Dozens of Chicago seniors were forced to change schools this spring. Here’s how one got his diploma.

“Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest news on Chicago Public Schools. Jonathan Escobar sat among roughly 350 students in royal purple caps and gowns waiting to walk across the stage at Carl Schurz High School as hundreds of relatives and friends periodically erupted in cheers. Just two months ago, Escobar and about 70 other kids seated around him hadn’t expected to graduate from the Irving Park high school — because until this spring they attended other schools. Jonathan Escobar, who was forced to leave his old ASPIRA high school after it closed in the spring, holds up his diploma from Schurz High School Those schools — run by the ASPIRA charter network — abruptly closed midyear, forcing more than 500 students like Escobar to transfer after ASPIRA said it had run out of money. The Chicago Board of Education officially shuttered ASPIRA Business and Finance and Early College high schools in April. Schurz received the most ASPIRA transfers — roughly 250 – and 73 were in their senior year. They had to get used to new teachers, new classrooms, and new classmates. Up until his last week, Escobar was unsure he’d pass every class. The experience could become more common as Chicago’s charter schools experience financial turmoil and declining enrollment , which have resulted in multiple closures in recent years. Leaving was a ‘big disaster’ Escobar enrolled at ASPIRA Business and Finance because his older sister had gone there, and the school was known to prepare kids for the real world, he said. He liked his teachers at the school, including Juan Elias, who taught finance and entrepreneurship classes at ASPIRA. Elias said the school’s final days were “eerie as hell.” Students like Escobar, who Elias taught as a sophomore, were no longer there to stop by his classroom and say hello. “I saw the tears, uncertainty, especially with our students that needed the most support,” said Elias, who protested the closures. “I saw a lot of stress.” The two ASPIRA campuses that closed enrolled a total of about 570 students at the start of the school year. By late-March, CPS said more than 500 had transferred out to about 20 district schools, and nearly half had picked Schurz. Another 70 went to Roosevelt and 50 went to Kelvyn Park, CPS said at the time. Ten of the kids went to other charters. Escobar decided to transfer to Schurz, about a 15-minute drive from his home, because he knew of a classmate already there. The Chicago Teachers Union pushed the district to keep as many students and teachers together as possible. Having to leave his old school like this was a “big disaster,” Escobar said later. Schurz principal Heidy Moran had said it was “unprecedented” for her school, which enrolled roughly 1,000 students before the ASPIRA kids came, to welcome this many new students at once. The school created a team of staffers who organized events and initiatives to help ease the new kids in. Former ASPIRA teacher Juan Elias greets his former students who graduated from Schurz High School. A mixed transition process On his first day at Schurz in March, Escobar was nervous about not knowing his new teachers or students and navigating a new building. Then he saw some ASPIRA students he had known since elementary school and felt some relief. He wasn’t alone. Some Schurz staffers said the transition went well for some students. Several had even joined sports or clubs. There were signs, however, that others were struggling. “Every day I receive emails from my former students asking for help and guidance when I should be receiving emails asking about recommendation letters and exciting updates,” said Stephanie Diaz, a former counselor at ASPIRA Business and Finance, during a Chicago Board of Education meeting in early April. “Others are writing to me about transfer options for next year because they feel like they don’t belong there yet.” In his first few weeks at Schurz, Escobar wished he could go back to ASPIRA. Escobar, who describes himself as a shy person, would have lunch with old classmates, and they would crack jokes or talk about their old teachers. But mostly, he kept to himself. He said he didn’t have time to join clubs. After the closures, Elias began working as a substitute in CPS. During one stint substitute teaching at Schurz, a couple of former ASPIRA students spotted him in the hallway and “sprinted” toward him to say hello. It was a sign, he thought, of how much they missed their old school. Schurz High School students celebrate graduating by throwing streamers into the air. Ready to move on By late April, Escobar was talking to his new Schurz teachers more. He thought his classes were easier than at his old school. He liked when students would work on assignments together in class. “I’m almost done with high school,” he said in an interview with Chalkbeat about a month after transferring to Schurz. “Just trying to focus.” By May, graduation was getting closer. But Escobar, who has a learning disability and is entitled to extra support in the classroom, was having a hard time in physics. The class was difficult to understand. He worried he was at risk of failing and not graduating if he didn’t do well on the final exam. Escobar said his counselor helped him get some extra attention in the class. The help paid off: Escobar passed the physics final, bumping his grade to a 76. He got As and Bs in the rest of his classes. On graduation day, Elias, Escobar’s former ASPIRA teacher, stood in the back of the Schurz auditorium to cheer on his former students. He clapped and yelled when their names were called, then rattled off some facts about each person: Steven was in National Honor Society. Dayana won second place during a Shark Tank competition for ASPIRA students. Oscar loves the Chicago Bears. After the ceremony, former ASPIRA students spotted Elias and wrapped him in big, tight hugs. One student picked him up. Later, Elias saw Escobar outside and gave him a high-five. Elias said he was proud of him, and Escobar thanked him. Of the 156 former ASPIRA seniors who transferred into district-run schools, 154 were cleared to graduate as of this week, according to a CPS spokesperson, who noted that official graduation totals are typically finalized at the end of the summer. Jonathan Escobar poses for a photo with his mother after graduating from Schurz High School. After months of longing and adjustment, Escobar, holding his diploma in his left hand, said he was happy to be done. He is planning to enroll in community college. But something unexpected had also happened: He said he’s going to miss Schurz, where the classes felt easier and his teachers cared about him. “It was a good school with good people,” Escobar said of Schurz the day after graduation. About 70 students are expected to attend a voluntary graduation ceremony Saturday for former ASPIRA kids at Lane Tech High School. Escobar isn’t planning to attend, even though months ago he wished for such an event. He said he is ready to move on. Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org .

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