Nettelhorst School

Louis B. Nettelhorst Elementary School is a public K-8 school in Lake View, Chicago. It is a part of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) school district.

Nettelhorst School
Address
3252 North Broadway Ave.

Chicago
,
Illinois
60657

United States
Coordinates41°56′30″N 87°38′41″W
Information
School typePublic K-8
Opened1892
School districtChicago Public Schools
PrincipalYasmeen Muhammad
GradesK-8
GenderCoed
Campus typeUrban
Websitenettelhorst.org

Its namesake is Louis Nettelhorst, Sr., a German immigrant who once headed the Chicago Board of Education from 1888 to 1892.[1] An 1893 Chicago Tribune article described him as "one of the most popular German-American citizens of Chicago".[2]

History

It first opened in 1892. For many decades Nettelhorst had a good reputation. In the 1950s its reputation began to decline.[3] Around 2000 few Lake View parents enrolled their children in Nettelhorst and the school had low test scores.[4] Children from other Chicago elementary schools that had too many students had been sent to Nettelhorst instead.[3]

In 2001 parent Jacqueline Edelberg met with principal Susan Kurland.[4] Edelberg desired to enroll her children in a neighborhood elementary school instead of doing so at a private school, going into a magnet school application process, and/or moving to the suburbs. Kurland asked Edelberg what it would take for her to place her children in Nettelhorst. After Kurland accepted Edelberg's demands, Edelberg established a parental group,[5] "Roscoe Eight", for the purpose of improving Nettelhorst; it was named after a playlot on Roscoe Street.[3] The parental group advertised Nettelhorst, beautified the campus, and organized committees to address specific aspects of the school. Parents personally painted corridors of the school.[5]

By 2003 CPS chose Nettelhorst to become a "community school" in an effort to lure families back to CPS, and a community enrichment class program called Jane's Place, as part of a partnership with the Jane Addams Hull House Association, opened at Nettelhorst.[6]

By 2009 families moved to Nettelhorst's attendance zone for the express purpose of enrolling their children there, and the school's academic performance had improved significantly.[3] Edelberg and Kurland later wrote a book about her experiences, titled How to Walk to School. The authors argued that the manner of grassroot-style fundraising and activism for Nettelhorst may be used to improve other American schools.[7]

Student body

In 2011 the school had 632 students.[4] In 2010 31% of the students were classified as low income. In 2001 77% of the students were low income.[8] In 2003 it had 380 students.[6]

Academic performance

In 2010 86% of Nettelhorst students were at or above the Illinois academic standard level. In 2001 35% were at or above that level.[8]

Campus

The school includes a cafeteria that uses a French bistro theme along with a kitchen designed by Nate Berkus; the kitchen had a cost of $130,000.[8]

One classroom has a 1940 mural done by Ethel Spears and commissioned by the Works Progress Administration, Horses from Literature. The Chicago Board of Education had the mural restored in 1996.[9]

Feeder pattern

Students zoned to Nettelhorst are also zoned to Lake View High School.[10][11]

References
  1. "Nettelhorst is Candidate of Athletic Antecedents." Chicago Tribune. October 21, 1930. page 13. Page image. "The Nettelhorst school is named in his memory."
  2. "Nettelhorst is Dead." Chicago Tribune. Wednesday March 15, 1893. Retrieved on December 29, 2016. Page image
  3. Golus, Carrie (2009-08-10). "Revolution starts at the playground". University of Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  4. Wilson, Beth (2011-01-10). "Nettelhorst Elementary School's Remarkable Turnaround". Chicago. p. 1. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  5. Wilson, Beth (2011-01-10). "Nettelhorst Elementary School's Remarkable Turnaround". Chicago. p. 2. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  6. Jacobson, Linda (2003-12-03). "'Community Schools' Cooking Up Local Support in Chicago". Education Week. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  7. Cucchiara, Maia Bloomfield. Marketing Schools, Marketing Cities: Who Wins and Who Loses When Schools Become Urban Amenities. University of Chicago Press, April 23, 2013. ISBN 9780226016658. p. 11.
  8. Michie, Gregory. We Don't Need Another Hero: Struggle, Hope and Possibility in the Age of High-Stakes Schooling. Teachers College Press, April 25, 2015. ISBN 0807772011, 9780807772010. Google Books PT 109.
  9. Gray, Mary Lackritz. A Guide to Chicago's Murals. University of Chicago Press, April 1, 2001. ISBN 9780226305967. p. 270.
  10. "Elem North" (). Chicago Public Schools. 2013. Retrieved on September 30, 2016.
  11. "HS North/Near North." Chicago Public Schools. 2013. Retrieved on September 30, 2016.
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