CHICAGO — Norwood Park Elementary is getting ready for a historic birthday bash.
The pre-K-through-eighth-grade school's current building — in the heart of Old Norwood Park — is celebrating its 100th birthday this school year.
"It's fabulous there's a 100-year-old building that's beautiful and is in use," said Susan Kroll, chairwoman of the museum committee for the Norwood Park Historical Society.
The school's present-day spot, 5900 N. Nina Ave., is its third location. In the winter break of 1915, students took wagons to the former school at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and Hurlbut Street and moved their belongings to the school's new home, which opened in January 1916.
Yard signs honoring the milestone, bought and sold for $5 by parent Mary Kearney, have been popping up near the school and throughout the neighborhood. The red signs, which read "Norwood Park School; 100 Years Proud," are still available.
The school's current students also are participating in a contest to design a special 100-year anniversary logo that eventually will appear on T-shirts, Kearney said.
"I have a lot of pride in the school and school spirit," said Kearney, who has children at Norwood Park Elementary in second, third and sixth grades.
Kearney's family has lived in Norwood Park for six years. They wanted to live in a city neighborhood with a suburban feel. When Kearney first saw Norwood Park Elementary, picturesquely set inside East and West Circle avenues, she was hooked.
"And everyone was so welcoming," Kearney said. "When it's time for school, you see everybody looking out for each other and walking to school together. It's a real great sense of community."
Norwood Park Elementary boasts 404 students. Arguably its most famous, or infamous, alumnus is Robert Hanssen, the former FBI agent who was convicted of espionage for "providing highly classified national security information to Russia and the former Soviet Union." He is currently serving 15 consecutive life sentences.
It routinely ranks among the city's best elementary schools, according to the Chicago Public Schools website.
For more information on buying a yard sign, email Kearney at maryellenkearney@gmail.com.
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