Mather
High School Turns 50: Looks to
its Heritage, Past, Present,
Future
Schools’ Alumni
Remain Active in Scholarships,
Mentoring
Ken Burns and PBS
tell the story of Mr. Stephen
Tyng Mather!
Celebrating the school’s 50th
Birthday and the unveiling of new
renovations, a celebration was
held Saturday, October 10 at
Mather High School.
Mather High School is the most
racially and ethnically diverse
school within the Chicago Public
School system. According to the
2008 School Report Card, there
are currently six official
bilingual programs at Mather and
47 languages present at the
school. More than 85 percent of
the student body is from
low-income families and more than
75 percent speak a language other
than English at home.
Ties to the school run deep and
to this day, graduates have
stayed closely involved to ensure
the Mather name lives on. Since
1999, alumni at the high school
have banded together to form The
Mather High School Alumni Fund,
awarding one $8,000 scholarship
per year to a deserving student.
The scholarship money is paid
over four years, giving
recipients the confidence to
finish all of their post-high
school education. To date,
$96,500 has been awarded through
scholarships.
Stories of how these scholarships
have jumpstarted Mather High
School grads’ college careers are
inspiring. Juliana Basko, was the
first recipient of the Alumni
scholarship. She graduated from
Harvard Medical School in May
2009. This past summer she
started as a resident at
Northwestern Hospital. The Mather
scholarship allowed Basko to
begin her education by attending
University of Chicago in the fall
of 2000. Basko, who started at
Mather High School after
transferring from Albania at age
14, could barely speak English
when she arrived.
“I am really grateful to have had
such a source of support and
encouragement when financial
barriers could have stood in the
way of accessing educational
opportunities,” Basko said. “I am
so appreciative for the Mather
Alumni and the difference their
generosity made in my life.”
In addition to the scholarship
foundation, alumni at the school
formed a volunteer program
started in 2006 to bring alumni
resources back into the school.
In the past three years, Mather
High School alumni have logged
more than 1,200 hours of
volunteer time, showing current
Mather students the successes
that come out of the high school.
In 2008 alone, alumni volunteers
interacted with more than 67
percent of the student body. More
than 6,000 alumni are in the
database.
Organizers say the birthday
celebration is one way to honor
the past, present and future for
the school.
“This milestone is a celebration
of 50 years of public education
at Mather High School,” said Alum
Carol Dragon. “The school began
as a modern beacon for the future
of education – we wish to reclaim
that mantle and re-institute that
goal.”
Mather Principal Chris Jones said
he was proud to unveil the “new
Mather” to the alumni at the
event.
“Looking to the future, our
renovation crew has been working
all summer, reconfiguring space,
refurbishing the auditorium,
replacing the lockers with Mather
blue, and paving the way for the
construction of the new library
to be ready in the spring. We
are pleased that the alumni
continue to be an important part
of Mather’s past and future,”
Jones said.
Mather High is named in honor of
a true American hero, Stephen
Tyng Mather. Coincidentally, in
the weeks leading up to the 50th
anniversary of the only high
school named in his honor, Mr.
Mather was prominently featured
in the PBS documentary
The National Parks: America's
Best Idea.
The
six episode series, directed by
acclaimed documentarian Ken
Burns, prominently featured the
story of Stephen Tyng Mather, who
was the first Director of the
National Parks system. In
filling that role for President
Theodore Roosevelt, it fell to
Mr. Mather to confront and
triumph over many of the vested
interests of the day, to whom the
idea of preserving hundreds of
thousands of America’s most
scenic acres was an affront and
offense to be stopped at all
costs.
Burns relates that Mr. Mather’s
passion for a Park system was
driven by his conviction that it
was the only way to preserve for
our national posterity the
abundant diversity of lands,
flora and fauna of this great
land. He believed preserving
this natural diversity would
enrich the lives of all
Americans. It is thus ironic
that the school named for such a
man would decades later turn out
to be singular in its diversity
of students, producing for all at
Mather High School a uniquely
enriched educational experience.
Proceeds from the Mather at 50
event will go toward helping
enhance technology in the high
school’s classrooms. Learn more
at
www.matheralumni.org.
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