Latin School of Chicago

High Jump students from the '90s in class. High Jump's first director, Joanne Jones, helps a student. limited economic means, so that they would be able to succeed at Chicago's best high schools. In the summer of 1989, with full funding from the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Latin partnered with Francis W. Parker School to launch the High Jump program on Latin's campus. From its inception, the partnership between High Jump and Latin School inspired great passion and created a profound sense of community and shared goals. Over the years, Latin alumni have volunteered for the program, current Latin students have devoted hundreds of service hours working with High Jump students, Latin parents have served on High Jump's board, and Latin faculty and staff have provided support for the program. The relationship also has enriched the school immensely. Ninety-nine High Jump alumni matriculated at Latin since 1989, and the school pledged in 2013 to provide financial assistance for at least five High Jump students who meet the admissions criteria each year going forward. The summer of 1989 began with a camping trip – a bonding tradition that continues today. Other aspects of High Jump have changed dramatically, however: In 1989, there were 16 students in the program, and today there are more than 220 students studying at three campuses across Chicago. In 2010, the University of Chicago Laboratory School began hosting High Jump's second campus, 116 L AT I N M AGAZINE and in 2012 the program expanded to facilities at Parker. The program also has become increasingly rigorous and selective. Accepted students, who generally earn As and Bs, commit to 350 classroom hours in their seventh and eighth grade years, including Saturdays during the school year and six intensive weeks over the summer. The core program focuses on math, science, reading, writing and the humanities. Students also have elective options, including theater and art classes. In their eighth grade year, students are supported as they explore their high school and financial aid options. According to High Jump, a range of independent, boarding and parochial schools committed more than $2 million over four years in scholarship funds to members of the 2013 High Jump Class. For Eliza Ramirez, Latin School Class of 2002, High Jump provided critical validation of her academic and intellectual skills. "The program pushed me to excel in what was then my strongest subject, math. Because of High Jump, I entered Latin as one of two freshmen in a sophomore Geometry Honors class. I wouldn't have asked for that if my High Jump teachers hadn't given me the confidence to believe I belonged." Ramirez now encourages her own students to excel, as a reading and writing teacher at Emiliano Zapata Academy in Little Village. She received the 2011 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

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