Muchin College Prep Celebrates Grand Opening!

On October 28, supporters, parents, students and staff of Muchin College Prep gathered to celebrate the new Noble campus, which opened its doors to 252 freshmen students on August 24, 2009.  The Founding Class listened to speeches given by Allan Muchin (Noble Network Board of Directors), Jeanne Mason (VP of Human Resources at Baxter International), Phyllis Lockett (CEO of Renaissance Schools Fund), Gina Sanchez (Noble Street College Prep Class of 2003 alumna) and three of their peers: Krystal Ramos, Alyeshia Bradley and David Sanders.  Over 100 people attended the celebration and guests enjoyed the sounds of the Muchin College Prep girls' choir, which closed the event.  Muchin College Prep is located at 1 North State Street and is open to any Chicago student who has graduated from eighth grade.  Contact us to learn more about supporting Muchin College Prep. 

Below: The MCP girls' choir performs for the crowd.

Chicago Bulls College Prep Celebrates Grand Opening!

On September 14, Chicago Bulls College Prep students, staff and supporters celebrated the Noble campus's grand opening event at the campus, located at 2040 W. Adams.  The event was attended by many Bulls' staff members including Tyrus Thomas, Gar Forman, Bill Wennington and Jerry Reinsdorf.  Students were greeted by the Bulls' mascot, Benny the Bull.  Chicago Public Schools Chairman Michael Scott and Chicago Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf spoke to students about the importance of a good education.  

The 220 members of the Founding Class of 2013 also heard from Alderman Bob Fioretti who is proud to have Noble's newest open-enrollment campus as part of his ward.  Rasaan and Gaby inspired their peers as they spoke about the importance of representing the inaugural class with pride and success.  For more information on how to support CBCP, please contact us.

Noble Raises the Bar for ACT Scores

Noble Network campuses were the top-performing open-enrollment high schools in the city of Chicago based on 2009 ACT scores.  Last spring, for the first time, two Noble Network expansion campuses took the ACT.  The ACT is a test colleges use for admission and the state of Illinois uses for accountability.   Pritzker College Prep students averaged 20.6, Noble Street College Prep students a 19.5 and Rauner College Prep students a 19.3 on the exam.   See the how other Chicago high schools performed on the ACT here.

Camp VIDA Takes Students to Yosemite

Camp VIDA, which stands for Volunteers in Dedicated Action, is a summer service and environmental education camp run by Noble Street College Prep Teacher David Biele.  For many Noble students, participating in Camp VIDA is their first time away from home, traveling on an airplane and visiting a national park.  Students experienced many other firsts this summer at Yosemite including: white water rafting, hiking and watching a sunrise.  For more details about this summer's Camp VIDA trip, check out their Facebook page here.

Community of Support Spotlight: Mike Murray

Mike Murray is a founding member of Muchin College Prep's Community of Support (COS). Mike is a founding partner of Altair Advisors and has been providing investment advice and guidance to individuals and foundations since 1998.  He has an Accounting and Finance degree from the University of Wisconsin.  Mike has been involved at Noble since 2008 when he began his service as a member of the Noble Auxiliary Board.  Of his involvement, Mike says, "the Noble schools are an amazing network of people dedicated to the highest education for Chicago area kids.  My experience has been very enriching.  I see how hard Noble students are working for their future and it's exciting to see their energy."

Communities of Support were formed in 2009 as a way to bring the expertise and networks of community leaders to Noble campuses.  The groups provide resources for a specific Noble campus and in the process learn about the successes and challenges of operating an urban public charter school. To join a COS or learn more, contact us.

Northern Trust Mentoring

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, Northern Trust and Pritzker College Prep have partnered together to begin the Northern Trust Workplace Mentoring Program.  This supervised group mentoring program will be offered on-site at Northern Trust every other week during the late afternoon.  Each volunteer is matched one-on-one with a student from Pritzker College Prep for bi-weekly sessions for the duration of the school year.

Volunteer mentors provide student mentees with one-on-one time and attention at each program session.  Students travel to and from Northern Trust on a designated school bus with an adult from Pritzker. The program assists students in gaining marketable job skills, developing workforce skills, and building the necessary skills for academic success.  A Big Brothers Big Sisters Program Coordinator is at every session to provide structured activities and support.