Scholar program expanding to Mundelein High
A mentorship and scholarship program for poor or minority students in the Chicago area is expanding to Mundelein High School.
The Schuler Scholar Program provides coaches, college and career counselors, tutors and other assistance to select college-bound students at participating schools.
It targets kids who are entering high school and who could be the first people in their families to attend college. The goal is to help them get into elite private colleges and universities.
Mundelein High officials are excited to team with the program.
"The addition of the Schuler Scholars Program at MHS will provide our first-generation college bound students a life-changing opportunity to enter and succeed at the nation's most selective colleges," Superintendent Kevin Myers said.
The Schuler Program already operates at Warren Township High in Gurnee, Round Lake High, Maine East High in Park Ridge and a few other suburban campuses, as well as at some schools in Chicago.
The program's executive director, Candace Browdy, said Mundelein High is a good match because the student population includes a "significant" number of minority teens.
Browdy also is excited about the recently begun construction of a new wing dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math education.
"That was a huge bonus," Browdy said. "They get that this is a priority."
Founded in 2001, the program selects 15 to 30 incoming high school freshmen at each participating school and provides mentoring, college counseling, tutoring and other professional assistance.
The students also receive $1,000 annual scholarships when they go to college, plus leadership activities and other programs at that stage.
Since launching, 978 teens have been named Schuler Scholars. Of those, 490 are in high school, 240 are in college and 248 have graduated college, Browdy said.
Recent Schuler Scholars at other suburban high schools have gone on to colleges, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth College and Yale University.
For the teens, participation is by invitation only. Program representatives work with middle and junior high schools to identify potential recipients.
They look at grades and standardized test scores but also consider recommendations from the school staffs, Browdy said.
"We will be working very closely with the sender districts to identify students who are eligible," she said.
Once chosen, students must earn A's and B's and score well on standardized tests through high school.
The organization plans to invite potential participants at Mundelein High to attend an informational meeting in January, along with their families, Browdy said.
Winners could be chosen next spring.