Kate Thayer, TribLocal reporter
Shawn Lascelles just began his senior year at Hoffman Estates High School but he is well on his way to college because of the jumpstart from a special district program before his freshman year.
Project Excel, originally designed to help minorities in District 211 by getting them ready in the summer for advanced placement classes, has expanded over the years. This summer it added a short college application seminar and next might be an emphasis for seniors on college selection and the importance of giving back to their communities.
“Without Excel ,most of us probably would be in average classes,” said Lascelles, 17, of Hoffman Estates. “This puts us on a (track) to take advanced classes.”
The program began 11 years ago at Hoffman Estates High School, but now is offered at the district’s four other high schools – Conant, Fremd, Palatine and Schaumburg.
Incoming freshmen take a six-week summer course to prepare them for taking accelerated courses right at the start of high school. The course focuses on English and math, but also teaches self-advocacy and other values.
There’s also a three-week summer course for incoming sophomores, as well as a one-and-a-half day college application preparation seminar for incoming juniors and their parents that debuted this summer. About 40 parents – some of whom lived outside the district, said social worker Andres Acosta.
Acosta helped start Project Excel to counteract statistics that showed minority students were underrepresented in advanced classes. Because Hoffman Estates High School is the most diverse in District 211, with about half of its students being minorities, Acosta saw a need.
Natalia Pena, 14, took the course this summer as she prepared for her first year at the school.
“It’s helped me transition,” said Pena, who came from a small, private school, and prepared her for an accelerated English course.
Giancarlo Amdor, 14, of Schaumburg, said the extra work this summer also allowed him to meet people with the same goals – AP coursework and academic success. That made it easier to get up early and go to school on those summer mornings.
“It was worth it,” he said.
All freshmen take a class geared toward study hall and high school preparation. This allows Acosta and others involved to work with Project Excel students for the rest of the year.
Acosta is developing an idea for yet another installment of Project Excel, most likely focusing on selecting colleges and volunteer work.
