Senn High School on the North Side of Chicago

Community Opposes Chicago Board of Education's Naval Academy at Edgewater High School

by Kate Knowles

Since Fall 2004, the Edgewater community has buzzed with talk of an addition at a Senn High School on the North Side of Chicago.

The most diverse high school in Chicago, Senn educates students from over 70 different nations. To accommodate this number, Senn boasts programs such as TESOL, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, which makes it possible for more students to receive an education here.

Also, students must participate in “service learning” and complete volunteer hours to be eligible for graduation. They participate in volunteer activities that range from working in a soup kitchen to performing in community theater. Over the past 5 years Senn students have logged over 70,000 hours.

Because Chicago has the highest number of ROTC cadets in the nation, the ROTC, Reserve Officers' Training Corps, is active at Senn as well to provide leadership training and scholarship opportunities.

On Dec. 15, however, the Chicago Board of Education voted to add another military program to the already bustling high school. The Board called for Senn to house a Naval Academy, which will grow to accommodate 600 students over the next four years.

Public School authorities chose Senn because it has the necessary space and is in a prime location, since no military academies are located yet on the North Side.

The Naval Academy will take up the 2nd and 3rd floors of the high school’s south wing, which includes 15 classrooms, eight administrative spaces, three labs and a gym.

Although the addition of another program to Senn’s already impressive repertoire seems small, the Senn community has overwhelmingly spoken out against this change since it was first proposed.

Protests included public forums and marches as well as a rally called “Hands around Senn.” Students, teachers and neighbors gathered at Senn on Oct. 28, to link hands, surrounding the school in order to show solidarity in the protection of their school.

The Senn community fears that, over the next few years, the addition will serve to push out the other remarkable programs at Senn greatly contribute to the diverse community of the school.

“I don’t see why Senn needs a Naval Academy,” commented Sarah Giacomo, 18, a student at Senn. “The programs we already have are great. The navy isn’t going to teach ‘African-American History,’ they are going to teach things like ‘Military History.’ That’s a class I wouldn’t take,” Giacomo said.

In spite of the community’s protest, the addition of the military academy at Senn is underway and scheduled to open Fall 2005 with around 150 students enrolled.