Francis W. Parker School is an

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

serving students who live in the Chicago area from Pre-K through twelfth grade. Located in Chicago's

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

neighborhood, the school is based on the progressive education philosophies of

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...

and Colonel

Francis Wayland Parker Francis Wayland Parker (October 9, 1837March 2, 1902) was a pioneer of the progressive education, progressive school movement in the United States. He believed that education should include the complete development of an individual — mental, p ...

, emphasizing community and citizenship. Tuition and fees range from $36,480 for kindergarten to $42,300 for grade 12.

History

Founded in 1901, Parker boasts the first official parents' association as well as one of the first school newspapers to be written, typeset, and printed by students: ''The Parker Weekly'', which began publishing in 1911. Parker has 946 students, and has undergone considerable physical renovation between 2000 and 2009. Parker added an

AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has m ...

field which started construction in June 2012, and it was finished in September 2012. During the 2008–09 school year, the Auditorium was completely renovated, with new classrooms, more seating, office space and a balcony. In the 2016–17 school year, renovation began for the new Kovler family library. The new library will include a balcony, reading nooks, a Lego table, and movable bookshelves. Parker school formerly published ''Schools: Studies in Education'', a national education journal featuring the narrative and analytic reflections of educators and students nationwide. The school is a member of the Chicago Independent School League (ISL). Many notable figures have spoken at Parker during the school's tri-weekly assemblies known as "Morning Exercise," including Barack Obama, Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, and John Lewis. In addition, the Chicago Humanities Festival frequently utilizes Parker's auditorium for guest speakers. Doris Kearns Goodwin, Camille Paglia, and Ta-Nehisi Coates have all spoken at Parker's Heller Auditorium for the festival.

Student activities

Athletics

Parker is part of the

Independent School League Independent School League or ISL may refer to: * Independent School League (Illinois), a group of nine Chicago-area preparatory schools * Independent School League (New England), a group of 16 New England preparatory schools * Independent School Le ...

(ISL) athletic conference, and its team name is the Colonel named after the school's founder, Colonel

. In addition to Parker's colonel mascot, a new eagle mascot nicknamed "the Eagle" was introduced as an additional mascot as a way to better connect with younger students.

Notable alumni

* Paul Adelstein, actor * Jonathan Alter, liberal journalist, critic, author, and editor for '' Newsweek''. * Jennifer Beals, actress ('' Flashdance'', ''

Devil in a Blue Dress ''Devil in a Blue Dress'' is a 1990 hardboiled mystery novel by Walter Mosley, his first published book. The text centers on the main character, Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, and his transformation from a day laborer into a detective. Plot Set ...

'', ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene Ch ...

''). *

Margaret Bonds Margaret Allison Bonds ( – ) was an American composer, pianist, arranger, and teacher. One of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, she is best remembered today for her popular arrangements of Afric ...

, composer, pianist, and activist. *Sir Henry Channon, Member of Parliament (U.K.), diarist. *

Carl Diehl Carl Herman "Dutch" Diehl (May 2, 1904 – November 13, 1997) was an American college football player. Listed at and , Diehl played at the Guard (gridiron football), guard position for the Dartmouth Big Green football team. He was a consensus ...

, All-American college football player at Dartmouth *

Bobby Florsheim Robert Florsheim (born December 19, 1969) is an American screenwriter, best known for co-writing ''The Passion Of The Ark'' with Josh Stolberg, (the basis for the film "Evan Almighty"). Their original script was reported by Daily Variety as the hi ...

, screenwriter *

Eric Forsberg Eric Forsberg (born December 16, 1959) is an American writer. He wrote and directed the feature film '' Mega Piranha'', as well as the writer of the feature film '' Snakes on a Train'', one of the first mockbusters produced and released by The ...

, filmmaker *

Chuck Gelatka Charles T. Gelatka (January 28, 1914 – May 23, 2001) was an American football end who played four seasons with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Giants in the tenth round of the 1937 NFL Dr ...

, football player *

Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for books by other w ...

, writer and illustrator * Justin Hall, pioneer blogger * Daryl Hannah, actress ('' Blade Runner'', ''

Splash Splash or Splash! or The Splash may refer to: Common meanings * Splash (fluid mechanics), sudden disturbances on the surface of water Entertainment * ''Splash'' (film), a 1984 fantasy film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah ** ''Splash, Too'' ...

'', '' Kill Bill''). * Sarah Haskins, comedian *

Anne Heche Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater, receiving numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy ...

, actress (''

Donnie Brasco Joseph Dominick Pistone (born September 17, 1939), is an American former FBI agent who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco between September 1976 and July 1981, as part of an infiltration primarily into the Bonanno crime family, and to a lesser ...

'', '' Psycho'', ''

Six Days Seven Nights ''Six Days, Seven Nights'' is a 1998 American action-adventure comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. The screenplay was written by Michael Browning. It was filmed on location in Kauai, and released on Jun ...

''). * Katharine Holabird, author * Celeste Holm, Oscar-winning actress *

Arnold Horween Arnold Horween (originally Arnold Horwitz; also known as A. McMahon; July 7, 1898 – August 5, 1985) was an American college and professional American football player and coach. He played and coached both for Harvard University and in the Nati ...

, Harvard Crimson and NFL football player * Ralph Horween, Harvard Crimson and NFL football player * Peter Jacobson, actor *

Ian Keith Ian Keith (born Keith Ross; February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Keith grew up in Chicago. He was educated at the Francis Parker School there and played Hamlet in a school p ...

(1899–1960), actor of theater and film who worked opposite

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

The Big Trail ''The Big Trail'' is a 1930 American pre-Code Western early widescreen film shot on location across the American West starring 23-year-old John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh. In 2006, the United States Library of ...

and with directors

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

and Cecil B. DeMille. * Eric Klinenberg, sociologist and author * Karyn Kupcinet, actress *

Amy Landecker Amy Lauren Landecker (born September 30, 1969) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Sarah Pfefferman on the Amazon comedy-drama series ''Transparent'' (2014–2019), as well as her supporting roles in films ''Dan in Real Life'' (2 ...

, actress *

Kate Levant Kate Levant (born 1983) is an American artist. Life and education Kate Levant was born in 1983 in Chicago. She attended the Francis W. Parker School (Chicago) and in high school, the Chicago Academy for the Arts. She has degrees from Yale ...

, artist *

Kevin A. Lynch Kevin Andrew Lynch (January 7, 1918 – April 25, 1984) was an American urban planner and author. He is known for his work on the perceptual form of urban environments and was an early proponent of mental mapping. His most influential books inc ...

, urban planner * David Mamet, playwright (''

Glengarry Glen Ross ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts� ...

''), author, and screenwriter ('' The Verdict'', '' Wag the Dog''). * Robert McCormick Adams Jr., American anthropologist and secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. * Joan Mitchell, artist best known for her painting in the

abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

movement. * Alicia Patterson, editor and publisher * Elise Paschen, poet * Edith Pattou, author *

Alan Pierson Alan Emanuel Pierson (born May 12, 1974, Chicago, Illinois) is an American conductor. His parents are Elaine Pierson and Edward S. Pierson, the latter an engineering professor at Purdue University Calumet. In Chicago Pierson took piano and compo ...

, conductor, co-founder of the Alarm Will Sound ensemble,March 2008 Alumni e-Newsletter
, Parker Alumni Community Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic * Mark Pincus, founder of social game company Zynga * Ayanna Pressley, Democratic US congresswomanKatharine Q. Seelye, Astead W. Herndon
''Ayanna Pressley Seeks Her Political Moment in a Changing Boston.''
In: '' The New York Times'', 1 September 2018. *

Jay Pritzker Jay Arthur Pritzker (August 26, 1922 – January 23, 1999) was an American entrepreneur, conglomerate organizer, and member of the Pritzker family. Early life and education Pritzker was born in Chicago, Illinois to Jewish parents who emi ...

, entrepreneur * Jennifer Pritzker, founder of the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...

, first and only known transgender billionaire * Barney Rosset, entrepreneur, publisher * Jeremy Sisto, actor * Brad Thor, author * Ping Tom, civic leader * Carleton Washburne, educator and author * Jacob Weisberg, journalist and editor of ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

''. *

Joe Weisberg Joseph Weisberg is an American television writer, producer, novelist, and school teacher. Weisberg is best known as the creator and showrunner of the FX TV series ''The Americans''. Career A 1987 graduate of Yale University, Weisberg became a C ...

, creator of The Americans *

Jordan Weisman Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded five game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry. Biography Weisman graduated from Francis W. Parker High School, ...

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

FASA Corporation Fasa ( fa, فسا, Fasā, also Romanized as Fassa) is a city and capital of Fasa County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 110,825, in 33,379 families. Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province. The city date ...

& WizKids * Haskell Wexler, cinematographer ('' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'', ''

for For or FOR may refer to: English language *For, a preposition *For, a complementizer *For, a grammatical conjunction Science and technology * Fornax, a constellation * for loop, a programming language statement * Frame of reference, in physic ...

''). * Jim White, defensive end in the National Football League and Canadian Football League *

Hillary Wolf Hillary Jocelyn Wolf (born February 7, 1977) is an American former child actress and judoka. Career Wolf is best known for playing Megan, the sister of Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) in the ''Home Alone'' series. She also starred as the lead character ...

, actress & two-time U.S

Olympian Olympian or Olympians may refer to: Religion * Twelve Olympians, the principal gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion * Olympian spirits, spirits mentioned in books of ceremonial magic Fiction * ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'', fiction ...

in judo *

Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film ''Dead Calm'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promi ...

, actor *

Lisa Zane Lisa Zane (born Elizabeth Frances Zane; April 5, 1961) is an American actress and singer. Personal life Zane was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Thalia and William George Zane Sr., founders of a medical technical school. Her family's ...

, actress, vocalist

References

External links

Official Site
{{authority control Private elementary schools in Chicago Private middle schools in Chicago Educational institutions established in 1901 Independent School League Private high schools in Chicago 1901 establishments in Illinois ¥