Northside College Preparatory High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Northside College Preparatory High School |
|
 |
|
| Established | 1999 |
| Type | Public (magnet) secondary |
| Principal | Dr. James Lalley |
| Students | 1,000 (approx) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois USA |
| Oversight | Chicago Public Schools |
| Mascot | Mustang |
| Newspaper | [The Hoof Beat][1] |
| Website | northsideprep.org |
Northside College Preparatory High School (commonly referred to as Northside College Prep, Northside Prep, or simply Northside; sometimes abbreviated as NCPHS or NCP) is a Chicago Public School. Founded in 1999, it was the first new Chicago Public High School to be built in 20 years. It is a selective admissions school, teaching at the Honors and AP levels only. Northside quickly earned a reputation for academic excellence. For the last three school years, it has scored highest in the state on the Prairie State Achievement Exam scores, administered to juniors. In 2003, Northside's Academic Decathlon ("acadec") team defeated Whitney Young High School to take first place in the state; it was the first time in 18 years Whitney Young had not gone home with this title. It went on to win the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) Division III National Championship.
The school's establishment, part of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's ongoing plan to reinvent the city's public school system, generated controversy in the city and in the education community. The facilities were built with a $52.5 million budget that critics said could better serve other, ailing schools.
Approximately 1,000 students comprise the student body. Given its extremely competitive academic environment, in 2004, Northside successfully lobbied the Chicago Board of Education to eliminate class rankings. This effort was led by Dr. James Lalley, who has been principal of the school since its inception.
Contents |
[edit] Admission
Admission to the school is based on a 1000 point scale: 300 possible points for 7th grade core grades (math, science, social studies, and reading), 300 possible points for 7th grade standardized test results, 100 possible points for 7th grade attendance, and possible 300 points for a separate entrance examination required of all applicants.
[edit] Curriculum
Northside is ranked 1st in academics in the state of Illinois, beating out both New Trier and Whitney Young. Northside was cited in the 5/22/06 issue of Newsweek Magazine as among the top 25 "Elite of the Elite" public high schools nationwide. Northside is nationally recognized for its exemplary statistics program (ranked best in the world by the College Board) [citation needed] and its unusual approach to math; the school utilizes the problem-based Interactive Mathematics Program, or I.M.P. The school also has rich visual art, music, English, science, and social sciences programs. Other unique features of the school's curriculum include the Constitutional Law Project and the Senior Project program. Northside also offers seven foreign languages—Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Latin, and Spanish—more than any other Chicago Public School. Northside's 23 Advanced Placement classes also contribute to its challenging curriculum.
[edit] Scheduling and Colloquium
One of Northside's distinctive features is its college-like Block Scheduling: classes are twice as long, but only meet twice a week: Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesdays are reserved for a three-hour non-credit class called Colloquium. Dozens of colloquia are offered, and each closely examines one specific subject. Examples have included "Women in Film," "Dungeons and Dragons", CASE (Community for Alternative Sources of Energy), Motorcycle Maintenance, "Be a pioneer in the Global Initiative", Art Portfolio, European Union, and "Write Your Pants Off." Most of the classes last only one semester and each student is allowed to pick one of their choice at the beginning of each semester. These are the only classes in which pass/fail grades are issued at Northside.
[edit] Current Events
The 2004-2005 academic year saw the loss of some of school's most influential founders: Chair of Arts & Humanities Cedric Hampton died suddenly, and Assistant Principal Alan Mather left to become principal of the struggling Robert Lindblom Math & Science Academy. In addition, Northside Principal Dr. James "Jay" Lalley will be retiring at the end of the 2006-2007 school year, and Northside is currently searching for a new principal to replace him.
Currently the Principal Selection Committee has agreed to name a successor by the end of January. 35 people applied for the position and it has been narrowed down to 13 potential applicants.
[edit] Sports
Northside currently offers a wide variety of sports, including Boys Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Chess, Cross Country, Golf, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Pom-Pom, Soccer, Boys 16" Softball, Girls Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Water Polo, Wrestling, and Volleyball.
Due to the absence of a football team at Northside, the school holds a homecoming dance for its basketball team in the winter.
In 2002, Northside had the choice between a football team or a rock-climbing wall. They chose a rock-climbing wall which was erected in the gymnasium soon after.
[edit] Clubs
Northside also offers a wide variety of extra-curricular clubs, including but not limited to (in alphabetical order) Academic Decathlon, Animal Rights Club, Anime Club, Asian Club, Beatles Club, CASE Club, Drama Club, "Fight Club" (S.C.S.),Global Initiative, Jama'ah Club, Jewish Students Union, Journalism (The Hoof Beat)[2], μαθ τιμ, Key Club, Latin Club, Latino Club, League of Extraordinary Seamsters, Martial Arts Club, National Honor Society, No More Silence, PEP Club, Star Wars Club, and Yearbook. Meetings vary for every club, ranging from once a week or less frequently to every day after school.
[edit] Student Council
Northside's Student Council is comprised of fourteen members and two boards:
Executive Board President
Educational Development Board (EduDev) -
Chairman
Secretary Aisha Taylor
One senator per class
Student Affairs (StAff) -
Chairman
Secretary
Public Relations Director
One senator per class
