LSC election flyer and some thoughts on education...

Monday and Tuesday are days for LSC Elections. Monday was LSC election for elementary schools and Tuesday are such days for the high schools. 

It was my intention to post the above flyer over the weekend unfortunately it seems I kept running into a snag with regards to posting it online whether through Blogger or the FB page. Anyway if you're living at least in the Roseland Heights or West Chesterfield area you may have found this in your screendoors or mailboxes. Sharon Banks-Pincham represents the community on the LSCs for both Gillespie Elementary and Harlan Community Academy.

Hopefully you were able to be informed of the LSC elections on Monday and were able to vote. Hopefully you're able to vote on Tuesday for LSC members at your local high schools.

Speaking of education, on Monday Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax ranted about the state of education in Illinois. Many of us are concerned about the state of education in Chicago especially for the K-12 set. So he starts out with comparing charter schools with the neighborhood public schools and states:

What's new in West Chesterfield...

It's good to know that our local schools get visits from local leaders!

The pic above shows Michael LaFaruge President of the West Chesterfield Community Association, Dr. Michelle Willis Principal of Gillespie Elementary, and Toni Preckwinkle Cook County Board President posing for a pic at Gillespie.

Seasons Greetings!

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle brought Holiday Greetings to Gillespie Elementary School at 9301 S State St., on Friday, December 14. During a surprise visit, at West Chesterfield's invite, the president congratulated the school on this year's academic improvement.

West Chesterfield brought Holiday Cheers to the Roseland Community Hospital with its delivery of bundles of Children's gifts to the Hospital on Thursday, December 13.

West Chesterfield's Alonzo Anderson and Michael LaFargue delivered one hundred (100) toys and gifts divided between Gillespie (Tech) Elementary School and the Roseland Community Hospital. West Chesterfield hosts Holiday Toy Drives annually.

Side Note:

Gillespie's relationship is budding with the West Chesterfield Community Association. In November Gillespie and WCCA agreed to collaborate on community garden development in 2013 with the assistance of West Chesterfield's Dr. Jobe Payne.

Michael LaFargue
WCCA President

The pic below is of LaFargue on the left and other West Chesterfield residents flanking Roseland Hospital Vice President of Legislative Affairs Sharon Thurman. Roseland Hospital is located at 45 W. 111th St.

 

Where Do We Go in 2011

In 2010 some major issues came to light in our community. We saw a rise in serious crime that took the life of Officer Thomas Wortham, an up and coming police officer and community leader. We saw the fall of education where one of our high schools Robeson was called one of the worst in the nation and three of our elementary schools, Deneen, Gillespie and Ruggles showed up on CPS probationary list. Lastly, 79th street one of the longest streets in the city of Chicago and once a mecca for African American business now is a street of empty storefronts.

While we have had our struggles this year, the new year 2011 brings a lot of promise. The election of a new mayor, a real aldermandic election, and a community that has wakened up. What do we need to do in 2011? The first topic we want to discuss is education. We cannot continue to make excuses for our schools. Whether they are elementary, secondary or post secondary we MUST demand excellence from our educational institutions. I suggest that after the election for Alderman, that the winner convene several town hall meetings where we have a serious discussions about the problems and how do we fix them. Also, look at the models that are currently being used whether its the traditional, charter, or a hybrid combining the best of both. What will work best for our community? What ideas do you have to better our schools?