Shelby Wyatt, a counselor at Hyde Park’s Kenwood Academy, is a finalist for the Counselor of the Year Award given by the American School Counselor Association. There are only five finalists nationwide. Wyatt is the founder of the Kenwood Brotherhood, a school-based male mentoring program which works to increase graduation rates among black and Latino students and encourages them to go to college and take on leadership roles.
This year’s Dolores Kohl Education Foundation teacher award winners are: John Kuijper, Bronzeville Scholastic Academy High School; Folasade Adekunie, Northwest Middle School; and Abigail Weber, Horatio May Community Academy Elementary School. Diane Ravitch, a former U.S. assistant secretary of education, received the Foundation’s first annual Kohl Education Prize.
Felipa Mena, a Community Organizing and Family Issues parent leader, received national recognition for her work at the Wells High School Peace Center through a $1,000 grant from the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. Mena is the lead peacemaker at the Wells Peace Center, managing a multiracial and bilingual team of parents who provide peace circles for students from the West Town, Cabrini, and Austin communities.
The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is opening a field office at the Beasley Academic Center. Through the new office, IMSA will offer professional development in math and science instruction, provide after-school, weekend and summer programs for students and coordinate math and science programs with local organizations.