Senator Durbin Visits Sullivan High School

Senator Dick Durbin visited Sullivan High School on Wednesday June 1, 2011 @ 3:45pm. The purpose of the Senator’s visit was to provide him with an overview of a College & Career Academy in Chicago Public Schools, and to make him aware of the positive impact that Career & Technical Education has on our students. Senator Durbin received an overview of a successful CTE Academy Model. Our wonderful guests included Senator Durbin and his team, Mark Williams from the Illinois State Board of Education, CTE Administration, representatives from Weiss Memorial Hospital, Swedish Covenant Hospital, the Enhance Education Foundation, CompTIA, IL Health Advisory Council, the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC), and many more. Teachers and partners shared with the group how they support the students at Sullivan and CTE across the city. School administrators provided an overview of Sullivan and the positive impact CTE has had at their school including a 100% college acceptance rate, 89% program retention, a POSSE scholarship & Gates Millennium scholarship winner, and much more. Ms. Chadra Lang, Academy Coordinator, then shared what makes a successful College & Career Academy. She discussed the importance of recruitment (citywide), a uniform admissions process, Academy teacher teams (Core + CTE), 4-year honors curriculum, industry certifications, internships, college preparation and support, parent engagement, and industry support/validation. Sullivan has wonderful industry partners that provide opportunities for our CTE students. This is an important part of learning for our kids; it also helps validate the CTE curriculum & mission. Senator Durbin heard from Maria Rivera, the Workforce Development Consultant from Children’s Memorial Hospital, and Gretchen Koch & Terry Erdle for CompTIA on how important our CTE programs are for creating future employees/health professionals for organizations, and the growing demand for Health/IT professionals. He also heard from faculty about how the Medical/CTE curriculum is integrated into core classes and art.

The most important part of the evening was when CTE students shared their experiences and how CTE impacted their lives. Students have been able to learn and grow both academically and professionally in this program. They develop self-esteem and confidence, and a sense of direction for their lives. Six graduating seniors shared their experiences over the last 4 years that included; paid/unpaid internships, Honors/AP coursework, industry certifications, networking opportunities, college preparation/support, and their college choices. Two sophomores discussed the service learning & integrated projects which all sophomores must complete as part of the Academy.

At the conclusion of the program, student ambassadors provided the group with a tour of the CTE Medical Lab/Classroom. While in the CTE Lab, guests were able to see our CTE students demonstrate their skills. The students (juniors) demonstrated CPR, Vital Signs, Phlebotomy, and EKG’s.

This was a wonderful opportunity for our kids to be able to share with Senator Durbin and guests the importance of CTE. CTE provides our students with the skills and confidence necessary to successfully transition into post-secondary institutions and careers of their choice.