I am currently a senior and I love going to Kennedy. Yes, there may be fights here and there, but…read morethose fights quickly come to an end. The food is excellent. Kennedy has welcome new teachers and staff members over the last 2 years.

If I could give this school zero stars I would. I know have my third child going to this school…read more It's been six years since I first step foot into this school and I am becoming more and more unhappy at all the bad situations that happen at this school. I wish that my daughter hadn't decided to go here, she had the opportunity to go somewhere else. She was registered and classes all set up for her to start school but had a falling out with a friend and said she wanted to switch to Kennendy. If you Google this school you will find a few stories of these terrible situations but they aren't all there in the news and I'm not talking about FB news feed. Almost every single time I am at the school there is a fight. And no that isn't normal. There is a huge bullying problem too! My daughter that graduated last year was a victim and even though it was reported and the police were in the room at the time when they told the student to stop or else they would step in it still went on. I'm not posting this to "cry/whine" about the school but to help other parents.

Very great school! curriculum is rigiorous and culture and climate of the school is amazing!read more

school was alright the swings at the park were epic i would not send my kid here though because…read moreyeah.

This School Has the best Music Department Ever! When I came…read morehere I had an instant connection with the teachers. Especially The band teachers. They will fool around to keep the class fun but will be strict depending on the students. During the course of my attendance the school got rating 1 for music because of how well they guided the students

Worst open house I have been to. The principal spent 35+ minutes talking about HER, her…read moreaccomplishments, HER family, her goals, her role as a parent...after going on more than 30 min only talking about HER, a lot of parents began to leave. I have been to other selective enrollment open houses and the principals at every other school got down to business and discussed what we were all there to learn, what programs the school offers, even presented current students to give their point of view of what they enjoyed about the school... However, here, the principal was more interested in flashing her Christian Louboutin heels than talking about why Payton is better than the other SSE HS...

My daughter graduated from Walter Payton 6 years ago. She excelled at Vanderbilt University and is…read morecurrently working on her MBA at University of Chicago. She flourished at WPHS and developed her skills in Math, Science, and critical thinking.

Unfortunately, this school has gone downhill significantly. It feels like many of the good teachers…read morehave left, and the overall quality and professionalism have declined. Communication is a major issue -- emails often go unanswered, messages left with the main office don't get returned.

I spent the second half of my grade school years here, before it was called an Academy. Back in…read morethe day it was just John H. Vanderpoel (poel pronounced pool) elementary school, which served grades K-8. No middle school back then, and grade school to high school was a big jump. No buses then, either. We walked to school. In the dead of winter, we walked. It wasn't far for me, though, about 5 blocks down quiet streets lined with huge trees. We lived next-door to my grandparents, who had lived in Beverly since before my mother was born, so I'm thinking my mom went to Vanderpoel, too, but I can't remember for sure. But I do remember the school, a 3-story old brick building that included swings on the playground. I remember my teachers, I remember the gym that doubled as an auditorium, I remember my classmates. The school was named after John H. Vanderpoel (in 1910?) as was Vanderpoel Ave., the street behind the school. John Vanderpoel, born in 1857 in the Netherlands, was an influential artist and taught at the Art Institute of Chicago for 20 years beginning in 1880. Georgia O'Keeffe was one of his students. She praised him as a teacher. Vanderpoel's book, "The Human Figure", was published in 1907. BOY could he draw in pencil & charcoal. Until 1929, his works were housed in the school, then moved to nearby Ridge Park Field House & displayed in the art gallery named after him. Vanderpoel School is indeed part of Beverly's rich history & I loved it there. I loved my neighborhood, my friends, my school, and the simplicity of growing up back in the day (not saying how long ago but it was....long ago). I still have many of my grade school papers & projects. Wow, so different from the work kids do today. Example: a geography project for a state (or country?) that exported cotton. In addition to a written essay, I glued a hunk of cotton to one of the pages. I got an "E" for excellent, no "A" back then at this school. My favorite class: art. I also took kiddie art classes at the Art Institute & then majored in Fine Art in college. I went on to have an art gallery in a Chicago suburb. I'm guessing Mr. Vanderpoel would like that. I'm guessing I would have liked Mr. Vanderpoel.

I graduated from this Catholic school over 20+ years ago, which was eventually closed down in 2006…read moreand turned into a charter school. I assume the school closed down due to lack of enrollment and outdated teaching resources. By then, there were a few nuns as teachers. I'm uncertain if the convent still exists, but I do know there's still a rectory that conducts its business. My experience as a student was that there were less than 10 asians in my class and there were usual cliques. Recess was dodgeball, jumpropes, and roller racers within the confines of the parking lot. With the exception of kindergarten, there were 2 classrooms per grade level.

IHM School was closed in 2006, but I had to write this to balance an earlier review that appears…read morehere. Years ago, IHM provided a wonderful and warm school experience. The sisters who taught gave their lives to solid, rich instruction and character development for their charges. Days were filled with meaty academics, as well as religion, patriotism, values, and family participation. The decline of IHM began the same way as it did for so many Catholic schools, as they became infected with the same fuzzy constructivist junk that has crippled public education. (For more on that, see: http://www.illinoisloop.org/catholicschools.html) The decisive blow to IHM school occurred when both the principal and pastor positions were filled (at that time) by individuals wildly unsuited to the task. Since these two positions have absolute power in a Archdiocese Catholic school (parents and the school board have mere advisory roles), this spelled disaster. Enrollment plummeted, and the school was closed. The neighborhood is the loser from the loss of IHM school.

This place could be a historical landmark. The school is located near public transportation. And…read moreeasy access via the 94. Down the street to Sox Park. All the kids are in uniform here and during a visit here they showed respect. Nice to experience. Good Job De La Salle

The school is run by a principal who lives in the neighborhood and who has children at the school,…read moreteachers that live in the neighborhood and have children at the school. The children who attend the school are from people who never left the neighborhood. If your child or you yourself are not from the neighborhood and do not drink the kool-aid you and your children will be treated poorly and graded poorly. The school does not encourage diversity, the staff is not diversified. The staff is comprised of mostly people from the area. Many parents are entitled police and fireman with the gangsta in a uniform mentality, which in turn the children mimic. This in turn makes the school environment hostile for children, who are learning intolerance for people different than them. Instead of being sensitive and aware of the problem, the leadership is more concerned about their hyper inflated ego and the fact responses are to conflict are threatening to you and your child's education. The best one I heard was "I am responsible for the largest school in the Archdiocese" and I personally, and I..I..I. No addressing situations that cause concern for your child. Just I..I..I. There are a few great teachers who do not deserve this review. There are others that I question their mental fitness to work with our youth. In one instance I questioned a grade for my child who loves school, and my child was torn down, made accusations against, and our family was torn down with my child. All for noticing a grading discrepancy. Don't expect anything less than South Side drama here.

Unbelievable school lead by competent staff and teachers. If you put in the effort and work hard…read moreyou will be rewarded. Highly recommended this great school.