Great Partners in the Arts
The Chicago International Charter
Schools
Partnerships flourish when committed and talented participants share common goals and where they collaboratively strive to meet their goals. A.R.T. and Chicago International Charter School (CICS) have enjoyed a successful partnership for a number of years and both organizations complement each other, employing innovative strategies to stimulate student-learning. Moreover, the support and administrative expertise of the campus directors (principals); the after-school and resource coordinators at the CICS sites; the director of special projects for the Chicago Charter School Foundation -- Meghan Schmidt – all contribute to the success of the relationship the A.R.T. artists and staff enjoy with the CICS.
The CICS schools feature a constructive and creative environment. A.R.T. supplements the CICS schools’ strong curricula by offering students an opportunity to explore various art mediums and to participate in activities such as the making of a mural. The myriad of offerings that CICS present to their students, including programs by A.R.T., assist students to stretch “their own boundaries to take risks and create new experiences which translate very favorably into the regular school day.” The Chicago International mission espouses their commitment “is to provide, through innovation and choice, an attractive and rigorous college-preparatory education that meets the needs of today’s students.”
Chicago International Charter School incorporated as an independent non-profit organization in 1997, and is the largest charter school in Illinois with approximately 6,450 students from Pre K through 12th grade at eleven neighborhood campuses. Approximately 69% of students are African American, 24% are Latino and the balance is a mix of Asian, Indian and Caucasian. Most students at CICS come from homes with limited means, as evidenced by the fact that 78% participate in the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program, and with varying degrees of tangible academic skills. However, the common thread for these students is a willingness and desire to work hard; to learn in a caring, nurturing environment; to embrace the vision that each individual student can attain college admission; and to build on their own inherent strengths to achieve these goals.
A.R.T. is pleased to support CICS’ mission, and is proud of its ongoing partnership with the schools and their amazing students.
CPS Neighborhood Clusters
A.R.T. is enjoying a flourishing partnership with CPS Neighborhood Magnet Cluster Schools. As in prior years, A.R.T. artists are conducting innovative art-making programs at schools in two clusters, Brainerd-Ashburn and the Calumet Heights/Burnside, and working closely with the CPS Cluster Administrators who oversee them. The three schools in the Brainerd-Ashburn Magnet Cluster will work with an A.R.T. muralist to create canvas murals that reflect themes that are important to each of the schools and their communities. Upon completion of the murals, each of the schools will host a traveling exhibition of all of the murals this spring. Ultimately, each completed mural will be installed at the school from which it originated. The murals will also be displayed in a gallery walk for parents and community members at the cluster’s culminating event this spring.
In addition, A.R.T. is working closely with Chess Education Partners, a professional chess organization that provides chess instruction, team-coaching, and tournaments for the six schools in the Calumet Heights/Burnside Magnet Cluster. In January, A.R.T. will host a professional development workshop for all of the teachers in the Calumet Heights/Burnside Magnet Cluster on how to build and design their own chess set. The teachers, in turn, will make chess sets with their students. Sets created at each of the schools will be exhibited in the spring at the cluster’s culminating event.
The success of A.R.T.’s collaborative partnerships is due in large part to the cooperation, enthusiasm and professionalism of the CPS principals, assistant principals, MCLTs and Cluster Administrators Tonya Williams, Cheryl Armstrong-Belt, and Tamiko Nettles, and of Zack Fishman of Chess Education Partners.
Partnerships flourish when committed and talented participants share common goals and where they collaboratively strive to meet their goals. A.R.T. and Chicago International Charter School (CICS) have enjoyed a successful partnership for a number of years and both organizations complement each other, employing innovative strategies to stimulate student-learning. Moreover, the support and administrative expertise of the campus directors (principals); the after-school and resource coordinators at the CICS sites; the director of special projects for the Chicago Charter School Foundation -- Meghan Schmidt – all contribute to the success of the relationship the A.R.T. artists and staff enjoy with the CICS.
The CICS schools feature a constructive and creative environment. A.R.T. supplements the CICS schools’ strong curricula by offering students an opportunity to explore various art mediums and to participate in activities such as the making of a mural. The myriad of offerings that CICS present to their students, including programs by A.R.T., assist students to stretch “their own boundaries to take risks and create new experiences which translate very favorably into the regular school day.” The Chicago International mission espouses their commitment “is to provide, through innovation and choice, an attractive and rigorous college-preparatory education that meets the needs of today’s students.”
Chicago International Charter School incorporated as an independent non-profit organization in 1997, and is the largest charter school in Illinois with approximately 6,450 students from Pre K through 12th grade at eleven neighborhood campuses. Approximately 69% of students are African American, 24% are Latino and the balance is a mix of Asian, Indian and Caucasian. Most students at CICS come from homes with limited means, as evidenced by the fact that 78% participate in the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program, and with varying degrees of tangible academic skills. However, the common thread for these students is a willingness and desire to work hard; to learn in a caring, nurturing environment; to embrace the vision that each individual student can attain college admission; and to build on their own inherent strengths to achieve these goals.
A.R.T. is pleased to support CICS’ mission, and is proud of its ongoing partnership with the schools and their amazing students.
CPS Neighborhood Clusters
A.R.T. is enjoying a flourishing partnership with CPS Neighborhood Magnet Cluster Schools. As in prior years, A.R.T. artists are conducting innovative art-making programs at schools in two clusters, Brainerd-Ashburn and the Calumet Heights/Burnside, and working closely with the CPS Cluster Administrators who oversee them. The three schools in the Brainerd-Ashburn Magnet Cluster will work with an A.R.T. muralist to create canvas murals that reflect themes that are important to each of the schools and their communities. Upon completion of the murals, each of the schools will host a traveling exhibition of all of the murals this spring. Ultimately, each completed mural will be installed at the school from which it originated. The murals will also be displayed in a gallery walk for parents and community members at the cluster’s culminating event this spring.
In addition, A.R.T. is working closely with Chess Education Partners, a professional chess organization that provides chess instruction, team-coaching, and tournaments for the six schools in the Calumet Heights/Burnside Magnet Cluster. In January, A.R.T. will host a professional development workshop for all of the teachers in the Calumet Heights/Burnside Magnet Cluster on how to build and design their own chess set. The teachers, in turn, will make chess sets with their students. Sets created at each of the schools will be exhibited in the spring at the cluster’s culminating event.
The success of A.R.T.’s collaborative partnerships is due in large part to the cooperation, enthusiasm and professionalism of the CPS principals, assistant principals, MCLTs and Cluster Administrators Tonya Williams, Cheryl Armstrong-Belt, and Tamiko Nettles, and of Zack Fishman of Chess Education Partners.