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News Items
Luther Awarded Chicago Community Trust GrantLuther High School South recently learned that the Chicago Community Trust has awarded a $40,000 grant to be earmarked for a teacher mentoring program whereby experienced teachers will assist new teachers at Luther South. In approving the grant, the Chicago Community Trust took note of Luther South's strategic plan adopted in June 2001. the mentoring program is designed to be implemented for a two-year period beginning with the 2003-2004 school year. It is widely accepted that sharing experiences can enhance the teaching experience and collegial nurturing under the guidance of experienced professionals. Nearly 30 percent of teachers leave in the first five years, and the exodus is even greater in some school districts. Further, research indicates that the most talented new educators are often the most likely to leave (Gonzales and Sosa 1993). Given comparisons to fields such as medicine and law, which recognize the needs of new professionals more fully, some observers have dubbed education "the profession that eats its young." Teacher turnover threatens school reform, which requires years of sustained staff effort. And even for teachers who remain in the classroom, difficulties in the formative professional years can have a continuing negative effect. "When we don't ease the way into schools, it's a signal about how people—including teachers, parents, and the kids—are valued," notes Mary E. Diez, director of the Master of Arts in Education program aAlverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ultimately, students suffer the consequences of inadequate support for beginning teachers. Nearly two million new teachers are projected to enter U.S. schools in the next decade, and the challenge of supporting them effectively has become a critical issue. But recruiting talented, competent educators is only a first step; schools must also help novice teachers develop staying power. Linda Darling-Hammond, executive director of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, asserts, "To retain new teachers, we must do two things: design good schools in which to teach and employ mentoring." Luther South is committed to excellence in education for both teachers and students. Our mentoring program grant for teachers is a step in that direction. Ukandu Mission ProjectDuring the week of June 15-21, 2003 a group of high school youths and adults joined many others from the Ukandu 2003 "Rock Your World" summer mission and converged on Luther South to give the school " the grounds a major facelift. The Ukandu Project is a Christian Mission Society dedicated to helping youth and adults become the heart and hands of Christ to those in need around the world. Specifically, the group working at Luther South was composed of youth and adults from Lutheran Churches in Illinois and Wisconsin under the coordination of CLEF and Lutheran Church Charities who made the trip possible. At Luther South the work included: 1) repairing and painting the main entrance, 2) painting hall ways throughout the school, 3) landscaping and cleaning surrounding property, 4) building ne:w picnic tables, and 5) re-glazing and fe-caulking the stained glass windows in the chapel. "God has truly blessed us with this group," said AI Oesterreich, Predident of Finance and Development at Luther South. "The improvements they made will instill a renewed sense of school pride in all of our students. By working alongside them, it also gave our kids an opportunity to show thanks to the many volunteers who worked so hard." More than a dozen Luther South students joined the participants for the week and had the opportunity to share stories about life in Chicago and at the high school itself. Ministry Dinner Celebrates Luther South's 50 YearsLuther High School South recently hosted a "Celebrating Our Ministry" dinner on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 in the school. The purpose of the dinner was to highlight Luther South's 50 years, of ministry and mission and outline plans for the next half century of Christian education. Among the evening's featured speakers were, Anhony Rainey, Principal of Luther High School, Reed Sander, Education Executive from the Northern Illinois District, LCMS, and Jerry Wendt, Sr. Vice President of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, St. Louis, Missouri. 2003 Class Becomes South's 50th to GraduateLuther High School South's 50th apnual graduation exercises took placeon Sunday evening June 1, 2003. The Reverend Paul Anderson, Directer of New Hope Ministries in Chicago, Illinois, delivered the commencement address to the 48 graduates of the Class of 2003. Among the graduates speaking at the ceremony were valedictorian Shana Jackson and salutatorian Nadine Kourouma. It is important to note that all of the members of the class of 2003 were accepted for enrollment to either a junior college or university for the 2003-2004 academic year. Ms. Hoth Assumes Registrar DutiesLuther South Guidance Director Cheryl Hoth has also assumed the duties as school registrar for the 2003-2004 school yaer. Ms. Hoth has been at Luther South for the past 13 year. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Concordia University-River Forest and a Master's Degree in school guidance from Chicago State University.
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