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Our Perspectives

quarterly newsletter series | summer 2022 www.pcsedu.org Dear Friend, When we welcomed our first class of students twenty-five years ago, Perspectives immediately distinguished itself as a bold innovator. Compared to today, the educational landscape did not focus on robust social-emotional learning programs or holistic education models to support the whole child. The pioneering vision of our founders, that schools must equally support both academic achievement and social-emotional learning, has evolved over the past twenty-five years into our A Disciplined Life® Education Model. In this model, students focus on academic rigor, social-emotional learning, and experiential opportunities, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to understand not only their world and their work, but, most importantly, themselves. We’re proud to say that the educational landscape has finally caught up with Perspectives’ approach and joined us in embracing robust social-emotional learning for all students. Perspectives’ continuous learning and innovation in the SEL space over the past twenty-five years primed us to support our students as they weathered the difficulties of the pandemic. Despite all of the challenges we faced, the A Disciplined Life education model buoyed not only our spirits, but our students’ many accomplishments this year. As you’ll see in this edition of Our Perspectives, our students’ achievements this past school year were outstanding. These achievements were made possible by the generous sharing of your time, talent, and resources. We are so grateful for your support and partnership. It truly has made a world of difference for our students. Sincerely,

Deborah Stevens Chief Executive Officer, Perspectives Charter Schools

A Disciplined Life Education Model Works Panorama, the #1 social-emotional learning measurement tool in a 2021 report from Tyton Partners supported by CASEL and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, confirms that our A Disciplined Life Model works. When compared to similar schools nationwide, Perspectives’ students fall into the following percentiles for their ability to: • 90th percentile - Use strategies to manage their learning processes and exhibit grit • 90th percentile - Regulate and manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations • 70th percentile - Consider, understand, and empathize with the perspectives of other

CONGRATS! Class of 2022 Perspectives recently wrapped up the 2021-2022 school year, and we were thrilled to celebrate our graduating seniors! The future for our graduating students, who remained fearless and unstoppable through every challenge, is bright and promising. They are evidence, proof positive, of our community’s brilliance, resilience, and strength. Congratulations to the graduates of 2022! Click here or the image below to see photos from our graduation celebrations.

The Class of 2022 Making Perspectives Proud Celebrating Perspectives Charter Schools’ 25th year has been a moment of pride for our entire network. What started out as a single-classroom has grown into a family of five schools across Chicago’s South Side. Year after year, our graduates contribute to Perspectives’ legacy of excellence. Well, this year is no different. The Class of 2022 has left their mark, and we are impressed! Please take a look at the accomplishments of our Class of 2022. o o o o

99% of our seniors graduated 100% of our seniors were accepted to a college or university 100% of our seniors completed the FAFSA, unlocking solutions to fund their post-secondary education, if needed 100 % of our seniors graduated with a clear post-secondary plan o 51% plan to attend a 4 year college or university o 20% plan to attend a 2 year college o 15% plan to enter the workforce o 9% plan to pursue a trade and/or certification o 5% plan to join the military Our seniors won over $16,000,000 in scholarship funds, including: o 1 Illinois State Scholar o 1 Horizon Scholarship Recipient, attending Howard University (full-ride, totaling $100,000) o 3 Lundbeck Scholarship Recipients, attending the school of their choice (totaling $15,000) Our graduates were accepted by highly selective universities, including: o Purdue University o Bradley University o St. Xavier University o DePaul University o Tuskegee University o DePauw University o University of Chicago o Drake University o University of Illinois Chicago o Howard University o University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign o Illinois Institute of Technology o University of Kansas o Jackson State University o University of Kentucky o Loyola University o University of Michigan o Marquette University o University of Minnesota o Miami University of Ohio o University of Texas o Michigan State University o University of Wisconsin o Morehouse College o North Carolina A&T University

Thank you, Horizon! $100,000 Scholarship Awarded to Graduating Senior Horizon Therapeutics is a valued partner of Perspectives and their partnership with the IIT Math and Science Academy has continued to radically transform the lives of a graduating senior each year. This year, they awarded their $100,000 scholarship to Shyra Patterson, a Class of 2022 graduate from MSA. This phenomenally generous scholarship was created by Horizon to empower talented young people of color from the Chicagoland area to pursue a degree of their choice at Howard University. We’re confident that Shyra is going to do incredible things at Howard University this fall. Thank you, Horizon Therapeutics, for your continued support!

Thank you, Lundbeck! $5,000 STEM Scholarships Awards to Three Perspectives Graduates Lundbeck is a passionate supporter of Perspectives and their generosity towards our college-bound seniors has been an annual source of hope and pride for our network. The biopharmaceutical company has yet again offered $5,000 scholarships to three college-bound Perspectives seniors who are planning to study STEM. These flexible scholarships can be applied to room, board, tuition, textbooks, or other miscellaneous costs. This adaptability allows students to choose how to best use their awards to start their own higher education journeys off on stable, comfortable footing. These scholarships change the lives of students who receive them, reward academic excellence, and empathize the importance of science and technology careers. We are humbled by Lundbeck’s continued support and generosity of our network, and thanks to their commitment, Perspectives students will continue to shoot for the stars in STEM. To apply for the scholarship, students had to display academic proficiency through their GPA and their SAT scores. They were also asked to write an essay about the importance of STEM education in their lives. We couldn’t be more proud of our students who received the scholarship this year: Phayth Walker, Alayna Gale, and Naomi Chess. We can’t wait to see what Phayth, Alyana, and Naomi will accomplish next. Thank you to our partners and friends at Lundbeck! Congratulations to all of our scholarship recipients!

“This is an absolute lifechanger for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful for such an amazing opportunity. I won’t let it go to waste and I won’t disappoint, because it doesn’t end here!” -Shyra Patterson

“The Lundbeck Scholarship will help further my knowledge of STEM and give me a motivated mindset” - Phayth Walker

“These funds will help me achieve my higher education goals by providing me with additional resources to pursue a profession in STEM.” - Alayna Gale

“This scholarship will help me pay for room and board as I study criminology at Piedmont University.” - Naomi Chess

NFTE Midwest Championship Our Students Win Big! On May 25th, Perspectives students competed in the NFTE Midwest Chicago Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) hosts competitions where young students present their innovative business ideas to a panel of judges. Perspectives students won awards in several categories. We had an impressive showing, starting with Nasjha Lucas and Triston Peeler – the CEOs of NTC – earning 2nd place in the region. Not only did they win $1,000 for their business, they also secured a spot at Nationals and will be going to compete in New York City this fall! We also had a number of students who competed in the “fast pitch” category. Eight businesses were in the running, and half of those were businesses developed by Perspectives Leadership Campus students! PCS student Hezekiah Williams won 1st place and earned $250 towards his business, Hood Kingdom. Our other entries included:   

iRelate, owned by students Ja’Niyah Flakes, Briana Barker, and Mekhi Cochra Locs & Shops, owned by students Jalen Brewer and Khalid Tate-Conn NAKU, owned by students Dwight Puckett, Saniah Owens, and Jabarie Harris

Congratulations to our students for an extraordinary showing at this competition! The whole network is proud of your discipline, ingenuity, and ambition. Thank you for demonstrating the amazing capabilities of our network! We’re excited to see what other entrepreneurship projects Perspectives students come up with.

Want to learn more about where we’ve been and where we’re going? Click here or the image to the right to check out our new promotional video. 4

Celebrate Freedom with MSA Cares 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration Last year, Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy (MSA) began a community investment initiative called MSA Cares. This staff-led effort championed community empowerment and connection with the greater Bronzeville community. One of the first events MSA Cares hosted was its inaugural Juneteenth celebration in 2021, featuring State Representative Lamont Robinson, State Senator Mattie Hunter, and Alderman Pat Dowell and doubled as a voter registration event. MSA Cares brought back the Juneteenth event this year. Our 2022 celebration featured scholarship awards, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament and amazing local artists providing entertainment.

Summer Programs

It's been a successful start for summer programs! As part of our partnership with Chicago Youth Centers (CYC-21st), our Leadership Campus is hosting a variety of programs. Chef Gina is introducing students to the world of cooking. Kidtek is teaching coding, illustration, and graphic design. We are looking forward to seeing their final projects! There is a short film being created in theater, while basketball is jam-packed with various skills being taught each week. A STEM and athletics camp are taking place at our Math and Science Academy this summer. Last week's lesson focused on different types of energy. Windmills and solar cells were created by students as part of their study of renewable energy. Athletics incorporates volleyball, basketball, and other activities to keep the body moving. It's shaping up to be an awesome summer for all!

A Year of Teamwork Athletics Update PCS Athletics came back very strong this year! It was fantastic returning to a full slate of athletics offerings for our students and providing positive outlets and opportunities. Dealing with the pandemic affected many things, athletics included, so our return to host in-person events with cheering fans was a breath of fresh air and tremendously exciting! Perspectives accomplished much in athletics this year. From both PLC and MSA/Joslin varsity boys basketball programs winning their respective conference championships, to PLC boys wrestling sending 10 qualifiers to the sectional championships, to a conference championship for our girls varsity softball program at PLC, we’ve had a banner year. The PCS Volleyball, Basketball and Dance Showcases were also huge successes and our year culminated in our first annual network Athletics Banquet! The event saw over 175 of our student-athletes and coaches across the network in attendance dressed in a “sneaker ball” theme while presenting awards for our teams across 11 sports! There was great energy at the event all night, and we’re looking forward to continually carrying on these PCS traditions in the future. Our teams all competed at a high level and pushed for excellence all year, and we couldn’t be more proud to represent an athletics department like ours at Perspectives. Our coaches and student-athletes put in the hard work and dedication in the off-season and during the season to get the outcomes they’ve achieved. And more importantly, our student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom! We set a mantra in PCS athletics that we have to “live A Disciplined Life on and off the court,” and our student-athletes are up to the task! Fun fact: this year’s valedictorian and salutatorian at Perspectives Leadership Campus were both active participants in athletics all four years. How awesome is that?!?! Looking forward, our goal is to continue to offer great sports programming for the students at Perspectives, and to continue the mission of impacting lives positively through education and athletics.

Our Legacy. Our Promise. Our Future The A Disciplined Life Gala On May 6th, we gathered to celebrate 25 incredible years since the founding of Perspectives. This year’s theme - Our Legacy. Our Promise. Our Future. - was all about celebrating our history, ensuring that our work today honors our commitment to our mission, and preparing for another 25 years of impact and achievement. We were joined by supporters and friends from throughout our history, and we got to hear from students, alumni, staff, and board members about what Perspectives means to them. Together, we honored three outstanding individuals with the A Disciplined Life ethical leadership award. Larry Ashkin, Anthony Carmello, and William Heard were recognized for their leadership, support, and devotion to Perspectives’ students. While reflecting on our numerous achievements from the 25 years, we came together to support our future. The gala raised over $466,000 that will all be invested in the many programs and wraparound services Perspectives provides students each and every day. On behalf of the Perspectives’ family, we are grateful for all of the support and positivity we’ve experienced over the past 25 years! Didn’t get to attend this year’s gala? Click here or the image below and watch our recap videos.

Our Mission and Background Living a Disciplined Life. Perspectives was founded by two teachers who believed that character development and academic achievement are interrelated. Together, they built an education model combining academic rigor, social-emotional learning, and experiential opportunities into the A Disciplined Life curriculum.

Our mission at Perspectives is to provide students with a rigorous and relevant education, based on the principles of A Disciplined Life®, preparing them for life in a changing world and helping them further become intellectually reflective, caring and ethical people engaged in a meaningful life. Perspectives manages five public, non-selective, tuition-free schools serving students in grades 6-12 in the communities of Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville, Chatham, and South Loop.     

Perspectives/IIT Math and Science Academy (Bronzeville) Perspectives Rodney D. Joslin Campus (South Loop) Perspectives Middle Academy (Auburn Gresham/Chatham) Perspectives Leadership Academy (Auburn Gresham/Chatham) Perspectives High School of Technology (Auburn Gresham/Chatham)