WRIGHTWOOD’S TURBULENT

TRANSFORMATIONby Jennifer Kaiser | photos by Joshua Dunn

20 | FocalPoint

The Board of Directors and leadership of Civitas Schools (educational management partner) recognized the need for some remedial work, so they recruited dynamic new leadership. Finally, the organization developed the positive relationships with residents and area leaders that are critical to the success of a neighborhood school. As with our students, the Wrightwood campus started achieving community rela-tions targets as soon as it put forward the right effort and received the right support.

Now under the direction of David Lewis, Wrightwood stands out as a stable, safe, and effective school. Its neighbors accept and value its contribution to their community. The campus today meets academic targets, and its first eighth grade class graduates this June, ready for the challenges of high school.

OPPOSITE PAGE: DIRECTOR DAVID LEWIS AND STUDENTS ARE DEDICATED TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE AT CICS WRIGHTWOOD.BELOW: WITH THE HELP OF A STRONG LEADERSHIP TEAM, TEACHERS AND STAFF ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OF POSITIVE GROWTH.

Chicago International’s Wrightwood campus had a rocky start. The interim period from campus establish-ment to school opening was only six weeks long, in the summer of 2005. There was barely sufficient time to hire staff and pre- pare the facility, so the fundamental jobs of community outreach and relationship-building with the alderman and neighbors went undone.

With the Catholic school of St. Thomas More already closed, area residents were fearful of the changes a new school might impose.

Once it opened, the Wrightwood campus struggled to reach Chicago International’s high standards. Over its first three years, the campus had three directors and a 70% turnover in staff. As one might expect, student academic progress was mixed in this shifting environment.

FocalPoint | 21

22 | FocalPoint

GrowingPains

LEFT TO RIGHT: DIRECTOR DAVID LEWIS, PRIMARY TEAM LEADER BERTHA NUNEZ, INTERMEDIATE TEAM LEADER MELINDA JEAN-BAPTISTE AND HUMANITIES TEAM LEADER CHARON BRADLEY

Dramatic improvements in test scores testify to the school’s academic rigor, but the leadership team goes beyond test scores to educate the entire child.

This campus is strongly committed to after-school programs, student clubs, parent engagement, and the “extras” that many public schools have had to eliminate from their budgets: creative writing, health and physical education, and the visual and performing arts.

Wrightwood so values these subjects, in fact, that they have established a new department for them: WHAMM (Writing Health Art Music and Media). These subjects are integrated into classroom learning and beyond the school day. Students produce a play or musical once every quarter, with one major production each year, such as last year’s The Lion King and this year’s The Wiz. These shows bring the whole community together—children, families, staff, and neighbors—immersing the students in a network of support.

What makes you most proud about CICS Wrightwood?

David Lewis Campus Director“I’m proud to work with a committed team of professionals who buy into the mission of doing what we have to do to provide the best educational opportunity for our students—who buy into closing the achievement gap in urban education by any means necessary.”

The early problems experienced at Wrightwood taught Chicago International to always prioritize school quality over rapid growth.

At the same time, the Wrightwood campus represents a sweet kind of success as the students at this once-struggling school learn, grow, and shine!

Charon Bradley Humanities Team Leader“We are a campus that’s able to speak to the children’s needs. We don’t teach over their heads. We go down to their level to raise it up through curriculum, through assessment, but also through music, dance, and movement. We collectively give each student the attention that’s specific for their needs.”

Joseph Dolan Junior Academy Team Leader“I’m most proud of our eighth grade students. They are our first eighth grade graduating class, and they set a high precedent for all the classes that will follow them. They’ve raised the bar with their test scores, particularly in reading. They made great strides in just two years.”

FocalPoint | 23

GrowingPains

GRADES K–8 (3 of each!)

EMO (Educational Management Organization) Civitas

STUDENT BODY 690 = 98% African-American, 2% Latino

OPENED August 2005

NEIGHBORHOOD 8130 S. California, Chicago

DIRECTOR David A. Lewis

We, the students of CICS

Wrightwood campus, believe we can never

be over educated. We receive

excellent grades in every class.

We are all great and powerful

leaders. We overcome all struggles, no matter how hard they seem. We are all strong, intelligent

people. We are all important people. We all

live great lives. We are all the best that

we can be. We are successful

in everything we do!

by Catherine Montgomery, class of 2009