Catholic and Public School partners
Every team at each of our partner schools consist of two or more tutors and one School Community Organizer (SCO). Tutors can serve in public schools as scholars in our Public School Scholarship program or as work study students in Catholic Schools. SCOs are typically graduate students assigned to one particular school and community area to identify potential resources and partners for the school. SCOs also provide support to their team of tutors. To find out how to get involved with one of our programs please visit Students Opportunities.
Leif Ericson Scholastic Academy (East Garfield Park)
- For the past five years, the Egan Office has supported the development of several initiatives at Ericson Scholastic Academy. In partnership with community organizations such as the Garderneers, BUILD Chicago, and Taproot, and the faculty, staff, and parent community at Ericson, a school-community garden has continued to thrive as a positive and powerful space. An advisory commitee comprised of diverse stakeholders has been assembled to direct future
development of the garden in terms of both its physical build out and the ways in which the garden can be further integrated into the Garfield Park community as a whole. From hands on learning about nutrition and sustainable produce to Halloween candy hunts, the garden has become a hub for Ericson's students to learn, play and grow.
- Egan student employees, Laylaa Carpenter and Anna Guitierrez, have done exceptional work providing academic support in literacy and mathematics to Ericson students. The relationships they have built and the academic results they have produced with the students they serve are a testament to the capacity of the Egan's programming to impact students in an immediate and positive way.
- The Chicago Debate Commission continues to do amazing work building the Ericson debate program. Coach Ard and faculty sponsor Miss Felton have built a rigorous program, characterized by high expectations and equally high levels of support. Ericson's student debaters have taken their talents on the road, successfully competing in the city's debate circuit throughout the year.
Henderson Elementary School ( West Englewood)
- The Girls Writing
Workshop is an after-school program that focuses on increasing reading
comprehension, critical thinking and expository writing skills while discussing
issues related to identity, culture and adolescent concerns. The girls in the Writing
Workshop produce original work which they share in with other Henderson students in school-wide projects such as the African-American History Month activity in which they read original poems and performed dances and skits.
- Other Henderson students are
currently participating in a cultural exchange program with students from Accra, Ghana. The students exchange correspondence and learn about each other's cultures. Students are also participating in a “Little Entrepreneurs” program where
they will receive raw materials from Ghana to create their own soaps, jewelry,
clothing and more to sell at school functions.
- Henderson is supported by tutors Yoann, Marcus and Angela. Tutors Marcus
and Yoann have been at Henderson for over 2 years. Yoann created and teaches a French
language class in the after-school program. Marcus has played an important role in the school's technology access and usage. He has used his skills to
upgrade the schools systems, he has taught both teachers and parents how to use technology to improve the students' learning. He has also shown the students
how technology can be both fun and educational. A great example of Marcus' work was
using Google Cardboard to teach students about virtual reality. This allowed the students to create their own virtual reality viewers. Angela is the newest member to the tutor group at Henderson. She works with 3rd graders focusing on 1 on 1 work with students who need a little extra help with any given subject. Angela has a group of three students that she works with cosistently but she also works with other students as needed.
St. Sabina Academy (Auburn Gresham)
- St. Sabina Academy, fulfills the educational ministry of the Faith Community of St. Sabina Church. The School serves 317
students from Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. Founded in 1916 and located
in Auburn Gresham, a Chicago south side predominantly African-American community,
St. Sabina Academy incorporates a well-developed curriculum which highlights the cultural values
of African
Americans. Egan tutors have provided academic support and mentoring to St. Sabina students for over six years.
- The Egan Office has secured a grant to be used towards a School-wide
Recycling Project at St. Sabina. Two DePaul graduate students and three teachers and staff members are collaborating to ensure that the project is student-led and integrated into the schools's curriculum. Students grades 6 through 8 are selected and trained to lead the project. This program is
intended to enhance the STEM curriculum and promote interdisciplinary teaching and learning. The student leaders will also help develop home-based environmental education for parents and family
members.
San Miguel School (Back of the Yards)
- San Miguel and the Egan Office have built a strong partnership over several years. School Community Organizer, Samuel Mayers-White has worked to take this partnership to new levels.
- As a testimony to the enthusiastic support of Latino parents for their children's education, a group of Spanish-speaking Latino parents from
San Miguel recentlycame to the DePaul's Lincoln Park campus for workshops on how to support and prepare their children for college. With support from the Egan office and other DePaul
organizations, SCO Sam, was able to organize this college visit which focused
on enhancing the
parent’s understanding of college life and the admissions
process. During their visit, parents got
to tour the campus, speak to current students and ask questions of admissions counselors. They
were able to learn about DePaul and the college
experience as a whole including information about financial aid.
- The DePaul
School of Nursing also partners with San Miguel. This partnership gives San Miguel two Master’s-level student nurses.
The two student nurses work to supplement the San Miguel staff in serving the
students. San Miguel also, currently has a partnership with three DePaul professors and thier service learning students. This includes a class on Mindful Activism. This class works with eight grade students from San Miguel to share
personal stories with the aim of dismantling race and/or class barriers that
can interrupt mutual understanding.
- Tutors at San Miguel focus on Math and English Language Arts with three different grades. They assist in classrooms and pull students out to work one-on-one or in small groups. The tutors also help with reading support by reading aloud with students or working on assignments students are struggling with. The Egan tutors at San Miguel have built strong relationships with both the students and the school. They are involved with the School in any way they can be. San Miguel works to serve the community as a whole. In October 2017, they opened the San Miguel Community Center where they hold activities, classes and events for the community.
St. Pius V (Pilsen)
- St. Pius V School is located in the Pilsen community which has a rich history and a number of community
based organizations. In her initial asset-mapping of Pilsen's community assets, SCO Caitlin has had the chance to meet with staff from
Mujeres Latinas en Acción
and El Valor. Egan School Community Organizers like Caitlin work to identify and connect potential resources and partners within the community and within the University.
- Caitlin supports two Egan tutors at St. PIus, Justine and Leonor. Justine Carlson is a senior and has been a tutor for
Egan since she was a freshman. She currently works with the kindergarten and
second grade classes, where she assists with reading, writing, and math.
When asked why she tutors she replied, “I continue to tutor because I have seen
students who start to believe in themselves and continue to succeed by creating
and building those relationships one-on-one. As a future teacher, if I can
plant those small seeds with one child, a chain reaction occurs and grows.”
- Leonor Guzman is also a senior and joined the Egan team as a tutor this past fall. Leonor is currently working
with the 3rd and 5th graders on reading, writing, and math. When asked why she
tutors she replied, “I tutor because I believe that all students deserve the
opportunity to have a proper education. There are schools that lack funds and
unable to provide students resources such as extra help due to budget cuts. I
am a strong believer that if we all come together we can have a huge impact in
this world. Even if we help one student, we are creating a trickle effect where
this student may now seek to support others too. I tutor because I would like
to be that positive role model for individuals who may not see any hope of
success, but if I can do it, someone who is first generation and a student of
color, I know that others can too.”
St. Malachy (West Side)
- St. Malachy found that their approaches to
student discipline were not in alignment with their mission. The focus on
student suspensions pointed to the need to change from a punitive to a
restorative response. The objective was to find a response system that would
allow the students to take responsibility for their actions, learn to manage
their own behavior and develop a deeper sense of community and caring for each
other. The administration of St. Malachy concluded that the
Restorative Justice
(RJ) model was the best alternative for their school and turned to Egan office for help. The implementation of restorative practices in schools required
a total school approach and an immediate culture shift away from entrenched,
punitive discipline. The Egan office found Alternatives for Youth, Inc., a community
organization with a history of supporting restorative practices in schools, to
provide training and consultation. The RJ model continues to be refined at St.
Malachy and they have seen significant improvements in disciplinary actions
throughout the school.
- The Egan office's
presence at St. Malachy is supported by two tutors, Alexis Malinowski and
Gabrielle Carpenter. Alexis has been with the Egan office for three years. Alexis tutored the kindergarten class for
two years and followed the last kindergarten class into the first grade during
this past year. Lexi’s knowledge of the students
whom she met as kindergarteners proved to be invaluable.
- Gabriell joined the Egan office team at the beginning of the 2017-18 academic
years and she has already made an impact at St. Malachy. Mrs. Nho the Assistant
Principal and Ms. Kelly the second grade teacher rave about the connection
Gabby has been able to make with the students. The class is split into small groups
enabling Ms. Kelly and Gabby to focus more attention on the students that need it the most. There are
different stations such as math, reading, and science that Gabby helps to
facilitate and she use these times to make their activities both fun and
engaging. Gabby also provides additional support to students who need a little
more one-on-one assistance. When there is down time,
Gabby is able to read with students and learn more about them,
giving them both an opportunity to build on their relationship. Recently, Gabrielle has been joined by two new Egan tutors, Dagney Hill and Anthony Okocha.
Nixon Elementary School (Hermosa)
- Nixon is a
community school that aims to support the family and not just the student. They offer GED and
ESL classes to parents during the school day. The
principal has monthly coffee chats that are open to parents to come with
questions and
requests for support. In order to be more than a bilingual school
and embrace culture as well, Nixon has Family Heritage Nights to celebrate the
diverse backgrounds of the families of their population.
- Nixon has
several after-school programs, including: homework help, band, yoga, dance,
soccer, college readiness, and a daily program with Family Focus. Family Focus
includes things like Spanish class, service learning, Lego builders, and
science activities. Nixon is making strides with social emotional
learning using a second step curriculum, a behavior health team and
implementing restorative justice techniques.
- Tutors from
DePaul provide support throughout the day and during after school programming.
Currently, they are in 2nd, 3rd, and 6th grade classrooms focusing on math and
reading. After school, they help with band and Family Focus programming.
- In addition to the Partnership with the Egan Office, Nixon
partners with DePaul in several ways. In collaboration with the Steans Center and the Egan Office, the School of Nursing places student nurses at Nixon. DePaul also provides mental health
services at the school. Nixon's community partners include Family Focus, Urban
Initiatives, the Hermosa Neighborhood Association, and Communities in
Schools.
School Community Organizers

Rosanna Cordero
rcorder4@depaul.edu
School Community Organizer
Lakeitta Harris
laharris09@gmail.com
School Community Organizer

Kevin Amaro
amarokevin@yahoo.com
School Community Organizer

Lexie Fisher
lexiefisher3@gmail.com
School Community Organizer

Paul Pearson
phpearson10@yahoo.com
School Community Organizer
Jumpstart Preschool Partners
Jumpstart Corps
members implement the Jumpstart curriculum in preschool classrooms across the
country and serve as an aid to teachers. Corps members serve on a team with 5-7
peers and work directly with a local Jumpstart staff member on training,
session planning, service opportunities, and more. A typical Jumpstart session follows this routine: Welcome, Reading, Circle Time, Center Time, Let’s Find Out About It, and Sharing and Goodbye.
Jumpstart Team
Jeanette Estrada
jestrad8@depaul.edu
Jumpstart Site Manager
Genevieve Spina
gspina@depaul.edu
Jumpstart Graduate Program Assistant
Isabel Gomez
igomez7@depaul.edu
Jumpstart Program Assistant
Elizabeth Carrillo
ecarrill13@depaul.edu
Jumpstart Program Assisstant

Judy Rogel
Jumpstart Program Assisstant
Eleora Lebre
elebre@depaul.edu
Jumpstart Volunteer Coordinator
St. Pius

1919 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60608