Mayor Lori Lightfoot Celebrates Opening Of New Hancock College Prep High School
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other community leaders on Friday toured the brand John Hancock College Prep High School building in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
The new state-of-the-art building, at 5437 W. 64th Pl., features 28 standard classrooms, with room for more than 1,000 students It also includes diverse learning classrooms; two computer labs; four suites for subjects such as science, music, art, and health; a theater; a media center; and much more.
"This celebration serves as an important investment in the long-term success and bright futures of our students from the Southwest Side," Lightfoot said in a statement.
Hancock is a selective enrollment school, and the winner of a National Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education.
Later on Friday, there will be a "welcome back to school" celebration at Hancock.
The new building replaces the old Hancock High School at 4034 W. 56th St., which first opened in 1999 as an elementary school, and later evolved into a high school.
Chicago Public Schools officials plan to move Sor Juana Elementary School, at 4120 W. 57th St., into the old Hancock building. The district is still working with Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) and the Southwest Education advisory committee to finalize the details of the move, and future use of the Sor Juana building, according to the mayor's office.