It was the first day of school Monday and everything was new, including the school.
It was the first day of school Monday and everything was new, including the school.
About 314 students attend the Chicago International Lloyd Bond School, 13300 S. Langley, and Monday a great number of them showed up for the first day of school. Most of the students live in the Altgeld Gardens-Murray Homes, a public housing development located just west of the Bishop Ford Expressway off the 130th Street exit.
“I would say about 70 percent of our students live at Altgeld Gardens,” said Michael Campbell, principal of Lloyd Bond School. “We have students from all parts of Chicago, from the North Side to the West Side.”
Just last year, Our Lady of the Gardens (a Catholic school), had occupied the school building but closed in May. That’s when the Chicago International Charter purchased the building from the Archdiocese of Chicago and spent $2 million in renovations, according to Elizabeth Purvis, executive director of the Chicago International Charter School, one of the largest charters in Illinois serving 8,150 students.
“After we were approached by the Archdiocese to buy the building we consulted with the Chicago Public Schools,” Purvis told the Defender. “CPS had identified Altgeld gardens as one of its targeted areas for a new school, charter or non-charter. So on the advice of CPS we decided to open a school there.”
Purvis said that many parents whose kids previously attended the private school decided to send their kids to Lloyd Bond, in part, “because they realized that they can now get the same quality education for free.”
The curriculum at Lloyd Bond includes reading, English, math and technology.
A mixture of rigorous academics and extracurricular activities are some of the things that appealed to private school parents.
“Success is more than books. It is also practical experience, and after reviewing the curriculum, I was convinced that my daughter would excel at this school,” said Princess Sawyer, 39.
Prior to Lloyd Bond opening up, W.E.B DuBois, Ira Aldridge and Carver Middle School were the closest elementary schools to Altgeld Gardens.
Parents were complimentary toward the neighborhood schools.
“What choice do you have when you live out here? It’s not like I could have sent my son to a better school down the street,” said Beatrice Young, 33.
And most Altgeld Gardens parents said the easy requirements made their choice a no-brainer.
“Almost everyone who applied to Lloyd Bond was accepted. We are a non-selective, college prep elementary school (K-8) for children from economically challenged neighborhoods,” Bond Principal Michael Campbell told the Defender.
Jean Brady, 43, couldn’t be happier about her daughter starting fifth grade at Bond.
______
To read the rest of this article, subscribe to our digital or paper edition. For previous editions, contact us for details.
In photo: Approximately 244 students showed up Monday for the first day of school at Chicago International Lloyd Bond School, a new charter elementary school located near the Altgeld Gardens Murray Homes public housing complex on the far South Side of Chicago.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
About Post Author
