News and Events

Discussing Gender in Andersonville

By Hiu To / October 16, 2021

First-year students in the SDGs & You class are investigating the guiding question, “What does an equal world look like?” by examining issues of gender inequality. In this unit, they…

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Exploring Evolution at Lincoln Park Zoo

By Hasnain Khundmiri / October 11, 2021

Sophomores in the Population class investigated what “unites” and “differentiates” different populations through discussions of species classification, morphology, evolution, phylogenetic trees, etc. To bring their learning to life, they visited…

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Carrying Water at The Chicago River

By Will Johnson / October 5, 2021

First-year stuents in the Water class visited the Chicago River to collect water. In the first unit of this STEAM course, students have been pursuing the guiding question, why is…

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Physics in the Garden at Home Depot

By Adam Cohen-Leadholm / September 28, 2021

Juniors in the Design & Engineering class talked to experts from the gardening department at Home Depot to investigate the physics of gardening tools. In the first unit of this…

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Assessing Human Needs at Lincoln Park Community Services

By Hiu To / September 16, 2021

Unit I of SDGs & You is entitled Access, and it asks students to investigate the first, second, and fourth Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, No Hunger, and Quality Education (respectively).…

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Exploring the Chicago River with Urban Rivers

By Hiu To / September 11, 2021

First-year students embarked on their first off-campus Field Experience of their GCE career, and it was definitely one for the books. The students are investigating the guiding question, “How is…

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transitioning to high school

Communication, community, and care relieves the stress of high school transitions at GCE

By Sarah Brock / May 28, 2021
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The transition from middle school to high school can be stressful for students and their families.   If you start to feel overwhelmed about heading off to high school, please remember…

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GCE and Northwestern

Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development offering GCE’s ReDesigning the Future in Summer Program

By GCE Lab School / May 19, 2021

Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development is offering GCE’s ReDesigning the Future class as part of its Spectrum Online Summer Program for 6th–8th-grade students. The three-week, 1-credit course challenges students…

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GCE Ping Tom Park

GCE is Pitching in for the Parks on Chicago’s South Side

By GCE Lab School / May 11, 2021

We’re excited to announce GCE is participating in the Chicago Parks Foundation’s Pitch In for the Parks program, a citywide volunteer park clean-up effort taking place from June through October!…

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Students are not standardized

Test-optional policies improve equity in admissions leading to more diverse campuses

By Sarah Brock / May 11, 2021

Colleges and universities have proven the ability to evaluate applicants with or without standardized test scores, the high school admissions process, especially in Chicago, continues to focus on testing. It’s time to do better.

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Stop Ranking My Teenager: Great Students are Overlooked in CPS High School Enrollment Decisions

By Sarah Brock / May 1, 2021

A holistic approach to admission processes is not a new idea. Simply put, a holistic admission review aims to “see” the whole applicant, not just their test scores or GPA.…

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GCE Community Cookbook

GCE Community Cookbook

By GCE Lab School / April 24, 2021

Sweet or savory? Baked or grilled? The answer is obviously, “yes.”  We’re firing up a new GCE Community Cookbook to share our favorite recipes with one another—and throughout the rest…

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Closing the Loop at Plant Chicago

By Hiu To / April 23, 2021

First-year students in the Food For Thought and Food class embarked on a cross-curricular Field Experience to Plant Chicago. Education Manager, Rock Evans gave the students a tour of the…

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students talking

Rethinking high-stress high school admission applications

By Sarah Brock / April 16, 2021

The pandemic has led to countless educational innovations and adaptations, from live-streaming science experiments and concerts to building community through virtual service projects and socially distanced field experiences. And yet,…

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Tasting coffee’s origins with Metropolis Coffee!

By Brent Mix / April 16, 2021

The Food For Thought course re-directs our investigations from the interior of the self back into the world that formed our selves, with particular focus on the way our food…

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Head of School, Cabell King speaks at 2021 NAIS Online Annual Conference

By GCE Lab School / February 24, 2021

The boundaries between civic and social worlds and the classroom are progressively muddy. Tense emotions, complex ideas, and hyper-relevance can be critical challenges for schools and teachers alike—but the classroom…

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Discovering Found Object Puppetry with Rough House Theater

By Hiu To / February 22, 2021

Throughout history and around the world, humans have used puppets to pass down stories, share cultural practices, and revolt against censorship. A Show of Hands is a course in which students…

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Father Bill Corcoran

From the Pulpit to the People: Standing Up for Your Community—with Father Bill Corcoran

By GCE Lab School / February 17, 2021

Father Bill Corcoran stepped up to the virtual Soapbox to speak out on speaking up. He shared with us reactions to his decision to speak out against former President Trump…

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cortney lederer

How Art is Getting Us Through the Pandemic—with Cortney Lederer

By GCE Lab School / February 11, 2021

Can you imagine enduring the pandemic without music, without film, without art? This week, curator and educator Cortney Lederer challenged us to think about how art is essential and how…

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Exciting things to come for GCE Lab School and Dreams For Kids

By GCE Lab School / February 5, 2021

GCE is incredibly honored and thrilled to help Dreams For Kids keep the dream alive. For 31 years, Dreams For Kids has touched the lives of over 75,000 kids and…

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National Day of Silence

April 14, 2023
9 West Washington St., Fourth Floor
Chicago, IL 60602 United States

Half-day attendance for students

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May 3, 2023
9 West Washington St., Fourth Floor
Chicago, IL 60602 United States

Faculty In-Service [No School]

June 15, 2023 - June 16, 2023
9 West Washington St., Fourth Floor
Chicago, IL 60602 United States

Graduation

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June 14, 2023
9 West Washington St., Fourth Floor
Chicago, IL 60602 United States
9 W Washington Illustration

Good Futures 5k

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May 14, 2023
9 West Washington St., Fourth Floor
Chicago, IL 60602 United States

Memorial Day -NO SCHOOL-

May 29, 2023

Shavuot begins at sundown

May 24, 2023 - May 25, 2023

Parent Org Meeting

May 10, 2023
9 West Washington St., Fourth Floor
Chicago, IL 60602 United States

Spring Term ends

June 14, 2023

SAT

June 3, 2023