RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, On May 20, 2018, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy (OLMCA) will be celebrating its 130th Anniversary; and,
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this anniversary by Alderman Thomas Tunney of the 44th Ward; and,
WHEREAS, OLMCA was founded in 1888 under the tutelage of the Sisters of Mercy with about 180 students receiving instruction in the current Casey Hall building; and,
WHEREAS, OLMCA and has operated, in part, from the same school building on Belmont Avenue from 1888 to the present day; and,
WHEREAS, Casey Hall is believed to be the oldest Catholic elementary school building still in use in the Archdiocese of Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, In 1926 the well-known English-Gothic style addition and facade which stretch down Belmont Avenue were added; and,
WHEREAS, By the 1950's, OLMCA had an enrollment of nearly 700 students from the immediate neighborhood; and,
WHEREAS, OLMCA maintains the feel of a neighborhood school while welcoming students from over 20 zip codes; and,
WHEREAS, OLMCA is proud to have a student population which reflects the cultural, religious, and economic diversity of the Lake View community and City of Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, Enrollment in preschool through eighth grade has consistently grown for the past 10 years at OLMCA and is near capacity; and,
WHEREAS, In 2013, OLMCA was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education; and,
WHEREAS, For decades, middle school students have participated in annual service days. The majority of their work has been done with neighborhood and city-wide organizations including: Lakeview Pantry, Cornerstone Community Outreach, Misericordia, The Brookdale, Little Sisters of the Poor, Working Bikes, Ted Stone Forest Preserve, and Sunrise of Lincoln Park; and,
WHEREAS, OLMCA hosts annual community events including a Halloween Trick-or-Treating event, Christmas Lights Festival, Easter Egg Hunt, and Wildcat Den, a playgroup for infants and toddlers. Students also love to participate each year in the Lakeview East Festival of the Arts; and,
WHEREAS, OLMCA staff work tirelessly to provide top-tier academics in a nurturing environment for the students; and,
WHEREAS, OLMCA is an integral part of the fabric of the Lake View community; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this 18th of May, 2018, do hereby honor the history and achievements of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy on the occasion of its 130th anniversary; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy.
