by BRIAN NADIG A public hearing on the proposed Weber Spur Trail in the Mayfair-Sauganash area will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Student read story
‘Head of school’ named for new NW Side parochial school
by BRIAN NADIG
The principal of a parochial school in Burbank has been selected to lead the Pope Francis Global Academy that will open this August on the campuses of Saint Tarcissus, 6040 W. Ardmore Ave., and Saint Pascal, 6143 W. Irving Park Road.
Saint Albert the Great School principal Terrence O’Rourke recently accepted the head of school position for the academy, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced on Jan. 8.
“Mr. O’Rourke brings a vast array of expertise to the head of school position, including principal leadership, curriculum and instruction, high school teaching and coaching, as well as strategic business planning,” Catholic schools superintendent Dr. Jim Rigg said in a statement.
Saint Tarcissus, Saint Pascal, Our Lady of Victory and Saint Cornelius schools are closing this spring due to enrollment concerns and are merging into the academy, which will offer pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade classes. The campuses of Our Lady of Victory, 4434 N. Laramie Ave., and Saint Cornelius, 5252 N. Long Ave., will not be used for the academy, and plans for those facilities have not been announced.
During O’Rourke’s tenure at Saint Albert, the school experienced a 53-percent increase in enrollment, reaching its highest level in 7 years, according to Rigg. “Additionally, he has overseen an expansion of the library, renovations of the early childhood classrooms and computer lab, incorporation of wireless capability throughout the school and a rebranding campaign, including logo, Web site and marketing materials,” Rigg said.
O’Rourke has a bachelor of arts in English from Northern Illinois University, a master of arts in English from DePaul University and a master of arts in education administration/strategic planning from Dominican University.
“We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of our current principals of Saint Cornelius, Saint Pascal, Our Lady of Victory and Saint Tarcissus over the last year of planning for Pope Francis Global Academy. You have made this new school possible.
“Our searches for deputy principal, director of advancement and enrollment, and director of business operations are still in process, and we hope to have announcements shortly on these positions,” Rigg said.
O’Rourke is scheduled to attend the open houses which will be held on both campuses of the academy on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 31.
No Pop-Ups
Weekly Digital Edition
Read every story. Skip every pop-up.
Get the full weekly edition delivered to your inbox — no interruptions, no waiting. Just local news the way it was meant to be read.
Only $19.50/year — less than 38¢ a week
Subscribe Now
This is just part of today’s coverage. Get the full story - every article, every ad, every page. Subscribe now.
The Latest From Our Community
by BRIAN NADIG A beacon crosswalk near Tonty Avenue is in the works to help pedestrians safely cross Caldwell Avenue from the Edgebrook and Wildwood neighborhoods to the Bunker Hill read story
by BRIAN NADIG The next “resources on the rails” community health fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal, read story
by BRIAN NADIG Marian (Kosel) Anderson, an avid dancer and swimmer with a passion for helping children, grew up in Jefferson Park and graduated from Beaubien Elementary School, Taft High read story
by BRIAN NADIG A 34-year-old man was fatally shot inside the AbuHashish Smoke Shop, 5612 W. Irving Park Road, at about 9:35 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in the Portage Park read story
A man has been charged with attempted kidnapping/enticement in connection with a Sept. 10 incident in which a 15-year-old girl reported that a driver several times asked her to get read story
Browse by Category
No Pop-Ups
Weekly Digital Edition
Read every story.
Skip every pop-up.
No pop-up ads — ever. Just stories, the way they were meant to be read
Full weekly edition delivered to your inbox every week — no waiting, no missing issues
Support local journalism and help keep our community connected
Only $19.50/year
That's less than 38¢ a week
Purchase Digital Subscription
Paypal
$19.50
/year
You can submit your payment via Paypal with a Credit Card. You DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT.. Just click the “Paypal Subscribe” button below to iniate your secure payment! You will be directed to a Secure Paypal page in which you can pay with a Paypal account if you have one, or you can select "Pay with Debit or Credit Cardt" option below and process your payment via credit card.
Venmo
$19.50
/year
You can submit payment of $19.50 for a 1 year subscription to Nadig Newspapers' Venmo account using this link. Please include the email address in the comment/note section that you would like the digital subscription sent to.