Beacon in the News
Eli Stone, a senior at Beacon Academy, has “election chops”, having worked on several recent high profile political campaigns, including gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Click here to read more in Spotlight.
Beacon student Tejas Chakravarthy spent the summer studying abroad in Korea, fully immersing himself in the language and culture. Click here to read the story.
3 Beacon Academy students played for Team Evanston in the 2019 MetroSquash Cup. Click here to learn more about one of our competitors.
Beacon Academy Biology Teacher Irene Moore has been selected to lead a group of students on a scientific field expedition with Earthwatch to study climate change and caterpillars in Costa Rica. Click here to read her blog.
Members of the Evanston-based Beacon Academy Scholastic Bowl team will compete in the IHSA state championship competition today in Peoria, becoming the first team in the school's four-year history to compete in an IHSA state competition. Read more.
Beacon Academy Biology Teacher Irene Moore was selected as one of 8 teachers nationwide to receive a Project Kindle fellowship. As part of her fellowship award, Dr. Moore participated in an Earthwatch expedition this summer to study owl ecology in southeastern Arizona. She’ll also lead a group of Beacon students on a scientific field expedition to study climate change and caterpillars in Costa Rica. Read more.
Beacon Head of School Jeff Bell talks about building a Montessori-based high school. “The focus was to perforate the line between the school and the Evanston community; we cultivated partnerships with a number of arts organizations and the local YMCA, so our students were immediately out and about, interacting in the “real world.” Read more.
Beacon students organized a school walkout and rally in downtown Evanston as part of the national protest against gun violence following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. “We have a lot of energy behind this cause,” said Daniela Sloan of Beacon Academy. “It’s been very inspiring.” Read more.
Beacon Academy Senior Renata Fulk, a top regional gymnast, was named Athlete of the Month by the Chicago Tribune. Read more.
Beacon Academy student Langdon Alger has been named a 2018 National YoungArts Foundation Merit winner in Cinematic Arts. Selected from the most competitive pool of applicants to date, Alger has been recognized for his outstanding artistic achievements. Read more.
Beacon Academy junior Paul Vag-Urminsky has his sights set on the 2020 Olympics. Vag-Urminsky is a top-ranked fencer who balances his schoolwork at Beacon with competitions on both a national and international level. Read more.
Beacon Academy is featured in this NPR story about Chicago-area micro-schools, small and intimate learning environments started by educators and parents looking to create curriculum on their own terms. “As millennials become parents, they are not accepting of the status quo as previous generations have been,” said Jeff Bell, Head of School and Theory of Knowledge instructor at Beacon. “They want a different experience and they’re willing to pay for it, start it or demand it.” Read more.
Students in Beacon Academy’s Interact Club, a Rotary-affiliated group that works with students on global humanitarian projects, lead a mile-long walk to raise funds to build a new water well in Haiti. Katie Petzer, Beacon’s Director of Operations and Student Activities and head faculty organizer of the event, said that she was “overwhelmed” by the group’s unprecedented fundraising efforts. Read more.
Beacon students find common ground with teenage Syrian refugees over a shared meal. “We decided that the best thing to do was to make friends,” said Beacon student Michaela Abrams, “…and the best way to make friends is over food.” Read more.