Established in 1989, the hallmark of the High Jump experience is a 2 ½ year course of study that builds academic and social skills, fosters self-confidence and independent thinking and provides critical information about future educational choices. Upon selective acceptance, students attend classes on Saturdays during the school year and full-time during intensive summer sessions. To date over 750 students have been served. 100% of High Jump graduates attend college preparatory high schools. Program alumni are presently represented at over 110 selective local and national secondary schools and 200 top colleges and universities.
The academic instruction that students receive at High Jump is intended to enhance critical thinking and problem solving skills. To achieve this goal, High Jump sustains a high level of interaction between faculty and students within the classroom by maintaining small class sizes of no more than 15 students per class. Each class is lead by a head teacher and a program alumni teaching assistant for optimal staff to student ratio.
All classes are held at Latin School of Chicago's state-of-of-the-art Middle School. The High Jump experience is designed to prepare students for successful learning at selective college preparatory high schools.
Throughout the year, classroom study is complemented by field trips to local cultural and educational institutions such as The Art Institute, Chicago History Museum, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and The Museum of Science and Industry. The summer sessions begins with a three-day outdoor education leadership retreat at Lorado Taft at the Northern Illinois University Campus in Oregon, Illinois. Students are able to explore nature, participate in trust building exercises and build leadership skills. Students also participate in service learning activities throughout the year.
The High Jump curriculum has been enriched by a partnership with Cornell University. Since 2003, Cornell University has conducted engineering seminars. During the 2006 summer session, the partnership expanded to include seminars from university professors in the areas of literature, math and theatre.
Cornell University has made tuition-free opportunities available specifically for High Jump alumni to participate in the CATALYST, Cornell Association for the Technological Advancement of Learned Youth in Science and Technology program. The CATALYST program at the college of engineering is a one-week residential program designed for under-represented minority high school students who excel in math and science, who want to learn more about careers in engineering. Students are provided with airfare, meals, housing and tuition all free of charge. Participants are exposed to hands-on projects in engineering research fields and lab session led by world renowned engineering faculty. Academic and leadership skill development, panel discussions, social events, and other out of classroom activities provide participants with opportunities to informally network with Cornell faculty, staff and students. This program is underwritten by High Jump Board of Trustees and Cornell University.
High Jump's Mentoring Program provides students with an adult role model outside of teacher and parents to give support and guidance. The following are the goals of the mentoring program: 1) facilitate each mentor and mentee relationship; 2) Complement High Jump’s focus on academic and social development; 3) Provide students with a professional role model.
During the eighth grade year, students focus on high school selection. High Jump provides one-on-one high school and financial aid counseling for students and their families. During the annual High School Fair hosted by High Jump, students and their parents have an opportunity to meet with representatives from over 35 college preparatory schools. Campus visits are additionally offered throughout the year. Graduates of High Jump attend some of the finest schools in Chicago and across the country.
The demand for High Jump is tremendous. This year, over 60 neighborhoods were visited, increasing our outreach efforts from the previous year by 44%. The applicants from Cohort 21 represented over 45 different zip codes from the city of Chicago. New neighborhoods such as Chicago Lawn, Brighton Park, Dunning, Portage Park and Belmont Cragin were also represented in this pool. The selected students for Cohort 21 are reflective of 31 zip codes citywide.
During the 2008-2009 school year, over 154 schools were visited in application for Cohort 21; a 32% increase from the previous years applicant pool. Presentations were made to over 2,200 students.