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.
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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 ten 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." The 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.
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Approach
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.
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. The school also has a high-achieving scholastic bowl team.
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
- Conor Allen - professional hockey player
- Bob Balaban - actor and author
- Ike Barinholtz - comedian
- Bradley Bell - television writer and producer
- Lauralee Bell - actress
- Matt Brandstein - writer/actor
- Roe Conn - radio talk show host
- Billy Dec - Rockit Ranch Productions CEO and founder, actor
- Grant DePorter - restaurateur
- Jessica D'Onofrio- television journalist
- Diana Rivera- Television Producer
- Filligar - band (Casey Gibson, Johnny, Teddy, Peter Mathias)
- Cassidy Freeman - actor
- Crispin Freeman - voice actor
- John Fritchey - Cook County Commissioner - 12th District (elected 2010)
- Kenny George - college basketball player, tallest athlete in NCAA history
- Alexi Giannoulias - Illinois State Treasurer
- Douglas H. Ginsburg - Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, US Supreme Court nominee
- Sarah Goldberg - Actress (mostly TV), aka Sarah Danielle Madison
- Nina Gordon - singer and songwriter, founding member of alternative rock band Veruca Salt, daughter of former Monsanto chairman Robert Shapiro
- Laura Granville - professional tennis player, head coach of women's tennis at Princeton University
- John Marshall Harlan II - US Supreme Court Justice
- Rick Kogan - Chicago newspaperman, radio personality and author
- Lisa Madigan - Illinois Attorney General
- Johanes Maliza - professional soccer player
- Amy Maliza- General Counsel of CarCharging Group
- Brooks McCormick - International Harvester Company CEO and philanthropist
- Roger McGuinn - singer and songwriter, founding member of the Byrds
- Carol Mendelsohn - television producer and writer
- Claes Oldenburg - sculptor
- Walter Paepcke - industrialist, philanthropist and founder of Aspen Skiing Company
- Nancy Reagan - actress and First Lady of the United States 1981-89
- Jim Shapiro - drummer for Veruca Salt, brother of Nina Gordon, son of former Monsanto chairman Robert Shapiro
- Adlai Stevenson III - U.S. Senator, candidate for governor, son of presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson
- Neil Strauss - journalist and author
- Bill Wirtz - former businessman and Chicago Blackhawks owner
- William Wrigley, Jr. II - business executive
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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