Kenwood Academy is a public
high school in Chicago,
Illinois
, USA
.
Kenwood
Academy accepts high school students living in its attendance area:
From Lake
Michigan
to Cottage
Grove Avenue east to west, and 47th to the Midway Plaisance north
to south. In addition to being a local high school, Kenwood
Academy has a magnet program that accepts students entering into
7th grade who pass a rigorous admissions
test. The magnet program accepts students citywide using a random
lottery with a standing of 6 or higher in both reading and math. It
is operated by
Chicago Public
Schools.
Kenwood varsity athletic teams are named the "Broncos." The
school's football field is not regulation size, and no home games
are played there. There are no stands for spectators.
History
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) began the planning process to
build Kenwood Academy, then called
Kenwood High School, on
November 3, 1965. With Northern big cities undergoing the final
years of the
baby boom, the CPS felt the
need for a modernized new high school on Chicago's South Side. The
high school was sited on 51st Street and Lake Park, near the
Illinois Central Railroad,
and was built in 1967-1969. The address is 5015 S. Blackstone
Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615. The school's campus is shared with
Canter Middle School (formerly Louis Wirth Elementary School). The
school is bounded by East Hyde Park Boulevard on the south, South
Lake Park Avenue on the east, South Blackstone Avenue on the west,
and East 50th Street on the north. The school's football field,
however, extends the campus north to East 49th Street along South
Lake Park Avenue.
Kenwood Academy Music Department
The award winning and world re-known Kenwood Academy Concert Choir
is a seventy plus member choir. They have performed locally and
nationally at churches, colleges and universities, and vocal
competitions nationwide. Oscar winner
Denzel Washington and Grammy award winners
The Winans have shared billings (at their
own requests) with the Kenwood Academy Concert Choir. In addition,
The Kenwood Academy Concert Choir has performed for President
Barack Obama
Kenwood Academy's award winning "Jazz at the Wood" is an
extraordinary jazz program who has received the opportunities to
perform for and with many professionals such as: Herbie Hancock,
Nicole Mitchell, Mwata Boden, David Spencer and others. Students in
this band also play for internationally respected organizations
such as Merit School of Music and are on their way to becoming top
instrumentalists. Along with its outstanding jazz band, Kenwood
also has an award winning symphony band which has had the
opportunity to play at Ravinia and with professionals from the
"Chicago Sinfonietta".
Gerald D.Powell: Jazz and Symphony Band Director and Department
Chairman-Richard Nunley: Concert Choir Conductor -Norman Mason:
Music Theory Instructor
Kenwood's Musically Inclined Alumni include: "Da Brat" Chaka Khan
and Kim English.
Awards
Kenwood was recognized as a School of Distinction for its academic
achievement and a Model School by the International Center for
Leadership in Education in 2004.
Kenwood's Mens Swimming Team (KMST) took 10th place in the city for
2007-2008.
Math Team
In the 2006-2007 school year, juniors Prince Anchan and Kevin Wong
led Kenwood Academy in the top seat in the Algebra 2/Trigonometry
section in their division throughout the year. Sophomores Jasmine
Liang, Li Yu Mei,Katherine Mei and Kelly Mo led the Geometry team
in top scores in every competition in their division.
Academic Center Program
The Academic Center Program started as a way to introduce a select
few 7th and 8th grade students to the high school environment
before actually entering high school. Students in this program are
referred to as "preppies," as they are preparing for high school by
taking high school courses before they graduate from the 8th
grade.
Students are offered the choice of staying at Kenwood Academy or
attending any other high school with their credits and GPA.
Students
that choose to stay at Kenwood are granted the right, in their
senior year, to take tuition-free courses at the University of
Chicago
.
Kenwood Academy and the University of Chicago
Because of
their mutual history of academic excellence and their close
proximity to each other, Kenwood Academy and the University of
Chicago have enjoyed a great relationship over the
years. Kenwood Academy students enrolled in
Advanced Placement courses can access
student resources on the University of Chicago's Hyde Park campus.
University of Chicago students and professors have traditionally
worked closely with Kenwood students in classes and on special
projects.
A recent example of a Kenwood Academy/University of Chicago
relationship is evidenced in the Program of Academic Excellence for
High School Juniors at Kenwood Academy (The Kenwood Project). This
program pairs Kenwood Academy Juniors with professors at the
University of Chicago, as mentors.
The Kenwood Project's 2007 topic is Race and Health. This year's
final presentation will take place on May 25, 2007 on University of
Chicago's Hyde Park campus.
Notable alumni
- Da Brat , rapper; half-sister of
Lisa Raye
- Kim English, dance musician
- Lisa Raye attended and graduated,
actress; half-sister of Da Brat
- Chaka Khan (attended), singer
- Nazr Mohammed, '95, NBA center
- Mandy Patinkin, '70, singer and
television, film and Broadway actor
- R Kelly (attended), singer
External links
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