Sue Duncan Children's Center » News

Sue Duncan Being Featured in Documentary Film

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:02:59 +0000

Melina Kolb, a former tutor at the Center, has begun production of a full-length documentary about Sue and her 50 years of work. The movie will profile current families at the Center as well as several alums who have moved across the country. For more information on the movie, visit the Sue Duncan Documentary Project website or Facebook page.

Season’s Greetings from the Sue Duncan Children’s Center

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:52:02 +0000

Congratulations SDCC Graduates!

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:30:27 +0000

High School Graduates

Humu, a talented writer and poet, graduated with honors from King College Prep High School and has been offered a scholarship to Concordia University. She plans to study medicine.

Sydney combines academic achievement with athletic excellence and for years has been one of our most positive role models. He graduated from the UofC Charter High School and will attend Southern Illinois University on scholarship this fall.

8th Grade Graduates

Jasmine, one of our most improved students, just won first place in her school’s Science Fair. She graduated from Young Women’s Leadership Charter School and will go on to 9th grade at YWL High School.

Parrish made 8th grade his best year ever at Price Elementary where he was Student Council Secretary and won first place in the Youth Authors competition. He is proud to be moving on to University of Illinois College Prep High School.

Asia graduated from Ariel Community Academy where she demonstrated academic excellence while playing on the volleyball team. She plans to continue with both pursuits at Muchin College Prep High School this fall.

Joshua, who often surprises visitors with his knowledge of history, radically improved his grades to graduate from Ariel Community Academy on the Honor Roll. He will attend De La Salle Institute, a private school, for high school.

Devon is proud to have graduated from the University of Chicago’s Carter G. Woodson Charter School and is even prouder to have been accepted to Urban Prep High School where he will continue his studies and hopes to make the basketball team.

Adam, winner of the prestigious Daniel Murphy Scholarship, embodies the American dream. The son of a Ghanaian immigrant who came to America illiterate, he excels in math and science and will be taking his scholarship to Loyola Academy boarding school in Evanston.

Chatara graduated from St. Thomas the Apostle School which she attended on scholarship from the Center. Captain of her 8th grade basketball team, she will also be attending De La Salle Institute in the fall.

Tylar, like his classmates Asia, Joshua and Adam, is taking his leave of Ariel Community Academy and moving on to a top high school. In Tylar’s case, that is King College Prep, where he aspires to make Honor Roll all four years.

SDCC Reaches Milestone with New Director of Development

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:09:22 +0000

Marian has extensive experience working with non-profits that help children through education.

After 50 years of history, the Center is proud to announce Marian Garbowsky as its first ever Director of Development. Marian has over 20 years of experience in both non-profit and private sector environments, including experience in fundraising, grant writing, donor and community relations, networking, and marketing. Most recently, Marian was the Executive Director of Sky Kids where she worked closely with the organization’s founders to create a brand, establish a positive presence in the Chicago area, explore potential revenue streams and develop a strategic plan to expand the program nationally and internationally. Marian’s immediate priorities for the SDCC will be fundraising, strategic planning, and development of 50th Anniversary celebrations, including development & execution of the Capital Campaign.

Welcome Marian to the team!

8th Grader Wins Daniel Murphy Scholarship

admin — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:26:32 +0000

Adam plays chess at the Center.

When Adam, 13, found out he won the prestigious Daniel Murphy Scholarship, he was shocked. “A couple thousand applied and only a couple hundred got it,” he said. The scholarship will provide four years of tuition support for high school, something Adam looks forward to next school year as he sets his sights on Wayland Academy, a private boarding school in Wisconsin.

Adam found out about the scholarship through his school counselor. The application process required several recommendations and an in-person interview. “When I went to the interview, I was kind of nervous,” he admits. “I had to think carefully about my answers. In the end I think they picked me because of my personality and since I do well in school.” According to the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund website, the scholarship is given to economically disadvantaged Chicago 8th grade students who demonstrate outstanding academic potential, leadership skills and strong character.

Once he makes it to high school, Adam said he wants to study hard and prepare for a 4-year college then eventually get a master’s degree and a well paying job. His interests are in math, geography and science.

Adam has been attending the Center for over 5 years along with three of his siblings. His mother, May, arrived in the U.S. from Ghana over 10 years ago unable to read, but is now literate and a much admired employee of the Center.

From Director Owen Duncan’s letter of recommendation for Adam:

“Students like Adam make my job as an educator more satisfying. He is the student you can always count on to answer questions and participate in discussions. During group lessons, he frequently makes insightful comments that add new dimensions to conversations. He is the type of person who thinks before he speaks, and when he does speak, I am constantly impressed by the level of intellect he demonstrates.

On a personal level, Adam is one of the most enjoyable students to be around. While serious about his schoolwork, he also is able to relax and socialize with others. He likes to play chess and sports. In all of his interactions with peers and adults, he is a polite gentleman. He is thoughtful and mindful to others around him.”

Center Adopts New Code of Ethics

admin — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:40:00 +0000

The Code of Ethics Tree illustrates the values the Center has adopted. The idea for the drawing was suggested by the children. Drawing by Melina Kolb.

Respect, Education, Independence and Determination are the four core values the Center has adopted as part of its new Code of Ethics. The Code was developed by children and adults alike during group time over the past few months, where everyone was encouraged to contribute thoughts on how people should behave and think at the Center.

Among the Center’s values outlined in the Code are:

Using peaceful language and behavior, and de-escalating conflict
Being courteous in both my speech and behavior
Being eager both to learn and to teach
Never asking others to do for me what I can do myself
Developing a structured life
Setting realistic goals and achieving them
Always striving to make the world a better place

Children were required to sign a contract indicating that they understood the Code of Ethics at the Center and will do their best to abide by it. The full contract is available as a pdf here.

Letters to Santa

admin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:11:33 +0000

As the Center’s holiday party on Dec. 17 draws closer, kids from the Center have worked hard on writing letters to Santa. Every year, the Center relies on generous people to be a Santa to one or more of our children. We would like to thank Jackie Epstein for helping us organize this effort. If you are interested in being a Santa, please contact Owen at info[at]sueduncanchildrenscenter.org.

Excerpt from Jasmine’s Santa letter:

Jasmine, 13, opens her gift at the 2009 party.
My name is Jasmine. I just turned 13 and I love it. I’m in the 8th grade and I’m having fun being in the 8th grade. I live with my great, great grandma. Being in the 8th grade is a lot of work, but I can handle it. Sometimes things can be difficult and hard to understand, but I still find a way to get through it. Have a very hard and strict teacher, but she is someone who cares and helps me get through things. My favorite subjects are reading and writing. I like these subjects because one day I want to become a writer and you need to know how to read and write in order to become a writer. Bet you didn’t know that I’m a fantastic writer. In my spare time I like to help around the community just to show my neighbors and my family I appreciate living there.

Excerpt from Dermarest’s Santa letter:

How are you doing? Is your wife doing well? Do you have children, Santa? How are the reindeer doing? Are your elves doing well too? What types of toys are they making this year? Is your grandmother doing well? How long do you have to fly on Christmas Eve? Did you ever see a whale before up there in the Arctic?

My name is Dermarest. I go to Jackie Robinson School. I am in third grade. I am going to go to college to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a paleontologist, but I changed my mind.

Read our thank you letter to Santa

Watch last year’s holiday party:

Sue Duncan Makes Front Page of Chicago Tribune

admin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:03:20 +0000

Tribune photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo / October 4, 2010

The Chicago Tribune published a story about the lifelong work of Sue Duncan on the front page of Sunday’s edition of the paper.

Sue said in the story, “I wouldn’t be where I am now if I wanted to quit. No way. This is a critical part of my life. I have three wonderful kids and a house and a dog and a wonderful garden, but this is the raison d’etre, the reason for being.”

Read the article: Sue Duncan: A life of tutoring and uncommon kindness

Chicago Tribune Sue Duncan Photo Gallery

Trick-or-treat at Broadview Dorm

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:59:48 +0000

Davon, 12, shows off his vampire fangs.

Kids donned their costumes for the Center’s annual trip to Broadview Dorm at the University of Chicago on Oct. 29. The event featured a haunted house in the dorm basement, complete with a possessed looking piano player, sound effects and groaning zombies. Younger kids enjoyed face painting, while others had their futures told by a very skilled fortune-teller.

The Center has been going to the dorm for trick-or-treating for about 12 years. We thank all of the students at the dorm who made the evening a success!

Tutor Michael Designs a Math Curriculum

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:42:42 +0000

Michael works with Cameron in his notebook.

When students at the Center need help with math or physics, they know which tutor to go to — Michael Quiroz, 21.

Michael is a tutor through the University of Chicago’s Neighborhood Schools Program and has been working at Sue’s for one year. At the U of C, he is studying anthropology, but here at the Center he has found his niche developing a math curriculum for both elementary and advanced math students.

“This summer we’ve been preparing for the school year by creating a math curriculum. Basically, it’s a set of different lessons that we can move through during the year, things they will need for the classroom that they might have missed out on.”

With some help from fellow tutors, Michael organized the curriculum by coming up with sub-topics for students to learn and designing worksheets. Tutors can adapt the curriculum to the individual kids they are working with. He said the algebra section is more structured so students can build the foundation to understand higher mathematical concepts.

Michael said about the Center, “I think Sue’s is a great place. My first impression was that everyone looked like they’ve known each other a long time. It was a tight knit community. During the school year, I realized it was a really organized, tightly functioning place and I think it’s good that the kids can experience that. Personally, I really like working here because it allows a lot of creativity and I like kids. They’re really fun, but at the same time I can tell that they value their education. I haven’t met a kid here who doesn’t work hard.”

Michael is now considering joining the Peace Corps after graduating.