I like to tag along when we have visitors at our schools, because I am nosy, and always fascinated to hear what our students say about their experiences. We don’t prep our students, but even if we did, what I love about young people is that they are truth tellers so I can never predict what they will share.
This week, I had the chance to eavesdrop on three different student-led tours, at CAST Lead High School, CAST Tech High School, and the Advanced Learning Academy.
Here are just some of the things I heard:
- At CAST Lead High School, junior Sage Mireles shared how working with a mentor, Annalisa Vasquez from Silver Ventures, had helped instill confidence in her and over time, through what she calls “the CAST Effect” she’s grown from a shy, unmotivated student into a leader. Another student, a senior whose name I did not catch, stepped out of class to rave about all the doors the school has opened for him.
- At CAST Tech High School, senior Nathan Castillo spoke about how the CAST freshman experience, Three Years of Fear, had instilled a love of storytelling in him. Not only has he come out of his shell over his four years at CAST Tech, but he has taken over the school newspaper, CAST INK, and aspires to be a sports journalist.
- Also at CAST Tech, I heard two students, Jennifer and Otto, speak about their summer experience as interns at CPS Energy. While we do our best to give young people real world opportunities to do projects, present, and solve problems, they shared that their experiences at CPS brought home the importance of time management and professional communication.
- At ALA, we watched a group of 7th grade mariachi students experiment with their instruments for the first time, surrounded by teachers with a passion for music and student growth.
- Also at ALA, two young men who had seen us touring both campuses (because CAST Tech and ALA share a calculus class) quizzed our visitor, from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching on why she was visiting. This resulted in a powerful back in forth about the Future of High School, and how CAST Schools is on the cutting edge of a new approach to learning that matters to students and ensures that they leave ready for their next step.
Along my travels, I took some random photos. A few are of students and of our visitor, Denise Thorne from the Carnegie Foundation, but mostly they are of signs in classrooms. I love taking pictures of random signs, because they are a reminder of what we value and our beliefs. And we believe in the potential of young people.
Jeanne Russell
Executive Director, CAST Schools