Annual Report 2021-2022

Great Lakes Academy's 2022 Annual Report

Dear Great Lakes Academy Supporters,

I am so honored to lead Great Lakes Academy through the next chapter of its history of greatness. Since its inception, GLA has charted a mission driven path to achieve unprecedented academic results. Our inaugural class of graduates represents some of Chicago’s most academically talented students, achieving literacy rates beyond the national average and growth in ELA and mathematics beyond their geographic peers.

Our fully renovated state of the art campus, made possible by your continued support and belief in our scholars, sets the stage for this year’s expansion of our athletic and enrichment programming. Starting this fall, GLA will launch its founding set of sports teams and student clubs such as basketball, soccer, volleyball, student council, and the National Elementary Honor Society. I look forward to meeting with you all as your support has proven to be crucial in GLA’s success. As we look to the future, your support will continue to be more vital than ever before as we further expand programming and continuously improve student outcomes at GLA.

At GLA we are focused on excellence in academics, uplifting the profession of education, and fostering a joyful and inclusive culture. We are implementing tools to make data-driven decisions to improve the student and family experience. We are empowering our scholars with real world skills that will enhance their academic profiles and provide a wide range of choices for school and beyond. We are prioritizing hiring community members to do the “heart” work of public service, educating our children so that they may have the future of their choice.

As we reflect on our accomplishments and prepare for the years ahead, this year GLA will complete a strategic planning process to guide us forward for the next five years. In our next chapter, I hope you will join us as we continue to map out our plan for success. As the collective stakeholders make decisions, we will hold fast to the reality that the stakes are always high for our children. But we will be bold. We will be innovative because we have everything to gain in the pursuit of excellence for our students.

Warmly,

Ebonie Durham, Executive Director

WHO WE SERVE

OUR COMMUNITY

When Great Lakes was founded in 2014, there was one goal: create a high quality, public elementary school education for scholars in the South Shore and South Chicago communities and Chicago’s broader Southeast Side. These neighborhoods historically lacked accessibility to high quality elementary school options.

Since 2014, the school has scaled from serving grades K 1 to K-8 this past 2021-2022 school year. We are here to serve the scholars of Chicago especially those living in South Chicago.

To make an educational choice is powerful. Parents and guardians on the city’s South Side and beyond continue to make that influential choice for their scholars: the GLA choice!

OUR SCHOLARS

OUR RESULTS

State Standardize Testing Growth

GLA students who met or exceeded standards on state standardized testing grew by 17% in English/Language Arts (ELA) and 10% in Math

84th Percentile in ELA Nationally

GLA's inaugural 8th grade class performed in the 84th percentile in literacy

Exceed National Reading Norms

of 8th graders exceeded national norms in reading

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The 2021 22 school year was the first step to combatting COVID 19 while returning to in person learning for our GLA scholars. Through the highs and lows, we kept our commitment to the health and safety of our scholars and their families through implementing a mandatory masking policy, weekly COVID testing combined with close contact monitoring, and classroom pods to minimize cross contamination. These procedures allowed us to conduct in person learning all school year with minimal interruptions. With in person learning resuming, we were able to welcome our scholars back to a freshly renovated campus including: an indoor gymnasium equipped with a performance stage and rock climbing wall, a cafeteria, an art classroom, a music classroom, an athletic turf field, a playground and a Makers Lab. With the help of our amazing staff, we were able to integrate these new spaces in our scholars daily schedule and enhance their education experience.

8th grade high school

rate

school

top three

fundraising

LOOKING AHEAD

Quality education begins with extraordinary leadership. As we continue to grow and evolve, we are excited to welcome our new Executive Director, Ebonie Durham, to the Great Lakes Academy family. With Ebonie at the helm, Great Lakes Academy is prepared to give our scholars the education experience they deserve.

When opening Great Lakes Academy in 2014, founder Katherine Myers Crum envisioned a time where we would be a complete kindergarten through 8th elementary school. With the 2022 23 school year in full swing, we are beginning our second year as a kindergarten through 8th elementary school, expanding our 8th grade to two classrooms. The future of Great Lakes Academy Charter School is bright but there is more work to do.

Unfortunately, our scholars are still dealing with the educational side effects of COVID from a learning and social emotion perspective. In an effort to shorten the gaps COVID created, this school year we are increasing the social emotional learning (SEL) practices for our scholars and their families. GLA will be implementing Leader in ME, an evidence based SEL curriculum that builds life skills in scholars to create a high trusting school culture and sustained academic achievement.

GLA has been a beacon in the South Chicago community since our inception. We will continue to build on that strong foundation by building a more sustainable and enhanced enrichment program for the GLA community. Scholars will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of different enrichment activities to continue to learn and explore outside of the classroom.

FROM GLA SCHOLARS TO ALUMNI: CLASS OF 2022!

Throughout the 2021 2022 school year, our 8th grade scholars exemplified every one of GLA's core values. Displaying bravery as panelists, in front of a crowd of over 250 people during the 7th annual 2022 BE GREAT Benefit. Showing endurance as they faced various challenges throughout their educational experiences, including a fully remote learning year while on the path to graduation. Growth was proven in the test results as our 8th grade scholars landed in the 84th percentile nationally in literacy, continuing to exceed the national literacy norms. As Daniel Murphy scholarship recipients, Jihad Arnold and Joshua Gage epitomized achievement. Stepping into their alumni role during a high school Q&A discussion for GLA’s inaugural Decision Day, our 8th graders showed responsibility and enthusiasm when encouraging their peers to make the best of the middle school days that lie ahead. And as they stood beside one another in royal blue robes and graduation caps, cheering for each other as they walked across the stage in GLA's inaugural 8th grade graduation, GLA’s Princeton scholars personified team.

When opening Great Lakes Academy 7 years ago, the inaugural 8th grade graduation was a day we envisioned not only for our scholars but for our GLA families, GLA community and for our GLA donors. On June 11th, 2022, GLA hosted its inaugural 8th grade graduation ceremony in our brand new gymnasium. The program featured speeches from class valedictorian, Kai Nave, and student selected speakers Reginald Brown, Dealo Rollins, and Aniyah Williams. Now GLA alumni, our scholars will continue to represent Great Lakes Academy in high school and beyond. We would like to congratulate our inaugural 8th grade graduates who have entered the beginning stages of a new phase, high school. We are extremely proud of our 8th grade scholars and are confident that they will continue to BE GREAT!

MISSION

The Great Lakes Academy mission is to prepare all of our scholars with the fundamental academic skills, critical thinking ability, and strength of character to excel in high school, college, and a career of their choice. We empower all of our students with the education today that they will need to change the world tomorrow.

VISION

At Great Lakes Academy, every decision we make is based upon how to best support our scholars as they grow and prepare to compete with their peers in college preparatory high schools and four year colleges, ambitiously pursue career opportunities, and positively impact their communities. We work every minute, every day to provide the best education possible for our scholars because we believe that education empowers people to take control of their own destinies and to change the world.

CORE VALUES

BRAVERY.

We are not afraid to take risks. We show bravery by trying our hardest, knowing that we will make mistakes, and learning from them.

ENDURANCE.

We never give up. We have the courage and the tenacity to keep at a task or skill until it is accomplished of mastered.

GROWTH.

We constantly grow. We are never satisfied with what exists; we are constantly looking to be our new best self.

RESPONSIBILITY.

We look to ourselves to get the job done. We take responsibility for our actions, our efforts, and our words.

ENTHUSIASM.

We approach life with energy, enthusiasm, and humor. We are fiercely positive and show our positivity.

Outcomes matter. We focus on results and do what it takes to accomplish our goals. ACHIEVEMENT.

TEAM.

We succeed and fail as one.

THANK YOU

At Great Lakes Academy, it is our goal to educate the whole child.

Though we receive funding through Chicago Public Schools, the philanthropic support we receive from our supporters is crucial. Outside funding in the forms of grants, foundations, and individuals makes up an additional 7.5% of GLA's annual operating budget. Funds are used to support efforts to enhance each scholar's educational experience and the south Chicago community.

As GLA continues to be a beacon for our scholars and their families, we look forward to amplifying the scholar's educational experience by implementing structures, enhancing enrichments, and providing rigorous curriculum.

2021-2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Andy Baker

Aparupa Bhattacharya

Katherine Cherry Alison Fragale Cheryl Howard Neal

Center for Education Reform

Fifth Third Bank

Brad Karsh Catherine McClay

Heidi Paul Larissa Silberberg Faye P. Teller

GRANTS

Kirsten Villers

John Washington (Chair)

Nicole Woodfork

Ebonie Durham, Executive Director

George W. Bush Foundation

The Jacqueline K. Shay Foundation

CORPORATIONS & FOUNDATIONS

Andrews Family Foundation

Base 10 Solutions

Beautiful Rind

Bulley & Andrew

The Benevity Community Impact Fund

The Blackbaud Giving Fund

Compass ACD Group

Deloitte

Fifth Third Bank

First Eagle Investment Management Foundation

Frontstream

Growth Point Consulting Inc.

Guaranteed Rate

Irving Harris Foundation

Michael Lavelle Wines

Morhaus Services, LLC

ORBA

Pilot Project Brewing, LLC Raytheon Technologies Company

Resistance Pilates

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

Seyfarth

Southport Grill, LLC

Surf’s Up South Shore LLC

United Way

INDIVIDUALS & TRUSTS

CONTRIBUTIONS TOTALING $1,000+

Joshua Ackerman & Julia Schwartz

Nimit & Manjot Aggarwal Lindsey & Merrick Axel Aparupa Bhattacharya Mondira Bhattacharya & Jeffery Trilling

Riva Bakal & Thomas Covert Andy Baker & Sabina McBride Katalin & Jim Blalock Danielle Blass Ellen Carnahan

Christine Chen & Eric Miles

Akeem & Esperanza Cherry JB & Katherine Cherry Katie Coleman Sara Corya

Oana & Sorin Danciu Jason Davis & Tuksi Gaonkar Bradley Dehaan Peggy & Steve Diamond Debra Dobbs Greg Elsner Mary & Chris Fifield Danson Forrest Alison Fragale & Alex Abell Ravin & Sonal Gandhi Robin & Russ Glass Julie & Greg Goldstein Michael Gray Scott & Katy Green Hildi Greenberg Molly Griffin

James & Katie Haran Cheryl Howard Neal Gareth Hayes Christopher & Lilla Hoyes Derek Jamison Candice Johnson Clint & Danelle Jones Darren Kapelus Brad & Lisa Karsh Benjamin & Hope Katz Lawrence & Winnie Kearns Rebecca Kempton Krystal Kim

Elizabeth & Brian Kirk Andrea & Kristopher Knabe Wendy Labrum Nathan & Martha Linsley Carlene Liriano Melissa Loeb

Haltom McClay Allison & David McClay Catherine McClay & Bradley Dawson Heather McGrath Valerie & Steve Metcalf Amanda Micek Jen Morrow Kino Mostany

Phyllis Myers & Dan Greiwe Justin Oberman Dillon Paul Heidi Paul

Abby & Mason Phelphs Adrienne Regis Karen Roche Michael & Molly Saltenberger Jaye & Joe Semrod

Brinda & Vineet Shah Anita & Nikhill Shastri Larissa Silberberg Sima Sistani

Christian & Christine Skizas Beth & Van Stamos Gretchen Stowers Anne Taft

Arthur & Faye Teller Noemie Tilghman Butch Trusty

Rajeev Uppalapati Kirsten & Ned Villers Colette Walsh John Washington & Zoe Hughes Lina Wei

Karen & Greg Weiss Nicole Woodfork