Annette Gurley

"It is like a Christmas present," says Principal Annette Gurley of Clark Academic Preparatory High School.

Not quite, said Clark principal Annette Gurley, who said she would call the girl's parents to "remind them she needs to be here."

"That's not how we work things around here.We have a regular first-day program," Gurley said.

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Every year, a number of Clark 8th-graders apply to college prep schools but don't get in, says Annette Gurley, an assistant principal at Clark.Last spring was no exception-competition was fierce and students who did not get accepted did not know what to do next, she explains.
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"I was really impressed when the principal himself came over," says Gurley.
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By the time the meeting ended, some parents were sold, says Gurley."These people really want our kids there and they are going to take care of them," she recalls parents telling her.

Every year, a number of Clark 8th-graders apply to college prep schools but don't get in, says Annette Gurley, an assistant principal at Clark.Last spring was no exception-competition was fierce and students who did not get accepted did not know what to do next, she explains.

To help them review options, Clark counselors set up an evening meeting with parents and students and called nearby high schools for information.
...
"I was really impressed when the principal himself came over," says Gurley."Never before has an administrator come over."

...
By the time the meeting ended, some parents were sold, says Gurley."These people really want our kids there and they are going to take care of them," she recalls parents telling her.

Orr was not freshman Maurice Person's first choice for high school.

Every year, a number of Clark 8th-graders apply to college prep schools but don't get in, says Annette Gurley, an assistant principal at Clark.Last spring was no exception-competition was fierce and students who did not get accepted did not know what to do next, she explains.

To help them review options, Clark counselors set up an evening meeting with parents and students and called nearby high schools for information.
...
"I was really impressed when the principal himself came over," says Gurley."Never before has an administrator come over."

...
By the time the meeting ended, some parents were sold, says Gurley."These people really want our kids there and they are going to take care of them," she recalls parents telling her.

Orr was not freshman Maurice Person's first choice for high school.The Clark graduate, who was a top student in his class, had applied but had not been accepted into Northside, Payton and Whitney Young.At first he considered Steinmetz, but had a change of heart.

"I was hearing stuff about how they fixed Orr up and it's better and got new staff," says Maurice, whose older brother attends Orr."They say it's almost like a new school since they did that stuff."

His mother, Marguerite, agreed with Maurice's decision to stay in the neighborhood, but other relatives were not as supportive."My uncle told me he felt that I'm going to get cheated out of my education for going [to Orr] instead of going to the other schools," says Maurice, who adds that Orr's top-rated Junior ROTC program was a factor.

Assistant principal Annette Gurley of Michele Clark Middle School in Chicago cried tears of joy when Milken made the surprise announcement at a Thursday morning assembly attended by hundreds of students, Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer Dr. Cozette Buckney, former football great Rosey Grier, and former Chicago Bulls star Bob Love.
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Lowell Milken congratulates Michele Clark Middle School Principal Annette Gurley in Chicago
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Lowell Milken congratulates Michele Clark Middle School Principal Annette Gurley in Chicago
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For Annette Gurley, the notification was not unlike an episode of "This Is Your Life."

Following the announcement of her name, Gurley was surprised to see members of her family there, including her husband and the person who convinced her early on that the teaching profession could be a rewarding one: her mother.Also present at the event was the principal who first hired Gurley as a middle school English teacher in 1985.

In addition to seeing people from her past, Gurley caught a glimpse of her future in the form of four veteran Milken Educators - Helen Arnold-Massey (IL '95), Mark Jordan (IL '89), Art Reisman (IL '89) and Patricia Walker (IL '91) - all of whom are part of a vast network of over 1,500 educators, of which Gurley is now a member. In addition to seeing people from her past, Gurley caught a glimpse of her future in the form of four veteran Milken Educators - Helen Arnold-Massey (IL '95), Mark Jordan (IL '89), Art Reisman (IL '89) and Patricia Walker (IL '91) - all of whom are part of a vast network of over 1,500 educators, of which Gurley is now a member.
...
Gurley has been instrumental in developing several effective programs at Michele Clark Middle School, including ROCK-IT (Raising Our Children's Knowledge through Integrated Teaching), an after-school program that she helped design.She also coordinates Clark's school-to-work program and oversees the "Bulls Scholars," a group of students who take high school-level English and Algebra classes after school and on Saturdays.

Though Gurley was the sole recipient of the Milken Educator Award, she was quick to share the credit with the people she works with every day.

Leader of the Band

Assistant principal Annette Gurley of Michele Clark Middle School in Chicago cried tears of joy when Milken made the surprise announcement at a Thursday morning assembly attended by hundreds of students, Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer Dr. Cozette Buckney, former football great Rosey Grier, and former Chicago Bulls star Bob Love.
...
Lowell Milken congratulates Michele Clark Middle School Principal Annette Gurley in Chicago
...
Lowell Milken congratulates Michele Clark Middle School Principal Annette Gurley in Chicago
...
For Annette Gurley, the notification was not unlike an episode of "This Is Your Life."

Following the announcement of her name, Gurley was surprised to see members of her family there, including her husband and the person who convinced her early on that the teaching profession could be a rewarding one: her mother.Also present at the event was the principal who first hired Gurley as a middle school English teacher in 1985.

In addition to seeing people from her past, Gurley caught a glimpse of her future in the form of four veteran Milken Educators - Helen Arnold-Massey (IL '95), Mark Jordan (IL '89), Art Reisman (IL '89) and Patricia Walker (IL '91) - all of whom are part of a vast network of over 1,500 educators, of which Gurley is now a member. In addition to seeing people from her past, Gurley caught a glimpse of her future in the form of four veteran Milken Educators - Helen Arnold-Massey (IL '95), Mark Jordan (IL '89), Art Reisman (IL '89) and Patricia Walker (IL '91) - all of whom are part of a vast network of over 1,500 educators, of which Gurley is now a member.
...
Gurley has been instrumental in developing several effective programs at Michele Clark Middle School, including ROCK-IT (Raising Our Children's Knowledge through Integrated Teaching), an after-school program that she helped design.She also coordinates Clark's school-to-work program and oversees the "Bulls Scholars," a group of students who take high school-level English and Algebra classes after school and on Saturdays.

Though Gurley was the sole recipient of the Milken Educator Award, she was quick to share the credit with the people she works with every day.

Leader of the Band