Cheryl Frazier. (photo supplied)
RICHTON PARK–(ENEWSPF)–August 26 2011—Cheryl Frazier has been appointed Dean of Students and Director of Forensics and Theatre at Southland College Prep Charter High School.
“Cheryl Frazier has a diversified educational and professional background, in both the sciences and arts, that will serve Southland’s students well as they prepare to enter college and pursue their careers,” said Dr. Blondean Davis, Superintendent of Matteson Elementary District 162 and volunteer CEO of Southland College Prep. “However, when I think of Ms. Frazier, I think of a ‘grand master’ of speech—a very talented coach extraordinaire,” Dr. Davis added.
“In addition to her administrative responsibilities as Dean, we anticipate that Cheryl will energize and motivate Southland’s students with an appreciation and understanding of the fine points of public speaking, drama and forensics,” Dr. Davis said.
During her speech, drama and forensics career, Frazier has been a six-time State of Illinois Champion of group interpretation, coached students who placed in speech State finals and is certified as a Two-Diamond Key Coach by the National Forensic League, a non –partisan, not-for-profit national educational honor society.
In the Illinois High School Association State speech contests, Frazier’s individual events team was named the 2010 champion and in 2011, one of her students was the national poetry reading champion.
A Matteson, Illinois resident, Frazier began her professional career earning a bachelor of arts degree in medical technology from Drake University. She served as a staff medical technologist at Mercy Hospital Medical Center in Des Moines and joined Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago as a senior medical technologist. She then spent 15 years as supervisor of the Medical Center’s special hematology laboratories.
In the mid-1980s, Frazier began the second portion of her career, earning a master of arts degree in Communication Studies at Governors State University and completing a secondary school teacher certificate at Roosevelt University.
Frazier served as a member of the science and speech faculty of her alma mater, Thornwood High School, South Holland for eight years. Since 2008, she was the school’s Fine Arts Area Instructional Leader. During her tenure at Thornwood, Frazier also held numerous positions as group interpretation technical director, performing arts club sponsor, production assistant, theatre manager and head speech coach.
In 1998-2000, Frazier joined the Department of Communications at South Suburban College, South Holland as an instructor where she taught oral communication and interpretation, acting, developed a speech team and worked with students to qualify them for participation in national forensics tournaments.
During Southland’s first academic year, 2010-11, Frazier served as the school’s head speech coach, working with forensics students and assisting them in competitions.
About Southland College Prep Charter High School
Southland College Prep, 4601 Sauk Trail Road, Richton Park opened in August, 2010. It is one of two public charter high schools in Illinois and the only public charter high in Chicago’s suburbs.
Southland College Prep offers area students a choice. It is designed to prepare all of its graduates for academic success in college through completion of a degree. For the academic year, 2011-12, 250 students are enrolled in Southland’s freshmen and sophomore classes .Over the next two years, the enrollment is scheduled to double to approximately 500 as set by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Southland is located on eight acres in a three-story state-of-the art learning center with small class sizes, an extended nine-hour school day and a college prep curriculum which emphasizes n foreign languages and the arts.
Southland College Preparatory Charter High School serves students drawn from District 227’s four elementary school districts which include: Country Club Hills, Flossmoor, Hazel Crest, Homewood, Matteson, Olympia Fields, Park Forest, Richton Park and Tinley Park.
Source: Southland College Prep Charter High School
