CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL TURNS 100 Carl Schurz High School Honors the Past, Celebrates the Present and Embraces the Future
CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL TURNS 100
Carl Schurz High School Honors the Past, Celebrates the Present and Embraces the Future
Carl Schurz High School's alumni, faculty and students are preparing to celebrate the school's centennial this May. The two-day event will take place on the school grounds and at the nearby Abbey Pub.
"We are excited to announce the founding of the Carl Schurz High School Alumni Association and its Centennial Celebration ‘Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present and Embrace the Future’. All alumni and community members are invited to come and support the Purple and Gold in commemorating 100 years of Schurz pride in this grand old building,” said Timothy Anderson, a 1977 graduate who is helping plan the school's two-day centennial celebration.
Anderson, who also helped start Carl Schurz High School's very first Alumni Association this past September, expects over a thousand grads to gather for the weekend events May 1st and May 2nd, 2010, including a Sock Hop, School Tours, Dinner at the Abbey Pub, a Centennial Program in the school's auditorium and Reunions by Decade.
Saturday's events on May 1, 2010 will include a Sock Hop in the Schurz Gymnasium. Alumni can flash back in time with this school dance. They will be able to tour the building with student guides from Schurz to reflect on the school's history and architecture and memorabilia that will be on display. Saturday evening alumni have been invited to spend an unforgettable night at the Abbey Pub at 3420 West Grace Street in Chicago for dinner, dancing and live music.
Sunday's events on May 2, 2010 will commemorate the centennial with a special program in the auditorium. Alumni from across the decades will perform under the direction of former teacher, Jeff Berke. Schurz alum, Bob Dekas, the 9-time Emmy award winning producer of CBS Sports' March Madness tournament will be speaking, along with Chicago newspaperman, radio personality and noted author, Rick Kogan. New alumni will be inducted into the Schurz Alumni Hall of Fame. The day's events will conclude with Reunions organized by Decade held throughout the building.
Current Schurz High School Principal, Mary Ann Folino hopes the centennial festivities will draw more alumni back to Schurz as mentors for current and partners with the alumni who formed the association about three months ago. The Alumni Association is planning to establish a scholarship fund for current Schurz students. Proceeds from the centennial will also be utilized to restore the legendary M.P. Moller (1936) pipe organ in the auditorium, upgrade technology in the school, and produce an alumni newsletter.
The Alumni Association and school officials are also seeking a National Register of Historic Places nomination for Schurz High School. This past December, the Chicago Board of Education approved Schurz to move forward with the nomination process. The Alumni Association hired an architectural historian who will submit the application to the Illinois historic preservation review board. If successful, the nomination will continue to the National Register of Historic Places. Carl Schurz High School was designated a Chicago landmark in 1979. Principal Folino hopes to celebrate the nomination approval during the centennial festivities.
Tickets are available for purchase online at
http://schurz100years.org or by mail. Please request information by mail at Attn: Schurz High School Centennial, 3601 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60641 or by email at
schurz100years@gmail.com.
The Alumni Association is hoping that this historical event will renew a sense of pride with former students, foster a greater appreciation in current students, and inspire the local community for the next 100 years.
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