Coordinates (Boys)
(Girls) Established 1889 Phone +1 312-842-7355 Colors Royal blue, Gold | Denomination Roman Catholic Tuition 13,550 USD (2015-2016) Mascot Meteors | |
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Type Private, secondary, parochial, Co-institutional Motto Signum Fidei
((Sign of Faith)) Founder St. John Baptist De La Salle Address 3434 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, USA Similar St Ignatius College Prep, St Rita High School, Fenwick High School, Whitney M Young Magnet H, Mount Carmel High Sch Profiles | ||
De la salle institute next generation education
De La Salle Institute is a Catholic, Lasallian, secondary school located in the Douglas neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school is currently housed on two separate campuses. The original school, now called the Institute Campus (Institute or Young Men's Campus) is for men. The newer Lourdes Hall Campus (Lourdes or Young Women's Campus) for women is located at 1040 W. 32nd Place.
Contents
- De la salle institute next generation education
- De la salle institute
- History
- Academics
- Tablet PC program
- Tolton Center
- Athletics
- Performing arts
- Other non athletic activities
- Financial information
- Government and politics
- Sports and entertainment
- Notable staff members
- References
The school is considered a historic institution on Chicago's South Side. It is located three blocks east of U.S. Cellular Field, the home of MLB's Chicago White Sox. While located in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood, it has very strong ties to the nearby Bridgeport neighborhood. The school is separated from Bridgeport and U.S. Cellular Field by the Dan Ryan Expressway, which is named for Dan Ryan, Jr., an alumnus and former Cook County Board President. Five mayors of Chicago, including the nationally known Richard J. Daley and his son Richard M. Daley are counted among the alumni.
While coming from a commemorative book published by the school, the authors of American Pharaoh:Mayor Richard J. Daley: His Battle for Chicago and the Nation note the following about the school's impact on the history of Chicago:
"The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton" but "the business leaders of Chicago were trained in the Counting Rooms of De La Salle."
De la salle institute
History
De La Salle Institute was founded by Brother Adjutor, a former director of St. Patrick High School, in 1889, after being chartered by the State of Illinois the previous year. The laying of the cornerstone on May 19, 1889 was a major event which began with an hour-long parade through the streets of Chicago. The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Patrick Feehan, the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Classes and graduation ceremonies were held elsewhere until the building was complete, opening for students on 7 September 1891.
The school started as a two-year commercial school. The area which the school catered to was a poor area of the city, and many of the students were children of recent immigrants. As Br. Adjutor was quoted to have said: I made up my mind to leave nothing undone in the direction of fitting the boys of the masses for the battle of life, morally as well as educationally. As times changed, the school grew to emphasize a college preparatory curriculum.
On 11 April 1925, the school was severely damaged by an early morning fire causing US$35,000 in damage (unadjusted 1925 dollars). Two of the four floors were lost.
1926 saw plans for the addition of a new gymnasium behind the school at a cost of US$100,000 (unadjusted). These plans were later adjusted with a larger gym built on Michigan Avenue for US$175,000 (unadjusted).
The 1953–54 school year saw the school purchase the remainder of the block on which the school is situated. In March, ground breaking occurred for an addition to the school. In October, 1955, ground was broken on an addition to the brothers' residence attached to the school.
By 1960, more room was needed to handle the increase in student population. A new addition was built north of the extant building, adding a gymnasium and more classrooms. Groundbreaking occurred in late September, 1960, with the cornerstone being laid in June, 1961. The US$850,000 (unadjusted) addition was dedicated in May, 1962.
After decades of not having an outdoor sports stadium of its own, plans were made in 1967 to construct a stadium and sports complex. In a rare move, the fundraising for the stadium, estimated at US$250,000 (unadjusted) was not headed by an alum, with the honorary chair of the development committee being given to George Halas, owner of the Chicago Bears.
In June, 1984, with no more room for expansion, and the need for new facilities, the original four story school building was demolished.
The school has a history of diversity, dating back to its first class of nine students which included two Jewish students. Today roughly 28% of the school is African–American, 32% is Latino, and nearly 25% are non–Catholic.
In 2002, the school opened the Lourdes Hall Campus, a collaboration with the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. The school claims to be unique in the United States in that it is a co-educational institution, while still offering single-gender campuses.
Academics
Coursework is divided into three areas: Social Sciences (which includes religious studies), Language Arts (which includes foreign languages and fine arts), and Applied Sciences (which includes the natural sciences, mathematics, and physical education). Students are required to take a minimum of six credits of course work for their freshman and sophomore years, and at least 5.5 credits as upperclassmen.
There are three program levels: Honors, College Preparatory, and General Studies.
Community service is required as a component of the religious studies courses, with the number of required hours dependent on the course and year in school. The service is a component of the course grade.
The following seven Advanced Placement courses are offered: U.S. History, Government and Politics, Spanish Language, French Language, Studio Art, English Literature, and Calculus (AB). There is also a course entitled "Honors Calculus BC" which is a follow up for students who have taken AP Calculus AB, but is not offered as an AP course.
There are also technical courses offered at various levels (including honors) in electronics and small engines. A course in Computer System Management requires students to aid in computer maintenance at the school.
Tablet PC program
In 2006, De La Salle began requiring incoming freshmen to lease or purchase an IBM X41 Tablet PC. The Tablet PCs allow students to take notes electronically and make use of the included textbook in e-books.Both De La Salle campuses are equipped with a WiFi network, allowing teachers and students to wirelessly access the Internet and print to network printers. De La Salle also has a computer repair center at each campus to deal with any computer problems or malfunctions. This year (2009) they are using the Lenovo x61 Thinkpad X series.
Tolton Center
The Tolton Center (named for Fr. Augustine Tolton), is an adult education outreach program founded by De La Salle in 1991. Currently spread around to five locations, the Center provides classes for low–income adults on topics related to literacy and employment skills. Child services are also provided. While begun by the Institute, the courses are non–religious in nature.
Athletics
The De La Salle Meteors men's teams compete in the Chicago Catholic League (CCL), while the women's teams compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC). The school also competes in state championship tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).
In 1961, De La Salle joined some schools in leaving the Chicago Catholic League in order to form a new conference (the Chicagoland Prep League) and participate in the IHSA. At the time, the Chicago Catholic League members were not IHSA members, and under IHSA guidelines, schools in the IHSA could not play schools outside the organization, nor could schools outside the organization compete for state championships.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA state tournaments:
In the era before De La Salle came under the auspices of the IHSA, De La Salle won a National Catholic Basketball Championship in 1928–1929, defeating St. Stanislaus High School of St. Louis, Missouri.
On October 24, 2008, De La Salle took part in Toyota Park's first ever American football game as opponents to Fenwick. De La Salle won the game, 17–10.
On February 22, 2014 the De La Salle basketball team won the first ever Inaugural Catholic League Tournament Championship against Mount Carmel High School with a score of 67-62.
Performing arts
The school offers an introductory course to learning a musical instrument, as a pathway for novice musicians to enter the concert band. The concert band is a full year course, with an honors option involving research in addition to performance.
In addition to courses in introductory and advanced Drama, students may participate in such activities as improvisation, stage combat, one act plays and slam poetry. During the second semester, students are in charge of directing their own plays, and in some cases, writing and producing them as well. Students who participate in the theater program for an extended amount of time may be inducted into the International Thespian Society.
Other non-athletic activities
De La Salle Institute offers 15 sports for boys and girls, as well as many clubs such as Mock Trial, Chess Club, Weight Lifting, Boxing, Guitar Club, Science Club, Spanish Club, French Club, Web Design, and Drama.
Financial information
The tuition for the 2007–08 school year is US$9,125, however the school has an educational scholarship open to "most" domestic students, which is worth $1,825. The school also claims that about 55% of students receive additional financial aid through an application process.
Students must also have their own Tablet PC. There is the option to "lease-to-own" at $56–per–month for 46 months. There is also the option to purchase the computer outright at $2,200.
Government and politics
Five mayors of Chicago are among the alumni. For only ten years (1979–89) between 1947 and early 2011, has the Mayor of Chicago not been an alumnus of this school.
Others: