Kenwood Academy (also known as Kenwood Academy High School
[ and formerly known as Kenwood High School) is a comprehensive ]public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
and magnet middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
located in the Hyde Park– Kenwood neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, United States. Operated by the Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest school district in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles.
...
(CPS) district, Kenwood opened in 1969. Kenwood limits acceptance of high school students to those living in Hyde Park: from Lake Michigan to Cottage Grove Avenue
Roads and expressways in Chicago summarizes the main thoroughfares and the numbering system used in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.
Street layout
Chicago's streets were laid out in a grid that grew from the city's original townsite plan pl ...
east to west, and 47th to the Midway Plaisance north to south. Kenwood was recognized as a ''School of Distinction'' for its academic achievement and a Model School by the International Center for Leadership in Education in 2004. In addition to being a local high school, Kenwood has a magnet program that accepts students entering into 7th grade
Seventh grade (or grade seven) is a year or level of education. The seventh grade is the eighth school year, the second or third year of middle school, and the first year of junior high school. Students are around 13-14 years old in this stage ...
who pass a rigorous admissions test. The magnet program
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
accepts students citywide using a random lottery with a standing of 6 or higher in both reading and math.
History
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) began the planning process to build Kenwood Academy, then called Kenwood High School, on November 3, 1965. With Northern big cities undergoing the final years of the baby boom, the CPS felt the need for a modernized new high school on Chicago's South Side. During the time of planning for the new school, CPS operated Kenwood Upper Grade Center; a neighborhood elementary school that was later converted into a high school to relieve overcrowding at nearby high schools in 1962. At the time, the school served 900 students in a building meant for only 500.
The question of whether to build Kenwood High School was the center of intense interest and tension for community members in Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Woodlawn who were concerned about the impact a new school would have on the racial composition of the surrounding neighborhoods and schools. Before the construction of Kenwood High School all students from these communities attended Hyde Park High School in Woodlawn. Community activists from Woodlawn argued that building a new high school in Hyde Park/Kenwood would drain all of the white students from Hyde Park High School, effectively segregating the school. These activists argued for an expansion of Hyde Park High School to alleviate overcrowding rather than the construction of a separate school. However, on November 17, 1966 the Chicago Board of Education approved the proposal to build Kenwood High School, on a site bordered by 51st Street to the south, Lake Park Avenue to the east, Blackstone Avenue to the west; near the Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...
.
Construction on the school began in March 1968. At $7.4 million, it was considered Chicago's most expensive high school at the time. The new school, situated at 5015 South Blackstone Avenue, opened in September 1969 with an enrollment of 700. The school's demographics during the first ten years was made up of 79% African-American and 21% White. The white population at the school continue to decline over the years, bringing the current demographics to 84% African-American, 5% white, 4% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 4% multi-racial or other. Elizabeth Mollahan–Jochner, who had been the principal of Kenwood Upper Grade Center, served as the new Kenwood's principal, holding the position for eighteen years from the school's opening until her retirement in June 1987. In recognition of the school's academic excellence and special programs, the Chicago Board of Education and CPS designated the school an "academy" and " a school of distinction" in 1977.
Demographics
As of the 2019–2020 school year, 85.8% of Kenwood's student body is African-American, 4.5% White, 4.8% Hispanic, 2.3% Asian, and 2.5% Other. Low-income students make up 57.5% of Kenwood's student body. Kenwood has a 93% graduation rate.
Curriculum
Academic Center
The Academic Center Program started as a way to introduce a select few 7th and 8th grade students to the high school environment before actually entering high school. Students in this program are referred to as "preppies," as they are preparing for high school by taking high school courses before they graduate from the 8th grade. Students are offered the choice of staying at Kenwood Academy or attending any other high school with their credits and GPA. Students that choose to stay at Kenwood are granted the right, in their senior year, to take tuition-free courses at the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
. The academic center is now housed in the former Canter Middle School (formerly Louis Wirth Elementary School) building, which closed after the 2013–14 school year.
University of Chicago
Kenwood Academy students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses can access student resources on the University of Chicago's Hyde Park campus. University of Chicago students and professors have traditionally worked closely with Kenwood students in classes and on special projects. A recent example of a Kenwood Academy/University of Chicago relationship is evidenced in the Program of Academic Excellence for High School Juniors at Kenwood Academy (The Kenwood Project). This program pairs Kenwood Academy Juniors with professors at the University of Chicago, as mentors.
Activities
Music department
The Kenwood Academy Concert Choir has performed locally and nationally at churches, colleges and universities, and vocal competitions nationwide. Oscar winner Denzel Washington and Grammy award winners The Winans
The Winans are an American gospel quartet from Detroit, Michigan consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans.
Members
''Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.''
About: Origins & Mu ...
have shared billings (at their own requests) with the Kenwood Academy Concert Choir. The Kenwood Concert Choir has performed for President Barack Obama. The Kenwood Academy Bands include the Jazz Emsemble (known as "Jazz At The Wood"), Jazz Combo, Concert Band, and the newly revived Marching Band (known as the "Marching Broncos"). Jazz At The Wood was the first CPS high school band to be invited to perform at the Annual Jazz Festival (located in Grant Park) in 2007. They have also performed for the Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Golden Apple Awards, Ravinia, Hewitt and Associates and Room 43.
Athletics
Kenwood competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fe ...
(IHSA). Kenwood varsity athletic teams are named the "Broncos." The school's football field is not of regulation size, and thus no home games are played there. There are no stands or seats for spectators. The boys' swimming and diving team were Public League champions 14 times (1985–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000). Kenwood boys' track and field were Public league champions and Class AA 3 times; (1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86). Kenwood girls' swimming and diving were public league champions 8 times (1981–82, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1998–99). Kenwood boys’ football team won the Public league championship (2021–2022), the first time in the schools' history.
Other information
On February 19, 1970, 22 students were arrested at the school when a crowd of 200 students staged a sit–in outside of the principal's office. The sit–in was in response to minorities of the student body to get implementation of manifesto. The students also wanted a social room in the school to be named in memory of the late Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton
Fredrick Allen Hampton Sr. (August 30, 1948 – December 4, 1969) was an American activist. He came to prominence in Chicago as deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party and chair of the Illinois chapter. As a progressive African Ame ...
. On February 15, 1972, 21–year old Cornell Fitzpatrick was shot to death in the school by a white Chicago police officer Benard Martin who was working as security at the school. According to the officer, the confrontation began when Fitzpatrick and a friend refused to leave the school after being asked repeatedly by the officer; which resulted in a physical altercation and Fitzpatrick's death. Eyewitness stories contradicted the officer's account of what occurred. In October 1989, Two teenage male students were charged with attempted arson and reckless conduct when they intentionally started a fire at the school. On October 2, 2003, the body of a newborn baby girl was found in a trash bin at the school by Chicago police officers. The baby was discarded by a 14–year old female student who had given birth in a bathroom at the school the previous day.
Notable alumni
* Walter S. Arnold (class of 1971) – Sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
, stone carver.
* Da Brat
Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album '' Fun ...
(Shawntae Harris) (attended) – Rapper, recording artist.
* Quincy Black
Quincy Booker Black (born February 28, 1984), is a former American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He attended the University of New Mexico.
High school career
Black attended Kenwood Academy High ...
(class of 2002) – NFL linebacker (''Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
'')
* Prashant Bhargava
Prashant Bhargava (January 12, 1973 – May 15, 2015) was an Indian-American filmmaker and designer.
He died of a heart attack from a history of heart trouble. Bhargava's short film ''Sangam'', described by Greg Tate of the Village Voice as ...
(class of 1990) – Film director
* Kim English (attended) – Dancer, musician.
* Kerrie L. Holley (class of 1972) – IBM Fellow in IBM Research; IBM Black Engineer of the Year Award Recipient 2003.
*Eva Lewis
Eva Maria Lewis is an American activist. From South Side, Chicago, she has led a number of local protests, including the July 11, 2016 youth march on Millennium Park to protest police brutality. She has also founded two organizations, ''The I Proj ...
(attended) - Activist, advocate, poet.
* Karen Lewis
Karen Lewis ( Jennings; July 20, 1953 – February 7, 2021) was an American educator and labor leader who served as president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), Chicago's division of the American Federation of Teachers, from 2010 to 2014. F ...
(class of 1971) – Educator, president of the Chicago Teachers Union
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is a labor union that represents teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians in the Chicago public school system. The union has consistently fought for improved pay, benefits, and job security for its members, an ...
.
* LisaRaye
LisaRaye McCoy (born September 23, 1967), known as LisaRaye, is an American actress, fashion designer, model, businesswoman and former first lady of the Turks and Caicos Islands. McCoy is best known for portraying Diana "Diamond" Armstrong in t ...
(attended) – Actress, model and businesswoman.
* R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.
During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
(attended) – R&B singer-songwriter.
* Chaka Khan (Yvette Stevens) (attended) – R&B/Soul singer, recording artist.
* Nazr Mohammed
Nazr Tahiru Mohammed ( ; born September 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who had a journeyman career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for eight different teams over 18 seasons. He is the current ...
(class of 1995) – NBA player, center (''Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
'').
* Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning ...
(class of 1970) – Singer, television, film and Broadway actor.
* Andrew Patner (class of 1977) – Biographer, cultural critic.
* Derrius Quarles
Derrius Quarles is a social entrepreneur, human rights activist, recording artist, product designer, and author. Born on the South Side of Chicago in 1990, he is the Co-Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of BREAUX Capital, an award-winnin ...
(class of 2009) – Entrepreneur, designer, author.
* Jesse Saunders
Jesse Saunders (born March 10, 1962) is an American house music artist, DJ, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur. His 1984 single, "On & On", co-written with Vince Lawrence, was the first record with a house DJ as the artist that ...
(class of 1980) – DJ, record producer, film producer, entrepreneur.
* Jacqueline Stewart
Jacqueline Najuma Stewart is a University of Chicago professor of cinema studies and director of the nonprofit arts organization, Black Cinema House. She has written about the history of African Americans in filmmaking in ''Migrating to the Movies: ...
(class of 1987) — Film studies scholar, television presenter.
* Juliana Stratton
Juliana Stratton (née Wiggins; born September 8, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician, serving as the 48th lieutenant governor of Illinois since 2019. She previously served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representative ...
(class of 1983) – Lawyer, politician, Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
* Latasha Thomas (attended) – Alderman, 17th ward (''Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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'').
* Erica Watson
Erica Faye Watson (February 26, 1973 – February 27, 2021) was an American actress, comedian and writer. She is best known for her roles in ''Precious (film), Precious'' and ''Chi-Raq''.
Early life and education
Watson was born on February 26, 1 ...
– Actress, comedian and writer
* Jay Yuenger
Jay Noel Yuenger (born December 26, 1966), also known by the stage name "J.", is a rock guitarist best known for his work with Grammy-nominated heavy metal band White Zombie.
Music career
As a teenager, Yuenger's interests quickly progressed ...
(attended) – Guitarist ('' White Zombie'').
Notable staff
*Lena McLin
Lena Mae McLin (née Johnson; September 5, 1928) is an American former music teacher, composer, author, and pastor. She is also known for her career as music teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system, most notably at Kenwood Academy.
Early li ...
– Music teacher, composer, author, and minister. McLin served as a music teacher and head of the music department at the school from 1970 to 1993.
References
External links
Kenwood Academy Website
Kenwood's page on Chicago Public School's website
{{authority control
Public high schools in Chicago
Educational institutions established in 1969
Magnet schools in Illinois
1969 establishments in Illinois