Voices for Change May 7
For Immediate Release
Contact: Carolyn Talaske
708-271-3957
Polaris Charter Academy to host Voices for Change on May 7th at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
CHICAGO, IL. (April 22, 2015) — Polaris Charter Academy will host its 4th annual spring benefit Voices for Change on Thursday, May 7th at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. The event will showcase the 7th graders’ work to create podcasts featuring stories from youth on Chicago’s west side.
100% of proceeds will provide hands-on learning experiences to 400+ inner-city students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade at Polaris Charter Academy, Chicago’s only public Expeditionary Learning school.
Since 2012, the annual spring benefit has raised over $150,000 for Polaris’ innovative curriculum. Tickets for the Voices for Change benefit are $125 and available at www.eventbrite.com or by calling 773-534-0820.
Polaris Charter Academy’s mission is to educate students to be self-motivated, creative, critical thinkers with the ultimate goal of shaping life-long learners with a strong sense of personal and civic responsibility. While over 90% of Polaris students are at or below the U.S. poverty rate, 100% of alumni are attending high-quality high schools.
During the event, Polaris will present the podcast work of the 7th graders in their expedition to create lasting change in their community. The benefit also includes a paddle raise, raffle, cocktails and food.
Major sponsors of Voices for Change include the Madigan Family, Feldco, Gourmet Gorilla, Prairie Capital, Wintrust, Kameron Matthews MD JD, Microsoft, ORBA, the Vivit Family, Digital Benefit Advisors, Golden Apple, Sarah Walker and Robert Pauls.
Polaris Charter Academy is the only public Expeditionary Learning (EL) school in Chicago and the first elementary school in the Midwest to be recognized as a Mentor School and credentialed by the EL network. Students “learn by doing” as they conduct fieldwork, speak with experts, work collaboratively, and create authentic, high-quality end projects for audience beyond the classroom. While on sabbatical in the fall of 2005, three Golden Apple Award‐winning teachers identified the common thread of their best practices in teaching: they all gave students the opportunity to “learn by doing.” With this common ground established between them, Michelle Navarre, Tracy Kwock, and Roel Vivit’s vision came to fruition as Polaris Charter Academy opened its doors in the fall of 2007.
For additional information on Polaris Charter Academy, please visit: www.pcachicago.org. For media inquiries, please contact Carolyn Talaske at 708-271-3957 or ctalaske@pcachicago.org.
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