Alderman Harry Osterman
48TH WARD RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Chicago's George B. Swift School has been a valuable educational asset in our community since the year 1914; and
WHEREAS, located in Chicago's Edgewater Community, George B. Swift Specialty School is a Pre-K through 8th grade elementary school with an integrated Fine and Performing Arts Magnet program; and
WHEREAS, Swift School was named after the 36th and 38th Mayor of the City of Chicago (1893/1895-1897) whose public service included five consecutive terms; and
WHEREAS, Swift School ended its first academic year in 1914 with 760 pupils, 18 teachers and principal in a building with 24 rooms, assembly hall, gymnasium, swimming pool and equipment for manual training and cooking; and
WHEREAS, by end of the 1960s, Swift attendance area begins to evolve into gateway neighborhood for refugees from troubled nations; Cubans are among first to arrive and by the end of the 1970s, the student body reflects influx of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian refugees fleeing war-torn Southeast Asia; and
WHEREAS, in 1993 the Chicago Board of Education designated Swift School as a Specialty School for Reading and Language Arts and in 1995, the school added fine arts to its curriculum; and
WHEREAS, in 1997 construction began on a 44,000 square feet addition to main building as well as renovation to the existing building. In 1999, Swift School accommodated over 400 students; and,
WHEREAS, Swift School saw an influx of Bosnian refugees fleeing strife in Balkan countries and the school continues to evolve as a learning center serving streams of refugees and immigrants, most recently from countries in Africa. Swift School and the Edgewater community welcomes these students with open arms; and
WHEREAS, for a century, Swift School has served the children and families of the 48th Ward with a quality, multifaceted education and in 2013, Swift's school rating climbed to Level I at the top of the CPS academic tier. In the same year, t...
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