Getting their hands dirty, the students and staff worked very hard on that cold day, leaving signs in each of the planters to communicate to the community our schools’ and our students’ commitment to taking responsibility for the wellbeing of our community.

Business owners and community residents saw the students with their respective school regalia and made comments like: “That is awesome work”, “Estoy alegre para ver los estudiantes trabajando en la comunidad”, and “Thank you so much for your hard work”.

The students of our school were proud to have participated in this community building activity and look forward to future collaborations with Roberto Clemente.

Albizu Campos Supports Paseo Boricua Business District
By: Matthew Rodríguez, Principal

What is a school for? Of course, many would reply describing the improvement of test scores, safe zones and skills building, which are all true. Others would add, casting arguments supporting a school’s role in building strong democracy, in helping students think critically and challenging students to act socially to make the world a better place, all still true. Can a school also play a role in stabilizing a community? I would emphatically argue, yes!

A community is comprised of people, families, homes, streets, institutions, organizations, businesses and more. How those components look, behave, interact and see the world, are distinctly different depending on a community’s location physically, ethnically and socioeconomically. What can a school do to help build and stabilize a community outside of helping grow the next generation of people that understand their role in society? A school can truly recognize the community that it is in and find ways to support the community in one or more of its component parts.

Historically, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School (PACHS) has had an initiative to support the Paseo Boricua Business District. This initiative has several components including: curricular connections of urban agriculture to eradicate the reality of a food desert, where students are growing produce to sell in the local “Cosecha” market; ongoing beautification of the neighborhood with community clean-ups and planting of aesthetically beautiful plants that are indigenous to the area; after school programming that helps students and families understand what is happening in the community; cultural promotion through participation in major events and activities that take place throughout the year; and identifying local businesses and restaurants to provide healthy snacks and a nutritious lunch for our students.

The last element mentioned, regarding the school lunch, is the latest addition to our work to support the Paseo Boricua Business District. After listening to our students and families, it became clear for us that the catering companies that have historically provided food for students were not helping our students stay healthy. Eating lunch at PACHS, a crucial part of building health and a stronger ‘sense of community’, has been transformed this school year. Whereas in the past, our lunch period was a dreaded part of our school day, because the lunch food was not desirable, now our lunch is one of the most anticipated parts of our school day.

After much hard work, completing the bidding process and all the paperwork for the Illinois State Board of Education, our school was able to successfully contract with a the local Puerto Rican restaurant called “La Bruquena”. Each day now, students’ lunch has been unique. The menu has included everything from “chicharón de pollo con arroz blanco y habichuelas”, “lechón con arroz con gandules y ensalada”, “albondigas con arroz blanco y vegetales”, to “sopa de vegetales con tostones y pan”, and more.

Students now line up for the food. They enjoy the food and look for seconds and thirds. There is hardly a crumb left after lunch, and students are able to finish the day with full stomachs, healthy bodies and strong minds. Our effort to engage our local businesses is with the same intent – that they will be able to stay strong to withstand the ongoing push for gentrification, and finish each day knowing that they are supported.

Albizu Campos Supports Paseo Boricua Business District

Thank you for your attention to the letter you will find after clicking on the above title and to the accompanying documents; all of which are to fully inform you of next steps to begin the school year on the right foot. Please keep in mind that our school year begins on Monday, August 29th – Breakfast will be served at 7:30am, classes begin sharply at 8:30am, students will need to come to our main building, 2739 W. Division to be informed of where to go.

Accompanying Documents
Letter to the Parents
2011-2012 Calendar
Fee Agreement Letter
School Supply List

5th Annual Community as Intellectual Space Conference

Speak Up & Take the Lead
A Student Initiated Conference for Civic Engagement
Thursday, June 16, 2011
9:00am-3:00pm

Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture,  3015 West Division Street
Chicago, Illinois 60622

9:00am – Breakfast

9:30am – Keynote Address – Juilo Cammorota, Ph.D., University of Arizona

10:00am – 11:30am – First Series of 6 concurrent workshops in the areas of Urban Agriculture, Arts and Cultural Production and Family Literacy
11:30am 12:30pm- Lunch

12:30pm – 2:00pm – Second Series of 6 concurrent workshops in the areas of Urban Agriculture, Arts and Cultural Production and Family Literacy
2:00-3:00pm – Closing Session

Please RSVP and complete the registration by Friday, June 10.

Please follow this link to register for the Speak Up & Take the Lead Conference ;

Register Here

This community clean-up is organized annually for seniors to take one small step toward positive change in the school’s community. Our hope is that students do not stop with just one clean-up, but find other community building events and activities that they can connect with in order to make more positive social changes. When our students are in college, we want them to think about all the skills that they acquire and how they can use them to make other, more impactful changes in the community that they come from.

Governor Recognizes our Director of Urban Agriculture as Environmental Hero

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn awarded Carlos R. DeJesús, the school’s assistant principal and
the director of urban agriculture with the State’s Environmental Hero award. The award
was in recognition of the work being accomplished by PACHS and the Puerto Rican Cultural
Center to eradicate the community’s designation as a food desert, and in the process
reduce the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other nutrition-based chronic
diseases in our community.

The school was lauded for its rooftop greenhouse and its vision of transforming vacant
rooftops into productive, sustainable greenhouses for the production of fresh, affordable
herb, fruits and vegetables. These greenhouses, powered by renewable energy (solar and
wind) will reduce the buildings’ dependence on electricity and the buildings’ contribution
to urban heat.

The award was presented at the State’s 3rd Annual Sustainable Schools Symposium that
took place April 1, 2011 at the Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences.