University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| University of Chicago Laboratory Schools |
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| Established | 1896 |
| Type | Private |
| Students | 1,675 (2005-06) |
| Grades | Nursery(3)–12 |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois USA |
| Mascot | Maroons |
| Newspaper | U-High Midway |
| Website | www.ucls.uchicago.edu |
The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (also Lab School and abbreviated UCLS; the upper classes are nicknamed U-High) is a private, co-educational day school in Chicago, Illinois.
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[edit] Overview
The Lab School was founded on the principles of hands-on learning and exploration by American educator John Dewey in 1896 in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The school is a progressive institution that goes from nursery school through 12th grade. It is affiliated with the University of Chicago, and about half the students have a parent who is an employee of the university. It is now considered one of the top private schools in the Midwest, known for its rigorous curriculum. It has been heralded as one of the more diverse independent schools with about 35% students of color and over 44 nationalities represented, although many in the community feel the school could still improve in that area.
Today the school is divided into a Nursery School (Pre-K and Kindergarten), Lower School (1st through 4th grade), Middle School (5th through 8th grades), and High School (9th through 12th grades). Many children begin the school in nursery and continue through their high school graduation, and 75% of applications are for nursery school or 9th grade. The school has over 1,700 students currently enrolled, though there are plans to increase the size. Ninety-nine percent of each graduating class enrolls in a four-year college or university.
The high school math team and the science team are regular contenders for state titles, and the Model United Nations team is considered one of the best in the country. The school's newspaper (The Midway) and the school's yearbook (U-Highlights) regularly win regional and national awards, as does the arts magazine, Renaissance. Other popular activities include theater, ethnic clubs, and Student Council.
The school's athletic teams, the Maroons, compete in the Independent School League (ISL) and are members of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The high school has eight boys and eight girls teams, while the middle school has five boys and five girls teams. Both operate with a "no cut policy," meaning any student who wishes to participate may. The main rivals are the Francis W. Parker School and The Latin School of Chicago.
[edit] Notable persons
[edit] Alumni
- Ray Anderson, '69, jazz trombonist, composer and bandleader
- Rishi Bhat '02, actor (Indian in the Cupboard) and computer programmer
- Charles Blackstone, '95, novelist
- David Bloom, '67, founder of the Bloom School of Jazz
- Paul Butterfield, blues musician and bandleader
- Anthony Cordesman '56, foreign policy commentator
- Joyce Chiang '88, murdered INS attorney
- Daniel Clowes '79, author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books
- Arne Duncan, '82, Chicago Public Schools CEO
- Margo Jefferson, '64, Pulitzer Prize--winning New York Times critic
- Nancy Lee Johnson '51, Connecticut Congresswoman (1983- )
- Linda Johnson Rice, '75, president and CEO, Johnson Publishing
- Lucy Kaplansky, '78 folk singer and songwriter
- Robert Keohane, '58, political scientist
- Sherry Lansing '62, former chief of Paramount Studiosand Academy Award winner(2007)
- Edward H. Levi, '28, attorney general of the United States, 1975-1977
- George Lewis, '69, jazz and new music trombonist, composer and curator
- W. Ian Lipkin, M.D., '70, led team that discovered West Nile Virus caused 1999 outbreak of encephalitis in New York
- Richard A. Loeb '20, Famous murderer from Leopold and Loeb fame
- Emily Mann, '70, playwright
- Paul Nitze, '23, public servant
- Mark Patinkin, '70, newspaper columnist and author
- Mark L. Plotkin, '64, political commentator and analyst
- John Rogers, '73, Founder and CEO of Ariel Capital Management an investment company with over $16 billion of assets under its management
- Ned Rorem, '40, composer and author
- Janet Rowley '42, geneticist
- Adam Rudolph, '72, composer and percussionist
- Robert A. Sengstacke, photojournalist
- Paul Sagan, '77, president and CEO, Akamai Technologies
- Jordan Sandke, '62, jazz trumpeter and bandleader
- Randy Sandke, '66, jazz trumpeter and guitarist
- John Paul Stevens '37, US Supreme Court justice
- Robert Storr, '67, curator, critic, painter, dean of Yale School of Art
- Garrick Utley, '56, television journalist
- Geoffrey Ward, '57, screenwriter and author
- William Upski Wimsatt '90, author, activist, graffiti artist
- Amy Wright, '67, actress
- John Wiesefeld, '72
[edit] Faculty
- Blue Balliett, former 3rd grade teacher, author of acclaimed children's books Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3.
- Vivian Paley, former teacher and noted child psychologist.
