911ÖÆÆ·³§

Students Taking Awe-inspiring Roads to Success (S.T.A.R.S.)  will develop compassionate, confident, creative, leaders who are solution-oriented thinkers and doers who strive for success in every area of their lives. Our S.T.A.R.S. leaders will encourage one another, hone conflict resolution skills, learn the importance of creating positive relationships, discover the importance of making meaningful contributions to their person-hood and society, using the arts and other educational and vocational fields and concepts to develop confidence and a lasting sense of self-worth.

STUDENTS TAKING AWE-INSPIRING ROADS TO SUCCESS  COURSE

S.T.A.R.S. is a one-year credit bearing elective class at 911ÖÆÆ·³§ that builds on Discovering Success Through Music, and is open by invitation only to students who meet the academic requirements. The major goals of the course are to empower scholars to own their leadership and success by highlighting their ability to be influencers who take inventory of the results of their actions and practice those actions that lead to a positive result. Our scholars will understand that good leaders value people, and leadership is a process.

The specific S.T.A.R.S. curriculum focuses on our course-aligned Pillars of Success: We Care, We Empower, We Make Mistakes and Learn From Them, We Inspire, We Don’t Make Excuses, We Strive for Authentic Relationships, We Are Uniquely Gifted, and We Are Teachable. The Pillars provide the framework for lessons, projects, class activities, field-trips, and invitations to guest speakers.

Leaders create their goals for social, emotional, and academic success, as aligned with the S.T.A.R.S. pillars; Partner with the teacher in weekly academic check-ins to measure their success, and evaluate opportunities for improvement; Engage in classroom discussions about their leadership growth, affirming and encouraging other classmates to persevere.

S.T.A.R.S. extends invitations to professionals across disciplines with the hope of discovering opportunities in careers that align with their interests. S.T.A.R.S. students practice their leadership by: Designing a game for a self-selected demographic, inviting a professional in the gaming industry to evaluate their game designs; Partnering with a local bakery to host a school-community Meet and Greet; Designing Conflict Resolution cards that emphasize the importance of respecting one another. Our students also have the opportunity to attend theater performances in Downtown Chicago as well as locally, and make connections between the topic of those productions and leadership skills.

STUDENTS TAKING AWE-INSPIRING ROADS TO SUCCESS CRITERIA

 The criteria for receiving an invitation to participate in S.T.A.R.S. include:

• A willingness to learn new ideas from those around you
• Being a positive contributor to the classroom community
• The ability to make decisions that positively contribute to your growth
• A willingness of parents to partner with the S.T.A.R.S. teacher and team in their students’ leadership and success.