Barack Obama won’t be the only one hosting a historic celebration next month. A South Side Christian elementary school will also celebrate 125 years of educating students.
Barack Obama won’t be the only one hosting a historic celebration next month.
A South Side Christian elementary school will also celebrate 125 years of educating students.
Roseland Christian School has been a part of the Roseland community on the far South Side since its inception in 1884, when a group of Dutch Americans started the school so their kids could be taught along the Dutch belief.
Then, the school had one classroom and six students, and was located at 110th and State Street. Today, the school is located at 314 W. 108th St., and has an enrollment of 240. It moved to the current location in 1928 then merged with Parents’ Christian School in 1948, which was located at 104th Street and Wentworth Avenue.
Despite a dwindling student population and the challenges that face the Roseland community, such as crime and unemployment, school officials said they have accomplished a lot in the Black community.
“We have a commitment to the Roseland community and we intend to see it through. The founders of this school saw it fit to start in Roseland, so we see it fit to maintain a presence here,” Wendi Waddy, the principal of Roseland Christian School, told the Defender.
The annual tuition of $4,860 is considered high compared to other private elementary schools in Chicago. But Waddy said financial aid up to $2,500 is available to students who qualify. Each year 10 to 15 students receive financial aid from the school.
“Based on income, we do offer scholarships to parents to help pay for tuition because we recognize the cost can be overwhelming at times especially during this economy,” Waddy said. “The economy has a lot to do with our small enrollment.”
Other factors have adversely affected the school, as well.
Violent crime has plagued Roseland for years and has also had a negative affect on the school in its effort to recruit and maintain students. In 1956, the school reached an all-time high of 912 students, but by the 1990s, it averaged 400 until 2001 when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred.
“Some parents have expressed safety concerns over the years for their reason for taking their kids out because there has been a lot of violent incidents in the neighborhood. But through it all, we have still been able to offer a good Christian education,” Waddy, who is also an alumna of the school, said.
Roseland Christian School offers go from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade and has graduated thousands of students who went on to attend either private or magnet public high schools, she said.
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