MPHS Vendor Fair
Strengthening the Ties That Bind: A Community Affair will be held Sun., Mar. 10, 12 to 4 p.m., Morgan Park High School, 1744 W. Pryor. The event will feature a variety of vendors and organizations offering items for purchase such as food, clothes, jewelry and art. Shop to support the neighborhood high school.
St. Cajetan Warriors for St. Baldrick’s
St. Cajetan School, 2447 W, 112th St., is Braving the Shave and Taking the Stage for the 5th Annual St. Baldrick’s event, Sat., Mar. 9, 5 to 9 p.m. in the gym. The Irish Fest will feature entertainment by local Irish Dance schools. All money raised through the St. Baldrick’s site goes directly toward pediatric cancer research, as the school and parish continue to remember and honor Liam Bonner, Elliot McGann and Beau Dowling. Sign up or donate: www.stbaldricks.org/events/StCajetan2019
Kellogg School Awarded Bee Grant
Whole Kids Foundation with the Bee Cause Project has awarded Kellogg School, 9241 S. Leavitt, a $1500 Bee Grant to develop a pollinator garden at the school by adding two bee hives.
Kellogg School has been growing crops of student gardeners for a few years now, and the grant will add a new and fascinating component to outdoor education. The program was introduced at a meeting in February when a bee keeper from South Side Occupational came out to educate the school community about bees and pollination.
The Whole Kids Foundation was founded by Whole Foods Market. The Bee Grant provides support for elementary schools to install educational bee hives that enable students to observe bees up close and learn about the role bees play in as pollinators in the food system.
MPHS Class of 1979 40th Reunion
The Morgan Park High School Class of 1979 will hold a reunion Fri., Aug. 17, 7 p.m., Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, 5200 W. 127th St., Alsip. Reunion events also include a catered picnic Sat., Aug. 18, 11 a.m., in picnic grove rubio 02, Midlothian. Tickets are $100 per person and cover banquet, picnic, t-shirt and souvenir. Purchase tickets on PayPal (login morganparksreunion@gmail.com) or send certified check or money order to MPHS 40th Reunion, P.O. Box 437332, Chicago, IL 60643. Include maiden name, number of attendees, t-shirt sizes, phone number and address. Payment deadline is July 15. Questions: 872-216-5877.
MPA Students Are Tops in National Geographic Bee
Morgan Park Academy students Alexander Hendel, a 5th-grader and Lauren Fifer, a 6th-grader, both from Beverly/Morgan Park, and Riya Kapoor, an 8th-grader from Frankfort, were the top three finishers, respectively, in the National Geographic Bee in January.
Hendel edged Fifer in the final round, after a long tie, by knowing that the Red Sea connects to the Gulf of Aden via the Bab el-Mandeb, a strait between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
As school champion, Hendel will take an online test to see if he qualifies to compete at the state level.
Interested in learning more about academic and extracurricular opportunities at MPA? Visit for these events: The Wonder Years: Middle School Advantage, Wed., Mar. 6, 6:30 p.m.; Lower School Spotlight, Thurs., Mar. 14, 6 p.m.; Early Education Night, Thurs., Mar. 21, 6 p.m., and the Spring Arts Showcase, Thurs., Apr. 11, 6 p.m. MPA is located at 2153 W. 111th St. For info or to register, visit morganparkacademy.org or call 773-881-6700.
Mother McAuley High School Named Participant in Amazon Future Engineer Program
Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School has been named a participating school in the Amazon Future Engineer program, which will encourage students to explore computer science to help advance the number of women pursuing careers in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) – countering gender disparity within these fields. McAuley is the largest all-girls’ Catholic high school in Chicago, and currently is one of only five all-girls’ private schools nationwide to be named part of the program.
Through the Future Engineer program, McAuley will receive free resources for its Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science course. Faculty directing the course will be given free professional development during the 2019-2020 school year. For students, cloud-based resources will be available to help them prepare for the AP exam. Further extending the benefits, students who successfully complete AP Computer Science with a grade point average of 3.0 or better and decide to continue their studies in college are eligible for a $10,000 scholarship through Amazon. These same students will then qualify for an internship at Amazon during their freshman and sophomore years in college, providing they meet other requirements of the program.
“Resources and programs are essential to direct and foster girls interest in STEM,” said Eileen O’Reilly, principal of Mother McAuley. “Mother McAuley was founded on the premise of empowering women, and this exciting partnership with Amazon supports our efforts to help our students develop skills and talents that will benefit their own education and career aspirations, while narrowing the gap between the number of women and men in STEM professions.”
According to Amazon, women who try AP Computer Science in high school are 10 times more likely to major in the subject in college, and the Bureau of Labor Statistic reports that 58 percent of all new jobs in STEM are in computing.
“Nurturing girls’ interest in STEM fields of study is imperative, especially as STEM careers are often referred to as the jobs of the future,” said Kim Turnbull, chair of the McAuley science department. “The Amazon Future Engineer program augments our STEM pipeline and is a fantastic complement to current courses and clubs like Engineering Principles, Computer Science Essentials and Art and Emerging Technology, and Girls Who Code.”
Mother McAuley has long emphasized the importance of experiential learning opportunities. Advancements in the school’s curriculum and facilities have fueled interest in a variety of career disciplines, from education to STEM. The Little School program – now in its 37th year – allows senior students to earn college credit and work onsite at local grade schools to gain firsthand experience as educators. Introduction to Business, and Introduction to Nursing, are college-level courses taught by university professors through a partnership with Saint Xavier University (SXU), with the latter exposing students to the SXU simulation lab. In 2012, McAuley opened two, new, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, state-of-the-art Chemistry labs. Launched in 2018, the Professional ABCs (Advice Beyond the Classroom) Club introduces students to discussions, field trips and mentoring to cultivate critical networking and leadership skills.
