Harlan Community Academy High School

Harlan Community Academy High School is a public 4–year high school and middle school. Harlan is located in the West Chesterfield neighborhood in Chatham^[4] on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school is a part of the Chicago Public Schools system. Opened in 1958, The school is named for Kentucky lawyer, politician and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Marshall Harlan. In addition to being an neighborhood high school, Harlan serves middle school grades seventh and eighth.

History

In June 1957, the Chicago Board of Education approved work to begin building the new Harlan High School with a budget of $3.2 million bordered at 97th street and Michigan avenue. The school building was constructed in 18-months by a local Chicago construction company (Joseph J. Duffy company), and to accommodate between 1,800 to 2,000 students.^[5] In December 1957, community members and parents protested the lack of a swimming pool being built in the school, which resulted in a months of negotiations. The parents cited that another new school (Bogan High School) that was being constructed at the time was to receive a pool, and that Harlan should have the same facility. The school board stated that the schools are not architecturally alike and it would cost more to construct a pool at Harlan rather than Bogan.^[6]

Months before its opening, Parents of Fenger High School filed a suit in circuit court requesting that the school board extend the school's attendance boundaries; affecting 300 Fenger students wanting to attend the new school. The suit was dismissed.^[7] The school opened for students in September 1958 at 9652 S. Michigan Avenue with a enrollment of 1,400. By April 1965, the school's enrollment was at 2,726 (88% above capacity); predominately African-American (93%). Due to this, the school had to run 12-period days, five separate lunch periods and six mobile classrooms. The school's program attracted students living outside of it's attendance area, cited as the cause of the overcrowding.^[8] In August 1985, the school was designated as a "community academy" and began accepting students outside its attendance area through the Option for Knowledge program.^[9]

Other Information

In March 1969, the school experienced a series of fires that was started in a mobile classroom. The day of the fires, Twenty-five students were protesting the firing of a black math teacher at the school.^[10] In November 1970, Two students were shot while standing in a second floor hallway at the school. The shooting was believed to be gang recruiting activity.^[11]

Athletics

Harlan competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Harlan's sport teams are known as the Falcons. The boys' basketball team won three Public League championships (1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71).^[12]

Notable alumni

• Emil Brown (class of 1993) – former MLB player (Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets).
• Cliff Meely (class of 1966) – former NBA player (Houston Rockets).
• Scipio Spinks (class of 1965) – former MLB player (Houston Astros, Saint Louis Cardinals).
• Mark Washington (class of 1966) – former NFL player (Dallas Cowboys)^[13]

Notable staff

• Lena McLin – teacher and composer; served as music teacher at the school from 1965 until 1969.

References

External links

• Facebook: Harlan Community Academy High School