Mayor Daley Dedicates New Little Village High School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 11, 2005

Mayor's Press Office: (312) 744-3334
CPS Communications Office: (773) 553-1620

Community-Driven, Small-Schools Campus Opened in September

Mayor Richard M. Daley today joined educational and civic leaders to officially dedicate the new Little Village High School campus.

"Thanks to the taxpayers of Chicago, we have invested more than $4 billion dollars to repair and replace aging schools, expand overcrowded schools, and build new schools like this one," Mayor Daley said at today's ceremony at the school, 3120 S. Kostner. "This one is special, however - with four separate schools under one roof.

"All of the schools meet the basic requirements of a high school but they also have areas of focus - like the arts, social justice, world languages and the surrounding communities themselves - which played such a critical role in making this happen."

The Little Village High School campus is located on a 16.5-acre site and includes four, two-story school buildings, each with a capacity of 350 students. The facility also includes updated science and computer labs, a library/media center, performing and visual arts facilities, a 500-seat auditorium, a swimming pool, two gymnasiums, and soccer and baseball fields.

The campus is divided into four small schools:

Multicultural Arts School - focuses on the arts, in particular drama, visual arts, radio and dance. Additionally, school will partner with community organizations, such as the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago, and artists to provide a strong arts environment within the school.

Infinity High School - links the school to the North Lawndale and Little Village community. School plans to create a community-based and student-centered learning environment. Students will be taught to celebrate their community's strengths and study its contributions and challenges.

Greater Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice - prepares students for post-secondary education. Curriculum is designed to support students in being reflective about real-world issues. Students will be required to complete investigations on real life social issues.

The World Language High School - offers a college-preparatory curriculum, accompanied by an intensive study of world languages and career-preparatory opportunities. Students are able to take part in job-shadowing, internships, the College Bridge and College Excel programs.

"These schools reflect one of the central goals of our new school creation strategy," added CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan. "We want to create the kind of schools that our community wants and needs.