Home » Entries posted by Vanessa Valentin
after school \ back of the yards \ chavez mulitcultural academy \ citizen schools \ cps \ extended learning day \ longer school day
Longer School Day – Finding Ways to Utilize Students’ Time Wisely
When Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academy Principal, Barton Dassinger, realized that one of the learning programs implemented in the 2010-2011 school year was no longer an option for his students, he began to look for alternatives. With a longer school day to fill this year, the answer, he says, came when he discovered a program [...]
application \ cesar e multicultural academy \ dassinger \ hedges elementary \ high school \ local elementary schools \ seventh graders \ seward academy
Preparing for High School: Local Elementaries Prepare Seventh Graders for the High School Application Process
As students anxiously wait for acceptance letters into their top high schools, local elementary schools are already preparing seventh graders for next fall. “I have been working to ensure that our students get as much access to the high school options that are available in the city,” said Barton Dassinger, principal at Cesar E. Chavez [...]
Farragut Career Academy \ neighborhood sports little village \ nslv \ stadium lights \ world sport chicago \ wsc
New Stadium Lights for Farragut Academy
Little Village, one of the neighborhoods with the least amount of green space per capita in the city has welcomed new stadium lights to the track and field on the Farragut Career Academy grounds. Senior Salvador Vences said he rarely visits the field but thinks that the new lights are a way to invite others [...]
5K race \ carlos jaramillo \ carrera de los muertos \ day of the dead \ pilsen \ race of the dead \ university village \ uno charter schools
Carrera de los Muertos: Day of the Dead 5K Race Helps Fund After School Programs
UNO’s fifth annual Carrera de Los Muertos, or Race of the Dead will come to life Saturday, October 29 at 8 a.m. as participants run 5K through Pilsen and University Village. Over 2,500 runners raced to the finish line last year and enjoyed a mariachi, folkloric performances, food and music throughout the event. Carlos Jaramillo, [...]
arturo velasquez institute \ best mole in little village \ contest \ feria del mole \ little village \ mexico \ mole \ universidad popular
Universidad Popular Reaches Community Empowerment Through Culture
A community center in Little Village, Universidad Popular, not only encourages new ideas, but works to establish strong events in order to encourage participation in the community. One such event, Feria del Mole, will celebrate six years of success on Sept. 24 at the Arturo Velasquez Institute. Participants can try about 40 different moles and [...]
back of the yards \ brighton park \ Community Schools Coordinator \ Engelwood \ GED \ Lincoln Square \ Literacy Chicago \ Stacy Koumbis \ Tilden Career Academy \ tilden career community academy high school
Stacy Koumbis Brings Resources to Local Communities
When Stacy Koumbis first arrived to Tilden Career Community Academy High School three years ago, she said she “didn’t understand the community.” As she sits in her office, talking to a current student and giving her advice about friendships, it is clear that is no longer the case. Koumbis, who studied sculpture and printmaking at [...]
Literacy Chicago: Promotes Adult Education, Partners with Local Schools
Almost 20 years ago Literacy Volunteers of Chicago and Literacy Council of Chicago, two successful organizations, combined their resources and merged into one organization – Literacy Chicago. Today, the organization has expanded from their downtown location to several communities, bringing much needed resources to neighborhoods like Back of the Yards. “Literacy Chicago provides much needed [...]
aquaponics \ brewery \ building \ green \ green submarine pickles \ industrial vertical farm \ jobs \ john edel \ living well brewery \ peer foods \ sustainable \ the new chicago brewing company \ the plant
Old Peer Foods Building Transformed to Promote Sustainability
The music blaring from the small radio resting on a cart in one corner of the room deafened the echoes of harsh construction sounds while workers, mainly volunteers, focused on their task in a huge, dusty room — a small part of the four story, 93,500 square feet of rooms that will be renovated [...]
back of the yards \ green \ history \ industrial vertical farm \ john edel \ peer foods \ stockyards \ sustainable \ the plant
“The Plant” Owner John Edel Chooses Stockyards to House Industrial Vertical Farm
As the Stockyards continue to become a place for innovation and sustainability projects (Testa Produce opened a green distribution center earlier this year), John Edel, 41, has joined the movement, working in the neighborhood he has always found fascinating. He calls himself an industrial history buff and said that as a lifelong Chicagoan, understanding the [...]
12th Annual Summer Opera \ chicago \ Elbio Barilari \ Explore Chicago \ Maria de Buenos Aires \ Raul Jaurena \ safe summer activities \ Tango Operita \ theater
12th Annual Summer Opera Presents “Maria de Buenos Aires” in Free Performances
Seduction, life and death come together for a night with “Maria de Buenos Aires,” at The 12th Annual Summer Opera, a story by Astor Piazzolla and Horacio Ferrer, which will be performed free for guests from Friday, August 12 to Sunday, August 14. “[Audiences] will see a brilliant combination of opera and tango in a [...]
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