Desperately seeking Good high schools near the South Suburbs. (Chicago: low income, sales)

[kqstudio]

My son is graduating 8th grade, we live in Harvey, IL and the neighborhood high school is too dangerous for my son to attend. I know its quite late to be applying for high schools but im extremely scared for my son to go to this school. He is a very smart and intellectual young man and he not a typical teenager. He isnt interested in name brand styles and doesnt speak ebonics. So in this school he will stick out like a sore thumb. I know the only options I have for him are private schools but I just got laid-off from my job and cannot afford to pay tuition but I am willing to volunteer my time in the school for any tuition thats being offered to him. If anyone has any suggestions, please contact me.

[urza216]

H-F High School is a great school in the south suburbs and physically close to where you are right now. You can try to see if you can get an apartment out that way. Of course if you just got laid off from your job, you and your family is lucky to have a roof over your head. Unemployment checks aren't enough for an apartment in Homewood (and neither is a retail job).

[deechee]

I wish for nothing but the best for you and your son.

[allen2323]

Some catholic high schools give scholarships for low income gifted students. If you can't afford private school tuition. Other than that, moving to another neighborhood is the only other option. But I have to say harvey schools are not nearly as bad as many other comparable lower income suburbs. I hate to get bashed for calling many harvey schools fairly good. But surprisingly many of them are. http://iirc.niu.edu/SearchResult.asp...rvey&type=CITY . Certainly at the elementary level. Thornton certainly is not an ideal high school and has it's problems. But in relation to the rest of the schools in lower income areas thornton is far from the worst with over 80 percent of it's student body graduating, which is not half bad for a school whose student body is 77 percent low income. Atleast the majority of these low income students are graduating and the school is not just wasting tax money. Unlike in many chicago public schools or many other low income areas where graduation rates are well below 50 percent. US news actually has thornton rated as a bronze ranked school. http://education.usnews.rankingsandr...ip_high_school .

[jeffreymanorborn]

It really gets to me when I hear or read things about the high schools in the south suburbs and how they have become "dangerous". I grew up in Chicago Heights and graduated from Bloom in the mid 60s, as did my sister. My step-father grew up in Harvey and graduated from Thornton (don't know what year). I've lived in the metro Portland, Oregon area since 1971 and there isn't a "dangerous" high school in this entire state, although we have our share of low-income families. How the heck does this happen? It's really sad. Attending high school was one of the best times of my life.

[urza216]

JefferyManorBorn,

Don't let it get to you too much. You are assuming that they actually have gotten dangerous and that these comments are not over-reactive.

Chicago Heights was a much more thriving place in it's hey day, especially when people would cross the country on Route 30 instead of I-80. Al Capone even had a hide out there. That's how utopian it was.

Today, students at Bloom who don't fall into the wrong crowd or go around starting crap with people prabobly won't have any impending "danger" thrusted upon them. And in case you haven't heard, Marion Catholic has had its fair share of cocaine and alcohol problems.

[chet everett]

It bothers the heck out of me when people assume that "graduation" is any kind of measure of anything. In Illinois there are no standards for graduation. What one district would consider failure another could call "honors"...

[deechee]

Originally Posted by allen2323

But I have to say harvey schools are not nearly as bad as many other comparable lower income suburbs. I hate to get bashed for calling many harvey schools fairly good. But surprisingly many of them are.

At least the majority of these low income students are graduating and the school is not just wasting tax money. Unlike in many chicago public schools or many other low income areas where graduation rates are well below 50 percent.

I know exactly what you mean, and I know I'll probably get bashed for understanding too.

Originally Posted by jeffreymanorborn

It really gets to me when I hear or read things about the high schools in the south suburbs and how they have become "dangerous". I grew up in Chicago Heights and graduated from Bloom in the mid 60s, as did my sister. My step-father grew up in Harvey and graduated from Thornton (don't know what year). I've lived in the metro Portland, Oregon area since 1971 and there isn't a "dangerous" high school in this entire state, although we have our share of low-income families. How the heck does this happen? It's really sad. Attending high school was one of the best times of my life.

Who told you they were dangerous? I would say that there's WAY more peer pressure now, or maybe if isn't more of that, it's more distractions, and different pressures.

Originally Posted by chet everett

It bothers the heck out of me when people assume that "graduation" is any kind of measure of anything. In Illinois there are no standards for graduation. What one district would consider failure another could call "honors"...

You have no idea how hard graduation can be for some. Don't assume it's NOT a measurement of anything. When you have grown up around violence, drugs, intense peer pressure, bad home life, etc. it IS a measurement of a strong self determination to make/earn something of yourself. I applaud everyone who graduates from ANY school, heck, even kindergarten.

It's not about honors all the time, geez. At the end of the day, no asks you how many honors you had in high school or college. It all boils down to who you are as a person.

No high school diploma or college degree measures anything really, but their ability to commit, common sense, etc. are all a part of getting there. Right? Aren't those things important too? Someone can have all the graduations in the world, but no sense, also.

[jeffreymanorborn]

Originally Posted by urza216

And in case you haven't heard, Marion Catholic has had its fair share of cocaine and alcohol problems.

Actually, it's spelled Marian. I'm only pointing that out because of a funny story regarding the misspelling. When the school was first built in the 60s, the athletic director, Don Berg, ordered all their PE uniforms and all the shirts came back with the name Marian misspelled as Marion. Since it was his fault when he ordered them, they couldn't return them so they had to reorder. He took the misspelled shirts home and gave them to kids in the neighborhood, including me. I took a bunch of them and gave them to a local Jewish youth group to use as jerseys for their basketball team. They wore them (as a joke) and everyone thought it was really hysterical. I recently told this story to the alumni director at Marian and she cracked up. She knows Don Berg.

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by chet everett

It bothers the heck out of me when people assume that "graduation" is any kind of measure of anything. In Illinois there are no standards for graduation. What one district would consider failure another could call "honors"...

Graduation is an individual measure that has a lot of importance, as far as having options. Big difference between being a high school graduate and not completing high school. Especially coming from a low income environment. It's all about graduating and being able to move on to bigger and better things. Whether it's attending college, going to the military, going to trade school, union job, any other job. All of those options require finishing high school. Usually most people who do not finish high school end up having to go back and finish anyway later in life if they plan on doing something legit that requires getting more education. Not graduating high school has the longest lasting effect on those who attend a school in a low income area with a low graduation rate. If you do finish up high school coming from a not so great area, you have the option to be able to move on. Lower test scores have little to no effect on the options a low income student has after graduating high school. It's the ones who don't graduate that the lower test scores end up mattering for at the end of the day. Plenty of options for a 18 year old high school graduate coming from say thornton. I would say not having alot of money is the only other big obstacle.

Even if you don't test well enough for a top ranked college after high school. You still will have plenty of other 4 year colleges and career path options if you finished high school. And some of the most financially stable mid to late 20 somethings I know didn't even go to a four year college. But they all atleast finished high school and got some trade education and are now making good money. I know a couple of 20 something union guys, a barber shop owner, a few in the military, sales rep, a cop who all did not go to a four year college and are doing just as good as a lot of 20 somethings that I know who did go to a four year college. And many have been earning money much longer and are in far less debt than a lot of college graduates.