By Maya Schenwar
Special to Inside
When the first bell rang at Chicago's schools last Thursday, students and faculty were not the only ones filing dutifully into the building. Alongside them, a group of "Principals for a Day" walked the halls, checking out classrooms, speaking at assemblies and sitting in on staff meetings. Some of these visitors bore very familiar names: Jane Peterson Hook and four of her relatives dropped in on Peterson School, 5510 N. Christiana Ave.; Robert Newberry McCreary spent the day at Newberry Math and Science Academy, 700 W. Willow St.; and Mayer School at 2250 N. Clifton Ave. welcomed Oscar Mayer's great-grandson, Richard A. Mayer.
These guests of honor arrived as part of the Chicago Public School's Family Tree Project, developed just two years ago by Partnerships Director Cynthia Greenleaf. The project aims to reach out to relatives and descendants of the people for whom the city's schools are named, bringing them to the schools to share their family history and to learn more about the public education system. This year, 72 relatives served as Chicago Principals for a Day.
"Connecting families to their namesake schools is a way to broaden the idea that the public schools are our schools, that all of us in Chicago are linked to them," Greenleaf said. "Also, we want to encourage curiosity in our students. The Family Tree Project gives students a context for their school in history."
Jane Peterson Hook, the great-granddaughter of Mary Gage Peterson, the environmental advocate for whom Peterson Elementary School is named, flew in from Dallas, TX, to return to her ancestors' hometown. The land on which Peterson School stands—as well as much of the length of Peterson Ave.—used to be owned by the Peterson family. Hook planned an assembly to share her family's history with Peterson's students, hoping to bring a little life to "that old portrait of the lady in the hall."
"I tried to develop a story line that would entrance them," Hook said. "They've really got a vital lady their school is named after. I want the students to know that Mary began like they are beginning, with their ideals and their hopes, wanting to learn."
Mary Gage Peterson journeyed from Boston to the new city of Chicago in the 19th century, following her husband, for whom Peterson Ave. is named. She became a leading activist for the preservation of green space in Chicago, working with Teddy Roosevelt on various environmental initiatives.
Joseph Kallas, the real principal of Peterson Elementary, explained that for his students, learning about Mary Gage Peterson provided a chance to better understand their neighborhood history.
"Today we're a very diverse neighborhood—some 40 languages in the neighborhood—but when the Petersons were here, it was very Swedish," Kallas said. "The whole place has changed. I want them to see the connections—how things evolve."
The Petersons were not the only Family Tree principals representing legendary Chicagoans. Take Robert Newberry McCreary, whose great-great-grand-uncle, Walter Loomis Newberry, founded the Chicago Historical Society and funded the creation of the Newberry Library. Hoping to bridge the century-and-a-half gap between Newberry and themselves, McCreary showed students the diary of Walter Newberry's daughter, Julia Newberry, who was 17 years old at the time of the Chicago Fire.
"I don't know what to write or what to think," Julia wrote on Oct. 13, 1871. "The whole north side is in ashes, literally in ashes! And every memory connected with my home is gone, irrevocably and irreparably gone."
Jane Peterson Hook brought documents to Peterson School to illuminate the connections between "then" and "now": family journals, pictures of Peterson as a young woman, and the "Nature Lover's Creed," Peterson's passionate call for forest preservation.
Yet the goal of the Family Tree Project was not simply to introduce students to the history of their school's namesakes, Greenleaf said. She hopes that each Principal for a Day will stick around beyond Oct. 27, at least in spirit.
"The challenge for us is how to help the schools connect with these people individually," she said.
Establishing partnerships between namesake relatives and schools could mean regular donations, mentoring relationships or special collaborative projects. Greenleaf suggests that schools might set up "school history clubs" or establish a day each year to memorialize the school namesake, promoting the continued involvement of Family Tree participants. This year, Greenleaf printed up bookplates for each relative visiting the schools, encouraging them to donate money for school books.
Hook devised a unique way of maintaining a connection with Peterson School students: she brought along her twin elementary-age grandchildren. The kids sat in on fourth grade classes and hope to begin pen-pal friendships with some of the students they met.
Some Family Tree participants had already established solid bonds with their namesake schools. Last Thursday marked Richard M. Mayer's eighth year visiting the Oscar F. Mayer School. Mayer regularly supports the school through his family's Mayer Foundation, funding field trips, supplies and curriculum projects. He attends Local School Council meetings and keeps in contact with Mayer School's principal.
"I'm in touch with the school, so Principal for a Day is kind of a general update for me," Mayer said. "I love seeing the kids grow up. I also get to see the school in action—it makes me more aware of what we have to do to improve conditions."
During his visits, Mayer has shared the history of his great-grandfather's colossal meat-packing business, which began as a small storefront shop on the South Side. This year, he also gave the eighth-graders a pep talk about their future in a world of globalization.
Though the Family Tree Project is still in its early stages, Greenleaf has already located relatives for 150 schools. That leaves about 400 schools whose namesakes still need to be found, among whom are Nicholas Copernicus, Hans Christian Anderson, Leif Ericson and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, Greenleaf is determined to keep searching.
"I am optimistic that we can find relatives for all but about 50 namesakes," she said. "I mention the project when I am talking to people in Chicago and more than once have found a relative in the audience." |
