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By: Tim Valente, Mount Carmel High School Senior
The seniors are banking on their future! No, they are not building portfolios but rather advancing their careers by taking college level classes at the University of Chicago. Each year, some of Mount Carmel high schools top seniors leave the building three times a week to get a head start for the real deal. This gives them a good idea of what to expect when entering a college or university.
These students also come away from the experience with actual credit that they can apply toward college.
Usually, only one or two of our students qualify for this program each year. This year, seven of our seniors have been chosen for this program, including Kevin Parker (Schererville, IN), Eric Eck (Oak Lawn), Frank Pucci and Kevin Tracy (Chicago), Sean Flowers (Lynwood), Adrian Larson (Oak Park), and Eric Myjak (Tinley Park). Students qualify for admission by achieving top ten status at the beginning of their senior year and then sit for an interview. “Students need to be up to the challenge because of all the hard work involved,” said Assistant Principal Maryhelen Matijevic. Once accepted into this program, these students select classes to take at the University of Chicago. They base their choices on their own interests and strengths. Classes range from social studies to foreign languages and the humanities.
“We have been involved in this program with the University for more than a decade, and why not? They are right down the street,” Matijevic said.
Mr. Sean Daly, Dean of the Honors Program, “loves” the fact that the University of Chicago allows our students to attend classes and earn college credit.
“This is a great opportunity for our students and it is quite an accomplishment to go to the University of Chicago while one is still a high school student,” Daly said.
Sean Flowers, who is taking a European civilization class at the university, finds that the workload is challenging. “They give a lot of homework,” Flowers said. “The focus of the class is to read and comprehend, and then discuss what you read. If you can do that, you will have no chance of ever falling behind.”
Eric Eck enrolled in that class as well because he has always had an interest in history. “I think it’s important to learn from the past because it’s a good preparation for the future,” Eck said.
Eric Myjak, Kevin Tracy and Frank Pucci are all taking a course entitled ‘Classics of Social and Political Thought.’ The class focuses on philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle, and their views on society.
“I thought it sounded interesting and would be challenging,” Myjak said.
Tracy said, “I felt the class would help me prepare for the future because it opens us up to a wide range of thought processes that people have.” “The college atmosphere gives us a jump on our future,” he added. “It also helps us develop our writing skills.”
Adrian Larson is taking French 202, which he says is a much more intensive experience than taking a language in high school. “We only speak French in class and the teacher herself is from France, which helps a lot,” Larson said.
Underclassmen who wish to prepare themselves to become eligible for this program are encouraged to work hard during their freshman, sophomore and junior years.
“They have to be in the top of their class and be able to read and write diligently,” Ms. Matijevic said.
(Originally published in the Caravan on October 27, 2006)
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