Schools of St. Benedict To Merge

As a response to the increasing demand for a rigorous Catholic college prep secondary school on the city's north side, St. Benedict Parish in North Center is moving forward with a bold merger of its parish schools to meet the need expressed by discerning parents. Currently, St. Benedict is the only Preschool through Grade 12 Catholic co-ed school in the Archdiocese of Chicago and they are seizing on the opportunity to utilize their unique resources to create a new educational model for Catholic education in the city.  With the highest enrollment in nine years at the elementary school level, the formerly named Schools of St. Benedict announced their Project Vision of Excellence, a coordination of unique school resources to build a rigorous secondary academic program that aligns with an already successful elementary school program.

The new school to be called St. Benedict Preparatory Schools (SBPS) is scheduled to open for the 2010-2011 school year and will be headed by the current elementary school principal, Ms. Rachel Gemo.  School leaders will continue to run its growing Early Childhood, Primary and Intermediate school programs, while beginning this month to align its secondary program (grades 6-12), increasing academic rigor by expanding the advanced college preparatory core and elective course offerings that prepare students for post-secondary success.