Soccer is focus of public charter school
Latino group hopes soccer-themed K-8 charter school will boost graduation rate, aid student athletes
- Share138
- (0)
 Itzel Gonzalez, 8, and other students on Wednesday attend the United Neighborhood Organization's announcement of starting a soccer charter school. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune / April 6, 2011) |
Elite soccer academies in the United States or Mexico can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year, but would-be soccer stars in Chicago will have an opportunity to attend a soccer academy in Gage Park for free.
There's just one hitch — their names must be pulled in a lottery.
United Neighborhood Organization, which runs nine charter schools in predominantly Hispanic Chicago neighborhoods, announced Wednesday that it is taking applications for its new soccer academy, a public school with a soccer focus. It will open this fall for 575 kindergartners through eighth-graders, and already UNO is getting calls from parents wanting to sign up their kids.
"We have a tremendous amount of soccer talent within our community," said Juan Rangel, CEO of UNO. "Unfortunately, a lot of kids may have the soccer skills, but they do not have the academic background."
With soccer the No. 1 sport in the Hispanic community, UNO organizers figured it could be a good hook to inspire kids otherwise prone to dropping out or not being interested in school, perhaps getting some on track for college sports scholarships.
The school will offer soccer for gym class and host soccer drills and scrimmages after school. While the academic curriculum has yet to be fully developed, UNO officials hope to integrate soccer into subjects like math and social studies, starting first with naming classrooms after countries that have hosted theWorld Cup. The school also plans on focusing on fitness and nutrition as part of the daily program.
UNO, an influential Latino charter school operator, won $98 million in state funding in 2009 to build additional charter campuses to relieve overcrowded classrooms in Chicago's Hispanic communities. About $25 million of that state grant will pay for the academy at 51st Street and Homan Avenue.
The elementary school is part of a larger campus UNO envisions for Gage Park that will eventually include a soccer high school, a soccer stadium and a public plaza.
Head soccer coaches for the Chicago Fire and the University of Illinois at Chicago attended UNO's news conference Wednesday, although details of their relationship with the academy are still being ironed out.
UIC men's soccer coach Sean Phillips says the charter will help soccer athletes get their academics in order for high school and eventually college.
"One of the challenges for aspiring student athletes is to make sure they have the academic ability," he said, adding that many student athletes find it difficult to match NCAA Division I requirements like finishing 16 core courses in high school with solid GPAs and strong SAT or ACT scores.
"They're deemed ineligible because they can't meet those requirements," he said. "If UNO can get elementary kids prepared to tackle this in high school, they can have a better chance to finish the academic requirements to meet eligibility for the NCAA and get athletic aid."
There's just one hitch — their names must be pulled in a lottery.
United Neighborhood Organization, which runs nine charter schools in predominantly Hispanic Chicago neighborhoods, announced Wednesday that it is taking applications for its new soccer academy, a public school with a soccer focus. It will open this fall for 575 kindergartners through eighth-graders, and already UNO is getting calls from parents wanting to sign up their kids.
"We have a tremendous amount of soccer talent within our community," said Juan Rangel, CEO of UNO. "Unfortunately, a lot of kids may have the soccer skills, but they do not have the academic background."
With soccer the No. 1 sport in the Hispanic community, UNO organizers figured it could be a good hook to inspire kids otherwise prone to dropping out or not being interested in school, perhaps getting some on track for college sports scholarships.
The school will offer soccer for gym class and host soccer drills and scrimmages after school. While the academic curriculum has yet to be fully developed, UNO officials hope to integrate soccer into subjects like math and social studies, starting first with naming classrooms after countries that have hosted theWorld Cup. The school also plans on focusing on fitness and nutrition as part of the daily program.
UNO, an influential Latino charter school operator, won $98 million in state funding in 2009 to build additional charter campuses to relieve overcrowded classrooms in Chicago's Hispanic communities. About $25 million of that state grant will pay for the academy at 51st Street and Homan Avenue.
The elementary school is part of a larger campus UNO envisions for Gage Park that will eventually include a soccer high school, a soccer stadium and a public plaza.
Head soccer coaches for the Chicago Fire and the University of Illinois at Chicago attended UNO's news conference Wednesday, although details of their relationship with the academy are still being ironed out.
UIC men's soccer coach Sean Phillips says the charter will help soccer athletes get their academics in order for high school and eventually college.
"One of the challenges for aspiring student athletes is to make sure they have the academic ability," he said, adding that many student athletes find it difficult to match NCAA Division I requirements like finishing 16 core courses in high school with solid GPAs and strong SAT or ACT scores.
"They're deemed ineligible because they can't meet those requirements," he said. "If UNO can get elementary kids prepared to tackle this in high school, they can have a better chance to finish the academic requirements to meet eligibility for the NCAA and get athletic aid."
No comments:
Post a Comment