Community Engagement
We want every day at Latin to include meaningful connections to the outside world through which students learn, enhance their empathy and develop a foundation for future civic leadership.
Students in every division, faculty, staff and parents work with more than 30 organizations throughout the city on a variety of initiatives. This work represents the type of interdisciplinary, experiential and entrepreneurial learning that we strive to incorporate in all areas of our curriculum. In addition to helping people, students are solving problems, making connections and becoming active citizens in our school and city. Most importantly, our engagement has influenced our school culture and has become an important part of who we are as a community.
Our Community Partners include:
A Just Harvest
Alderman Cappleman's Office
Alternatives
Asian Youth Services
Bethel New Life
Big Shoulders
Buttercup Park and Playlot
Chicago Cares
Chicago Lights Tutoring
CircEsteem
City Farm
Common Threads
Cornerstone Community Shelter
Eden Supportive Living
First Sip Cafe
Found
Friends of the Parks
Girls on the Run
High Jump
Hope for Chicago
Horizons for Youth
Inspiration Corporation
JUF TOV Teen
Programming and Uptown Cafe
The Kenwood of Lakeview
Kilbourne Park Organic Greenhouse and Community Garden
Lakeview Pantry
La Rabida Children's Hospital
Lincoln Park Community Shelter
McCutcheon Community School Tutoring
The Night Ministry
Obama 2012 Election Campaign
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Republican Victory Center
Robert R. McCormick Boys and Girls Club
Ronald McDonald House
St. Chrysostom's "Neighbors in Need" Program
Sunrise Senior Living
Temple Sholom "Monday Meal Mitzvah"
Two Li'l Fishes
UCAN
Urban Initiatives
Weiss Memorial Hospital
The partnerships we foster with organizations in this city enrich the lives of our students, faculty, parents and alumni.
8,000+
hours of service
performed by
upper school students
Our Partnership with Uptown
Authentic community engagement is an essential part of Latin. From Latin’s foundational support of the High Jump program, to the 23-year partnership with the McCutcheon School, to our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. day presence at the Uptown Baptist Soup Kitchen, relationships with these organizations have provided students with meaningful learning opportunities for years.
The Uptown Partnership was established in 2012 in an effort to build more mutually beneficial relationships. Uptown is one of the most diverse communities in Chicago in terms of culture, race, age, citizenship, artistic heritage and economic status. The partnership provides opportunities for teachers, students and parents in all divisions to move beyond community service and closer to a model of true community engagement. In the past five years, collaborations have ranged from book shares and poetry slams, to designing clay tiles and learning to dance.
CURRICULAR ENGAGEMENTS WITH UPTOWN
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Upper school dance mentoring project class
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Third grade neighborhood study of Uptown and architecture art project with Courtenay School
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Middle school hack-a-thon
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Tenth grade community engagement class
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Senn High School/Latin visual storytelling Project Week
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Design Thinking in Uptown Project Week
Latin is proud to be a founding member of the National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP)--an organization focused on facilitating partnerships between private and public schools.
By working with local civic leaders including the 46th Ward alderman and cultural and community organizations, Latin strives to have a meaningful impact on this neighborhood while providing students in all three divisions of the school with in-depth service learning experiences.