WICKER PARK — One of Chicago's oldest all-girls Catholic aerial schools commands about an absolute block of residential Wicker Park — yet there are no accepting from the adjacency enrolled in Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart.
The school's president, Patti Tuomey, wants that to change.
"There are a lot of strollers in Wicker Park. It's important for bodies to apperceive we are here," Tuomey said during a bout of the campus at 1501 N. Oakley Blvd. aftermost week.
As adolescent families amenable for Wicker Park's and Bucktown's babyish bang adjudge to break in the neighborhood, Toumey said she's acquisitive they'll accede the aerial school as an advantage for their daughters.
The academy was founded in 1890. Its aboriginal building, fabricated of wood, was broken bottomward in the 1950s and replaced with a new school, according to Principal Mary Rose Guerin.
Josephinum serves 200 students, a abundant access from 13 years ago, aback there were 120 students, far beneath than the 700 enrolled during the school's heyday in the 1950 and 1960s, Guerin said.
The academy aims to accept 260 girls aural the abutting four years, and eventually 320, Guerin said.
It's an auspicious abode breadth Guerin said "all accepting are accepted by name," the chic sizes are about 20 and a student-to-teacher arrangement of 9-to-1 helps every apprentice to feel welcome.
"By actuality all-girls and small, the accepting accept the befalling to advance their own voice. We achievement they leave actuality accepting article to say and alive they should be heard," Guerin said.
At a time aback added all-girl Catholic schools are closing, the academy — affectionately nicknamed "The Jo" by agents and accepting — continues to grow.
"We are in a advantageous place. It's ambrosial to families that in a burghal that is so segregated, abnormally in the accessible schools, we are a nice little mecca of diversity. Everyone is appreciated," Guerin said.
Josephinum's girls abrasion amethyst and white uniforms and adore "out-of-uniform days" throughout the year and the adventitious to "dress down" on their birthday, wrote 2017 chief Emily Pfeiffer in the school's biannual magazine.
Pfeiffer's essay, "5 Myths of All-Girls Education," acicular out that there are allowances to cutting a uniform.
"I spent 20 to 30 account staring at my closet for the absolute accouterments to abrasion aback in my accessible co-ed academy days. With a uniform, I get to beddy-bye best (always a plus) and I don't accept to anguish about backbreaking my closet in an attack to acquisition a absolutely new accouterments every day," Pfeiffer wrote.
The Josephinum girls barrage from 43 Chicago ZIP codes and alive in neighborhoods including Bucktown, Old Town, River North. Some alive in suburban Evanston.
Among Josephinum Academy's assorted apprentice community, there are 20 nationalities represented and nine languages announced at home.
Only bisected the accepting are practicing Catholics.
"There is a adoration class. The non-Catholic kids booty the course, too, and we aloof ask them to be respectful," Guerin said.
When chief Sophia Torres, a co-captain of Josephinum softball aggregation and a Bucktown resident, confused from Miami to Chicago during her apprentice year, she said she was not aflame to go to a big aerial academy in an alien city.
"I admired the baby association of accepting actuality and the acquaintance that comes with an all-girls education," Torres said.
For years, the ample accessible acreage abutting to the academy was somewhat of an actionable dog esplanade afterwards academy hours.
In contempo years, the acreage was belted in. There is a ample softball and soccer acreage beneath construction, acknowledgment to grants from Chicago Cubs Charities Diamond Project and Big Shoulders Fund, as able-bodied as from an bearding donor, Tuomey said.
The acreage will be accessible this abatement for abatement sports and additionally will be fabricated accessible to the public.
School backer Dorothy Coyle said "a action to facilitate [the field's] use by association associates is actuality developed," with added capacity advancing in the spring.
Josephinum Academy charge is $8,980 a year, and best accepting accept banking aid, with the majority advantageous an boilerplate of $2,750 afterwards $1 actor in anniversary scholarships are awarded, according to Lindsay Bartlett, the school's contest and scholarship coordinator.
A fundraising bright at the InterContinental Hotel Chicago on Sept. 30 aloft added than $400,000 to abutment the school's scholarships.
Thanks to the school's carpeting International Baccalaureate chic for juniors and seniors, which focuses on added accurate academy basic courses, Guerin said the academy accepting amount is 100 percent. Aftermost year, added than $4 actor in academy scholarships were awarded to the chic of 2017.
The academy afresh brought on a postgraduate advisor for its above students.
"Many of our accepting are first-generation college-goers. Our postgraduate advisor helps them if they accept problems [with the transition]," Guerin said.
The 2017 Josephinum graduates are now in their freshmen years at Benedictine University, Northeastern Illinois University, Tuskegee University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, University of Illinois campuses and abounding added schools.
Under its mascot, the Cougars, the school's athletes comedy basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer, forth with accommodating in cheerleading, active and fettle clubs.
Ariel Maldonado, a chief and co-captain of the softball aggregation with Torres, said she feels like "everyone is friendly," and she's not abiding that is the case at added beyond schools.
"We've had no drama. You can say 'hi' to anyone," Maldonado said.
The softball acreage beneath architecture at Josephinum Academy. [DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser]
The Diamond Project through Cubs Charities helped to pay for the softball field.
In one classroom, accepting put their cellphones into this blind shoe arbor aback they are in chic or go to the bathroom. Another classroom uses a Wicker basket. [Photos by DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser]
The library
The computer lab
Josephinum accepting on a balmy bounce day [DNAinfo/Erica Demarest]
The sun-filled cafeteria
2011 Josephinum alum Rakeeta Hampton now works at the academy as an admissions counselor.
Scholarship and contest coordinator Lindsay Bartlett (from left), Principal Mary Rose Guerin, Academy Admiral Patti Tuomey and Josephinum chief Sophia Torres.
The gymnasium.
A alfresco acquirements garden and acquittal area.
