High Jump Alumna and TA, Caroline
Caroline is a High Jump alumna and a junior at the Latin School, which is where her own Teaching Assistants (TAs) attended when Caroline was enrolled at High Jump. “My TAs went to Latin and I looked up to them a lot,” she says. “I guess I did end up following in their footsteps!” This…
Meet Daniel, Future Engineer
Daniel is the youngest of five siblings and the only one attending remote CPS classes this year. After learning about High Jump from his school principal and English teacher, Daniel enrolled at the Lab School campus last year, where he developed a passion for science lab. “I love dissecting animals and seeing what makes them…
Adapting Our Fall Programming Amidst COVID-19
By the spring of 2020, we knew that our summer program would have to be quite different than in years past. Thankfully, the changes we made for summer were strategic, research-informed, and ultimately successful. With the threat of COVID-19 greater than ever, we used the same structure for our fall programming. Here’s how we adapted…
High Jump’s New Chief Programs Officer: Yolanda Luna-Mroz
On December 1, 2020, High Jump welcomed Yolanda Luna-Mroz as our new Chief Programs Officer overseeing leadership and development for High Jump’s successful middle-grade enrichment program, alumni program extension, and upcoming pilot program. “I am professionally and personally driven by a commitment to equity and a belief that education can be an engine for social…
High Jump Alumnus and Board of Directors Member in The Executives’ Club of Chicago Member Spotlight
Featured by The Executives’ Club of Chicago in their Member Spotlight, John Akalaonu is Senior Vice President, Customer Delivery of CDK Global. He is also an active member of our Board of Directors and an alumnus of High Jump (Cohort 4). Born and raised in Chicago, John attended high school at Culver Academies following his…
Cohort 30 High School Choice
Every High Jump 8th-grade student works one-on-one with teachers and staff to ensure a right-fit high school choice that will support their needs and goals. Amid school closures in 2020, High School Choice programming was continued via one-on-one virtual meetings— providing guidance and support for more than 150 students. Below is a list of the…
Reflection Surveys Improve Virtual Programming
This summer has presented many new challenges that make continuous inquiry and analysis crucial to improving virtual programming for High Jump students. Incorporating weekly surveys from students, families, teachers, and teaching assistants has provided reflections and feedback that reinforce what’s working and reveal areas of improvement. As we look to the Fall and beyond, surveys,…
Self-expression Readies Students for High School
If you could let it all out in a speech, what would you say, and to whom? This is just one of the thought-provoking exercises that High Jump High Freshman Seminar students work on this summer. Through this self-expression exercise, students reveal a need to “get noticed” and share that they are “relieved to get…
Virtual Tech Assistants Keep Students Learning
Adapting our highly interactive in-person program for virtual lessons does not go without some obstacles. But with the help of our Tech TAs, students at High Jump’s summer session are supported with technical assistance at any time during their class day. Following Morning Assembly, where Campus Directors encourage students and help get them ready for…
Alumni Spotlight: Denisse
High school sophomore Denisse says her parents always told her, “Your education will make you someone one day,” and so they were excited to learn about High Jump’s free academic enrichment program. When Denisse first started at High Jump she felt panicked because it was a completely new environment. She started out being very quiet,…