Austin Branch Library and Field School, a traditional private elementary school, are working together to expand learning opportunities for students.
The field school opened at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year in the former Francis Scott Key Elementary School building at 517 N. Parkside Ave. This is the culmination of a years-long effort by Austin resident Jeremy Mann to open a classical school in Austin. community. While he was still working on the renovation, he happened to meet Joanne Willis, library manager at the Austin branch, and the conversation turned into a collaboration. Since the school opened, children have been coming to the library for activities.
This year, the collaboration expanded even further in response to the temporary closure of the Legler Regional Library. Staff were sent to branch libraries in Austin and Douglas. The Austin branch hired Legler’s children’s librarian Jennifer Hargrave for most of the remainder of the school year. She has compiled her reading materials and activities that cover science topics such as astronomy, and said she is eager to develop similar collaborations with other schools in Austin.
Key Elementary School was one of 50 schools the Chicago Public Schools district closed in 2013, mostly on the South and West Sides. A year later, Mann was contacted by a “close family friend” who introduced him to what he called “a small group of educators, parents, and missionary leaders,” who offered “a diverse, classically Christian school.” We decided to discuss the possibility of opening “. ” on the West Side.
“We wanted our school to be intentionally racially and socio-economically diverse, with half of the seats reserved for low-income families,” Mann said. “We also wanted our school to be a classic school, where the text, not the teacher, drives the learning. This allows students to become lifelong curious learners. Masu.”
He added that Christianity was also an important part of the school’s vision, but Field is not tied to a particular denomination and being a Christian is not a requirement for admission.
Mann said he always wanted to open a school in Austin because he and several school board members lived in the area. However, original plans to move to Mars Hill Baptist Church fell through due to building code issues, and for a time Oak He operated a school in Park. They bought the Key School building in 2018 after CPS put it up for sale, but renovations took another four years.
As of this school year, the school has 258 students ranging from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, Mann said.
“More field school students come from Austin than any other area, but we also have many families from further afield, including Garfield Park, Oak Park, and Lawndale,” he said. Ta.
Willis and Mann met by chance about two or three years ago when the Key Building was still undergoing renovations.
“I ran into this guy at the swimming pool, and it turned out to be Jeremy Mann, the executive director of the field school,” she said.
As they talked, Willis realized that Mann and his family were regulars at her library. When she heard about his field school plans, she offered to help spread the word.
“Joanne was very happy to hear that more children might be coming back to the area and visiting the library,” Ms Mann said.
From there, they worked together to spread the word about their plans and programs. From there, the leap to collaborating on programs was easy.
“Basically, we want kids to love learning, and reading is a great way to learn,” Mann said. “Students and their families often visit the library after school and on weekends. Our teachers utilize the library system to source books for instruction.”
This school year, the children will visit the library about once a month. The school is only a block away, so kids can walk to the library. Willis appreciates the many parents who volunteer to watch over the students, but she said the kids don’t need a lot of supervision.
Floods in early July caused enough damage to the Legler Regional Library’s basement that it must be closed until at least April 2024 for repairs. Mr. Hargrave said in an interview in late September that it was unfortunate that his home library was not functioning, but it was a shame. I was grateful to be able to work with students in the field for most of the school year.
She said this fall will focus on science, tying worksheets and activities to children’s science books from the library’s collection.
“We recognize that not all children learn in the same way, and as a library we want to support that,” Hargrave said.
In addition to supporting children’s learning, which is an important part of the library’s mission, she said she hopes the program will encourage children to use the library in the future.
“In the future, we may be able to use that resource to access education.” [opportunities] And find a job,” Hargrave said.
She also said she hopes her collaboration with Field never stops.
“We want to reach every charter school, every public school, every Catholic school.” [in Austin] And we serve them, too,” Hargrave said.