On August 21, De La Salle Institute became a coeducational high school. De La Salle – which has been in existence in the same location at 35th and Michigan in Chicago since 1889 – had educated only young men from its inception through the 2001-02 school year.
On its first day as a coeducational high school, De La Salle welcomed 930 young women and men who will now be attending all classes together at 3434 S. Michigan Ave.
At the beginning of the 2002-03 school year, De La Salle partnered with the Sisters of Saint Joseph – Third Order of St. Francis in opening the Lourdes Hall Campus for Young Women at 1040 W. 32nd Place in Chicago after the closing of Lourdes High School. De La Salle’s Lourdes Hall Campus was located approximately one mile west of the campus at 35th and Michigan.
There also was a ceremony held on August 21 as alumni from the 1950s through the 2010s addressed the students in the Parmer Activity Center and provided them with how De La Salle has impacted their lives.
“This is a great day to be a Meteor,” De La Salle president Fr. Paul Novak, OSM, said. “This is a great day for De La Salle as we’re establishing a new legacy and adding a new chapter to the history of De La Salle.
“We’ve enhanced our curriculum through the addition of Project Lead the Way, which is our engineering program. This transition has helped us enhance our curriculum as well as maintain our strong co-curricular tradition.
“This is a great opportunity for the young women and men attending De La Salle.”
For more information, visit De La Salle’s website at www.dls.org or call (312) 842-7355.
