Latin School of Chicago | |
---|---|
Address | |
59 W. North Avenue. Chicago, Illinois 60610 United States |
|
Coordinates | 41°54′39″N 87°37′53″W / 41.9108°N 87.6313°WCoordinates: 41°54′39″N 87°37′53″W / 41.9108°N 87.6313°W |
Information | |
Type | Private |
Motto | Semper Fidelitas (Faithfulness always). |
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.
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.
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.