A good old friend of mine brought me to Ombudsman. His name is Tommy Hack, and it all happened by fate as it seemed that I talked to him about school. It started on a snowy winter day right after New Year. My parents were on vacation in Mexico and they left me all alone
Read moreOperation Graduation 2015: Elijah Hamilton (Chicago)
For many Ombudsman students, the journey to receiving their diploma has been complicated. West Side native, 18-year-old Elijah Hamilton, stopped going to school twice and attributes a large portion of his success in overcoming life’s obstacles to the support system he found at Ombudsman. “I initially dropped out because I was tired of all the
Read moreOmbudsman Chicago Celebrates Women’s History Month
Empowering the next generation of female leaders According to a 2014 report on the state of self-esteem, the majority of teen girls (seven in ten) believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way. Reinforcing a healthy self-image within educational settings can be crucial to the growth and development for
Read moreAce The FAFSA Application With These Tips (Chicago)
Financing a college education has become a critical component in making higher education a possibility for most families. Through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), colleges around the country determine the amount of financial aid they will award to students. To assist students through the application process Ombudsman Chicago, in conjunction with Ladder
Read moreMy Child is Failing High School, What Should I do? (Chicago)
TBTNEWS REPORT Tips from a Chicago Parent: The first semester is complete for most high school students across the country. Now that the school year has hit the halfway mark and report cards have been sent out, more than a few parents might find themselves coming to the realization that their child is failing high
Read moreA safety net for dropouts catches others (Chicago)
In 2012 Chicagoans got some harsh news: there were 56,000 high school dropouts under 21 –enough to fill Soldier Field. “At the time, we had 5,300 seats to serve them,” said Jennifer Vidis, the head of alternative schools for Chicago Public Schools. Over the last two years, the district brought that number up to 12,000.
Read moreOmbudsman Chicago Honors Supportive Community with Breakfast
As a thank you to supportive community stakeholders, Ombudsman Chicago South, 6057 S. Western Ave., held a celebratory breakfast last week where Ombudsman Chicago South and Ombudsman Educational Services personnel joined Chicago Public Schools (CPS) representatives, Ombudsman Chicago South students, and community members to acknowledge the progress the school has made thus far. Ombudsman Chicago
Read moreSo you’re Pregnant… Now What? Tips from a Teen Mom (Chicago)
I was 16 years old in 2012 when I found out I was pregnant. I had just moved across the country to live with my mother and had been feeling under the weather for a few weeks – hot, dizzy and nauseous. My mom took me to the doctor’s office, and I figured they would
Read moreOmbudsman to Host Grand Opening of South Side Learning Center (Chicago)
TBT News Update Ombudsman Chicago will celebrate the grand opening of its South Side Options School. The two-part grand opening on October 9 will include a ribbon cutting ceremony from 10 – 11 a.m. featuring keynote speaker Alderman JoAnn Thompson and a community open house from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Alderman Thompson is a strong supporter
Read moreOpen Letter to Parents: Reversing the Dropout Effect by Dr. Chaun Johnson (Chicago)
The Electronic Urban Report Looking Past Prevention: Facing the School Dropout Dilemma Dear Parents, Each year more than three million students across the country will leave school without earning a high school diploma. Will your child be one of them? Dropout prevention is a crucial topic of discussion as it relates to the current state of
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