HR0305 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0305 LRB098 11956 MST 45352 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to recognize The Ancona School in Chicago on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, The Ancona School was started in the autumn of 1962 by 5 young Hyde Park neighborhood families; then called The Ancona Montessori School, it opened in a storefront on 53rd Street and Lake Park Blvd. with the Montessori-inspired concept that instead of having a passive role between children and learning, children at the new school would be empowered through choice and independence to pursue their own interests and intellectual challenges in a racially inclusive environment; and

WHEREAS, The Montessori concept, developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori, is practiced in an estimated 30,000 schools worldwide, serving children from birth to 18 years of age; it is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child's natural psychological development; and

WHEREAS, The Ancona School flourished after its founding in late 1962 and 2 years later, it moved to the former Faulkner School building at the corner of 48th Street and Dorchester Ave.; by the mid-70s, it had grown from a one-room Chicago preschool into a comprehensive preschool through 8th grade Montessori-inspired program; and

WHEREAS, To provide for the burgeoning elementary grades, The Ancona School built an addition in 1968; adjacent lands were purchased in the 1980s and a second addition was built in 1993 to accommodate the growing middle school; renovations to the Faulkner Building in 2001 brought the campus to its current configuration; and

WHEREAS, In 2006, Chicago Magazine named Ancona as one of the 25 best private elementary schools in the Chicago metropolitan area; and

WHEREAS, Today, the Ancona School has exceptional academic programs, unique museum partnerships, innovative teaching initiatives, and national recognition as an effective non-profit from the Brookings Institute; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize The Ancona School's 50th anniversary and wish the administrators, faculty, and staff many more years of success; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to The Ancona School as an expression of our esteem and respect.