She dabbed away tears, and her voice choked up, but Linda Johnson Rice, chairman of Johnson Publishing Company, was able to tell the students at the brand new Johnson College Prep that they could “succeed against the odds.”
She dabbed away tears, and her voice choked up, but Linda Johnson Rice, chairman of Johnson Publishing Company, was able to tell the students at the brand new Johnson College Prep that they could “succeed against the odds.” Johnson Rice was the keynote speaker Friday at the grand opening celebration of the John & Eunice Johnson College Prep high school in Englewood, named after her father and mother. She told the young people at the Noble Street Charter School that her father was an example of a young person who had very little resources, but didn’t let it stop him. “He repeated 8th grade (in Arkansas City, Arkansas) because there was no high school, until he could come to Chicago with his mother, so he could take advantage of the educational opportunities,” said Johnson Rice. Johnson Rice promised the students that Johnson Publishing Company, publishers of Jet and Ebony magazines and producers of Fashion Fair Cosmetics, would always be a strong supporter and partner with the school. Mayor Richard M. Daley, who got an enthusiastic welcome from the students, exhorted the students to aim high and not let anyone tell them they cannot succeed. He noted that during his mayoral tenure he has championed charter schools. School principal Garland Thomas (referred to as the best principal in the world by Johnson Rice), said she was proud of the students and the staff. Student speakers Stanley Whitaker and Adreanna Grillier recounted how they chose Johnson College Prep over other schools. Whitaker said he had actually chosen to attend another school before he changed his mind upon getting information about Johnson College Prep. Johnson College Prep, housed in the Walter Reed Elementary School, is the tenth charter school under the banner of Noble Network of Charter Schools. More than 180 freshmen began classes on Aug. 23, looking forward to becoming Johnson College Prep’s first graduating class in 2014. In addition to support from Johnson Publishing Company, the school receives support from Peter Bynoe and Jim Reynolds of Loop Capital, Lester Coney of Mesirow Financial, Lyle Logan of Northern Trust and Dr. Ian Smith, author, medical expert and radio host. Other speakers at the grand opening celebration were Martin H. Nesbitt, president and CEO of PRG Parking Management LLC, Ald. Willie Cochran (20th), Michael Milkie, co-founder, Phyllis Locket, CEO of the Renaissance Schools Fund, Susan Sholl & Wendy Serrino of the Glencoe Family Partnership and Penny Pritzker and Brian Traubert of the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation. At the close of the ceremony, each of the speakers was presented with a letterman’s athletic jacket, and they all donned the jackets amid the roars of the students. Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender (Defender/Worsom Robinson)
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