they own, then that person pays rent to the owner.   Scholars have not taken this aspect of the program lightly. Ms. Curry laughs as she recalls a discussion with one student who, after learning he would have to pay rent for his desk, responded, “But Ms. Curry, it’s a recession right now!”  There is no doubt that Ms. Curry received the payment. Stop & Shop Like the real world, one of the perks of earning a paycheck is the freedom to go shopping! Every other Friday, students can use the money that they have earned to purchase items like paper, pencils, calculators, and bus and gift cards from the class store.

Ms. Watson : Principal The Paycheck Effect “Too often, educators, adults spend an enormous amount of time telling young people what they should not be doing, and not enough time articulating to young people what needs to be done.” Teachers, staff, and leadership are working to bring these two methodologies into balance at ACT. Ms. Watson is committed to building an environment conducive to creating success academically and developmentally. To that end, teaching positive behavior and finding opportunities to celebrate it, make a good deal of sense with respect to achieving this goal.   Presently, ACT practices a number of reward programs including, The Scholar Dollar Raffle, a weekly, school-wide recognition program that honors students who actively exhibit ACT’s core values, and VIP, a quarterly, special recognition program that honors scholars who are top academic performers. Ms. Curry’s classroom is exemplary of how effective this type of approach can be when executed well.

Ms. Curry, Middle School Teacher & 7th Grade Advisor Originally from Houston, Ms. Curry was recruited to join ACT’s faculty this year. She is an experienced educator who takes a “no nonsense” approach with her students and considers herself to be an “intentional” teacher. Ms. Curry is teaching scholars that every positive action performed in school will lead to real, tangible success in the future, and conversely, every action that detracts from that success will have real, tangible, negative results.   So far, Ms. Curry has seen her advisory class make positive strides as a team. She reports that collectively, students are excited about and look forward to their paychecks each week.  “They want to see how many Scholar Dollars they’ve earned and what grade they’ve received.  When they record their deposits on their bank sheet and calculate their new balance their faces light up.”

More importantly, Ms. Curry reports that many of her students are setting goals to earn 50 or more Scholar Dollars each week.  “They have become more responsible with their homework and class work and there have been drastic changes in work quality”.  Curry notes that parents are also aware of their scholar’s progress in class, and that the paycheck system serves as an excellent communication tool.

“This program is important to me and my advisory because beyond teaching them the basics of money management, I am able to clearly and easily identify my students’ areas of strength and improvement.  Over the last 4 weeks, I have noticed that my students are becoming better teammates.  The class understands that they are all a part of this great journey to college and that they will need help from each other along the way.”

This fall, Photography Teacher Robert Mishlove and his high school photo students will monitor plant development by visually documenting plant life in West Garfield Park. The data will be gathered under the guidance of Justin O. Borevitz, Assistant Professor in The Committee on Genetics, Genomics, & Systems Biology (GGSB) at the University of Chicago.  Prof. Borevitz, along with a team of undergraduate researchers from the University, will visit ACT to

Robert Mishlove, Photography Teacher

“I’m really excited that our students have been given this unique opportunity. In addition to learning about a new photographic method, the students are being introduced to the idea of interdisciplinary research.  I think it’s important to show them how these two professions, photography and biology, are intertwined.” Mr. Mishlove is sure that his students will take full advantage of the resources provided to them during the length of the project. “[They] will meet enthusiastic young people from the U of C who are following a career path in environmental science and they should know and feel that this path is also available to them. I’m looking forward to this multi-year partnership.”

Initial findings from the project are anticipated to be available in summer 2010. To read about details of the project go to: http://borevitzlab.uchicago.edu/Members/borevitz/proposals/career

To learn more about The Committee on Genetics, Genomics, & Systems Biology (GGSB) at the University of Chicago visit: http://cg.bsd.uchicago.edu/index.php

The partnership and study are made possible by a recent grant of $200,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to The Committee on Genetics, Genomics, & Systems Biology (GGSB) at the University of Chicago, which was written by Professor Borevitz and his team.

Cleven Minter, Class of 2009

Shanell Harmon (’09) and Cleven Minter (’09) may no longer attend ACT Charter School, but don’t be surprised if you see them in the halls this fall and spring.  Shanell, who currently attends Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, is majoring in Biology with plans to become a pharmacist.  Cleven is attending Columbia College in Chicago and earning a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Both have returned to ACT this school year to give back their time and talent to current students.

“I felt like no matter where I was in the building, teachers knew my name.”

Perhaps this is the reason that Cleven, who attended ACT for all 7 years, still feels a strong connection to the school. He explains that his decision to come back to ACT in a mentorship role for the after school program is a reflection of the support he received from teachers and staff while a student here.

“I just like being here!”

Shanell, who attended ACT for 6 years, admits that she came back to visit the week following her graduation last spring. Being a part of the environment at ACT is natural to Shanell, who is now working as an AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) tutor on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This spring she will be joined by her classmate, Cleven, who will lend his musical prowess to the Street-Level Youth Media Music Production class, part of the Phantom PRIDE After School program. Shanell and Cleven recently gave ACT an update on their college experience, so far, and details on the programs they have partnered with at ACT.

ACT: What class are you enjoying the most and which have been the most challenging?

Shanell: The classes that I enjoy the most are English, Freshman Seminar, and Biology, and the class that has been the biggest challenge is definitely biology! It’s a big challenge, but it’s also interesting, and that’s why I think I enjoy it as much as I do.

Cleven: Music theory is my favorite class this semester. It does a really good job of breaking

Shanell Harmon Class of 2009

ACT: What is the hardest adjustment you’ve made since heading off to college?

Shanell: Living on campus has been the biggest challenge for me because there are so many different personalities, but I do actually like interacting with my peers on a daily basis—they’re very friendly. I could do without the dorm room situation, though!

Cleven: Doing everything on your own! At ACT, there was always a bus to take us on field trips, but not in college. I’ve been travelling all over Chicago, which has actually been a good experience ‘cause I’m seeing more of the city and learning to be on my own.

ACT: What extracurricular activities are you involved in this year?

Shanell: I participate in BSU (Black Student Union) and I attend leadership workshops whenever my schedule permits it.  Outside of college I volunteer at San Miguel middle school every Wednesday helping 5^th graders with reading. I also have an internship at John Stronger Hospital as a pharmacy technician every Monday and Friday. Finally, as an AVID tutor at ACT, I help students improve on their organization and study skills in five different subjects: American Literature, Geometry, US History, Spanish and, of course, Biology.

Cleven: I play drums for a few groups at Columbia: Chosen Generation and Redeemed (both

are Gospel groups), and Remedy, an R&B group. I also drum for the Columbia Gospel Choir and in September, I played drums for the Neville Brothers at a live concert. That was an interesting experience!

As a music production assistant with Street-Level Youth Media, I’ll be helping students with a lot of the same things I used to do in the after school program—mostly, assisting students with creating beats, recording, writing lyrics, and audio mixing. It’s cool to be able to give back some of the knowledge I learned when I was a student at ACT and share some of the new information I’m learning right now as a student at Columbia.

Despite their busy schedules, Shanell and Cleven seem to realize the importance of passing on the knowledge they have gained to their peers who are following in their footsteps to college. Now that they have found themselves in mentorship roles, ACT asked Shanell and Cleven what wisdom they hoped to share with students this year.

Cleven: I wanted to get into college for sports.  I was relying too much on coaches and teachers to help me get in [to school].  I learned, just in time, I think, that I have to depend on myself and work really hard to get where I want to go.  That includes getting into Columbia. I’m glad I made the choice to pursue music and not sports and I’m glad I opened my eyes to that in time. I want to encourage students not to be lazy like I was, at first, and take control of where they want to go and what they want to do. No one else is responsible for your success.

Shanell: The most useful lesson I took from ACT was self disciple, determination, and perseverance, which are helpful techniques to conquer any academic or life challenge. As a matter of fact, I just graduated from a health profession program at the University of Illinois, which I’ve been in since the 5^th grade. My perseverance in that program, along with my senior year internship at a pharmacy, enabled me to get my current internship at John Stroger Hospital. I really think that with determination, any student at ACT can succeed.