AGC & Cultivate Collective are Hiring!

Calling all fellow world-changers and innovators! Please share the opportunities below with your networks to help us reach best-fit candidates for our unique school and community-centered organization.

The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is reimagining the future of what’s possible in public education. As a non-profit Chicago public charter school, located on the city’s urban southwest side, we are constructing a “school of the future” that is trailblazing an unparalleled level of sustainability and new learning environment rooted in wonder. Our mission is to develop mindful leaders who take action now and in the future to positively impact their communities and the world beyond. Our innovative and holistic approach aims to foster systemic change and inspire the way society educates future generations through incubating, evaluating, and disseminating our best practices to the world. We value:

AGC is an internationally recognized laboratory of innovation in education, with a Dual Language program, an International Baccalaureate MYP and PYP program, and a progressive approach to multi-stakeholder collaboration. Please help us identify mission-aligned colleagues for the following roles! Click the links below for full job descriptions.

We are looking for staff who:

• Have a big heart to match a big brain
• Want their work to define best practice
• Respect and thrive in a dynamic, changing, and growing environment
• Know extraordinary things can happen when people work hard together
• Are excited to participate in a laboratory for innovation in education
• Dream about reimagining what’s possible for the future of learning
• Are (ideally) bilingual in English and Spanish

Working at AGC means:

• Being surrounded by thoughtful, inquisitive students and hard-working, passionate, and like-minded colleagues
• Thinking outside of the box to do what is best for our students
• Promoting student profile qualities of the International Baccalaureate Program: inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, well-balanced, and reflective.
• Having high academic expectations for every student in the school every day
• Getting your hands dirty in our school garden and facilitating outdoor learning
• Enjoying 100% organic, scratch-made meals prepared by our on-site chef
• Working in an environmentally sustainable and health conscious school culture
• Incorporating wellness, mindfulness, yoga and environmental education into your work

We are currently seeking exemplary applicants for the following positions:

Teaching & Educational Staff at the Academy for Global Citizenship:

Sustainable STEM Teacher & Tech Coordinator

K-3 Dual Language Teacher

Early Childhood Program Coordinator

Special Education Teacher (Bilingual in Spanish Strongly Preferred)

Physical Therapist

Early Childhood Nurse Consultant (PT – Head Start)

Other Roles at Cultivate Collective & the Cultivate Hub

Associate Director, Cultivate Collective

Please complete this form if you are excited to join our team at some point in the future, and are interested in being alerted of additional position openings as they become available.

For hiring-related inquiries, please contact hiring@agcchicago.org or AGC’s Executive Director at sarahelizabeth@agcchicago.org with your cover letter and résumé.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, or disability.

Seeking Visionary Culinary Director to Change the Future of School Food

“I am inspired by the work you are all doing to help realize the promise of a brighter, healthier tomorrow for our children.“

–       Former First Lady Michelle Obama

Calling all Chefs Seeking to Make a Difference!

We are building out an entire team to launch our program. Please reach out if you’re interested in being a part of our movement! We are currently hiring for the following position, but please send us a note if you’re excited to learn of other openings:

Culinary Director

We are looking for staff who:

• Have a big heart to match a big brain
• Want their work to define best practice
• Respect and thrive in a dynamic, changing, and growing environment
• Know extraordinary things can happen when people work hard together
• Are excited to participate in a laboratory for innovation in education
• Dream about reimagining what’s possible for the future of learning
• Are (ideally) bilingual in English and Spanish

Working at AGC means:

• Being surrounded by thoughtful, inquisitive students and hard-working, passionate, and like-minded colleagues
• Thinking outside of the box to do what is best for our students
• Promoting student profile qualities of the International Baccalaureate Program: inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, well-balanced, and reflective.
• Having high academic expectations for every student in the school every day
• Getting your hands dirty in our school garden and facilitating outdoor learning
• Enjoying 100% organic, scratch-made and plant-forward meals prepared by our on-site chef
• Working in an environmentally sustainable and health conscious school culture
• Incorporating wellness, mindfulness, yoga and environmental education into your work

Please complete this form if you are interested in being alerted of additional position openings as they become available.

For hiring-related inquiries, please contact hiring@agcchicago.org or AGC’s Executive Director at sarahelizabeth@agcchicago.org with your cover letter and résumé.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, or disability.

Cultivate Collective Celebrates the Official Launch of Community Hub for Residents of Chicago’s Southwest Side

Elected officials, community leaders, and supporters will gather to celebrate the completion of Phase One of Cultivate Collective, which addresses systematic inequality through education, wellness, sustainability, and economic vitality.

CHICAGO, IL – Cultivate Collective is proud to announce the completion of the first phase of their new community hub on the southwest side of Chicago. Elected officials, community leaders, and project partners will join together to celebrate the $53 million first phase of construction at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 10^th. Cultivate Collective will house the Academy for Global Citizenship’s existing K-8 public school, an early childhood Head Start center, community health care center, three-acre urban farm, neighborhood marketplace, six teaching kitchens, and a range of community wellness programs and amenities.

“This celebration is the result of nearly two decades of collaboration and dedication among thousands of individuals who have dreamed of a more sustainable and equitable future for all,” said Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, CEO of Cultivate Collective and Founder of the Academy for Global Citizenship.  “We’re so thrilled to see our collective vision for cultivating a resilient, just and thriving community come to life.”

Cultivate Collective is a national model for holistic community revitalization that unites education, wellness, sustainability and economic vitality to enable greater racial equity, improved health outcomes, and upward mobility. Located on the site of a former Chicago Housing Authority community (LeClaire Courts) that was disbanded in 2011, this hub is directly adjacent to a proposed mixed-income housing and retail development that will contain 700 units of housing, the majority  of which is allocated for low-income and affordable housing eligible residents.

“My family has lived in the LeClaire Courts neighborhood for five generations, and we often discuss how we have to drive 15 minutes to access basic necessities due to the lack of resources and disinvestment in our area. The Cultivate Collective development will provide a gathering point for our residents and bring essential services and amenities,” said Niquenya Collins, President of Cultivate Collective.

Additionally, Cultivate will meet the world’s most ambitious standards for sustainability through the Living Building Challenge, which most notably refers to net-positive energy and water to ensure climate resiliency. Cultivate’s community wellness hub seeks to provide an evidenced-based and integrative model for addressing systemic inequality by providing health care, fresh food access, community gardens, nature-based playscapes, neighborhood walking trails, vital services, whole child education, and wellness programming, particularly for those who have been historically marginalized and underserved. Adjacent to our 71,000 square foot facility are ample outdoor community spaces, community gardens, and walking trails for convening and programming.

“Turning long-vacant spaces into thriving community hubs is one of the cornerstones of our Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan, and I’m pleased to see the Academy for Global Citizenship mark another milestone in its journey to advance educational, environmental, economic and health justice for Illinois residents. The Academy is already proving itself a leader in ensuring the green economy is accessible for all communities, and I’m grateful for the organization’s partnership in bringing new jobs and opportunities to Chicago’s Southwest Side,” said Governor JB Pritzker in a 2022 groundbreaking press release.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this innovative project to the southwest side of Chicago. Not only does it directly address community needs by expanding learning opportunities, increasing healthy food access, and adding public green spaces; it will also be a meaningful driver of economic growth through job creation and serving as a training hub,” said Alderperson Michael D. Rodriguez, 22nd Ward.

Cultivate Collective is also launching their second phase which will place a strong emphasis on economic development and community wealth generation focused on equitable inclusion in the growth of the clean economy, and will also include an environmental learning lab and teacher training institute. Over three acres of the six-acre site will be dedicated to nature, food production, regenerative agriculture orchards, and beautification. The Cultivate Hub is projected to welcome over 10,000 visitors on an annual basis to learn from its community revitalization framework, innovative educational methods, and unparalleled sustainability features.

All community members are welcome to join an upcoming open house on Wednesday, October 18 from 5 pm – 8 pm at 4942 W 44^th Street, Chicago, IL 60638.

About Cultivate Collective 

Cultivate Collective is community-based non-profit that has worked hand-in-hand with an array of collaborators and local partners to develop a vision for revitalizing six currently vacant acres within a larger 40-acre Chicago Housing Authority project site into a thriving community wellness, learning and sustainability hub. Cultivate’s mission is to unite education, wellness, sustainability and economic vitality at the community level to drive meaningful, generational impact. Learn more about Cultivate Collective at https://www.cultivate-collective.org/.

EMERIL LAGASSE FOUNDATION PLANTS NEWEST CULINARY GARDEN & TEACHING KITCHEN

NEW ORLEANS—The Emeril Lagasse Foundation has announced it will open its newest Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen at the Academy for Global Citizenship in Chicago. The signature program is a national education program that integrates culinary gardens and teaching kitchens in schools to create interactive learning environments centered on food. “We are excited to bring our signature program to Chicago, an area with a burgeoning garden program already in place within the public school system,” said Emeril Lagasse. “With this sixth school partner,  the program will reach even more children, helping to enrich their lives through a fun, fresh perspective on food.”

The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is a Chicago Public Charter School located on the underserved Southwest side of Chicago. The elementary and middle school takes an innovative and holistic approach to education which aims to foster systemic change and inspire the way society educates future generations. Since its founding in 2005, the AGC has been addressing Chicago’s educational, environmental, and racial healthcare inequities, where it serves 96% minority constituents. With the goal of providing an opportunity for children and families in the most under-resourced neighborhoods, AGC utilizes an innovative, whole-child learning model rooted in social justice, environmental education, entrepreneurship, and dual language wellness opportunities. In April 2022, the AGC broke ground on a six-acre demonstration site, Cultivate Collective, built at the world’s highest standard for sustainability in an area affected by decades of injustices. Cultivate serves as a new campus for the AGC, as well as an incubator for innovation in environmental conservation and community learning, including a health care center, urban farm, community wellness hub, and early childhood center.

To date, over 2,700 students have been engaged in the program, benefiting 4000+ parents, teachers, and family members. The Academy for Global Citizenship will join the list of the current five school partners: Belle Chasse Academy in Belle Chasse, Louisiana; Cunningham Elementary School in Austin, Texas; DC Bilingual Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.; Starlight Elementary School in Watsonville, CA; and Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy in New Orleans.

The program’s teachers report measurable impacts on the children enrolled in the partner schools. Ninety-six percent of teachers agree the program has improved the student attitude toward fresh fruits and vegetables, 88% of teachers report an overall improvement in student academic performance, and 100% of teachers confirm an improvement in student knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating choices.

Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen helps fulfill the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s mission to create opportunities to inspire, mentor, and enable youth to reach their full potential through culinary, nutrition, and arts education. In addition to this signature program, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation has distributed $18  million to nonprofit organizations supporting children.

About Emeril Lagasse Foundation: Founded in 2002 by Chef Emeril Lagasse and his wife Alden, Emeril Lagasse Foundation is a 501c(3) public charity headquartered in New Orleans. The Foundation’s mission is to create opportunities to inspire, mentor and enable youth to reach their full potential through culinary, nutrition, and arts education with a focus on life skills development. Since its inception, Emeril Lagasse Foundation has granted more than $17 million to children’s charities to support culinary, nutrition, and arts programs. The Foundation accomplishes this through three programs. The Community Grants program provides program and capital support to nonprofit organizations across the nation. The signature program, Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, is a national education initiative created to enrich the lives of elementary and middle school children through a fun, fresh perspective on food. The Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund, the newest program, will provide culinary arts education and human services programming for Latino youth. To learn more about the Foundation and its beneficiaries, visit Emeril.org, or follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Liz Bodet

504.583.5550; lizbodet@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TRANSFORMATIVE SUSTAINABILITY, LEARNING AND WELLNESS COMMUNITY HUB BREAKS GROUND ON CHICAGO’S SOUTHWEST SIDE

Elected officials and community members joined Academy for Global Citizenship leadership and community leaders to commemorate the launch of historic Cultivate Collective   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

CONTACT 

Caroline Wellford

caroline@cstrategies.com 

CHICAGO, IL – Today, elected officials, community leaders, and Academy for Global Citizenship (or AGC) school leadership joined together to commemorate the groundbreaking of the Cultivate Collective (Cultivate), a new community learning, sustainability, and wellness hub which will spur economic development on Chicago’s southwest side. The first phase of construction will house AGC’s existing public K-8 school, an early childhood center, community health care center, three-acre urban farm, neighborhood marketplace, six teaching kitchens, and a range of community wellness programs and amenities. Cultivate’s development is slated to be completed and open to the public by the fall of 2023.

“Turning long-vacant spaces into thriving community hubs is one of the cornerstones of our Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan, and I’m pleased to see the Academy for Global Citizenship mark another milestone in its journey to advance educational, environmental, economic and health justice for Illinois residents. The Academy is already proving itself a leader in ensuring the green economy is accessible for all communities, and I’m grateful for the organization’s partnership in bringing new jobs and opportunities to Chicago’s Southwest Side.”

– Governor JB Pritzker

Cultivate will create a holistic center of services for the community including minority workforce training focused on green jobs. Over 1,000 unionized Illinoisans will work on the project which is on track to produce more energy through clean renewable sources than it uses annually. The project is also expected to house 125 permanent positions upon its launch with a $58,350 median salary plus full benefits, in addition to providing skills-training and apprenticeships leading to economic mobility. Also notable is this development is the first in Illinois on track to join only 24 projects worldwide who are recognized by the International Living Futures Institute to achieve an unparalleled level of environmental sustainability and climate resiliency.

“School communities have a unique opportunity to foster the social-emotional wellbeing of students. This learning, sustainability, and wellness hub will do just that for students from our historically under-resourced communities. I’m grateful that the Academy for Global Citizenship continues to catalytically invest in our South Sides as well as the wellbeing of our city’s young people.”

– Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot

Left to Right: Sybil Madison, Chief of Staff, Mayor Lori Lightfoot; Michael Rodriguez, Alderperson, 22nd Ward; Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Founder & Executive Director, Academy for Global Citizenship; Aarón Ortíz, State Representative. ©Charles Cherney Photography

Cultivate is a transformative project for Chicago’s southwest side set to serve a historically under-resourced, 96% minority constituency impacted by decades of disinvestment, social, environmental and racial injustice. The project is catalyzing neighborhood investment, focused on whole child wellness and environmental sustainability, which will generate local wealth, create jobs, and have a significant and sustained impact for generations. The project is located on six acres of the Chicago Housing Authority’s former LeClaire Courts site and will anchor the corner of 44th Street and Laporte Avenue in the LeClaire Courts neighborhood, just 1.5 miles north of Midway Airport. 

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this innovative project to the southwest side of Chicago. Not only does it directly address community needs by expanding learning opportunities, increasing healthy food access, and adding public green spaces; it will also be a meaningful driver of economic growth through job creation and serving as a training hub.”

– Alderperson Michael D. Rodriguez, 22nd Ward

The project will ultimately feature:

• A training hub for minority workforce as pipeline for the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) roll-out, including partnerships with: HIRE360, Black Contractors Owners & Executives, Hispanic American Contractors Industry Association
• Early childhood Head Start facility and K-8 public, IB and Dual Language school 
• On-site Federally Qualified Health Care Center serving the entire community
• Teacher training institute for public school teachers from across the city and state
• Environmental education center to host field trips for students across the city and state 
• Fresh food marketplace, food pharmacy and neighborhood café enabling food access
• Six teaching kitchens, green spaces, walking trails, and community wellness facilities
• Illinois’ first net-positive energy/water, climate-resilient and fossil-fuel free demonstration site

“Today’s celebration is the result of nearly two decades of collaboration and dedication among thousands of individuals who have dreamed of a more sustainable and equitable future for all. We’re so thrilled to see our collective vision for cultivating a resilient, just and thriving community come to life.”

– Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Founder and Executive Director of the Academy for Global Citizenship

Today’s groundbreaking celebration included a musical performance by AGC students, remarks from elected officials, land acknowledgement, yoga, and tree planting.

AGC students sang “I’m Going to Change the World, With My Own Two Hands” in English and Spanish at our groundbreaking ceremony. ©Charles Cherney Photography

AGC currently serves nearly 500 local Chicago Public School students with a mission to empower all students to positively impact the community and world beyond. Cultivate strongly addresses economic inequality through four key approaches:

• Educational Opportunity (whole-child education, cradle-to-career and multi-generational community learning); 
• Health Access (health care, fresh food, wellness facilities and programming); 
• Economic Development (business incubation, job creation, skills training); and 
• Environmental Justice (clean air, energy resiliency, neighborhood nature space, inclusive participation in the green economy).   

“As a former LeClaire Courts resident and someone who has lived in this community for 55 years, I am excited about AGC’s mission to cultivate the next generation of globally environmentally minded leaders who are making our world a better place. We look forward to working with you to see this transformational project bring benefits to our community for generations to come.”

– Joann Williams, President of the Hearst Community Organization

Left to Right: Brenda Alford, LeClaire Courts Right to Return Resident; Tom Baliga, President of Archer Heights Civic Association; Sybil Madison, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chief of Staff; Alderperson Michael Rodriguez; Academy for Global Citizenship Founder Sarah Elizabeth Ippel; State Representative Aarón Ortíz; Reverend Tolliver, LeClaire Missionary Baptist Church; Jewel Robinson, Community Resident for 53 years. ©Charles Cherney Photography

About the Academy for Global Citizenship: 

The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is a Dual Language and International Baccalaureate public school located on Chicago’s southwest side that serves a 96% minority constituency. AGC opened its doors in 2008 as a learning laboratory that has since scaled its innovative model to impact over five million students. Learn more about the Academy for Global Citizenship at https://agcchicago.org/. 

About the Cultivate Collective 

The Cultivate Collective is community-based non-profit that has worked hand-in-hand with an array of collaborators and local partners to develop a vision for revitalizing six currently vacant acres within a larger 40-acre Chicago Housing Authority project site into a thriving community wellness, learning and sustainability hub. Cultivate’s mission is to unite education, wellness, sustainability and economic vitality at the community level to drive meaningful, generational impact. Learn more about Cultivate Collective at https://www.cultivatehere.org/.

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Left to Right: State Representative Aarón Ortíz, Alderperson Michael Rodriguez, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chief of Staff Sybil Madison, Academy for Global Citizenship Founder Sarah Elizabeth Ippel. Groundbreaking for the new Academy for Global Citizenship – Tuesday May 10, 2022 ©Charles Cherney Photography

Coming this Fall – Early Childhood at AGC!

Now enrolling ages three and four in our tuition-free Pre-K program to join our whole-child, dual-language, nature-based, Reggio-inspired learning community!

As the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) prepares for the transition to our six-acre community wellness, learning and sustainability hub, we are excited to announce the launch of our Early Childhood program for ages three and four, which will commence this fall.

Early Childhood Education Reimagined

AGC’s tuition-free Early Childhood (EC) program will extend our comprehensive model to early learners and will be rooted in our nature-centric, play-based, whole-child, Reggio-inspired, dual-language, and International Baccalaureate approach.

The following core elements of the Early Childhood Learning Center will provide a hopeful, empowering and evidence-based learning environment:

• Providing a Full-Day of Reggio-Inspired, International Baccalaureate and Dual-Language Learning
• Producing Organic Food, Serving Healthy Meals and Elevating Nutrition
• Promoting Wellness, Prompting Movement and Inspiring Active Play
• Integrating Sustainability, Nature-Based Exploration and Environmental Studies
• Engaging Families as Partners in their Children’s Education
• Supporting Diverse Learners and Embracing Special Needs Students
• Investing in Trauma-Informed Care and Social Emotional Learning

For program questions, families can contact AGC’s Director of Early Childhood Learning, Jesús Oviedo, at joviedo@agcchicago.org. To enroll a three- or four-year-old child, please contact Lesly Castro at lcastro@agcchicago.org. To be placed on AGC’s Kindergarten-8th Grade waiting list, Maribel Mares can be reached at mmares@agcchicago.org.

The Future of Learning at our New Campus

EC students will be provided the opportunity to continue their education at AGC’s visionary new campus in Southwest Chicago in an Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) designed by experts from all over the world who have helped us reimagine whole-child learning. The Early Childhood Learning Center at our new campus will have six learning spaces that are being specially designed with three- and four-year-olds in mind, optimizing for movement, encouraging active inquiry, and celebrating nutrition and well-being.

With our partners at Urban Growers Collective and child wellness experts, we will establish a campus learning barn and greenhouses, organic food production and on-site meal preparation, including a dedicated Learning Kitchen for pre-schoolers. The ECLC will also include dedicated outdoor learning, growing and nature-based playscapes that have been developmentally designed for our youngest students. The net-positive energy campus and community sustainability hub will also be home to orchards, apiaries, food forests, community gardens, a fresh food store, health care center, wellness facilities, learning barn, and a teacher training institute.

AGC’s Partnership with Start Early

AGC is honored to have been selected as a partner and sub-grantee of Start Early (formerly the Ounce of Prevention).

“From research among leading economists to education experts, the evidence-base for investing in high quality early learning is irrefutable”, said AGC’s Founder, Sarah Elizabeth Ippel. “We couldn’t be more excited to extend our innovative learning model to provide a strong foundation for our youngest learners.”

“We are thrilled to expand our presence here in our hometown and bring new partners and perspectives to our work serving families and communities in need of quality early learning and care,” said Diana Rauner, president of Start Early.

Start Early, as the grantee, will work alongside each partner to provide critical program supports, in key service and system areas, including implementation guidance, training, curricula, screening and assessment tools, data systems, monitoring and research-to-practice continuous quality improvement. Start Early will also engage leaders, staff, and parents in a robust network of shared learning, innovation, and mutual support.

For More Information

Click here to learn more about Start Early’s expansion of quality early learning opportunities. To learn more about AGC’s K-8 public education model, click here, and to learn about our future campus and community sustainability hub, click here. For press inquiries, please contact AGC’s Executive Director, Sarah Elizabeth Ippel at sarahelizabeth@agcchicago.org.

COMMUNITY WELLNESS & SUSTAINABILITY HUB ON CHICAGO’S SOUTHWEST SIDE RECEIVES $100,000 THROUGH CIGNA FOUNDATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:         Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Founder & Executive Director

Phone:           773.744.8729

Email:            sarahelizabeth@agcchicago.org

The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is excited to announce $100,000 in funding from the Cigna Foundation to support our next chapter of expanded impact through the launch of a three-acre urban farm at our new community wellness and sustainability hub. As part of Cigna Foundation’s Healthier Kids For Our Future® initiative, this grant will enhance existing nutrition, wellness, and environmental education programs through funding outdoor classrooms, expanding teaching kitchens, amplifying our urban agriculture capacity, and increasing our community’s access to fresh and healthy food.

AGC’s groundbreaking environmental education, sustainable food systems and health strategy has been designed to foster holistic wellness, eco-literacy, and healthier children and families. Since 2008, AGC has been responding to our community’s health disparities by delivering high-quality K-8th grade whole-child education and wellness programming to 96% minority children and families in a 46% medically underserved and food-insecure part of Southwest Chicago. Reimagining the role of school by serving as a health hub, AGC extends opportunities for community learning through cooking classes, gardening, health fairs and fresh food distribution.

“We’re excited to reimagine the role of schools in communities through developing a replicable model for creating healthy neighborhood hubs,” says Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Founder and Executive Director of the Academy for Global Citizenship. “This will not only provide the building blocks of positive nutrition to our youngest learners but will cultivate a healthier community where all individuals have access to the wellness resources needed to thrive.”

As part of AGC’s overall growth strategy, the school will expand their current on-site gardening space over the next two years to a three-acre urban farm that will serve as a center for food production and a learning laboratory from which others can learn. Organic food grown on the farm will be utilized for 2,100 daily scratch-made school meals, and any excess food will be sold to the community at an on-site social enterprise Fresh Farm Café.

“Providing kids with healthy meals ensures they don’t go to bed hungry today, while nutritional education supports their wellbeing and growth in the future,” said Brian Marsella, Midwest market president for Cigna. “We are proud to support the important work that the Academy for Global Citizenship is doing to address food insecurity and other health disparities that affect too many children in our community.”

The Academy for Global Citizenship is a public Kindergarten through 8^th grade school located in Southwest Chicago’s neighborhood of Garfield Ridge. They are working hand-in-hand with community partners to develop a hub for community wellness, learning and sustainability called Catalyst Southwest that will create a new home for the Academy for Global Citizenship, a three-acre urban farm, an early childhood center, a health care clinic, fresh foods café and six teaching kitchens. This project will be located on a six-acre plot of land at the center of a Chicago Housing Authority community and is slated to break ground in February 2022.

Exciting Summer Updates from AGC

After four weeks of full-day summer enrichment programming, and robust back-to-school professional development with our teachers, we welcomed our students back to school on August 11th for our 14th school year! AGC’s innovative model is rooted in an extended school year and expanded learning opportunities that provide engagement and educational pathways for our students and families throughout the summer and beyond a traditional school day and year. 

Summer Enrichment

Our full-day summer programming combined academic enrichment opportunities with hands-on, project-based learning experiences, loads of fresh air and time in our schoolyard garden. We had four multi-age group pods that enjoyed a variety of opportunities for wellness, creativity, academic development, nature-based play and environmental education. At the end of every week, students led a farmers market for the AGC community and neighborhood where they harvested and sold organic produce from our gardens, and healthy and sustainable products that they prepared throughout the week. Activities spanned from theater to art, gardening to film production, and also enjoyed thematic learning about the Olympics! \

Mr. Jesús led art activities throughout our summer enrichment program where students of all ages learned how to work with clay.

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Students cultivated and harvested organic veggies in our schoolyard gardens in preparation for our weekly farmers markets where we invited neighbors, families and community members to enjoy fresh and hyperlocal produce.

Even our youngest learners contributed to our farmers market preparation by decorating reusable canvas bags.

Students practiced their entrepreneurship and math skills by pricing produce and engaging with farmers market customers.

Students enjoyed making recycled paper with Ms. Middendorf one afternoon!

On the final day of camp, our PreK – 1st grade pod showed off their hand-made Olympic medals!

Back to School

August 11th was the first day of our 14th school year at AGC! In preparation for a unique year of welcoming 100% of our students back for in-person learning, our faculty and staff came together for professional development, team building and planning. We also safely hosted parents, alumni and other neighborhood volunteers as it takes a village to cultivate a school community where all learners will thrive.

Leading up to our first day, teachers have been gathering each morning to collaborate, learn, and participate in wellness and mindfulness activities that mirror our whole-child approach to learning. 

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AGC’s Early Childhood Education Program

This fall, we are launching AGC’s first Early Childhood Learning program in partnership with Start Early and we couldn’t be more excited to expand our AGC community to three- and four-year-old children. Our Early Childhood Learning program is rooted in AGC’s dual language, International Baccalaureate and whole-child philosophy. Our youngest learners will learn through experience in small groups, with an emphasis on nature-based play and discovery. Our Reggio-inspired methods and materials will provoke inquiry, wonder and curiosity. Our program will be overseen by AGC’s new Director of Early Childhood Learning, Jesús Oviedo, and our Lower School Principal, Saskia Rombouts, and will consist of both home-visiting and center-based learning options. To learn more, contact Jesús at joviedo@agcchicago.org! 

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Hannah’s Bretzel to Donate 20% of Catering Sales to AGC on August 11-12

A loyal partner of AGC since opening our doors in 2008, Hannah’s Bretzel, Chicago’s über sustainable sandwich company, is once again donating a percentage of sales to AGC. On Wednesday, August 11th and Thursday, August 12th, 20% of all catering business will go to supporting necessary greenhouse repairs and back-to-school planting in AGC’s schoolyard garden. Additionally Hannah’s Bretzel will match all proceeds from this effort with an additional donation, so please support AGC and Hannah’s Bretzel by ordering in for your family or team at work this week for breakfast, lunch or dinner on the 11th and 12th. Hannah’s Bretzel sandwiches, soups and salads feature whole grain nutrition, locally sourced ingredients and organic produce. 

AGC shares a common philosophy with our friends at Hannah’s Bretzel. Both organizations were founded with big dreams and firm ideals and have grown quickly but thoughtfully, while refusing to compromise on our collective vision for sustainability. You can place a catering order online at www.hannahsbretzel.com, or in person at one of the two Chicago Hannah’s Bretzel locations at 107 S. Franklin St, and 400 N. LaSalle St. Donations can also be made directly to our greenhouse repair and school garden fund.

Please join us in celebrating the kick-off of our 14th school year as we welcome our students back for another year of whole-child learning on August 11th!

Wrapping up our Thirteenth Year & Collaborating with our Community

As we wrap up the end of our thirteenth school year, we would like to reflect on a chapter that has been like no other, where we have all worked together. First off, thank you to our AGC community of families, students, teachers and funders who have allowed us to make this pandemic school year as smooth as possible. Now that the end of the year is here, we have been able to move forward with our typical end-of-the-year traditions with COVID-19 safety precautions to bring our students, staff and families some semblance of normalcy and transition back to a pre-pandemic world. These events have brought our AGC community back together again in-person and we couldn’t be happier! 

AGC Professional Development Seminars

This year we have worked diligently to develop and grow our Learning Institute. In collaboration with Illinois Green Alliance, we hosted one seminar in May around best practices for teaching in outdoor classrooms and two seminars in June to share our curricular  framework for sustainability and wellness. Our Sustainability Coordinator, Glenda Gonzalez, and 3-8 Wellness Teacher, Bryan Soto, presented on AGC’s innovative strategies and provided a space for enriching discussion around environmental education and whole-child wellbeing  in schools. Thank you to everyone that was able to join and stay tuned for more seminars this coming school year!

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8th Grade Events & Celebrations

As our 8th graders wrapped up their time at AGC, they had many exciting events and activities throughout these final few months. They sure have made their mark on AGC and we are so proud of our Class of 2021 graduates who are moving on to incredible high school opportunities, including many who will continue their International Baccalaureate foundation established at AGC! 

Eighth graders completed their IB Community Projects and presented their final work and social activism  to the AGC community through a film festival organized by our 7th-8th grade Language & Literature teacher, Mr. Fischer. Check out some of their videos at this YouTube Playlist here. 

8th graders also participated in a week of Service Learning around Chicago and virtually with collaborating organizations in Latin America. We are grateful for our generous partners at IMC whose instrumental support made these opportunities possible. Students kayaked along the Chicago River while completing a river clean-up, biked around Big Marsh Park and participated in the restoration project along the park’s trails, volunteered with the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Cradles to Crayons and participated in a park clean-up at Ping Tom Park. In addition to these experiences, students also participated in two days of cultural exchange with our partners, Tandana, in the Northern Andes of Ecuador who work with the indigenous community Kitchwa Otavalo, and our partners De La Gente based in Guatemala who focus on coffee farming and production. 

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Finally, our 8th graders celebrated their time at AGC with the 8th grade luncheon and graduation ceremony. Thank you to our dedicated Ms. Correa and Ms. Salazar for making these events possible. Our 8th graders and families are lucky to have such a dedicated team of faculty and staff! 

Fifth Grade Exhibition

In addition to our 8th graders’ many end-of-the-year events, our 5th grade students worked to complete their final International Baccalaureate inquiry projects and presented their work through their Exhibition. This included a deep dive into the theme of “Who we are.” They reflected on their passions and identified local and global challenges and opportunities to find topics of infinite interest to them. Students developed a line of inquiry that differentiated their investigation and began research across a myriad of sources and reading levels. They employed synthesis and paraphrasing skills as they prepared their final presentations with intentionality for topic-specific vocabulary usage. Throughout the process, students participated in goal setting and reflecting, professionalism for interviewing, and cultivation of curiosity. Finally, students gave oral presentations and completed the cycle of inquiry by taking action specific to their topic. The topics ranged from gender equality, the impacts of social media on mental health, waste management and pollution.

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AGC Mural Community Beautification & Collaboration Project

Among our many end-of-year celebrations, we have come together with our local community and our partners Organic Oneness to paint murals on the shipping containers we acquired this year due to the pandemic. Students gathered on a beautiful day with community artists to paint and create images that represent AGC and the community surrounding our school. This was a wonderful moment for our students to connect with the community around our school and to express themselves through art.