WITS and Mentorships: Building a Community for Young Readers in CPS

By Michelle Campos and Sharon Delavega

As of June 2018, Illinois proposed to pass a budget to aid the ongoing budget crisis.  While Illinois expects this will help improve their situation, public schools are still suffering from the lack of funding. CPS has less resources to aid their performance in literacy and require organizations to help strengthen their curriculum.

Resources to aid literacy in Chicago

Teachers and schools do their best to offer parents the best resources to improve their child’s literacy skills. Chicago Public Library’s Homework Help Program, offers free tutoring sessions for any student with access to a Chicago Public Library. This program also offers online tutoring sessions for students even after their local library is closed. While this resource is an excellent aid to a student’s education, finding programs that build communities can last them a lifetime.

Working In The Schools and their role with literacy

Located in the West Loop of Chicago, WITS is a non-profit organization that CPS students can use to strengthen their literacy skills and build relationships that will go beyond eighth grade graduation. Because WITS is non-profit, it costs schools and students nothing to invite volunteers in their building and work one on one with students and build their literacy skills. Every year, WITS hosts a fundraising event to keep the program going and reach out to more schools across CPS.

Google MyMaps: 10 hotel lobbies to visit in Chicago

By Michelle Campos

“Hotel Exploring”

It’s an activity that I share with my sister. Sometimes, we do this to pass time in the city without breaking the bank. We walk inside hotel lobbies, look for their artwork, architecture, and marvel at the extravagant decor. Finally, we find a comfy couch to relax on and watch other guests enjoy their visit to the city.

When I walk into a new building, I feel like a detective trying to crack the mystery. If one catches our eye, we take a bit of a dig online and try to find the history behind it. Some are ordinary with little to tell, while others have me on the edge of my seat. My curiosity increases and I wonder if there are secrets behind the cold marble walls and stained glass windows.

Websites, like Historic Hotels of America archive history about historic hotels and any other interesting facts. Additionally, other bloggers have written lists about their personal favorite hotels in Chicago so you can always find a new place to visit. Out of all the hotel lobbies I’ve visited, there are a few that I keep returning to. I’ve compiled a list of 10 hotel lobbies to visit in Chicago using Google MyMaps.

Google Trends: Steve Jobs or Bill Gates? How a movie and ALS can spike the chart

By Michelle Campos

We’ve all played this game a few times in our lives. Usually, it’s all in good fun and while our answers shouldn’t impact the relationships we have, it can sometimes feel that way. Heated debates and long winded rants make it seem like there is no resolution. We all individually have made up our minds, but which one does the public pay the most attention to? An online poll is a simple solution, but the results might not get us a consistent opinion of the public. Thanks to the internet (and google trends), we can take a closer look at these hot topics.

Quinn: MAP Grants critical for low-income students

Gov. Pat Quinn talks about MAP grants at DePaul University. (Photo by Josclynn Brandon)

By Bob Smith

Gov. Pat Quinn visited DePaul University’s Loop campus on Wednesday to discuss how pension reform is harming the Monetary Award Program (MAP) college scholarships and access to higher education in Illinois.

“This is so important to our state, not only in the past, but certainly now and in the future,” Quinn said.
“We want everyone to have the opportunity to go to college that has the ability to go to college.”