Neighbor News
Chicago South Side Epic Academy Hosts HS Prom on Odyssey Cruise
Students who have endured school 100% virtually this year celebrated with their friends at the high school's Prom
Epic Academy College Prep, a public, open-enrollment charter high school, has served low-income African-American and Latino students in South Chicago since 2009. Students who have endured school 100% virtually this year will finally see their friends at the high school’s Prom as they cruise Lake Michigan on Chicago’s iconic Odyssey. Students arrived in masquerade costumes, an appropriate theme during a pandemic. The students were required to wear masks inside the boat. Students mingled, had dinner and danced to a DJ while watching the beautiful skyline.
Approximately 60 students and guests and 20 Epic Academy staff members attended.
The South Chicago community, one of the most disinvested communities in Chicago with a 20% unemployment rate and a childhood poverty rate that is 86% higher than all other U.S. neighborhoods. Epic Academy has student demographics that some might describe as challenging: 96% free/reduced lunch, 23% of students with diverse learning needs, and 15% English Language Learners. Despite those stats, students show up and perform with a 100% getting accepted into college and 81% enrolling in college upon graduation.
