Education & Families News
Students following the engineering program at Horizon Science Academy - McKinley Park are finishing up their final projects to cap off the year and prep for the Horizon Science Academy Engineering Symposium, coming up on Friday, May 24. The high school program, which includes study across engineering disciplines, is yielding results by introducing students to both practical knowledge and engineering career paths.
"Being surrounded by STEM and robotics for the past six years has helped me figure out what I want to do: study mechanical engineering," said Horizon senior Alyssa, who will be attending San Diego State University next year. "Because of classes like physics and engineering, I've learned that I enjoy understanding how things function."
Read more: Student Engineers Share Their Final Projects, Prep For Horizon Symposium
Economic independence for its students and community lies at the crux of the mission of the National Latino Education Institute, said Executive Director Elba Aranda-Suh. Its method? "Create a pipeline to the trades world" to enable great careers for workers while supplying a desperately needed workforce to rapidly growing industries, she said.
"This is a very viable and fruitful career," she said. "There are really great jobs that don't require a four-year degree, but training in between."
Read more: Institute Rolls Out Accredited Programs Toward High-Paying, In-Demand Jobs
The FIRST 5125 Hawks on the Horizon robotics team from Horizon Science Academy - McKinley Park is getting set for national-level competition after dominating in the regionals in Wisconsin at the end of March. Now heading to the Detroit national robotics championship from Thursday, April 25, through Saturday, April 27, the Hawks are flying high after winning Wisconsin's Regional Chairman's Award, the most prestigious award in the March competition.
"I'm proud of everything our team has done," said Carlos Perez, Director of Control Systems and four-year team veteran. "We are finally seen as a team who does more with the limited resources we have, and are changing the meaning of the award by making a call to action."
Read more: Horizon Robotics Team Dominates in Wisconsin Regionals, Heads to Detroit Nationals
Nathanael Greene Elementary School, one of the McKinley Park neighborhood's local-enrollment schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), lauded its principal, Shelly Lugo-Cordova, for winning Educator of the Year from the McKinley Park Civic Association and teacher Adrian Echevarria for being named the Urban Initiatives Coach of the Year.
These awards land alongside recent accolades and updates at Greene Elementary, including a top-most 1+ school ranking from CPS, a Gold Circle of Quality Award from ExeleRate Illinois and the start of a brand new Kindergarten program next fall.
Read more: Greene Elementary Celebrates Staff Awards, School Accolades and Kindergarten Rollout
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has named the McKinley Park neighborhood's Edward Everett Elementary School and Evergreen Academy Middle School as participants in the school district's largest-ever expansion of learning programs. The two schools are among 32 that will receive funding from the program's $32 million investment budget, which will go toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs at Everett and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) at Evergreen Academy.
Read more: Everett, Evergreen Schools Pegged for New STEM and STEAM Programs
