Announcing the New 17-Acre Campus
of DePaul College Prep, August 2020
 

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Thursday, August 1, 2019

Friends and families of DePaul College Prep,

Welcome to DePaul College Prep’s bright and exciting future! I am very proud to announce that today, DePaul College Prep concluded the purchase of a new 17-acre campus that will serve generations of students and families in Chicago as our permanent home, starting in August 2020.

This is an historic day for DePaul College Prep, brought about through years of tremendous effort, planning and support from the entire DePaul Prep Board of Directors and our Leadership Team. We truly are blessed to have such a united team guided by faith in our mission, faith in our future and faith in God. And we are blessed by your generous and continuing support which has propelled DePaul Prep forward over the past five years.

Our new campus is located just across the Chicago River in Roscoe Village at 3300 N. Campbell Street, approximately a quarter mile from our current location. It is bounded on the west by Rockwell, the south by Melrose, the east by Campbell and the north by Kerry Wood Field. The campus is already improved with two modern school buildings acquired from Adtalem Global Education. We will begin renovations on the west building in late fall 2019 and in winter/spring 2020 will begin construction of a turf field to accommodate football, soccer and lacrosse. Our academic classrooms, chapel, dining hall and athletic fields will be ready for the 2020-2021 school year. In a few years, we will expand DePaul Prep’s academic operations into the east building as well. Fundraising for construction of a new indoor athletic complex is underway, and you will be hearing more about that soon.

We are forever grateful to the priests and brothers of the Congregation of the Resurrection who have sponsored us and have been our landlords on their property for the past five years. As we move forward, we do so with tremendous appreciation to the Resurrectionists for the grace-filled way in which they have allowed DePaul Prep to grow and prosper, by continuing their decades long mission of bringing Catholic education to the young people of Chicago at both Archbishop Weber and Gordon Tech High Schools.

We have a lot of work ahead of us: a capital campaign to support the construction of a new indoor athletic complex, more improvements for the arts, teaching and learning, endowment for financial aid and scholarships, endowment for professional development for faculty; a new strategic plan; and implementation of a successful 2019-2020 academic year.

Our Board has named our ambitious capital campaign:

One Dream, All In!

The Campaign for the future of DePaul College Prep

I can’t think of a more fitting description of what lies ahead for us. We know that it is going to take all of us, united behind DePaul Prep and working together, to make our future a reality. Thank you for your generosity and for being part of this historic journey in Catholic education. We hope you will continue as our partners as our campus takes shape and as we build an endowment to insure our future. We are All In for DePaul Prep, and I know we will succeed. Your many kindnesses inspire us every day to work toward creating an educated, compassionate and just world, one student at a time.

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

St. Louise de Marillac, pray for us!

 

With kindest regards,

Mary A. Dempsey

President

Dear DePaul Prep Families and Friends:

The Class of 2019 has graduated. The underclassmen have taken their last final exam. Our hallways are temporarily quiet. The 2018-2019 academic year has come to a close at DePaul College Prep.

It’s been a momentous year. We celebrated our 5th year of operations as DePaul College Prep. And our 5th year of steadily increasing enrollment and academic success. We welcomed Dr. Megan Stanton-Anderson as our Principal. She brings a commitment to teaching and learning, academic rigor and mastery of content that has propelled DePaul Prep forward significantly this year. Just as importantly, Dr. Stanton-Anderson has placed a high priority on the social and emotional wellness of our students and our faculty through a series of programs and initiatives that have benefitted the entire school community.

This year also marked the successful completion of the 4th year of our 5-year strategic plan, Vision 2020: Faith in our Future. Significant progress was made in each of our five goal areas:

• Learning Environment and Faculty Growth
• Student Life and Community Engagement
• Catholic Identity
• Marketing and Admissions
• Facilities
• Finance

Of note specifically has been the growth of our academic partnership with DePaul University. I am proud to say that a number of our 2019 graduates have chosen to attend DePaul University including two of our ComEd Scholars who will major in STEM programs and will continue to benefit from our unique partnership with ComEd and the University. Our underclassmen and our faculty also benefit from the mission and generosity of the University. This summer 19 of our rising juniors and seniors will take dual enrollment classes at DePaul University for college credit. Earlier this spring, the University and DePaul Prep reached an agreement that enables our faculty who pursue a master’s degree in their discipline at the University to receive a 33% tuition discount. And in a few weeks, a number of our incoming freshmen who scored well on the entrance exam will participate in DSX, the DePaul Summer Experience on the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses of DePaul University.

In response to our significant growth next year, we will welcome more faculty, new deans, more counselors and weekly advisories for all students. Our commitment is to do our very best to help students to learn and grow – academically and spiritually. Our goal remains firm. We are a welcoming, academically rigorous, Catholic high school that is grounded in the core values of Faith, Respect, Excellence, and Service. These core values are our guiding light, as is St. Vincent de Paul’s central question: What must be done? We ask ourselves and our students: What must I do? to use my intelligence and God’s grace to better myself academically, to grow spiritually and to be committed to the service of others. If DePaul College Prep’s students reflect on and successfully answer this question throughout their lives, we will have succeeded in our work.

At year’s end, we hold Convocation for our underclassmen. Convocation is an opportunity for us to give thanks for the year; to bless our freshmen, sophomores and juniors as they anticipate their leadership roles in the new academic year; to thank those who are retiring or leaving for other opportunities; and to pray for a healthy and safe summer for the entire DePaul College Prep community. It is a sacred opportunity for DePaul Prep to come together through the common bonds of our core values, our commitment to one another’s well-being, and our awareness that we play a larger role in the future of our beloved City of Chicago.

On behalf of the entire community of DePaul College Prep, I extend to you and your families, our Convocation prayer for a summer of safety, happiness, peace, reflection and grace. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in August but for now, may you savor each day of this glorious season of summer.

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
St. Louise de Marillac, pray for us!
 

With kindest regards,

Mary A. Dempsey
President
 

January 28, 2019

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On behalf of the faculty, administration and students of DePaul College Prep, I extend our good wishes for your family’s continuing happiness in the new year and our thanks and best wishes during Catholic Schools Week.  January 27 - February 2 has been designated Catholic Schools Week by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) as a way to celebrate our schools and to highlight the education and good works that happen daily in Catholic schools across the country.  Thank you for entrusting your child’s education to us at DePaul College Prep -- a Catholic and faith filled school.

There are more than 1.8 million students enrolled in Catholic schools in the United States.  DePaul Prep’s 500 students are proudly counted in that number. As our enrollment grows next year and in the following years, we are encouraged that DePaul College Prep will continue to enrich our city and the people who are touched by our community of faith.  We are proud to be part of the future of Chicago.

As in Catholic schools across the country, not all of DePaul Prep’s students are Catholic. Our religious, economic, racial and social diversity is our strength.  This diversity and every DePaul Prep student’s connection to our core values of Faith, Respect, Excellence and Service guide us and inform us. Our students and our faculty live our core values every day.  Sadly being a champion of our values and our faith is often challenging in today’s world. It’s sometimes an uphill battle for our faculty and administration to steadily guide young people to do what is right, just and kind when outside influences make the opposite behavior look glamorous. But their perseverance is also a hallmark of Catholic education.  Faculty and administrators who could command higher salaries in the public sector are drawn to work in Catholic schools because they believe in the mission – the mission to educate the next generation of ethical leaders, the next generation of scholars, the next generation of compassionate professionals, the next generation of global citizens.

This week as part of our celebration of Catholic schools, our students will participate in a donation drive to assist Maryville Crisis Nursery, Rincon Family Services and food pantries; they will learn more about St. Vincent dePaul and St. Louise de Marillac whose remarkable work with the poor four hundred years ago continues to inspire us today at DePaul Prep; and we will gather as a community of faith for the celebration of the mass.  We call this initiative by its Latin name: Ubi Caritas which translates as: Live in Charity and Love and God is There. We thank you for encouraging your children to openly practice their faith through these programs, and we thank you for making it possible for your child to be an important part of our mission and our work.

Finally, the faculty and administration wish to thank the Parent Association under the leadership of its President Laurel Elzinga for the marvelous breakfast they provided for us today. It was truly a thoughtful way to begin Catholic Schools Week and we are all grateful for your kindness and generosity.

As we celebrate the richness of Catholic education this week and every week, please keep the faculty, administration and students of DePaul College Prep in your prayers, as we will keep you in ours. It is a privilege to be engaged in this important work with you.
 

With kindest regards,

Mary A. Dempsey
President

August 30, 2018

Dear DePaul College Prep Parents and Guardians:

The 2018-2019 school year at DePaul College Prep has successfully begun. Classes and athletics are underway and the energy in the building is positive and contagious.  This is an especially momentous time for us because DePaul College Prep will celebrate its 5th Anniversary this year!  

More than ever, we are All In for DePaul Prep!  This year especially we invite you to join us in offering Cheers to 5 Years of Catholic education at DePaul Prep. You are our primary partners in the education of your child and we are blessed to have so many committed and dedicated parents at DePaul Prep. Many of you attended our New Parent Breakfast on August 14 and our Partners in Education Breakfast on August 23.  At both breakfasts, our new Principal Dr. Megan Stanton-Anderson and I had an opportunity to welcome you to the start of the year, to talk about our progress over the past 5 years and to convey plans for this year. Dr. Stanton-Anderson brings great wisdom, experience and energy to her role as our Principal, and we are so fortunate that she has joined the DePaul Prep team.

Dr. Stanton-Anderson and I invite you and your family to mark the official start of the school year by participating in DePaul Prep’s Family Mass, Sunday, September 9 at 10 am in our gym.  This is a wonderful opportunity to worship with other DePaul Prep families and to ask for God’s blessings on our students, faculty and families as we begin this important academic year.  All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

After four years of positive changes, we are now confidently moving into a thoughtful growth phase in our fifth year of operations. This year we welcomed a record number of freshmen (155) and total enrollment has grown to 500 students.  That trend will continue with your help and prayers.

And while we will continue to build on a foundation of trust, care and excellence in all aspects of our educational processes, sadly, we recognize that the start of our school year coincides with the announcement of a grand jury report from the State of Pennsylvania about decades of clerical abuse of minors in that state.  Like you, we are angered, horrified and disgusted by this appalling news. Church authorities failed these children and their families. That is inexcusable.

In times such as these, we as people of God must remain steadfast about the protection of minors in our care.  At DePaul Prep, we follow strict guidelines that include: fingerprinting and background checks of all employees and volunteers; safe environment and behavior training for all employees and volunteers; submitting to an annual database search by the Department of Children and Family Services verifying background checks; and Mandated Reporter training. As teachers and administrators, we are Mandated Reporters under Illinois law for signs of abuse and will not hesitate to take appropriate action immediately should situations warrant.

We place the highest priority on this responsibility.  Your children are sacred to us and we are committed to educating them in a safe, faith-filled and academically enriching environment.  I invite you to contact me directly should you have any concerns. Please be assured of our commitment to you and to the safety of your children.

I also invite you to work closely with us this year to remain vigilant about your student’s emotional wellness and academic progress.  We will be offering a series of training sessions for parents and students including recognizing signs of depression and suicide (September 5 at 6 pm); and time management and executive functioning (November 15 at 6 pm). Future sessions about college readiness and financial literacy are also planned.  Please check our calendar at www.depaulprep.org and plan to attend these important sessions.  

Our primary methods of communicating with you are through our website, online newsletters, and Schoology. If you have not already done so, please contact us about setting up your Schoology account. This amazing online tool enables you to see how your student is progressing on a daily basis, keeps you informed about homework assignments, and alerts you to important educational sessions and programs designed to keep you better informed about your child’s progress.

Finally, thank you for your support for DePaul College Prep – both in the past 5 years and as we embark on our very bright future.  We thrive on your partnership and wise counsel, and we are most grateful for your financial support which enables us to continue our progress.  

Join us on October 3 at Maggiano’s Restaurant, 111 W. Grand Avenue at 11:30 am for our third annual Faith in our Future Luncheon to learn more about DePaul Prep’s plans for the future. From October 1 through January 15, we will conduct our Fund for Excellence annual appeal to support tuition assistance for students.  We ask every family to contribute to the Fund for Excellence at whatever level is comfortable for you. We also ask you to contribute to at least one other fundraiser throughout the year. Here are some of the many opportunities from which to choose: All In Raffle tickets were sent home with your student today;  Poker and Casino Night on November 2; the Tom Kleinschmidt Endowed Scholarship Fund; our Walk to Wrigley in Spring or a new event – Spring Fling: Cheers to 5 Years! a gala party at Misericordia’s Jean Marie Ryan Center on April 13, 2019.  More information about all of these events can be found on our website.

Your contributions help us to bridge the gap of $3,600 between the cost of tuition and the true cost of educating each child. Your contributions ensure our future.  Your contributions help us to achieve our vision to educate young women and men who are committed to achieving justice, equity and compassion in our City, in our Church and in our world.

Please pray for victims of abuse that they may seek and receive help and comfort in their pain.  They have endured unimaginable horrors.

Please pray that God continues to bless the DePaul College Prep community and families.   In turn, I will continue to pray that we will always be worthy of your trust.

Thank you for joining the celebration of Five Years for DePaul College Prep!  

With kindest regards,

Mary A. Dempsey
President