On the Same Page

January 1, 2005
David W. Magill, Director of UCLS

The Laboratory Schools have earned a well-deserved reputation for being "ahead of the educational curve." We were also a pioneer in providing complementary services for families by offering extended day and summer programs.

In 1975, two teachers, Larry McFarlane and the late Mary Williams, began a summer camp known as MacWillie's. It was a very successful program and for over twenty years met the growing need for a quality day camp on the south side of Chicago. As the Lab Schools' enrollment grew, so too did MacWillie's. The camp's name changed in 2000 to Adventure Kids Day Camp. Adventure Kids is part of Lab's comprehensive six-week summer program including Sports Camp, Summer Lab on Stage, Lab Adventurer Field Study, and Summer School. Please refer to Other Lab School Programs on this website for complete descriptions.

The extended-day program began as an after-school Arts and Learning program in 1980 and was designed to accommodate the working schedule of many families. Today it serves an average of three hundred students—nursery through eighth-grade—every quarter. The program is continually renewing itself with interesting activities that supplement and complement the school-day program. The staff combines members of our faculty and students from the University of Chicago or graduate theological schools.

Summer Lab and the extended-day program are under the direction of the Office of Auxiliary Programs. Based upon the growth of these programs in the past several years and projected future trends, I believe that this office will continue to experience an expansion of responsibilities. I also doubt that "auxiliary" will continue to define its relationship with the rest of what we do!

Our shared vision includes "placing a high value on our partnership with parents and community by providing extended-day and year-round programs." If we are doing it right, the following benefits are obvious:

For Students

• Additional opportunity for social and intellectual development with classmates and with children of different ages
• Freedom to explore areas of interest outside of prescribed curriculum
• Exposure to and participation in activities planned and supervised by caring adults

For Families

• Most adult work schedules are accommodated
• Minimal transition between regular and after-school activities and the security of knowing where your children are
• Close supervision provided by adults known by the children

For Staff

• Opportunity to explore and experiment with new subject matter and/or management techniques in a less structured environment
• Opportunity to gain experience in a potential education-related career
• Opportunity to supplement income

For the Community

• Additional source of revenue to offset operational costs of the regular program
• Local programs can gain some exposure (e.g., Looking Glass Theater, Hyde Park School of Ballet, CircEsteem, etc.)
• Opportunity for community children who do not attend Lab to be a part of a summer program

Partnership is the important word in this part of the vision. I can't imagine any school being successful without the support of parents and the community at large.

We are all caught up in a network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.
      -Dr. Martin Luther King

As great as the Lab Schools may be, we still have much to learn from each other. May 2005 be a year in which our partnership is strengthened and in which our students thrive. Happy New Year!

David W. Magill
Director

All content © 2007-08 The University of Chicago | Laboratory Schools 1362 E. 59th St. Chicago, Il. 60637 (773) 702-9450 Fax: (773) 702-7455