Sunday, May 31, 2020

Dear DePaul Prep Community and Friends:

Our nation and our beloved City are gripped by outrage at recent events of racism, violence  and injustice. As a diverse school and a community of faith, DePaul College Prep educates young people to use their intellects and their talents to their best ability.  As a Vincentian institution, we teach that it is our duty to better the lives of those who live on the margins of society.  Never is that more important than this moment in our history.

As people of faith we know that it is our duty to peacefully speak out against the circumstances that led to the tragic death of George Floyd.  Our Vincentian question: What Must Be Done? compels us to do more than speak. It compels us to act.  It compels us to work everyday for systemic change to bring us together in peace, dialogue and respect.  It compels us to oppose racism in all its forms. It compels us to work for justice and equity.  It compels us to respect the rule of law.

Our shared humanity also compels us to practice what we teach.  DePaul Prep will continue to teach and to show our students how to lead us and our society forward with justice.  We will continue to teach that racism has no place in our society. We will continue to teach and exercise tolerance, understanding and acceptance.  Our Vision Statement proclaims that we strive to create an educated, compassionate, and just world one student at a time.  We will begin by being present to each other and living in solidarity with those whose lives and livelihoods are in peril.  And as a school we are renewed in our energies to create more opportunities for our students to use their intellects and their talents to promote equity, justice and compassion.

As people of Chicago we stand with our Mayor who champions our right to peacefully protest and urges us to join her to work against racial and economic injustice.  Like her, however, we are appalled by the devolution of that message into chaos on our streets.  The violence directed against our police officers, our first responders and the foundations of our City strike at our core.  As we are about to arise from months of isolation caused by the coronavirus, we are faced with the lawless destruction caused by looters. Their actions strike at the heart of our City. Their actions are not peaceful protests working  toward social justice. Their actions are opportunistic thievery and they make a mockery of our outrage over the death of George Floyd.

And yet, despite these acts of senseless destruction, our neighbors have already begun to pitch in to help clean up the glass and destruction in the Loop and River North.  We take this as a glimmer of hope and recognition that the true heart of Chicago is good.  As Mayor Lightfoot said this morning, “We have to turn our pain into purpose to get through this together.”  And so we will begin this work as well.

Today is Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, comes in the form of wind, fire and breath, bringing about conversion of heart and clarity of mission.  An especially appropriate message at this time.  We cannot do the hard work ahead without opening our minds to the message of Pentecost.  

If you or your students want to talk about the painful events of this week, we are here for you.  Please contact our Counselors or us if you feel we can help you through this difficult time.  In the days ahead, we will be formulating how DePaul Prep will redouble our efforts and join those who work for peace and justice and who respect the rule of law in Chicago.  

In the meantime, we pray for you and for your families. And we ask you to join us in praying and working for peace, justice and understanding for all people. We stand together as a community committed to making positive and impactful change through the power of Catholic education.

Together, we can create a more just world.

 

Mary A. Dempsey, President

&

Dr. Megan Stanton-Anderson, Principal

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Dear Members of the DePaul College Prep Community,

I hope this message finds you and your family emotionally well, physically healthy and safe.  

DePaul College Prep, like other organizations, companies, and individuals around the world, has been responding to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. These are unprecedented times. I am reaching out to update you because you believe in our school, in our students, and in our mission. 

We are taking critical steps to protect and support all members of our community – students, families, faculty, staff, and alumni – during this public health crisis. DePaul College Prep is currently in our previously scheduled Spring Break week, March 16 through March 22. On Monday, March 23, teachers and students will shift to remote learning via our e-learning platform, Schoology. Prior to Spring Break, teachers and students had time to familiarize themselves with this platform. I am so grateful for the time and efforts that each of our faculty under the leadership of our Principal, Dr. Megan Stanton-Anderson, our Assistant Principal, Stan Niemiec, our Director of Instructional Technology, Theresa Allen, and our entire counseling team, has put into preparing for this endeavor. Teachers will instruct and students will attend classes and complete assignments online in real-time until we can all come together again.  DePaul College Prep is committed to the academic success of our students, and we are doing all in our power to ensure the continued education of our students. 

On Wednesday, March 25, the leadership team and I plan to update families with our action plan for the remainder of the school year based on guidance we receive from our local, state, and federal public health agencies. With a continued focus on the safety of our students, our school building remains closed until further notice. DePaul Prep has cancelled all athletics and extracurricular programs until further notice. Additional updates on how we will continue to keep the health and safety of the DePaul Prep community our top priority can be found on our website here. You can also view the video message that our principal, Dr. Megan Stanton-Anderson shared with students and families last week. 

Thank you for your support and encouragement of DePaul Prep and our students. Many of you have asked how you can help our students and our community in this time of crisis. In that spirit, our Fund for Excellence Annual Appeal provides critical support for tuition assistance and scholarships to DePaul Prep families. We are aware of the financial impact that this crisis will have on many parents, families, and students. If you want to help, please consider a gift to the Fund for Excellence. Donations can be made online here.  Every gift truly makes a difference and will be incredibly meaningful and appreciated by our students. Please contact Amy Golden, Director of Institutional Advancement, at agolden@depaulprep.org with any questions. 

Stay connected with DePaul Prep by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. We will use these social media platforms, in addition to emails, to provide information and updates.  

As a Vincentian Catholic high school, we operate under our core values of Faith, Respect, Excellence and Service, and our Vision: We strive to create an educated, compassionate, and just world, one student at a time.  I am moved by the strength and spirit of our DePaul Prep community and the ways we care for our individual students and families.  We will get through this and we will do it by working and praying together.

Thank you for all that you do to support our mission and our work. Please be safe and stay healthy.

St. Vincent de Paul, Pray for Us!
 

Mary A. Dempsey
President

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