Maryville breaks ground on new school

The Maryville Jen School broke ground on its new school, the Charles H. Walsh Sr. Academy and Career Tech High School, on November 9, 2022, located at 6935 W Touhy Ave in Niles. The academy is named after the late Chuck Walsh, an alum of Maryville Academy, who also served as a member of its Board of Directors for several years. The Academy will be open in Fall 2023.

Walsh Academy will continue Jen School’s founding vision to provide students with disabilities with a comprehensive and experiential instructional model in academics, career and vocational pathways, and social-emotional skills through research-based practices. The Walsh Academy will prepare students with skills to be career or college ready.

“For over 15 years, Jen School has approached education from the student’s perspective and needs as individuals. This approach has allowed our students to earn their high school diplomas and move on to the next phase of their journey,” said Ann Craig, Maryville’s director of educational services and Jen School principal.

The new Walsh Academy will create more opportunities for special needs students while helping them reach their fullest potential. It is the only school in Illinois that has a teacher, social worker and paraprofessional in the classroom.

“I spent two years at the Jen School and graduated from 8th grade in 2016. During my time there, I felt I was heard and listened to. The teachers and staff really care about each student. They taught me never to give up. They taught me how to channel my life for the better when I was struggling. I still like to go back to the Jen School and visit even after graduating from high school and working full time,” shared Nick.

Skilled tradespeople are in high demand, and there is an untapped opportunity to educate and prepare special needs students. Trade jobs like electricians, plumbers, machinists, welding and HVAC are high-demand and high-paying jobs, however, 62% of national contractors are struggling to fill over 8 million important skilled trade positions. Additionally, graduation rates for special education students are significantly lower than the general population.

The Walsh Academy will provide students with individualized Career Technical Education (CTE) programming in the following industries:

Construction – including home construction and repair and building tiny homes for veterans.
Small Engine/Bicycle Repair
Graphics

Additionally, other new facilities at the Walsh Academy include:

Metals Lab
Podcast Studio
Medical/ Health Lab
Culinary Lab Garden/ Greenhouse
Driver’s Education

The Academy is also working on developing a three-way partnership with contractors and union organizations who are helping develop course curricula and providing recommendations on the facilities and equipment needed to prepare students for success in apprenticeships, additional technical training or higher education and on-the-job.

“There is a high demand for skilled trade people. CISCO‘s partnership with Walsh Academy allows us to explore an untapped opportunity to educate and prepare these high school students – burdened with severe economic and social challenges, for career opportunities in the union construction industry. CISCO is proud to provide support to prepare these high school students for union apprenticeship programs, which lead to career opportunities with union construction contractors and a path to the middle class,” said Dan Allen, Construction Industry Service Corporation executive director. “

Students who attend Jen School have one or more significant challenges such as specific learning disability, intellectual disability, autism or health impairment. Many of these students experienced childhood trauma such as abuse, neglect and abandonment. Jen School aims to offer a pathway for these students who are unable to succeed in their home schools. The new Walsh Academy will eventually accommodate 120 students – 82% more than today and increase its academic classrooms from eight to 12. Additionally, It has an open enrollment policy allowing the students to enter the school at any point. For more information on the new Walsh Academy, please visit www.walshacademy.org.

About Jen School

Maryville Jen School provides specialized academic and vocational opportunities for young men and women experiencing academic, emotional, behavioral or cognitive challenges that can potentially limit their life success. Students are served in uniquely designed classrooms to maximize effectiveness across the continuum of age and disability. Maryville Jen School is an Illinois State Board of Education approved Non-Public Special Education Facility (14-7.02) licensed to serve students ages 10 – 21.

Maryville to conduct NARCAN administration trainings with local partners Aug. 31

Maryville, a child care organization based in Des Plaines, will be conducting two Overdose Awareness trainings, one in the morning at Loretto Hospital in Chicago, and an afternoon training at Des Plaines Public Library on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Maryville’s staff led by Jim Eaglin, Family Behavioral Health Clinic recovery home operator, will spearhead the trainings on how to administer NARCAN, an opioid antagonist which works to cause a reversal effect of an overdose.

The morning training, through Maryville’s partnership with Loretto Hospital, will be on the sixth floor auditorium of Loretto Hospital. For those interested, they can select a time slot from the following: 10 to 10:30 a.m., 10:30 to 11 a.m., 11 to 11:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to noon.

Supplies for the trainings are limited and those interested to attend must register by calling Maryville’s Nancy Woulfe at (847) 294-1910. Light refreshments will be served.

“Few communities have been more dramatically impacted by the opioid epidemic than Chicago’s West side Austin neighborhood,” said Tesa Anewishki, interim President & CEO, Loretto Hospital. “As we fight to stem the root causes of this disease, we also need to educate and empower our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, to intervene in cases of overdose.”

Eaglin looks forward to the training, a first for his team.

“I am excited that Maryville is co-hosting the event with Loretto Hospital, Des Plaines Public Library and Oakton Community College,” Eaglin said. “There is a need to bring overdose awareness to our communities and train people how to administer NARCAN to save lives.”

Eaglin has developed a plan for naloxone distribution during the training.

The afternoon training, also on Aug. 31, will be at the Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood St. in Des Plaines. The hours are 2 to 2:30 p.m., 2:30 to 3 p.m., 3 to 3:30 p.m. or 3:30 to 4 p.m. Like the Loretto Hospital training, registration is required by calling Maryville’s Nancy Woulfe.

The training at the Des Plaines Public Library is through Maryville’s partnership with the library and Oakton Community College.

Aug. 31 is designated as International Overdose Awareness Day.

https://bit.ly/3PYUcE1

Maryville Crisis Nursery offers free emergency child care to families in crisis

Staff at the Maryville Crisis Nursery, 6650 W. Irving Park Rd, watch children on April 30, 2022. The Crisis Nursery provides free short-term care for parents in distress and experiencing a crisis. Staff and volunteers protect their children, birth to age six, from abuse, neglect or trauma. Children receive round-the-clock child care for up to 72 hours for each stay from events llife events such as unemployment, parental illness or hospitalization, poverty and homelessness.(Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Maryville Crisis Nursery: A lifeline for families with young children

Find our Maryville Crisis Nursery story on pages 33, 40 and 41.

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Maryville administrator to mentor veterans at Des Plaines Chamber Veterans Boot Camp

Maryville Director of Staff Education Morris Brent, a U.S. Navy veteran, expresses his excitement to serve as mentor for the Des Plaines Chamber Veterans Boot Camp that will run from September to November.

Morris Brent, Maryville director of staff education, has joined the pool of mentors as Maryville ambassador for the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Veterans Back to Work Boot Camp. The program began Sept. 8.

The Veterans Boot Camp, which the Des Plaines Chamber started in 2017 with the support of Rivers Casino, will provide 10 weeks of comprehensive career development programming, using proven job-seeking tools adapted to the needs, experiences and skills of veterans, according to the chamber’s website.

Veterans will be able to connect with mentors, local businesses and leaders. The program will cover career preparation and exploration; provide practical, hands-on assistance with job hunting, resumes and interviewing; address emotional and physical health; and give veterans the motivation and tools they need to succeed.

Brent, a decorated Navy veteran himself, looks forward to being part of the boot camp.

“I have a passion for helping vets,” he said. “I’ve been in their shoes and know how difficult it is to transition out.”

He said it is very important for him to serve the veterans as a life or career coach.

“It means a lot to me to be able to help them align their goals with their skills for their next chapter, whether it is finding a job or becoming an entrepreneur,” Brent added.

“Every veteran is not the same. Factors such as how long someone served, what his/her job specialty was, if they served during war and/or peacetime and others are all components that make each veteran’s transition uniquely different.”

He said that part of the transition is to understand where the veterans are coming from before they walk into an employer’s office.

“You have to know yourself and be clear on exactly what you’re bringing to a prospective employer — not just on paper as a candidate, and then be ready to transition from the person you used to be to the person you want to become,” he said.

Brent is a Chicago native and combat veteran who served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years. A decorated cryptologist, he soared through the ranks and received four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, three consecutive Sailor of the Quarter selections and Sailor of the Year award. He served on two warships at sea in two wars and a tour in Okinawa, Japan.

Given his impressive performance record, in addition to his accomplishments as a surface warfare and master training specialist, Brent was cited as one of the Navy’s “best of the best.”

For his final tour, he was selected to return to Illinois to become a navy drill instructor at the Great Lakes Navy Recruit Training Command. Considered among the elite, Brent received a medal for training more than 800 recruits from all over the country.

Brent said that serving as a boot camp mentor aligns with his professional goals.

“When the call came to be a mentor, it took some time for me to think through the invitation because mentoring is a serious responsibility,” he said. “There’s no expiration on it — you have that assignment for life. There is no chance to bail out.”

He said that he would be more purposeful about helping transform the person from their current self to their best self. “And hopefully if they do that, the job part will work itself out.”

Before joining Maryville in 2015, Brent worked as a learning technologist in the nonprofit, corporate and academic fields after his honorable exit from the military in 2001. He is a proud Southern Illinois University alumnus and dedicates his spare time to community projects and social causes.

“I love my job at Maryville,” he said. “I always tell people how blessed I am to walk in my ministry every day through my work. Service to humanity is my passion, and I always want to do things that are purposeful.”

This year’s boot camp will follow a hybrid format. Veterans will have the opportunity to attend the chamber’s networking events like the annual golf outing, in-person networking breakfasts and Zoom Leadership and Social Impact meetings to practice their elevator pitches and networking skills.

Veterans completing the program will attend a special graduation ceremony scheduled in November.

(Link to Daily Herald – https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20210908/maryville-administrator-to-mentor-veterans-at-des-plaines-chamber-veterans-boot-camp)

Maryville breaks ground on new school

Maryville to conduct NARCAN administration trainings with local partners Aug. 31

Maryville Crisis Nursery offers free emergency child care to families in crisis

Maryville Crisis Nursery: A lifeline for families with young children

Maryville administrator to mentor veterans at Des Plaines Chamber Veterans Boot Camp

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