this school is not up to part first u have to wear uniforms but 6th grades have to share a gym with…read moreanother grade plus they are so strict for no reason and they don't even have real teachers for gym and music and my kids get the same school lunch everyday last year

dirksen middle school was very fun in 6th grade Ms patience, Ms Jones,Ms Jay, and Ms James were…read moreone of my favorite teachers . my favorite security guards were officer Owens, and officer ham. Im now in 7th grade and its going good so far but the only thing bad about this school is that we had maggets in 6th grade. 7th grade year is very hard south side is the smart side with all teachers that actually care about your education , north side was the slow side they don't listen to there teachers the yell all the time to the point where I can hear them from the other side of the school they disturb my work and it think north side deserves some more teaches other than Ms cherry. Ms cherry is the best 7th grade teacher in 7th grade she was an 8th grade teacher but the rumor going around is that she did not want to be with the new 8th graders because they do to much all the time. some people like to be bullies at Dirksen and the fights are okay but they really fight over anything when its really no point of fighting they just wanna be cool and I hate that for people. but I can't wait for 8th grade to see how the teachers are and I will come back in the 2 quarter too let you guys know how 7th grade is going ----- from a 7th grader on south side.

I was a student at Healy School in 1986 - 1987. My family had recently moved to the United States…read morefrom Brazil in the summer of 1986. I was a frightened and confused 5 year old and I spoke no English. My Healy school kindergarten teacher, Ms. Martinez, not only committed to giving me the foundation of an American standard kindergarten education, but also committed to helping me learn English in order for me not only to "get by", but to advance beyond expectations. I spoke Portuguese, she spoke Spanish, and together we bridged the two to lead me toward the English language. I was 5 years old, but I remember so much of my time in her classroom because she was so invested in my success. I have thought about her and her incredible impact on my life throughout the years. I wish I could thank her now, as a 38 year old college graduate, for all the care, patience, and investment she exhibited to a scared 5 year old fish-out-of-water little girl. I was very much taken under her wing. I am currently a registered nurse finishing a graduate program to become a Nurse Practitioner in May 2020. I have had many teachers over the last 33 years, but Ms. Martinez was my first and the most influential. This care and gentle guidance formed me into the successful woman I am today, and this public elementary school on the south side of Chicago should be proud of this teacher and all like her.

This school is good but it could be better. Much better. We aren't allowed to sit with other…read moreclasses at lunch or recess and the lunch isn't edible most of the time. Physical activity is highly prioritized here but couldn't care less about things like Cheerleading. Academics are okay but the way teachers speak to students is highly inappropriate and higher ups need to speak with volunteers and others on how they can speak to kids. Me and my friends were sitting quietly at recess when this monitor tells us to move down just so they can go and sit in that spot to talk about kids. When she moves us she made only 2 of us sit in a row when there was 3 and when I said we are all together she said just sit down. The teachers also need to discipline students better or less. Other kids pick on students in a jokingly manner that greatly affects them and when the teachers ignore it, it hurts

This review is from an actual Perspectives teacher. Leadership is highly educated but their program…read moreexecution and philosophy are very poor. They manipulate their stats and are selective of the data they publish. Violence is not addressed they way it ought to be or publicized for that matter. Teacher turnover is completely out of hand due to these conditions. Please ask these questions before registering your student here!

This school is trash.. the people there are trash, the school is broke and old.. The education is…read morelimited by the student cuz some kids won't let the teacher teach... we don't even have water fountain at tech... we start at 8 and finishes at 4 like wtf... The teacher are caring though, but one them isn't so much.. We had 3 field trip in total... without excluding those little limited they take certain students to go see boring movie...I was at tech for my freshman year, an advice don't waste your time and go there.

This is an amazing school in the heart of Chicago. The new building opened about a year and half…read moreago and it is really state of the art. The building may be new but this school has a lot of history in the city. There is a beautiful green space on the roof of the school. It is great to go up here and enjoy the urban jungle which is our city. There is also a fun play area for the students including nets overhead...we would not want a basketball going over the side and hitting someone in the head 3 stories below. Ouch!!! The staff here is great. They truly care about the students. The IB program here is also really great too. I wish I could go back to grade school and attend here. I also love the front office and the security guards too. Everyone here is so friendly and it makes the experience of school fun. I also must throw out some congrats to Kenneth Staral the school principal. He cares so much about education and the well being of all of the students. If it was not for him, I am sure that this school would not be this successful. He is a blessing for putting together such a great education plan for the students. In the warmer months, there is a guy that lives in the high rise, over the school on Oak, that will play his bag pipes on the top floor of his balcony. At first, I thought I was in some movie with hidden cameras but then realized this guy was up there practicing. So if you are ever walking around the school and you hear the music just look up and you will see this guy. I do get a tear in my eye when he starts playing "Danny Boy"! My little one will start to dance...he has even waved at us from 20 stories above. Fun Fact: The school is named after the first mayor of Chicago. Mr Ogden was involved in real estate, he also was involved with canals too. In fact, his company cut out the canal that made Goose Island in Chicago. He later moved on to the railroads and was president of Union Pacific. He built a railroad to Wisconsin to bring grain to Chicago and also a railroad out West too. He was on the cutting edge of progress and growing our nation. The parents, students, faculty and staff make the learning experience here at Ogden great and I look forward to many more years here.

When I was a kid, I had aced the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Did you know you could ace them?…read moreNeither did I. What I mean by that is that I scored a straight 99th percentile on every single one of my Iowa Tests and got a strange invitation in the mail. The invitation was from pre-International Baccalaureate Program to take an exam and potentially join Abraham Lincoln Elementary or William B. Ogden Elementary. Little did I know, this little invitation would change the rest of my life. At the exam, I met a friend that had moved away in third grade and we laughed wondering why we were both here. We both talked and said that Ogden School sounded better than Lincoln Elementary School, so that is what we decided. After taking their exam, I also had an interview. I was informed that I had scored the fifth best in the city and that I could pick Ogden or Lincoln. Seeing as my friend and I agreed on Odgen, Ogden it was. I missed my first day of school because the school bus did not show up until 9 in the morning, but by then I had already walked back to Volta Elementary as I did not know what to do. Over the years the bus was pretty consistent, except for the day that I missed it and decided to take the train downtown to school. Being eleven years old, sometimes you just don't know where you're going. I got off the train and started walking and then realized that I had no idea where I was. I walked into a police station and yelled, "Help, I need help!" After explaining that I was lost and late for school two cops drove me six blocks to school and apologized for swearing like pirates. I arrived to the playground in the back of a cop car and the kids thought that I had been arrested! With regard to the curriculum, it was a bar up from the Gifted Program that I had been in Volta Elementary and the adjustments took awhile because whereas before I was able to dominate, I struggled with the new social situation and had to take extra time to regain my bearings. By 7th grade, I was doing well in school again and liked French class the best since it was the most interesting. I still speak French today, which serves as a testament of the merits of Ogden's rigorous curriculum. At Ogden, you also learn to deal with kids coming from the deep south side and kids who live right around the corner on the Gold Coast. The pre-IB Program at Ogden set me up well for my future IB entry exams at Lincoln Park High School. The French curriculum is a must have for kids who will want to be speaking French in the future and is a cheaper alternative than sending kids out for private lessons. I also learned the ability to respect and tolerate the diversity of races and socioeconomic statuses of the various Chicagoans that will be found at this school. If you ever wonder who William B. Ogden was, he was the first mayor of Chicago. He worked extensively with land developers and reached the epic agreement that guarantees the land on our lakefront as public parks now and forever. Well forever until the city decides to lease it out for the next quick buck.

Well, it's been a few years since my kids went to Sandbox but I have a lot of good memories of the…read morestaff and activities. My three children were well taken care of and today are moving on to higher education. In part I do give credit to the caring folks at Sandbox!

I did my internship at this sandbox and everyone treated me wonderful! I also went to preschool…read morehere when I was 4! WONDERFUL STAFF!!!

Very nice and forward looking grammar school in the far south suburbs of Chicago. Opened in the…read moreyear 2000 (it was the first new Catholic school opened in 35 some years), this school has earned the Blue Ribbon designation from the U.S. Department Education for its wonderful programs for all ages. Programs begin at the Pre-K level, continue on for Kindergarten, and then progress through all grades First to Eighth. The preparation for high school is thorough and comprehensive. This school is jointly owned and run by four Catholic Parishes in the south suburbs: St. Elizabeth Seton Parish (also the parish on whose grounds the school resides), St. Julie, St. Stephen, and St. Francis Parishes. This Catholic grammar school is a wonderful ministry of these parishes. If you live in one of the parishes and are an active member, you can send your children to this school. Sending your children to this school insures they have a nurturing experience like no other. Highly recommended.

Cardinal Bernardin School is a great Catholic elementary school in the Southwest suburb of Chicago…read more Located in Orland Hills, just minutes away from Orland Park and Tinley Park. Enrollment is great with over 600 students. Impressive ACT ASPIRE scores. The school curriculum is designed to foster the growth and development of the whole person. Plenty of extra-curricular activities and they have before and after school care. Which is an excellent option for working parents. My children loved this school and were well prepared for high school.

I attended this school from 6th to 12th grade. The majority of the time I experienced daily…read moreinappropriate remarks from some very ghetto kids from 2001 to 2007. The sexual vulgarity that came out of their mouths was so frequent I started walking from one class to another with headphones. Then I was told by security I was not allowed to wear headphones. At the time, we only had 2 security guards who regularly circulated. One was almost bed ridden due to physical ailments and had to roll around in an a special chair. The other was hearing impaired so he couldn't hear any of the sexual obscenities the boys were shouting. I would not recommend this school for that reason.

Very questionable school. Lots of very interesting faculty. I've had some very bad experiences with…read morethe faculty. Students are overall pretty nice. Some of the parents are also problematic.

The teachers and the owners are the real star. They are a family owned business that really cares…read more I am not sure about the other people doing reviews because I have not experienced that at all. I do know that there are children out there not being reared right by parent's and no on can correct that, only seeing the child 40 hours a week. My child has florist at Children 2 languages. My child can read and has been since she was 4 years old with her great teachers, half the parents I know in public school can't say the same In kindergarten. Over the years of my child in their capable hands knows advance mathematics on a level up. In addition to learning 2 languages Spanish and French being able to hold a conversation with introduction a new experience.

This school is the best! I would not trust my child with anyone else. In the year that my son has…read morebeen here, he has advanced so much. The teachers are very serious about learning, and provide a very loving, nurturing environment. My three year old will be beyond prepared for grade school thanks to children's second language academy.