Your News: Maine East inducts first class of Schuler Scholar
Maine East High School officially opened a new and invigorating chapter recently as its inaugural class of Schuler Scholars was inducted during ceremonies in the school auditorium.
Maine East administrators, Schuler Scholar Program representatives and senior Schuler Scholars from Waukegan High School welcomed 23 students who will enter Maine East in August. These incoming freshmen constitute the first group of East students to take part in this prestigious and often life-changing scholarship program.
The Schuler Scholar Program identifies about two dozen students each year and undertakes intensive efforts to groom them for success at some of the nation's most prestigious private colleges and universities. After two years of planning, Maine East last year became the first Cook County school to form a partnership with the Schuler Foundation.
East Principal Steven Isoye and Assistant Principal Michael Pressler welcomed the inductees Tuesday, as did on-site Schuler Scholar Program's School Director Joanne Bertsch, who also hinted at the challenge head. Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson's exhortation to "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you," Bertsch told the students that they will be asked repeatedly during the next four years to achieve their personal best and then, when they've approached that goal, to set the bar even higher.
To qualify, eighth graders must demonstrate a solid academic record and receive recommendations from teachers and counselors. A select group of applicants is invited to interview with Schuler staff members, who also speak with parents in order to gauge family support, essential for a student's success. The program selects teens who would be the first in their family to attend college and for whom higher education would be out of reach financially without assistance.
But the Schuler Scholar Program seeks even more than good grades and a favorable family profile. It requires participants to be involved in extracurricular activities and community service. They are scouring for students with leadership potential, and the program utilizes varied means to develop that potential.
Schuler tutors its scholars and preps them for ACT and SAT exams. It expects the scholars to take Advanced Placement or honors courses. It requires a reading program geared to prepare students for the rigors they will face at a top-caliber university. Schuler expands students' cultural horizons by taking them to theater, symphonic and opera productions. It takes sophomores scholars to Wisconsin for a 10-day summer leadership camp.
Finally, the program leads its students on tours of elite schools on both East and West coasts, as well as in the Midwest. The Schuler Scholar Program covers the expense of all these activities, and it enjoys a remarkable success rate in placing its scholars in top-notch universities, including such schools as Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Amherst and the University of Pennsylvania.
The Schuler Scholar program was established in 2001 by the family of former Abbott Laboratories CEO Jack W. Schuler and his daughter, Tanya Schuler Sharman. Other partners include Waukegan, Highland Park, Warren and Round Lake high schools.
• Send Your news to nbrcalendar@dailyherald.com.