They’ve either been down that road before, or have friends who have. They said “they” know best how to encourage their peers to stay in school, and graduate. Students from Chicago Public Schools-52 in totalwho are part of Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, launched a pilot program last week to tackle the nationwide education crisis and help keep their fellow classmates in school.

Complete quietness and hand-eye coordination is what students in an after-school program on the South Side practice. What are they concentrating on? Making sure their arrows hit the targets, said Jeff Skocilich, a teacher and archery coach at Pershing West Elementary school in Bronzeville.

Percy Julian High School’s Jeremiah Ray, 16, won his school a $10,000 grant from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce after he made a presentation to the group–in Japanese. The sophomore spent two years studying the language as part of his course work and claims to be “almost fluent.”

Yes, we can, and indeed we did. History was made last night as Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President of the United States of America. The Howard’s Blackburn Center ballroom was filled with excitement and anticipation as students gathered for the election viewing party.

On Oct. 23, teams of high school students studying culinary arts in Chicago Public Schools presented to a crowd of 400-plus just how tasty and how healthy school lunch can really be. The fundraiser benefited the Healthy School Campaign, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving child health through greener environment, exercise awareness and nutrition.

Clayton Penrose-Whitmore began studying the violin at 4 years old, and by the time he was 9, he had made his orchestral solo debut. Now 15 years old, Penrose-Whitmore continues to be a prized violinist, playing at some of the nation's most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall.

Limited on resources, but not on commitment, a South Side magnet school said they are on top of the world, and no one could bring them out of the clouds. Black Magnet School was one of the 21 schools in Illinois named a 2008 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by the U. S. Dept. of Education.

Ten homeless Chicago Public Schools students spent eight weeks this summer painting a mural that depicted their goals and dreams, all while living at a shelter. The students, age 5-14, worked with a Chicago artist hired by the Homeless Education Program at CPS to help uplift their spirits and to give them a sense of pride and hope.

The newest O’Hare Airport runway became a venue for showcasing some soaring talent Sept. 19, as dozens of teens who participated in the After School Matters program over the summer showed off what they learned at the organization’s sixth annual fundraiser gala event. The program’s culinary apprentices strolled the outdoor tents set up on Runway 9 Left/27 Right serving hors d’oeuvres to the who’s-who guests as paintings, sculptures and other crafts were put on display for sale.

Hundreds of students checked out the offerings at a few of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Saturday, as part of the 11th Annual Chicago Football Classic’s pre-game activities. Jackson State University, Tuskegee University, Alabama A&M, Morehouse College and Fisk University were among the dozens of HBCU’s represented at the college fair held at Soldier Field.