School of Education sophomores Erin Cunnea, far left, and Kelly Lowndes, far right, work with students at St. Benedict School in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood.
programs in the School of Education. “We’re com- mitted to preparing teachers in urban settings.” Loyola currently has more than 50 partnerships
with local schools—including Chicago public schools, Catholic schools, and independent schools—which serve as a training ground for the Loyola students and an opportunity for the partner schools to tap into the University’s re- sources and expertise. These community-building efforts are part of Loyola’s Lake Shore Community Partners initiative, a component of “Plan 2020: Building a More Just, Humane, and Sustainable World,” the University’s five-year strategic plan. The heart of these partnerships is that they are
mutually beneficial. “We don’t want it to be a one- way relationship, where Loyola is only consider- ing what resources to share,” says Jon Schmidt, coordinator of the partnership with Senn and a clinical assistant professor in the School of Educa- tion. “We’re asking, ‘What do they have to share with us? How can our students learn and grow through this partnership?’”
14 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO S
enn students enroll in one of four programs at the school: an interna- tional baccalaureate (IB) program (similar to an honors or advanced placement track), an audition-in
arts program, STEM, and the digital journalism program. Loyola takes an active role in sup- porting the IB, STEM, and the digital journalism program, which began in 2013. Michael Cullinane, the journalism and market-
ing director at Senn, is completing a master’s degree in digital storytelling at Loyola. He wrote Senn’s program curriculum alongside Loyola journalism faculty, and it includes both print and broadcast journalism classes and reporting for the Senn Times, the school’s online newspaper, and SennTV, their YouTube news channel. In the classroom, Cullinane emphasizes the importance of telling stories. “[The journalism students] take ownership of it and they really enjoy it,” he says. “It’s been really awesome to see what young people can do with some encouragement. It
doesn’t always have to be worksheets and tests, it can be giving them the right tools and letting them make the products that, in the end, can hopefully inspire others.” Senn also plays host to Loyola classes for
observation and student teaching internships, with their teachers and the Loyola students exchanging ideas and learning from each other. “It is a true partnership,” says Mary Beck, Senn’s principal. “Our students flourish because they have the ability to go to Loyola to use their library and journalism facilities. They feel connected to Loyola from freshman year on, and I think that’s really powerful.” This connection is powerful on an abstract,
personal level, but there is also data that affirms the positive effect of this partnership. Schmidt points out that Senn is trending upward in nearly every metric, including overall school attendance. “It’s unusual to see an increase in students, espe- cially at a local, neighborhood high school,” he says. “And it is pretty significant.”
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