I was a student at Alcott from Kindergarten (spring of 1959) until 4th Grade (spring of 1963) after which we moved

from Chicago to the suburbs.  I was curious and stumbled on the LMA CHICAGO webpage for nostalgic reasons.

I hope someone can help me with the following: during my last year at Alcott, a talented teacher named Miss

Kusack (or, something like that) wrote a SCHOOL SONG and all of us students at Alcott had to memorize it and

sing it during our meetings in the assembly hall. I vaguely remember the words of the first lines, but the melody

is clear in my mind. It went like this:

                                                  "Of all the schools there are,

                                                   there's one that's best by far,

                                                   "Alcott is it's name..."

                                                   "No matter where we go,

                                                   our honor we will show,

                                                   and try to bring her fame...

                                                   "In all our work and play,

                                                   we'll strive in every way...

                                                    to ...  _    _    _. (forgot this part!)

                                                    _     _     _    _       _.

                                                   Alcott school is GO... GO... GO..._ Yeah,

                                                  Alcott school is GO... GO... GO!!!

If someone can remember or has the words to this song, please write me and share this with me.

The last time I visited Alcott was when I graduated the American Academy of Art in downtown Chicago,

in the spring of 1982! I visited with the then School Principal, Miss McManus and School Secretary Miss Allen.

I also visited with a Mr. Fleischmann who was our Gym Teacher! No one could remember who I was, but I

remember them all well! This "reunion" really fascinated me and my compliments to our Dear Principal

almost made her swoon_ (I was after all, a 28 year old man)! So please, if possible, feel free to contact

me if you can relate to this at all. My E-Mail adress is a.riewe@att.net.

                                                                                                                           Sincerly,

                                                                                                                                      Arno Riewe

My 1976 1st Grade Class - Ms. Roberta Lakin

Hello Alcott Classmates, My name is Marilyn Hollings-Sails....I attended Louisa May Alcott from 09/1975 - 06/1984....I'm so blessed to still be able after 25yrs reconnect with some of my old classmates....My years at Alcott are so memorable and I made some really great friends....The teachers were fantastic....I really didn't have a favorite teacher but the most memorable one was Ms. Roberta Lakin....I just found out that she recently died (10/01/09).....I have so many fond memories of her always teasing me about my colorful ribbons that my mother use to make me wear on my pigtails (hair).....Another fond memory were the patience that Ms. Eve Carter use to have with us as she prepared us for all of our annual Christmas productions.....I enjoyed acting and singing under her direction (Peter Pan, Cinderalla, Barbers of Seville, Nutcrackers etc).....So many of my Alcott friends went to further their education at Lincoln Park High School, but I decided to go to Near North Career High School....I graduated from Near North with a certification as a Opthalmic Assistant along with my H.S. diploma in 1988.....I no longer live in Chicago, but now live in Lexington, Kentucky with my husband.....We have been married for 18 years....We do not have any children but we do have two extremely spoiled Chihauhaus, Buddy & Pudge (Smile - LOL)....After being out of school almost twenty years, I returned and graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Business from Eastern Kentucky University on 12/19/09....I'm now working on completing my Master's degree in Public Administration from the same school.....I know that it had been years since I was in school, but someone once told me that it's NEVER too late to go back to school....So, I'm so glad that the Lord gave me the opportunity to accomplish my goals.....Well, this is just a brief summary about me....When I attended Alcott we did not have computers so it's really great that someone created this website.....I truly hope to be able to reconnect with some more of my old Alcott classmtes through this website.....Many Blessings, Marilyn

Me in 1st Grade - Ms. Roberta Lakin's Class

Me Now - 2009

I remember not wanting to go to high school when I graduated in 1967.  The teachers had been wonderful and they encouraged me to be the teacher I am today. It was a very large class. Our photo is larger than 8 x 11. I am planning to reduce it in size and then scan in later on.

Madeline 

I graduated from Alcott in 1976. I have attended Chicago Public Schools all through y elementary school years and High School. I completed at Columbia College in Chicago and my M.A. Form Concordia University. I have been teaching for the Chicago Public School system for 23 years. I would love to contact some of my class mates form 1976.

B. Norton

I seem to be the oldest alumni who has registered on this site so far. I attended Alcott for all of grade school and graduated in 1948, later attending Evanston High.  I am in touch with only one other member of my class, but would love to meet others. I have four class pictures (1A, 2B-2A,4A,6A-7B) which I would be glad to share. The letters indicate that one could enter either in the fall or the winter and classes might be combined. Classes were large, particularly in the upper grades.  There are 42 students in the 6A-7B photo.

It is too long ago for me to remember teachers by name though I have a visual memory of some, and I can identify a few of my fellow students.  Classrooms had fixed desks in rows with an ink-well (no ball point pens). Windows could only be opened from the top with a long pole. We needed to exit rooms and go down stairs in formation, I believe four in a row. Some of the boys in the upper grade photo are wearing crossing guard belts, a great honor not allowed to girls.

The physical plant was smaller then. The addition on Wrightwood was our playground, and the playground to the north was not part of the school.

I and several other students lived in the Embassy Hotel on Diversey and Pinegrove, which still exists.  It was not unusual for families to live in an apartment hotel during the WWII years when housing was short. My parents had a dress store at 619 Diversey, now half of a Starbucks. I moved back to the neighborhood from Hyde Park-Kenwood, 20 years ago. Only the post-office, now closed, is the same on the streets where I walked home.

Myrna Cohn Knepler