“EPIC pushes you hard.  They want the best out of you because they believe students are smart and can be the top.  They believe we can do our best.  There is no 'we can’t.' They only believe in 'we can' so we can be successful.” ~ Amber, Class of 2013
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Mission & Foundation
A Neighborhood Charter High School
EPIC is committed to the community that we call home. Our students study history, science, and mathematics through a local lens: the rise and fall of industrialism at U.S. Steel South Works, the effects of fossil fuel pollution on plant diversity in the area, and the economic consequences of payday lending on the community.

We recruit students who live in the neighborhood; EPIC is a microcosm of South Chicago. Our school demographics match the demographics of other neighborhood schools, and of the neighborhood at large

Preparing each student with the 21st century skills necessary to revolutionize society and ensure a heroic journey of college and career success.

To ensure that we achieve our mission, our school strategy is designed to address each of the four major challenges Chicago Public Schools students face:

We set expectations high:
Grading is rigorous. Our students take a college preparatory curriculum: four years each of math, science, history and language arts. To be promoted to the next grade level, they must achieve a C or higher in all four core courses.

We build strong relationships:
Every morning starts with Crew, a student’s family within the EPIC community. From freshman year through graduation, small groups of students meet under the leadership of a teacher, their Crew Leader. They team-build and discuss issues facing teens.

We foster leadership:
Service-learning is built in to our curriculum. For two hours each week, students take an “Issues to Action” curriculum through a partnership with Mikva Challenge http://www.mikvachallenge.org/, a Chicago non-profit dedicated to the development of civic leadership. Students research, develop and act on opportunities to be agents of change in their community.

We prepare for tomorrow, today:
College guidance begins day one. College, Careers and Skills is a course at each grade level for all students; it is a class that changes lives. Students draft a ten-year plan and build workplace skills. As upperclassmen, they will prepare for the ACT exam and complete their college applications.