Elementary School In Uptown To Get New $10M Gym

CHICAGO, IL — John T. McCutcheon Elementary School in the city's Uptown neighborhood is getting a new gymnasium, Ald. James Cappleman announced in his Friday newsletter. The school's principal, Gwyn Kram, asked the alderman to advocate for the project. Cappleman said he shared the school's story with school district leaders, the mayor's office and his colleagues.

"I knew how important it was for this particular school — with one-quarter of its student body experiencing homelessness and a program for children with cognitive disabilities — to have its own facility for health and wellness," Cappleman said in the newsletter. "It’s a matter of equity for the ward’s most vulnerable students."

Kram secured a grant for the new $10 million gym to become a Community Learning Center through the CPS Community Schools Initiative. The five-year grant will provide funding for programming before and after school as well as on weekends.

"McCutcheon will become a community hub, which will have positive effects for the entire ward," Cappleman said in his newsletter. " McCutcheon is a remarkable school, where kids who face extremely high barriers to learning are making great strides. Despite the challenges the school and its students face, McCutcheon has earned Chicago Public Schools’ highest quality rating and is ranked above-average for student growth and student attainment."

The alderman said his office will plan a community meeting in the near future to talk about the new project.

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