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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the 107 graduates
4of the Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Chicago for all
5graduating from high school and getting accepted into college;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Urban Prep Academy for Young Men is an
8all-male, all-black high school in Chicago's Englewood
9community; Urban Prep's mission is to provide a comprehensive,
10high-quality college preparatory education to young men that
11results in all of the academy's graduates succeeding in
12college; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Urban Prep Academies is a non-profit organization
14founded in 2002 by Tim King and a group of African-American
15education, business, and civic leaders; the group opened their
16first school, the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men in
17Englewood, in 2006; in 2009, they opened their second school in
18East Garfield Park; in 2010, the group planned to open their
19third school in Chicago's South Shore community; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The students of the Urban Prep Academies believe
21in the academy's creed: "We believe. We are the young men of
22Urban Prep. We are college bound. We are exceptional - not

 

 

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1because we say it, but because we work hard at it. We will not
2falter in the face of any obstacle placed before us. We are
3dedicated, committed and focused. We never succumb to
4mediocrity, uncertainty or fear. We never fail because we never
5give up. We make no excuses. We choose to live honestly,
6nonviolently and honorably. We respect ourselves and, in doing
7so, respect all people. We have a future for which we are
8accountable. We have a responsibility to our families,
9community and world. We are our brothers' keepers. We believe
10in ourselves. We believe in each other. We believe in Urban
11Prep. WE BELIEVE."; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Of the 107 African-American graduates at the Urban
13Prep Academy for Young Men, only 4% of the graduates could read
14at their grade level when they were freshman; 82% of the
15students came from low-income families; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The Urban Prep Academy for Young Men managed to
17get all of the graduates accepted into 72 colleges around the
18nation through its innovative, pro-active stance on education;
19before the male students started their first freshman class 4
20years ago, each student was assigned a college counselor; the
21students then took double periods of English and spent 72,000
22more minutes in the classroom than their peers at regular
23Chicago public schools; the students also visited the esteemed
24Northwestern University; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Urban Prep Academy for Young Men's counselors
2will also provide comprehensive support for the students
3throughout their college years; and
 
4    WHEREAS, These young men serve as models of hard work,
5integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of
6Illinois; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
8NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
9SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we congratulate the 107
10graduates of the Urban Prep Academy for Young Men for their
11success and wish them continued success and happiness in the
12future; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to the principal of the Urban Prep Academy for Young
15Men on behalf of the 107 graduates as a symbol of our esteem
16and respect.