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28 September 2007 Dear Ogden Community: Celebrating the sesquicentennial of Ogden Elementary School is a milestone in my educational career. I was named the 26th principal of Ogden School in August 1996. As principal, I felt like an artist facing a blank canvas ready to create a beautiful piece of art. Ogden Elementary School has a sense of history and has been an integral part of the near north side community for 150 years. Living and working in the Ogden community, I learned firsthand about our rich heritage, diversity, and successful programs. Upon being named principal, I associated (and coined the phrase) “a community school with a worldly spirit.” From this, I have been able to develop a vision for the school and establish expectations and objectives necessary to excel as a leader and academically advance the school’s instructional program to improve student achievement. With parent and community input, we developed and established expectations and objectives necessary to excel, thus embarking upon a renaissance in teaching, learning, and community outreach. Over the past twelve years, Ogden has refined and aligned the overall instructional program, updated the library and science laboratory, promoted quality professional development for all staff members, identified the school as a viable choice for neighborhood children, recruited community and parent volunteers to assist with school activities, and strengthened and established partnerships among the school, the surrounding community, and the world at large. The Ogden School community believes that students must be provided a sense of education, community, and character. We are a school of choice for many parents who firmly believe that public education is the most effective means to prepare students to be productive, responsible, and tolerant citizens in our society. As a school community we are faced with an increase in residential development. Both the increase in the housing market and the decision of parents to choose Ogden School has made our student population grow. As an active community, we are addressing the issue of overcrowding and the need for organizational change to best meet the needs of our student body. The current school site has been identified for a replacement school as part of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Modern Schools Across Chicago Project to better meet the educational needs of the students moving into the area and attracted to their local public elementary school. As we continue to assess our instructional program, it is imperative that students are well prepared to meet the stringent requirements for high school. Beginning in September 2004, a core group of Ogden teachers created and began an innovative humanities and liberal arts based program incorporating foreign language, the arts, and technology into the grade level curriculum for grades six through eight. Embedded in the program are opportunities through our international studies class and after-school classes for students to study at school, at off-site community locations, and/or in other locations within the state, country, and abroad, creating a challenging and integrated curriculum aligned with the Illinois State Goals for Learning. The CHOICE Program (Children’s Horizons Opening in Chicago Education) is a three year program that incorporates engaged learning opportunities that supplement and enhance the grade level curriculum. Ogden has become a beacon for learning, extending its walls throughout the greater community and enabling students to acquire the intelligence they need. This will ensure they can establish values, gain insight of self and others, internalize a sense of responsibility to their community, and understand the importance of behavior as it relates to the advancement of society. Ogden students must sense a burning desire and a firm commitment to produce the resilience to face their challenges and realize their dreams, nurturing the gifts of hope and promise. It is critical for the students to find the necessary passion to attain their desires, mindful that passion is the vital difference between mediocrity and success. Looking back at the years I have dedicated to Ogden, I remember with great appreciation and admiration the entire Ogden family. May you reminisce in the pleasures and happy memories Ogden has given to you. As we prepare to cross the threshold into a new era, we are able to recommit to the values we hold in high esteem. This guarantees us hope in the promise of a better tomorrow for the children of this esteemed community. I am committed to make public education the choice for children in the City of Chicago, specifically the near north side of Chicago. Envisioning a school that centers around quality and challenging educational programs, implementing strategies to increase student achievement, promoting professional development of the faculty and staff, and organizing the students, parents, and community to create an academically challenging school in Chicago is most desirable to me as principal of Ogden Elementary School. Ogden has provided me with the opportunity to create a most wonderful work of art, a work that is in constant motion and revision. As principal, it is my responsibility to keep this work ever changing and ever challenging to provide the necessary leadership to the student body and the community as a whole. I am proud and privileged to be a member of this community, and I feel honored to lead the school into the next generation. With great honor and admiration for the Ogden community, I remain… Faithfully committed, Kenneth M. Staral Principal
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