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Perspectives Too Turned Up, April 2013

The scholars of Perspectives Middle Academy have teamed up with TrueStar Jr. to produce the April 2013 edition of "Too Turned Up". Click on the link above to read scholar insight into current affairs. This publication is a partnership between TrueStar Jr., Elev8, and Perspectives Middle Academy.

MSNBC: Melissa Harris-Perry Interview with Anthony Halmon of Perspectives Leadership Academy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Root: Chicago Teen's Journey to the White House

(The Root) -- When President Obama announced the first-ever White House Science Fair [5] back in 2009, he said, "If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you've produced the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too."

Nineteen-year-old Chicago native Anthony Halmon was among the 100 students from more than 40 states [6] (pdf) who received that recognition at a daylong celebration of the power and potential of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education [7] at the fourth-annual event on Monday.

But in Halmon's case, the fair also marked a celebration of what he calls his "transition" -- from a life in Chicago that could have gone the way of the worst headlines about the plight of young black men in the city, to participation in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship [8] program, to a handshake from the president and a full ride to Cornell University, where he'll go in the fall.

The Root caught up with Halmon and learned that the creation that earned him a spot at the fair -- a pacifier with a built-in thermometer and soothing gel -- is far from the young father's only victory.

The Root: What inspired your invention?

Anthony Halmon: My invention is called the Thermofier. It's a pacifier with a built-in thermometer. What inspired my business was seeing kids around me being so sick and seeing parents spend so much on their kids' health without really knowing why they were sick. But really, it was that I have a daughter, who's 3. She used to always get sick when the seasons would change. In the NFTE program, my teacher got me thinking about what I could create to meet her needs. At first I thought [the Thermofier] was impossible to make, but NFTE got me working with some engineers to create it.

TR: When did you become interested in science?

AH: I would say I had a little interest in science when I started an environmental science class my sophomore year, but NFTE showed me a way to take my strongest subject, which is math, and use it in the science field as well. That really made me want to become interested in science.

TR: Your biography says you had a difficult childhood growing up in Chicago. How did you overcome that?

AH: My freshman year, my father was in jail, so I used to go around with my cousins a lot and get involved with fighting, and things that weren't really me, but I felt like it was the only way to live. I was living, not dreaming. Just existing. My grades were dropping.

In October 2010, my father passed away, and I felt like there was no purpose in life, but I had a realization. I had to sit down and talk to myself, and I talked to my pastor. He nurtured me and raised me like I was his own son. That was my transition. Ever since then, my grades started improving. I started saying, I can do better and I can be better, because in the end anything that happens is because of the choices I made.

TR: What was the highlight of participating in the White House Science Fair?

AH: When they first told me, I didn't believe it, because I never pictured myself actually being at the White House. It was just amazing because I realized there are more people like me out there, people my age and even younger.

TR: Did President Obama say anything that stood out to you today?

AH: He just said hello, and we shook hands, but the eloquence of his speech that he spoke today -- I'm pretty sure it reached everybody in that room. He was saying we're basically the chosen generation that will help shape the future with our ideas ... and maybe we can use science to help create the change we want to see.

Chicago Tribune: A Bronzeville charter school makes its mark in robotics

A Bronzeville charter school makes its mark in robotics
Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy and Lane Tech competing for world title in St. Louis

By Barbara Brotman, Chicago Tribune reporter

April 24, 2013

If their robot was ever going to fling Frisbees well enough to win a world championship, the students at Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy had work to do.

Joe Michaelis, head coach of the Bronzeville school's robotics team, ran through the assignments.

"Electrical: We have new sensors," he said. The kids handling the robot's electrical system had to figure out how to mount those sensors on their robot's motor shaft.

"Mechanical: We need to have two motors with 8 mm shafts," Michaelis said. "Programming: ... We have to get the code running."

Jovan Goolsby put on protective goggles. James Allen took a position at the laptop. Dawn Rayford picked up one of the new sensors and started examining it.

Five years after the school's decidedly dismal entry into the world of engineering-based team sports, the Iron Wolves are headed to St. Louis to compete in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition championship, which starts Wednesday.

The small charter school is one of two Chicago public high schools, the other being Lane Tech College Prep, to qualify for the world championship through the recent Midwest Regional at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Teams have six weeks to build a robot that must perform specific tasks — this year, it's throwing Frisbees — and they are matched against other teams' robots.

The competition tests strategy and teamwork and requires teams to form alliances with others. Each match pits three robots against three others.

Competitions look like a cross between Star Wars and bumper cars. In video of the Midwest Regional, robots wheel across the floor, periodically ramming or spitting out Frisbees. In another point-earning task, some robots climbed metal towers and hung from the horizontal supports like mechanical gymnasts.

The Iron Wolves were aware they faced tough competition at the regional contest.

"We were going up against teams that were really well-known. We were going up against college prep schools," said Zhanelle Mitchell, one of the team's programmers.

Glory seemed unlikely five years ago, when the charter school began a robotics team under the guidance of an inexperienced Michaelis. Though he had taken some engineering classes at the University of Wisconsin, his major was philosophy.

"To be quite honest, I was somewhat tricked into taking on the role of head coach," said Michaelis, now the school's science instruction leader. "I really had no idea what I was getting myself into."

"We weren't exactly the best team at first," said Sean Taylor, an engineer at Motorola Solutions who has volunteered as team mentor from the start. We weren't one of the suburban schools that had all these resources. We really struggled. For us, a victory was to score a single point. Our first year, we were happy because we were 63rd instead of last place in 64th.

"People would cheer for us because we were the underdogs."

For their soccer-playing robot four years ago, "we just fashioned a foot out of sheet metal and moved it back and forth," recalled Goolsby, one of the few seniors on this year's Wolves' team. "We were kind of in our low-tech stage."

But they moved past that stage and learned about torque, speed, RPMs. Joined two years ago by another mentor, Arash Kalantari, a doctoral student at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the team learned about computer-assisted design and how to cut pieces with a laser.

Goolsby loved what he was learning so much that he began making suggestions at home for rerouting the flow of the air conditioner or shortening the family car's fuel line.

"They said, 'OK, Javon, calm down. Everything is working fine,'" he said. "But they like that I think about things differently now."

The team's robots got more sophisticated, but still fell short of perfection. The kids named their 2011 robot Big Baby, because, as Dion Powell put it, "he had so many issues."

This year's robot, Baby Red, had a few issues too. At a regional competition in Cincinnati only two weeks before the Midwest Regional, "we were horrible," team captain Mario Franco said, cheerfully.

Every system failed, leaving the robot severely impaired. "It was twitching," Franco said.

They redid the wiring, took Baby Red apart and put it back together. Allen reprogrammed it five times, talking out loud as he went over the robot's requirements. "Other teams were staring at me," he said.

The competitive damage had been done; the team finished in the bottom third.

But the rebuilt robot was ready for the regionals.

When they realized the three-team alliance they were on had won, the kids cheered; a few cried.

"It was like those four years of work were worth it," Goolsby said.

"Joe and I always thought in the back of our minds, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we were able to do the David vs. Goliath victory?'" Taylor said. "When it happened it was, like, wow, the kids really pulled it off; they're going to be able to compete with the big guys."

The school plans to give the team a confetti parade before the students head by bus to St. Louis on Wednesday. They will face about 400 teams from as far away as Israel and Australia; anticipation runs high.

It does, too, at Lane Tech, a first-year robotics team that won its berth by nabbing the Midwest Regional rookie all-star award.

"We're just ridiculously honored to be even going to the championship," said Kalina Fleming-Lopez, a senior on the team, X-Machina. "We weren't expected to get this far in our rookie year."

And in robotics, competition comes second to community, said Kent Lopez, the X-Machina team captain.

"Everyone there just likes robotics so much that they are more than willing to help people, even if they are ... the opposing team in the next match," he said. "Even if they can't help, they'll find someone who can. It's a really nice atmosphere."

This will be senior Goolsby's last competition with the Iron Wolves. Planning a career as a mechanical engineer, he is looking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

"These kids are going places," Taylor said. "They're going to have degrees; they're going to have jobs. They think they're having fun right now, but they're going to look back and look at a teacher like Joe and say, 'This is why I'm able to do what I'm doing now.'"

Regardless the outcome of the championship, he said, the Iron Wolves have already won.

blbrotman@tribune.com

Copyright © 2013 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC

Students Confident about Identity and College

Media Contact: David Terry, 312-604-2142, dterry@pcsedu.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Students Confident about Identity and College

MSNBC contributor, Dr. James Braxton Peterson of Lehigh University facilitates a discussion with students at Perspectives Charter Schools about race, identity and college.

CHICAGO, IL – April 22, 2013 – Dr. James Braxton Peterson, MSNBC Contributor and Director of Africana studies at Lehigh University, will engage the 2013 graduating class of Perspectives Charter Schools in a conversation about identity, race, and being prepared for college on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at Northwestern University Law School, Room RB 140, 375 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Ill., from 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Through a 90-minute workshop, Dr. Peterson will lead a discussion about identity, racial discourse, and the challenges of being a student of color on campus—helping them navigate society with purpose and a strong sense of self. He will openly talk about college and what young men and women from cities like Chicago may encounter as they leave their families, homes, neighborhoods, and the classrooms of Perspectives Charter Schools. Dr. Peterson will ask the students to read the article “Being White in Philly” written by Robert Huber and recently published in the Philadelphia Magazine and reflect on contemporary attitudes of race as part of his workshop.

Schedule of workshops with senior high school students of:

• Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy and Perspectives Rodney D. Joslin Campus from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Perspectives High School of Technology from 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
• Perspectives Leadership Academy from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The goals of Dr. Peterson’s workshop are for students to be more focused on their collegiate and life goals and be more confident as they journey to college and beyond ready for any academic and social challenges they might face. The workshop aligns with the social-emotional learning of the A Disciplined Life® Education Model that combines a rigorous college prep curriculum with a focus on character development. “I’ve witnessed the positive outcomes that A Disciplined Life has on the lives of students and teachers,” said Dr. Peterson. “It informs my own outlook on life and I appreciate how it functions specifically to enrich the lives of Chicago’s youth both academically and emotionally.”

Dr. Peterson believes educators ought to integrate youth culture into their teaching. Over the past year, he has worked with the teachers and staff at Perspectives to understand their own identity practices and unpack personal biases as a means to improve education outcomes. “We are grateful to Dr. Peterson for helping our teachers recognize and begin to understand their own personal biases and hidden messages that can impede quality instruction to our scholars,” said Diana Shulla-Cose, founder and president of Perspectives.

“It is an honor and privilege to work with Dr. James Peterson,” said Rhonda Hopps, chief executive officer of Perspectives. “He reminds our scholars and staff that we all have biases and that we can be more sensitive to the subtle messages about identity that we convey and ultimately show more compassion.”

Dr. Peterson is a MSNBC Contributor and the director of Africana studies and associate professor of English at Lehigh University. He has been an associate professor of English at Bucknell University, a visiting lecturer and preceptor in African American studies at Princeton University, and the media coordinator for the Harvard University Hip-Hop Archive. He is also the founder of Hip-Hop Scholars, LLC, an association of hip-hop generational scholars dedicated to researching and developing the cultural and educational potential of hip-hop, urban, and youth cultures.

An increasingly important media presence, Dr. Peterson's incredible breadth of knowledge allows him to discuss the intersection of politics and race as aptly as cultural subjects ranging from Beyoncé to the academic value of African studies. As such, he regularly appears on MSNBC's Ed Show and Martin Bashir Show, as well as Al Jazeera English and NPR with Marty Moss Coane. He is also an official contributor for TheGrio.com, MSNBC's official black online presence; and blogs for The Huffington Post and Black Voices. He has published scholarly work on hip-hop culture, multiculturalism, African American literature, culture, and linguistics in Callaloo, Criticism, Black Arts Quarterly, XXL, and African American Review.

Dr. James Braxton Peterson including students will be available for photos and one-on-one interviews.

Follow Perspectives on Twitter @PCSEDU (#ADisciplinedLife & #ADL26)

Follow Rhonda Hopps @RHoppsPCS

Follow Dr. James Braxton Peterson on Twitter @DrJamesPeterson

Become a fan of Perspectives on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/perspectivecs

Perspectives Charter Schools is a network of five open enrollment public schools in Chicago that provides students with a rigorous and relevant education, based on the ethical principles of A Disciplined Life. A Disciplined Life is the core curriculum that guides instruction and learning at Perspectives where students, parents, teachers and staff commit to living A Disciplined Life by adopting 26 principles that promote character development in line with academic excellence. Perspectives offers Chicago's families an education choice rooted in strong academic preparation while instilling key social and emotional education that builds individual character and grooms each student for success well beyond high school and college. Learn more at pcsedu.org

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New Board Chair at Perspectives, Tony Anderson, Retired Vice Chairman and Midwest Managing Partner, Ernst & Young, LLP

Business chairperson in Big Four auditing also a champion of education

From a small town to the big city, education remains the "secret sauce" to a successful journey

By David Terry and Greg Lowe
April 18, 2013

Tony Anderson, who spent eight years as the Vice Chair and Midwest Managing Partner for Ernst & Young, is adding the role of board chair of Perspectives Charter Schools to his growing list of board affiliations. During his time at Ernst & Young, Anderson built a partnership with Perspectives that is now a model for corporate-school partnerships across the country. The outgoing board chair, Larry Ashkin, built Perspectives into a network of five schools serving nearly 2,300 students, with graduation and college persistence rates far exceeding traditional urban schools. As Ashkin moves into the role of chair emeritus, Anderson plans to take Perspectives “from good to great.” 

“A Journey Begins”

Anderson had spent years as a successful executive for Ernst & Young when he returned to Chicago in 2005 to become the Midwest Managing Partner for the Big Four accounting firm. Anderson grew up only twenty miles from Chicago, and immediately he wanted to give back to the community. He was astonished at the low rates of high school graduation in the city’s public schools. He was especially concerned about the low rates of graduation affecting African American boys.

At a community meeting on the South Side of Chicago that year, he began a journey with Perspectives Charter Schools that has helped transform those statistics and led to Anderson becoming the Perspectives board chair this year.

At the South Side meeting, the late Chicago attorney and civic leader Rodney D. Joslin spoke about a charter school network that combined a rigorous college prep curriculum with a focus on character development through a model called A Disciplined Life. Anderson, having grown up in a household that valued education, was intrigued and set out on a mission to learn more.

Anderson introduced himself to Joslin and started his own education journey with Perspectives. He was introduced to the founders, Kimberlie Day and Diana Shulla-Cose, and was impressed by their vision and curriculum design that supported a creative and rigorous education environment. Their mission to educate students for college and prepare them for life meshed perfectly with his overachiever convictions.

"I was immediately impressed by the young students, staff and leadership at Perspectives," said Anderson. "They demonstrated perseverance and a level of resolve in their academic pursuits that I value in my own business and personal interactions."

"A&P Foods to Ernst & Young"

Anderson grew up in a small village about 20 miles south of downtown Chicago where he was raised in a humble household. Phoenix, Illinois was a small, industrial town facing hard times financially during his childhood.

Anderson's parents worried about the quality of public education available to him. When Anderson reached the age of high school, his parents chose to work night jobs so they could afford to enroll him in Catholic school.

Even in high school, Anderson demonstrated a strong work ethic. While attending Mendel Catholic High School, he worked evenings at an A&P Food Store. Nearing graduation from high school, Anderson was contemplating what he would do after graduation. Would he go to college? If so, how would he afford it?

His parents made it clear that if he wanted to attend college, he would have to pay for it himself. So, after Anderson was accepted to Chicago State University, he continued to work at A&P Foods while earning a degree in accounting. A&P Foods was a steady source of employment and offered Anderson modest career advancement including a spot in its management trainee program.

At the same time, he was considering an offer to work for Ernst & Young and apply his college education and preparation in accounting. Unsure about his professional journey, he accepted both opportunities.

Anderson takes pride in achieving goals. As a young professional, he demonstrated a strong work ethic and used his time wisely, two principles that are part of the A Disciplined Life model. "If an assignment at work was due on Monday morning, I had it completed by Friday afternoon," said Anderson. "If I had to be at a 9:00 a.m. meeting, I arrived at 8:30 a.m."

It became clear to Anderson that holding down two jobs was too exhausting an endeavor. He realized that he couldn't be his best self at both occupations. He turned down the higher paying work at A&P Foods to pursue his career in accounting at Ernst & Young.

"I've been fortunate," said Anderson. "Never in a million years, would I have ever thought I would be in the financial position I am today. It is very rewarding to reflect on what I have accomplished with hard work, determination and grit."

Education is the secret sauce to life changes

Anderson believes that a high school diploma isn’t enough to succeed in today’s globally competitive workforce, so he was immediately drawn to the A Disciplined Life model. On a tour of a Perspectives campus, he met several students and walked away impressed by their level of academic maturity and focus on graduating ready to succeed in college and life. 

He was convinced that Perspectives was a school network where measurable results were not only being achieved--they were expected. The tools were in place to ensure that Chicago's youth would graduate on time and prepared for college.

"I've always had this firm belief that education is the secret sauce to accomplishing anything that you want to do," acknowledges Anderson. "Whatever your aspirations are, education is the way there. And, if you want to change the trajectory of your life, then education—especially a college education—is the key to that transformation."

As Anderson was first learning about Perspectives, the charter network was in the process of opening three new schools in the building that housed Calumet High School, in the South Side neighborhood of Auburn Gresham. When it closed in 2003, Calumet had a high-school graduation rate of less than 40%.

Seeing the potential to transform a community, Tony threw his support behind Perspectives Leadership Academy (PLA), one of the two new Perspectives high schools. Over the next seven years, he built a partnership with PLA that has become a model for corporations and schools across the country.

It wasn’t just a financial partnership, though Anderson and Ernst & Young raised and donated more than $2 million for Perspectives students. On top of that, Ernst & Young employees served as mentors to PLA students, helped paint classrooms, and brought books, music and other resources into the school.

Anderson made support for Perspectives a part of the fabric of the Ernst & Young office in Chicago.

“We did all this because we knew students would take full advantage,” Anderson said. “We were presenting students with opportunities, and they always grabbed them with both hands.  That’s what A Disciplined Life is all about.”

With its first graduating class in 2011, PLA more than doubled the graduation rate from Calumet High School, while serving students from the exact same neighborhood in the exact same building. Ninety-seven percent of graduates were accepted to college. While Anderson has moved on from Ernst & Young, his former colleagues remain committed to their partnership with PLA. They continue to work towards Anderson’s goal of preparing every student for success in college.

Bleeding Red

Those who know Tony understand that he values healthy relationships in his personal and professional lives. He worked diligently to establish and nurture great relationships over the many years he worked at Ernst & Young.

As a young man who was showing great promise at Ernst & Young, Anderson remembers a time when he was pushed to the brink of near exasperation, but walked away with a newfound respect for mentoring, loyalty and firmness.

"I was asked by a managing partner to write an eight-page legal brief and have the draft ready for his review by the following Monday," recalls Anderson. "I worked diligently to write a quality brief and have it ready by Friday afternoon."

Anderson confidently delivered the draft to the managing partner’s office the Friday afternoon before it was due with an accompanying note that said "for your review this weekend or on Monday."

Anderson found the draft on his desk the following Monday morning. The managing partner was notorious for marking up documents with red ink. The first page was “bleeding with red.” The second page was equally as red. Every page was full of red marks and on the last page a note read, "The only thing this paper is good for is filling a waste basket."

"I was furious, red with anger," exclaimed Anderson. "I marched straight over to his office and let him know exactly how I felt and what I thought of his review and commentary."

The managing partner calmly listened without saying a word while Anderson ranted. When Anderson took a breath, the managing partner chimed in with a question. "Are you through?"

"Yes," Anderson said.

The managing partner had the last word. "The day I stop taking that much time to review something that you do, is the day you ought to leave the firm.”

"That gave me pause and made me think," Anderson said years later. "I didn't know what to say and it dawned on me just how much he cared about me, my work and well-being. He was investing in me."

“You have to devote a lot of time, energy and resources to the things that matter most to you,” said Anderson. “It is important to have strong mentors in your life. They offer guidance, give you opportunities to grow, and ultimately become partners in your success.”

Becoming board chair of Perspectives -- "100% college preparation and completion"

“I’m a big believer in the critical role business leaders play in the community,” said Anderson. “A city will never reach its full potential without the active, hands-on support of the business community. That’s why I’ve made it my personal mission to give back in a meaningful way."

Anderson will succeed Larry Ashkin as the board chair of Perspectives Charter Schools. Ashkin’s leadership was instrumental in growing the Perspectives network from one campus to five campuses. Under his direction Perspectives and A Disciplined Life have gained increasing recognition locally and nationally. Ashkin served Perspectives as the board chair for eight years and will continue to be a Perspectives friend and advocate while serving as chair emeritus.

"I thought long and hard before accepting the position as board chair at Perspectives," said Anderson. "At this point in my life, I want to focus my efforts and I feel that education is where I can have the biggest impact on the lives of young people in the city that I love.”

He is unabashed in his declarations of love for Perspectives. “I love Perspectives. I love the students. I love the leadership. And, I love the teachers and staff who dedicate their lives to improving education outcomes for Chicago's youth."

“Tony embodies the 26 principles of A Disciplined Life that we all strive to live at Perspectives,” said Perspectives CEO Rhonda Hopps. “He leads by example, he cares deeply about education, and he has been influential in getting much needed resources to our schools that have directly improved the educational performance of our scholars and bolstered their confidence through experiential learning and mentoring.”

The partnership between Anderson, Ernst & Young and Perspectives is a tribute to the kind of educational attainment possible when there is synergy between community partners, business leaders and educators.

“Ernst & Young employees saw a school that was doing things differently, that was providing students with the values that had made us all successful in our careers,” Anderson said.  “And they did all they could to help out.”

Anderson, who retired from Ernst & Young in 2012, credits the efforts of everyone in the Chicago office of Ernst & Young for the success of the partnership. He will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the students and families served by Perspectives Charter Schools in the South Loop, Bronzeville and Auburn Gresham neighborhoods.

“It is my goal to leave a lasting legacy as the board chair by achieving 100% of our students going to college and finishing college with a degree,” Anderson said confidently, yet mindful of the challenges facing education in Chicago. “When you choose Perspectives, you are choosing to graduate from high school ready to earn a college degree and able to succeed in life.”

Tony is living A Disciplined Life via principle of “Live a Healthy Lifestyle”

Perspectives is Home to Athletic Director of the Year

Vinay Mullick, Athletic Director at Perspectives Charter Schools is being recognized by the Illinois Athletic Directors Association as the 3A/4A Division 1 Athletic Director of the Year. The award acknowledges Vinay and the job he has done for Perspectives Athletics.

“Vinay works tirelessly day-in and day-out to give as many student athletes at Perspectives the opportunity to mature through sport,” said Rhonda Hopps, chief executive officer of Perspectives. “We are proud of his accomplishments on behalf of our students, coaches and Perspectives community.”

In his six years as the athletic director at Perspectives, Mullick continues to implement his philosophy of providing quality, safe, and meaningful afterschool programming to the student athletes.

Athletics at Perspectives is designed to reinforce the A Disciplined Life® (ADL) Education Model that combines a rigorous college prep curriculum with a focus on character development on and off the fields and courts.

“We realize how fortunate we are at Perspectives to have Vinay at the helm of our athletics programs,” said Diana Shulla-Cose, founder and president of Perspectives. “His leadership style is emblematic of how we choose to live A Disciplined Life.”

It is the goal of the athletics program to hire the best adult coaches who adopt the 26 principles of ADL and who are capable of providing students quality guidance, mentorship and supervision. Athletics are an important part of Perspectives' commitment to instill life-long lessons of hope through organized sports.

The athletic accomplishments this year are piling up and there are still nearly eight weeks of competition left in the school year. For the first time in Perspectives history both the boys varsity football program qualified for the IHSA state playoffs and the Warriors boys varsity basketball program out of Auburn Gresham won their first regional championship and made it to the sweet sixteen in the IHSA 3A state tournament. In addition, the boys track and field team won the Chicago Public Class A Indoor Meet.

The success hasn’t only been among varsity teams, the middle school boys basketball team at Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy won the CUBL Championship while the middle school boys team at Perspectives Rodney D. Joslin Campus placed second. The boys team at Perspectives Middle Academy advanced to the Final Four of the Chicago Public Schools Championship.

Athletic Program Accomplishments under Vinay's tenure:

• 10 Conference Championships
• One Sectional Championship
• One Regional Championship
• Two Chicago Public League (CPL) Championships
• One CPL Runner-Up
• One State Football Playoff Appearance
• Multiple State Playoff victories

Vinay will receive the Athletic Director of the Year award at the IADA State Conference in Peoria on Saturday, May 4.

Vinay is living A Disciplined Life 26 principles at a time.

Like this story and many more on Facebook and follow Perspectives on Twitter.

Follow Perspectives Athletics on Twitter.

Historic Season for Warriors Basketball, Coach Mamon Co-Coach of the Year

This was a unique season for the Warriors Boys Varsity Basketball team. Under the helm of Head Coach Jevon Mamon, in his second year of coaching at Perspectives Charter Schools at the Auburn Gresham campus on 8131 S. May St, the Warriors accomplished more than any other team in Perspectives’ athletics history. They won their regional tournament and advanced to the sweet sixteen in the state basketball tournament.

Coach Mamon is being honored by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA). He is receiving the High School Boys, District #3, Co-Coach of the Year award for his coaching style and accomplishments. He will be recognized at the Hall of Fame Banquet at the Illinois State University Ballroom on April 27.

“I coach because I love the game of basketball and the opportunities it can provide for our student athletes,” said Coach Mamon.  “It’s a teaching platform to mold our young scholars into strong men through lessons that stretch far beyond the basketball court and that they can use as a resource for the rest of their lives.”

Lessons of perseverance, determination, effective communication, and taking initiative are just a sample of the A Disciplined Life® Education Model—also known as ADL—at Perspectives that carry over into basketball instruction by Mamon and his staff. They deliberately apply ADL teaching to instill social-emotional learning while gaining valuable team building experience on and off the court.

“We are proud of Coach Mamon for his accomplishments with the Warriors basketball team this year and for being recognized by the IBCA as a Co-Coach of the Year,” said Vinay Mullick, athletic director at Perspectives Charter Schools.

Mamon was convinced that the team understood his basketball philosophy early on in the season. “On December 6, when we beat then ranked #14 Seton Academy on their home court, it was clear that the young men knew what was expected of them on and off the court as well as what it meant to be a Warrior on our basketball program.”

There are many things that occurred this season that brought a smile to coach Mamon’s face. Under his direction, the Warriors beat a ranked opponent, some of the young men flew on a plane for the first time, bonded in Arizona at an out-of-state tournament, won the first regional championship in school history, made the school's first trip to the sweet 16, but what really makes him proud, is that Terrence Sardin was offered a full scholarship to Emporia State University. “Terrence is the first student athlete under my tenure to receive a full scholarship to continue his education and basketball career at the collegiate level,” said coach Mamon.

Coach Mamon has coached competitive basketball for eight years as Head Freshman Coach, Head Sophomore, and Varsity assistant at Niles West 2005-2007, 2008-2011; assistant at Eastern New Mexico University 2007-2008; Head Coach at Perspectives/Auburn-Gresham 2011-Present; and, MeanStreets AAU since 2006.

Understanding the positive power of a great mentor, Coach Mamon acknowledges the influence of Coach Roy Condotti and Coach Bob Williams for their influence on his learning and understanding of the game of basketball and life.

Coach Mamon grew up watching and admiring Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls under Phil Jackson’s holistic managerial style. He thinks highly of both Tom Izzo and Bill Self in the college ranks. Lastly, he credits his friend Tai Streets for helping him with coaching strategies and working with and coaching high level athletes.

The Warriors finished the 2012-2013 season as 3A Regional Champions; 3A Sweet Sixteen Appearance; and 16-12 overall. Mamon’s overall record at Perspectives is 28-28.

Jevon and his student-athletes are living A Disciplined Life 26 principles at a time.

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Positive Coaching Alliance Double-Goal Coach Award 2013 Nomination, Terry Jones

Terry Jones, head coach of the varsity football team at Perspectives Charter Schools, takes pride in both student-athlete successes on the gridiron and in their personal and academic pursuits. For his efforts to live A Disciplined Life® (the signature education model at Perspectives) on and off the field, Jones has been recognized by the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA). 

In late February, Jones learned that he was one of fifty finalists for the PCA's 2013 Double-Goal Coach® Award Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance.

“It is a tremendous honor to coach a spirited group of young men in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood,” said Jones. “We enjoyed a successful season because our athletes are smart and competitive.”

Excerpt from Perspectives on Athletics (A Seasonal Review of the Perspectives Charter Schools Sports Program, Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2013)

Success demands preparation, so it’s no surprise that Perspectives Charter Schools’ football team planted the seeds for its greatest season ever last summer, before practice even began.

During July, the Warriors’ coaches finished using up the allotment of contact days they could have with their team under Illinois High School Association rules. Team leaders then told head coach Terry Jones they were going to stay in shape on their own.

Jones wasn’t sure how well his players would follow through on that pledge, but he was impressed with the results once preseason practice started in August.

“It was incredible,” he said after the season.

That kind of leadership and discipline helped the Warriors—a cooperative team made up of players from all four PCS high schools—finish with a 7-3 overall record and qualify for the state playoffs for the first time in the five-year history of the varsity football program.

Perspectives also won the Chicago Public Schools Windy City Conference title with a 7-0 record.

The Warriors have made steady progress in Jones’ three seasons as head coach, finishing 4-5 in 2010 and 5-4 last year. He credits his players’ intelligence and discipline for the results.

“Show me a good team, and I will show you a smart team,” he said. “This team is a smart team.”

Jones and his fellow cohort of Double-Goal Coach Award embody the model of striving to win, while also pursuing the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports to develop "Better Athletes, Better People."

"We could not have achieved our level of success this year without the expertise, dedication and contribution of my coaching staff, parents, volunteers, and school staff," says Coach Jones.

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national non-profit with the mission to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience.

Since its 1998 launch at Stanford University by Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Thompson, PCA has impacted more than 4 million youth athletes.

PCA reaches youth and high school sport leaders, coaches, athletes, parents, and officials through live workshops, online courses, published books and articles, and a series of alliances with nationally-recognized coaches, athletes, academicians, businesses and national youth sports organizations.

Terry and his student-athletes are living A Disciplined Life 26 principles at a time.

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Grad Talks About an Education Secret

By Miguel Jimenez, Joslin '03

As a young student, I was resistant to A Disciplined Life® (ADL). Like many teenagers, I was critical of anything that looked like a rule. I quickly realized that ADL wasn't a set of rules—it was a way of being. Perspectives provided time and space to reflect on the 26 principles of ADL, practice them, and recognize their positive impact on our lives.

We lived ADL every day. On the bus or train, we showed compassion and generosity by giving up our seat for someone in need. We would listen actively by taking notes during a lecture or museum visit. We asked questions because we were intellectually curious. We listened closely to others because we knew that to communicate effectively we needed to listen respectfully.

I graduated from Rodney D. Joslin Campus in the South Loop with a self-awareness and self-reflection that people recognized and praised in college. At DePauw University, I earned a bachelor’s of arts in Creative Writing. I then earned a master’s in fine arts at California State University – Fresno.

I am now a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and I still value the ADL education given to me at Perspectives. This past semester, I was stunned to learn that one of my students was a Perspectives' graduate. We talked about Perspectives and ADL at length. Here she was, my student, 10 years in age difference, and we were chatting about ADL like it was the secret to life—perhaps because it was the secret to both of our lives.

I recently ended a class with an unrehearsed pep talk, and found myself referencing principles of ADL. “You have to think critically and be inquisitive,” I told my students. I caught myself directly quoting A Disciplined Life, and I thought of Perspectives, and of my student—the Perspectives graduate—sitting in front of me. And on a whim, I asked her to finish off my pep talk with an ADL principle. “Accept only quality work from yourself,” she said, smiling at our inside knowledge, smiling at our secret.

Miguel is living A Disciplined Life 26 principles at a time.

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