The Academy of St. Benedict the African, 6020 S. Laflin St., showed its appreciation for local first responders with its annual barbecue at the school on Aug. 11. Over the years, the school has formed a special relationship with Chicago Police Department’s 7th District and the Chicago Fire Department’s Engine 116. Police officers and firefighters regularly visit the school, which is located in the city’s Englewood neighborhood, to check on them. “District 7 and the Fire Department take such good care of us over here, so we wanted to thank them and we wanted to give back, so that’s how this started,” said Principal Jennifer Farrand. One officer in particular, Mike Cleary, regularly stops by the school to make sure the students get in and out of school safely. Cleary has stopped by the school for about 15 years and has formed a positive relationship with the students and staff. “The kids love him. They just know ‘Officer Cleary’s here. Everything is good,’” Farrand said. Officers also help with dismissal at the end of the day and interact with the students. During the past year, one of the younger students was shot while he was sleeping and police officers came to a liturgy and gave him an award for bravery, she said. “They are just present. They are present in the community. They are present with our kids,” Farrand said. “They really make sure that our kids see them as the helpers that they are.” Deacon LeRoy Gill also ministers at the school and was the volunteer pit master for the barbecue. “We’re so blessed that the District 7 police officers really care genuinely about the kids here,” Gill said. “They stop by, they come in and they talk to the kids. We appreciate it.”
Cardinal Cupich visits school that held mock conclave On the morning of June 2, Cardinal Cupich, dressed in a red cassock and wearing a red zucchetto, joined the student “cardinals” at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy to see a reenactment of their now-viral mock conclave and to answer their questions about the real conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
Local school’s mock conclave goes viral around the globe Two days before Pope Leo XIV, a native Chicagoan who is a member of the Augustinian religious community, was elected the 267th pope by the College of Cardinals, students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy elected their own native Chicagoan in a mock conclave, and the student elected took the name “Augustine” when he accepted his election.
St. Ann School receives $97,000 from Big Shoulders Fund St. Ann School Principal Kathleen Fox credits a school culture that emphasizes ongoing learning and making sure each students feels that they are known and valued for its growth in test scores and other academic measures.