Latin School of Chicago

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Latin School of Chicago
Latin School of Chicago 2013-10-06 16-29.jpg
Semper Fidelitas (Faithfulness always).
Address
59 W. North Avenue.
Chicago, Illinois 60610
United States
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Information
Type Private
Established 1888
Grades K–12
Enrollment 447 (Elementary)
226 (Middle)
437 (High School)
Colour(s) Orange     
Blue    
Athletics conference ISL
Team name Romans
Newspaper The Forum
Yearbook The Roman
Website www.latinschool.org

Latin School of Chicago is a private elementary, middle, and high school located in the Gold Coast neighborhood on the Near North side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school was founded in 1888 by Mabel Slade Vickery.

History

Latin School of Chicago is the oldest independent day school in the city of Chicago. Latin School was formed in 1888 by a group of parents seeking a better education for their children. Mabel Slade Vickery, a teacher from the East Coast, was invited to Chicago to open the school with a small class of 10, 10-year-old boys. During the early years, classes were held in private homes on Chicago's near North Side. The parent-owned institution flourished and in 1899, with enrollment of more than 100 boys, the school moved into its own building and officially became Chicago Latin School. In 1913, a girls section was incorporated by Miss Vickery and became The Chicago Latin School for Girls. The schools merged in 1953 to form the co-educational Latin School of Chicago.

The school was designed to provide students with a rigorous college-preparatory education in the classical tradition, with a curriculum that was heavily influenced by Classical studies and the study of the Greek and Latin languages, hence the name “Latin School." Latin language is still taught in the middle and upper schools today.

While it was started as a neighborhood school, Latin School currently is home to more than 1,100 students from approximately 70 zip codes throughout the Chicago area. The school awards more than $3 million in need-based financial aid each year.

Approach

Latin School's mission is to provide students with a rigorous and innovative educational program in a community that embraces diversity of people, cultures and ideas. Latin seeks to inspire its students to pursue their passions and lead lives of purpose and excellence.

Students are given a strong foundation in the core subject areas of English, math, science, social studies, history, world languages and the arts. Starting in the lower school Latin’s curriculum takes an interdisciplinary approach. In high school, Latin offers a large number of innovative electives in every subject area in addition to the core requirements. Many classes have an experiential component to bring the material to life—mock trials, hands-on labs and Model U.N. simulations, to name a few. Upper school students may choose from more than 150 classes each year, including a full range of AP courses. They are required to complete at least 24 credits to graduate.

Students connect with subjects through concrete experiences like role playing, simulations, lab work, or exploration outside the classroom. They are encouraged to approach issues analytically, think globally and understand subject matter from different points of view. Community service is a significant part of the curriculum and students begin participating in service activities starting in junior kindergarten. In the upper school there is a service learning requirement. Freshmen year students are required to earn ten hours of community service while sophomore year students are required to earn twenty hours. Although the service learning requirements are only required until sophomore year, upperclassmen in the high school stay actively involved with service in the community. Latin offers plenty of service orientated gatherings yearly for students and families of all ages to contribute with.

The school's extracurricular program includes more than 20 competitive varsity sports teams, nearly 50 different clubs, and a variety of opportunities in the performing arts.

Latin has many athletic programs, such as men's basketball, baseball, volleyball, golf, cross country, and women's basketball, volleyball, golf, cross country, and co-ed swimming. The Latin School is rivals with the Francis Parker school (also a private school). Latin sports teams have been highlighted in various magazines and newspapers.

Campus

The current campus has three buildings. The lower school (junior kindergarten to grade 4) building is the oldest structure dating to 1926 and is located at 1531 N. Dearborn. The upper school (grades 9–12) building at 59 W. North was completed in 1969. The middle school (grades 5–8) building, located at 45 W. North, was completed in the fall of 2007. It includes a green roof garden and was designed with environmentally friendly materials. The building was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2012. There is a connecting bridge from the second floor of the middle school building to the second floor of the upper school building, going over an alley. The upper school building was designed by internationally acclaimed architect Harry Weese.

Notable alumni

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See also: Category:Latin School of Chicago alumni

References

  1. ↑ PBS page: The Supreme Court
  • Latin School of Chicago Mission Statement [1]

External links

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