SCHOOLS ON SOUTH SIDE RECEIVE NEW DESIGNATION PROGRAMS

Tori Williams is the principal of Parkside Elementary School. The school will starts its STEAM program beginning in fall 2020. Photo courtesy of Chicago Public Schools
Tori Williams is the principal of Parkside Elementary School. The school will starts its STEAM program beginning in fall 2020. Photo courtesy of Chicago Public Schools

Schools on South Side receive new designation programs

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Chicago Public Schools recently announced that Parkside Elementary School and Percy L. Julian High School are among the 22 elementary and high schools who have received new designation programs.

Tori Williams is the principal of Parkside Elementary. In the fall 2020, the school will have a new STEAM program. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Williams said she chose STEAM because it connects all of the school subject areas. She used the analogy of bridges to illustrate the point of how, for example, a math teacher may be teaching about geometry. In science, a teacher may be building bridges. In a technology class, teachers may be creating the plans for those bridges using a computer program while in social studies, students may be learning about particular bridges that were built and what significance they have and why they were put there.

Williams added there were a lot of extra hours spent talking to the school community -- students, parents and community residents. She hosted meetings with the staff to talk about how becoming a STEAM school would benefit the students. She also did a student survey, which asked the students questions about what it would mean to them to be a STEAM school.

“So, instead of us giving them the information, we wanted to hear from them and see what they thought,” Williams said. “They were excited about bringing new technology to the school. They asked questions about 3-D printing and seemed excited about the opportunity to have 3-D printing at the school.”

Williams said the connection with classes through a STEAM program gives them a deeper understanding of content.

“STEAM brings the learning from the abstract to the concrete,” she said. “When we use our art and our science, those subjects bring it and make it more relevant and more understandable and more real to the students,” she added. “You’re not just learning about geometry, but now you’re putting it into action, you’re using those skills.”

Williams said the STEAM program will help the students become more aware of the college and career choices they have.

Myron Hester is the principal of Percy L. Julian High School and in the fall 2020, the school will start a fine and performing arts program. Hester said from the data, there were elementary schools with a fine and performing arts pathway, but not a high school with that offering. So, there was a need for the program on the far South Side. “We wanted to tap into this resource not only to bring equity to the South Side, but we know our students thrive when they’re able to touch into the arts,” Hester stated.

He added incorporating the arts into the curriculum helps to meet the needs of all the students – from diverse learners to high performing students. “We’ve been big on the arts. This is a moment now where we can expand what we’re doing,” he said. He said it gives the school an opportunity to have a high quality performing arts program, “that also includes digital media and radio and TV, which also incorporates some creative expression through technology.”

Hester said the students are excited about the potential of what Julian can do. “I know my students love to dance, they love spoken word, they love to sing,” he said. “They’re very gifted. So, to be able to offer this platform to them, it’s really exciting.”

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