Local High School BUILDS Futures

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Xavier Purnell and Jorge Ramirez were among the more than 100 ACE Tech graduates participating in the school's commencement exercises this past June. ACE Tech is located at 5410 South State Street in Chicagos Washington Park neighborhood. (Photo Courtesy of ACE Tech)
Xavier Purnell and Jorge Ramirez were among the more than 100 ACE Tech graduates participating in the school's commencement exercises this past June. ACE Tech is located at 5410 South State Street in Chicagos Washington Park neighborhood. (Photo Courtesy of ACE Tech)

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STANDARD

Juan Lopez and Natalie Heard pose for a photo at ACE Tech High School's graduation in June. The school's mission is to to provide for our students the highest levels of instruction and academic achievement combined with exemplary character development that will prepare them for post-secondary and apprenticeship education and sustained lifelong success. (Photo Courtesy of ACE Tech)

by Thelma Sardin

A high school in Chicagos Washington Park neighborhood is celebrating a triumphant achievement. This past June, ACE Technical Charter High School announced its 2011 graduating class received more than 1.3 million dollars in scholarship money. According to school officials, the amount is more than any other graduating class has received in its seven year history.

ACE Techs Class of 2011 was also accepted to more colleges and apprenticeships programs than any other class.

ACE stands for architecture, construction and engineering, the three disciplines are the focus of the schools curriculum.

The high school was founded in 2004 by a group of Chicago area architecture, construction and engineering leaders dedicated to preparing inner-city youth for careers in the construction industry.

ACE Tech is doing its part to prepare students for jobs in the global economy that necessitates extensive training in science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) fields. The school hopes its alumni will play a prominent role in helping America maintain its global competitiveness.

The schools 2011 graduates were accepted to numerous colleges and universities across the nation including: Spelman College, Columbia University, Tuskegee University and Purdue University.

ACE Tech has an open enrollment policy and is open to all Chicago Public Schools students and Chicago residents. In addition, the school does not require a minimum grade point average or specific standardized test scores.

If we have more applications than we have slots available, we hold a lottery, said Geri Harston, ACE Techs executive director.

The school is tuition free; however, its administration hopes parents do their part in helping ensure their child is successful.

We expect all students and their families to support the academic program and the strict code of conduct. In return, ACE Tech provides excellent and caring teachers, a safe environment, excellent communication with parents, and an interesting and challenging college-preparatory and a construction trades-focused academic program, as stated on the schools website.

The executive director says aside from the schools core curriculum, students receive a pretty thorough education in the three disciplines that we offer. This is accomplished through a learning model which combines the best hands-on and out of school experiences, according to a released statement.

ACE Tech uses a pre-apprentice approach to execute its curriculum. The method includes classroom training with on-the-job training, offers skills training from working professionals, provides students with quality internship opportunities and offers ongoing mentoring and guidance, according to its website.

ACE Tech serves 500 high school students in grades 9 12. Over 90% of its students are low-income, 85% are minority, and 49% are female. Students come from neighborhoods all across city which creates a very unique and diverse school culture.

ACE Tech still has openings in for its fall 2011 freshman class. For more information, please call 773-548-8705.

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