De La Salle Institute
| De La Salle Institute | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | College preparatory school |
| Motto | Signum Fidei |
| Established | 1889 |
| President | Diane Brown (Interim President) |
| Principal | James Krygier (Institute Campus), Sr. Rosemarie Morowczynski (Interim Principal Lourdes Hall Campus) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 1159 |
| Color(s) | Royal Blue and Gold |
| Mascot | Meteor |
| Website | www.dls.org |
 | |
De La Salle Institute is a Catholic, Lasallian, secondary school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.
The school is a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.
History
De La Salle Institute was founded by Brother Adjutor of Mary in 1889. The school started as a two-year commercial school and has since grown to a four-year college preparatory school. Brother Adjutor of Mary founded De La Salle Institute in 1889. Named for the Founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools the school has grown from a two-year commercial school to a four year college preparatory school. Students from throughout Chicago and approximately 20 surrounding suburbs attend De La Salle. They come from all ethnic, racial, economic and religious groups: 49 percent Caucasian, 33 percent African-American, 16 percent Hispanic-American, 2 percent Pacific Asian-American, 24% non-Catholic.
On June 1, 1888, the State of Illinois issued a charter incorporating the school as a degree-granting institution. The cornerstone was laid May 19, 1889, at the corner of 35th and Wabash.
Brother Adjutor foresaw a school for poor and working class boys. He is quoted as saying: "I made up my mind to leave nothing undone in the direction of fitting the boys of the masses for the battle of life, morally as well as educationally." The classes in 1892 did not discriminate on religious grounds: two of the first nine students were Jewish. This philosophy of nondiscrimination has guided De La Salle throughout the 20th Century.
In 1985, De La Salle was given national recognition through its designation as an "Exemplary School" by the United States Department of Education. Only 65 private schools of the 6,000 in the country were honored with this award.
De La Salle Institute seeks the student who is interested in a quality education while furthering the development of such ideals as traditional and moral values. This relationship between the humanities and traditional education embraces the school's guiding principle.
De La Salle Institute is committed to the education of an integrated student population, a reflection of the composition of the Chicago community. De La Salle is aware of the importance of a college degree to the future of our students. Currently, nearly 85 percent of our graduates pursue college studies. An Honors Program geared to superior students offers accelerated courses.
In the fall of 2002, De La Salle added another chapter to its rich legacy of excellence in the field of secondary education by opening a campus for young women in collaboration with the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis at 1040 W. 32nd Place in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood.
By creating the Lourdes Hall facility in conjunction with the main campus that has existed since 1889, De La Salle enjoys the distinction of becoming the only high school in the United States to offer a high-quality education to both young men and young women in separate single-gender environments.
"Catholic schools provide a wonderful alternative for parents who seek the best for their children," De La Salle president Brother Michael Quirk, FSC, said. "We will continue to offer a quality education for young men, and we are very excited about the wonderful new possibilities of a De La Salle education for young women."
Athletics
De La Salle participates in the Chicago Catholic League. De La Salle Basketball team has won the catholic league chamionship back to back in 2007 and 2008.De La Salle Institute proudly announces that its football program recently completed a season that saw the Meteors win the Catholic League White Division on the freshman, sophomore and varsity levels. This marked the first time in De La Salle history that its football program won conference championships on all three levels.
The varsity finished the 2007 season with an overall mark of 9-3 and reached the Illinois High School Association’s Class 7A state quarterfinals. The sophomores were 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the Catholic League White as were the Meteor freshmen.
Serving as De La Salle’s varsity head coach is Dan O’Keefe. The sophomore head coach is Mark Farnan and the freshman head coach is Mike Vitek.
“This is a great accomplishment,” O’Keefe said. “Everyone in the De La Salle football program should take a great deal of pride in the fact that we won the Catholic League White championship on all three levels.
“It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to make this happen and I congratulate the players and coaches for all they achieved this season.”
An experience like no other, De La Salle offers a quality education in a co-institutional environment that transcends the classroom. Diverse perspectives, Christian values and our tradition provide students an education that lasts a lifetime. De La Salle Institute proudly announces that its head football coach, Dan O’Keefe, has been chosen the winner of the 2007 Tony Lawless Award in the Chicago Catholic League’s White Division. The Lawless Award is emblematic of the Coach of Year in the Chicago Catholic League.
This season, O’Keefe guided the Meteors to a 9-3 overall record and a berth in the Illinois High School Association’s Class 7A state quarterfinals after recording postseason victories over McHenry and Cary-Grove.
For the Meteors, the 2007 season marked their first postseason appearance since 1999 and their first outright conference championship since 1968.
In his two seasons as De La Salle’s head football coach, O’Keefe has a record of 13-10. Along with the Lawless Award, O'Keefe also garnered awards from ESPN Radio 1000, being chosen as one of the its Coaches of the Week, and from the Illinois Times newspaper, as he was named its 2007 Coach of the Year.
“I think Dan is extremely deserving of winning these awards,” De La Salle athletic director Tom White said. “I know the great amount of time and commitment that Dan, his coaching staff and his players put forth in preparing for this season.
“This is his reward for all the success our Meteors achieved. I’m truly proud of Dan, his coaching staff and the players.”
An experience like no other, De La Salle offers a quality education in a co-institutional environment that transcends the classroom. Diverse perspectives, Christian values and our tradition provide students an education that lasts a lifetime. De La Salle Institute proudly announces that three students from its Lourdes Hall Campus have been chosen to the 2007 All-Girls Catholic Athletic Conference White Division Volleyball Team.
Lauded for their excellence on the court were senior Briana Steffenhagen, junior Jillian Vilimas and sophomore Taylor Drechney.
During the season, Steffenhagen and Drechney were also named to the All-Tournament Team at the De La Salle Tournament. In addition, Steffenhagen also was chosen the tournament MVP.
De La Salle concluded the 2007 season with an overall record of 23-11. The Meteors won both the GCAC White and De La Salle Tournament championships.
“I’m extremely proud of these young ladies,” De La Salle head coach Anna Marassa said. “They all played at such a high level of excellence this season and proved that hard work, dedication and commitment are the keys to success.”
De La Salle congratulates Steffenhagen, Vilimas and Drechney on their achievements and wishes them every future success.
An experience like no other, De La Salle offers a quality education in a co-institutional environment that transcends the classroom. Diverse perspectives, Christian values and our tradition provide students an education that lasts a lifetime. De La Salle Institute proudly announces that senior running back Cordero Gaston was chosen the recipient of the 2007 Tony Lawless Award in football, emblematic of the Most Valuable Player in the Chicago Catholic League’s White Division.
Gaston finished this season with 253 carries for 1,831 yards and 23 touchdowns. He concluded with 2,033 all-purpose yards as De La Salle went 9-3 this season, won the Catholic League White Division championship and reached the Class 7A state quarterfinals.
“Cordero had a memorable season,” De La Salle head coach Dan O’Keefe said. “And he would be the first to tell you that the blocking of his offensive linemen, fullbacks, tight ends and wide receivers played an integral part in his success.
“Cordero’s a talented football player who put a lot of energy and effort into this season and winning this award is a product of that desire and commitment.”
De La Salle congratulates Gaston on his achievement and wishes him every future success.
An experience like no other, De La Salle offers a quality education in a co-institutional environment that transcends the classroom. Diverse perspectives, Christian values and our tradition provide students an education that lasts a lifetime.
Philosophy
provide alumni and friends with opportunities to further enhance their relationships with both the Institute and fellow alumni and friends;
provide De La Salle Institute with the revenue necessary to enhance the education it provides for its students;
promote a positive image of De La Salle Institute to both its internal and external communities.
Technology
Beginning in 2006, De La Salle began requiring incoming freshmen to lease or purchase an IBM X41 Tablet PC. The Tablet PCs allow students to take notes electronically and make use of the included textbook in e-books. Also, the Tablet PCs are equipped with a library of books to use for research, and many classic novels. Both De La Salle campuses are equipped with a WiFi network, allowing teachers and students to wirelessly access the Internet and print to network printers. De La Salle also has a computer repair center at each campus to deal with any computer problems or malfunctions. On August 28, 2006, De La Salle was featured on Fox News Chicago due to its use of tablet PCs.When using Tablet PCs in the classroom, students increase opportunities for in-depth learning and knowledge construction. Student engagement is an important link to learning and student achievement. When used, the Tablet PC positively impacts student understanding of the material. Since both the Institute Campus and Lourdes Hall Campus use a wireless network, students have access to the Internet. By incorporating the Tablet PCs into learning, students are able to: Write and organize class notes and information by converting their handwritten notes into text Explore the Internet for a particular area of study Receive critical feedback from teachers quickly Create and present multimedia presentations Research, write, and edit reports and papers Access e-books, works of literature, and historical documents stored on the hard drive Intuitively use a computer as a tool to produce intellectual work. The students are not allowed to go on sites such as Google or other things like that the only good websites are Yahoo and MSN and half the stuff on there is blocked. Sure the school is trying to keep the computers as a learning device but they need to cut the kids a little slack its not like every person in the school is going to go on the websites. I recommend that if you are looking for a High school don't come De La Salle because they don't tell you about dress code the teachers are crazy and really would rather tell a joke than teach and people are getting Detentions for stupid things like talking to people in the hallway or being 1 minute late to class. Signed A De La Salle student
Extracurricular activities
De La Salle Institute offers 15 sports for boys and girls, as well as many clubs such as Mock Trial, Chess Club, Weight Lifting, Boxing, Guitar Club, Science Club, Spanish Club, French Club, Web Design, and Drama. De La Salle offers many activities for students, everyone can participate in something.
Notable alumni
- Richard M. Daley, current Mayor of Chicago
- Richard J. Daley, former Mayor of Chicago
- Michael A. Bilandic, former Mayor of Chicago
- Martin H. Kennelly, former Mayor of Chicago
- Frank J. Corr, former Mayor of Chicago
- Bryant Gumbel, Sports Commentator
- Greg Gumbel, Sports Commentator
- Renaldo Wynn, NFL Defensive Lineman
- George Connor, former Chicago Bear
- Brian Bogusevic, Houston Astros AA Starting Pitcher
- Dan Ryan, President of Cook County Board from 1954-61
- George Dunne, Cook County Board president
- Moose Krause, Basketball Hall of Famer
- Lou Pote, former Anaheim Angels pitcher
Student Services
Each De La Salle student is assigned a counselor for their entire stay at De La Salle. This service allows students to talk about family issues, academic issues, behavioral issues, or just to talk. The counselors intervene at points when students are failing, or close to failing, in order to get them back on track.
There is also a counselor available to aid the students through the process of finding and apply to colleges and universities.