23 CHA Youth Graduate from Siemens College Prep Course
August 12 2008 - 4:26PM
PR Newswire (US)
Summer Program Teaches Life Skills, Prepares Youth for College
CHICAGO, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In just seven weeks, 23 high
school juniors and seniors who will be completing their last year
of high school and beginning the transition to college life and the
"real world," celebrated their achievements Thursday with improved
skills and scores to reach their career goals. Sponsored by the
Chicago Housing Authority, Siemens Building Technologies, and
Windows of Opportunity, Next Step: College Prep is a different kind
of summer school. This summer school program is more of an office
than it is a classroom. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) Made
possible by the kind of unique public-private partnership that has
marked the success of the CHA's Plan for Transformation, the Next
Step program taught students test-taking skills, study habits and
note-taking to improve test scores, grades and overall academic
success and prepare these young men and women for future
coursework. However, the lessons did not stop at academics. With
the tools to succeed in college now in-hand and graduation just
around the corner, participants in the summer program spent much of
their time honing their job search skills as well. Interviewing
techniques, etiquette courses, relationship and social training,
resume writing and how to 'wow' employers were as important as
reading, writing and math training in the Next Step program.
Shamiko Horace is an example of the progress made possible by the
life skills course. Before her first year - Horace is one of four
who participated two years in a row - she admits she was not
excited about starting the program last summer, but she credits the
curriculum for improving her grades and looked forward to enrolling
again this summer. "To be honest, I took the class last year
because I had nothing better to do," says Horace, a resident of the
mixed-income development Mahalia Place at Legends South. "I had a
good time last summer and [during the 2007-2008 school year] my
grades went from a B average to mostly A's. So, coming back this
year was an easy choice." The results speak for themselves. Using a
system of standardized tests administered throughout the seven-week
course, students improved their reading fluency skills by an
average of more than 34%. Shamiko, for example, improved her
reading ability by more than double, improving from 104 words per
minute to 220 WPM during the course. Students also saw their math
scores improve in programming including Problem Solving, Graphing,
Algebra, Fractions and real-life time and currency problems. CHA
CEO Lewis Jordan spoke about the importance of programs and
partnerships that help rebuild the lives of residents living in CHA
properties or the private market using Housing Choice Vouchers. "I
commend you for your efforts over the past seven weeks," Jordan
told the graduates. "The lessons you have learned this summer will
prepare you for more than your next classroom, they will stay with
you for the rest of your life. You've finished the hard part - you
signed up and completed an important program - what you make of the
rest is up to you." "One or our goals for the kids this summer was
two-fold; to expose them to the ever changing world of science and
technology, as it specifically relates to green-collar jobs in
energy and the environment; and to provide them exposure to a
continuous flow of successful ex-CHA residents who are able to
provide them with real life stories of challenge, hard work, and
achievement," said Jeff Carroll, Siemens Senior Account Executive,
a former CHA resident, and engineering graduate of Illinois
Institute of Technology. Students in the program attended classes
at the Illinois Institute of Technology five days a week, for four
hours each day to ensure success in the coming school year. Siemens
provided participants with food and transportation vouchers while
the CHA provided each participant a stipend of $900 to assist
students who chose intense training over a traditional summer job.
About the Chicago Housing Authority The CHA was created by state
legislation in 1937 to create and expand affordable housing
opportunities for low income families and seniors. Today, through
federal and other resources, the CHA assists approximately 35,000
families who participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program in
private units owned by private landlords. In addition, the CHA owns
15,500 units for families in scattered site, traditional public
housing or mixed income developments and 9,500 units of housing for
senior citizens in 56 senior developments across the city. About
the Plan for Transformation In 1999, the City of Chicago began a
multi-billion dollar, 15-year initiative to renovate or replace the
CHA's entire portfolio of 25,000 public housing units throughout
the city. Currently, 61 percent of the units have been completed,
including the comprehensive renovation of the entire senior
developments and scattered-site stock. Eighty percent of the
portfolio is scheduled to be complete by 2009. The Plan is a
collaboration between the CHA, the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the City of Chicago and its many agencies, area
businesses and non-profit organizations.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Siemens Building
Technologies CONTACT: Adaku Onyeka, +1-312-913-7482, of CHA Office
of Communications; Wick Swanton of MK Communications,
+1-312-822-0505, , for Siemens Building Technologies; Steve Kuehn,
+1-847-941-6047, of Siemens Building Technologies
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