Five Chicago High Schools Start Year-Round Classes On Monday

By Anna Deem in News on Aug 7, 2010 6:30PM

On Monday, five Chicago neighborhood high schools will make the switch to "year-round" classes for the first time. Morgan Park High School junior Bria Watson, 15, spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times about the decision. "We'll see if it's a good idea," said Bria. "I think we will spend less time reviewing and more time learning new things." Bria will start school a month earlier, giving her only a two-month summer vacation. To compensate, she will also get a two-week break in late September, an extra week off at Christmas, and an extra week for spring break. The other high schools taking part in the year-round experiment are Gage Park, Corliss, Robeson, and Tilden.

The high schools will join other year-round schools like the Lindblom Math & Science Academy, the first CPS high school to go year-round. Principal Alan Mather spoke positively about the year-round move to the Sun-Times. "At Lindblom, where all the courses are honors and Advanced Placement, it's pretty intense," Mather said. "We noticed that in the traditional schedule, people started running down at the end of the year and this allows them an opportunity to recharge."

On the other side, Gage Park High School teacher (and former president of the Chicago Teachers Union) Debbie Lynch feels that the move could be "a disaster," especially given predictions of 90-degree heat next week for schools with no air conditioning. Speaking about Gage Park to the Sun-Times, Lynch noted, "By the time you get to the third floor, it's an oven. You're going to have hot kids crammed into classes, in many cases without enough desks.''

Still, CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond feels that year-round classes provide students with "the safety and security of a school environment during the traditional hot days of summer," and fans, which will be provided for schools without air conditioning, she revealed to the Sun-Times.