BEVERLY — Dominique Jones of Beverly, named Miss Illinois United States in April, is speaking out against a proposal to merge her alma mater, Kellogg Elementary School, with another school, saying the plan would close down a high-performing, majority black institution.
Jones graduated from Kellogg, at 9241 S. Leavitt St., in 2003. She plans to speak in support of Kellogg at a "Unity Walk" that begins at the school at 2 p.m. Saturday.
"Kellogg gave me the foundation that was needed to go into high school and carry on to college," Jones said Tuesday.
The walk starts at Kellogg and heads to Sutherland Elementary School at 10015 S. Leavitt St.
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) has proposed merging the Kellogg and Sutherland in Beverly, citing declining participation from residents living within the neighborhood schools' boundaries.
Those on the walk generally oppose the plan and will make a final stop at O'Shea's office at 10400 S. Western Ave. O'Shea's proposal also involves moving the Keller Regional Gifted Center in Mount Greenwood into Kellogg's building.
This would allow overcrowded Mount Greenwood Elementary School to take over Keller's nearby campus at 3020 W. 108th St. It would also free up funds to invest at Esmond Elementary School in Morgan Park, O'Shea said.
Jones agreed with many Kellogg parents who say the proposal would shutter an academically successful majority-black school. Kellogg's population is 83 percent black, according to Chicago Public Schools' website.
Both Kellogg and Sutherland — which is 61 percent black — have been supplementing their enrollment with students living outside the neighborhood boundaries through Chicago Public Schools' Options for Knowledge program.
Bringing in outside students has helped the school maintain funding levels, but the merits of the program have been widely debated at public meetings focused on O'Shea's proposal. Jones attended Kellogg via the options program, saying her neighborhood school would have otherwise been Alice L. Barnard Elementary School in Beverly.
"It was told to [my mother] that Kellogg had the program I needed for my IEP," said Jones, referring to her perceptual learning disorder.
Jones likened her disorder to dyslexia, saying it's often difficult for her to read and write. But the teachers at Kellogg gave her the tools to overcome her condition, and she went on to graduate from Morgan Park High School and Eastern Illinois University.
"It was nine years of intense special training for my special learning needs," said Jones, who also received private instruction to improve her speech.
She studied applied engineering and technology at Eastern and also participated in her first pageant there. She then she's earned a master's degree in science and industrial technology from Alabama A&M University.
After school, she landed a job as a project engineer for McKissack & McKissack. One of her first projects was working on the construction of a $251 million campus for Malcolm X College on the Near West Side.
Since the completion of the project, she's taken 1½ years off to travel and is working as a flight attendant for American Airlines. Still, Jones said one focus she has as Miss Illinois United States is to be an example to others with learning disorders.
She hopes to show the world that careers in math and science are possible despite the challenges that come along with such a diagnosis. Jones took her cause to the Miss United States Pageant on July 29 in Las Vegas.
"It wasn't that I couldn't learn. It was just that I needed to learn in a special way," Jones said. "I wanted to use the title to promote the fact that you are not that stigma."
Ultimately, Miss Texas, Alayah Benavidez, won the pageant that is perhaps best known for being showcased in the 2000 film "Miss Congeniality."
Jones continues to share her message, said Kellogg Principal Cory Overstreet.
"She wants to come back here to work with STEM [science, technology, engineering and math]," Overstreet said. "She wants to come back to help our junior high math teacher."
Overstreet said Jones met with students Tuesday to share her story. She still has cousins who attend the school, which may have helped drive home her message, he said.
"I just want to share the point that Kellogg is the reason I am as successful as I am today," said Jones. "And there are still more success stories to come out of Kellogg."
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