Why Our Families Chose
St. Benedict Preparatory School

The Sullivan Family

My wife, Susan, and I are the proud parents of four beautiful children. When it was time for us to choose where to send them to school, we considered many possibilities. We wanted the best for them, someplace where they would be able to grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. When we looked around, our decision actually turned out to be fairly easy. We chose to send our children to St. Benedict’s.

Academics are important to us. We want our children to be challenged, encouraged and assisted to achieve. St. Ben’s offers a wide variety of classes that inspire our children.

The school has specialized programs in science, art, music, computers, and Spanish, taught by dedicated teachers. St. Ben’s is a DePaul University Professional Development Partner, a unique program that allows our teachers and students access to the best and brightest students and professors from DePaul. DePaul Education students serve as interns in our classrooms, effectively lowering the student teacher ratio to 7:1. In addition, our teachers have access to De Paul professors and programs for professional development.

Academics don’t tell the whole story of why St. Ben’s is so successful. The environment fosters children’s emotional development. In addition to a staff of caring teachers and administrators, including a part- time counselor, St. Ben’s uses innovative programs like peer mediation. Children who have problems with each other are encouraged to seek assistance from their fellow students. Without harsh judgments, the student mediators listen to both sides and encourage the making of peace. Conflicts often are derailed without escalation.

St. Benedict’s doesn’t neglect the physical side of growth either. The school has an excellent physical education program. As students grow and mature, there are numerous athletic opportunities in team sports. St. Benedict’s Athletic Association fields an assortment of teams in many sports for both boys and girls. From basketball to volleyball, there are numerous opportunities for students of all ages to reach their physical potential in a caring environment shepherded by parent volunteers.

Perhaps the most important reason we sent our children to St. Benedict’s is faith. Our Catholic faith is important to us, and we desire that our children be educated in a way that encourages and develops that faith in our children. From preparation for the sacraments to regular attendance at mass and religious education, St. Benedict’s immerses our children in a faith-based education. The people of St. Ben’s, the faculty, the administration, and the community, all strive to live and work together as an example of our faith, to teach our children to become full members of the Catholic community.

St. Benedict’s makes choosing a school easy. An excellent academic reputation, strong faith-based environment, and a caring community of parents and parishioners lead to the obvious conclusion: St. Benedict’s Schools are the best choice available for our children’s future.

The Gonnella Family

My husband was raised attending Catholic schools all the way through graduate school. The only school that he attended that wasn’t Catholic was his preschool. I, on the other hand, was raised Methodist and attended public schools. We looked at public, private and religious-based schools. Another component of our search was finding a school near the community where we lived. After multiple tours, we had no doubt that St. Bens had the best opportunities to offer our children. We were impressed with the DePaul Professional Development Partnership, we enjoyed the parents we met and thought that our family would enjoy the community.

After attending, we felt even stronger about our choice. We have two boys, one in Kindergarten and one in Preschool. We have been parishioners and have attended the school for 3 years. We are amazed at all the exciting things happening at the school.

From an educational perspective, the Preschool had a great mixture of learning and play. We were surprised how our son learned all his letters and the sounds in the first year, which made his transition into Kindergarten seamless. Now that he is 3 months into Kindergarten, it is amazing how the reading light bulb just turned on. He is reading sentences and trying to phonetically decipher all types of words. Also, he has developed a love of math. We find him adding and subtracting things while playing. The best part is that our kindergartener has been teaching our preschooler about rhyming, spelling and phonics. I believe that he is mimicking his kindergarten teacher. It is really cute!

From a community perspective, we love it, as there is something for everyone here. One of our favorites is the Bitty Basketball program. We started when the boys were 4, and they loved it because they got to play with their friends. From a parent’s perspective, it is great how the parents help coach. The nicest part is that the parents come to watch and it is a great way to meet other families. In addition, we have enjoyed the many events such as the ice cream social, ball & auction and the spaghetti dinner. There are many more events, but those are just a few of our favorites.

Lastly, one of the most exciting things about St. Ben’s is that there are great things happening in Kindergarten and Preschool. But, we are looking forward to all the great things that are happening in the upper grades. St. Ben’s is a nurturing school and a terrific community.

The West Family

I was a Chicago Public School Teacher for 14 years. I have a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. I have three children, two dogs and a husband. My daughter is in fifth grade and my son is in first grade at St. Benedict Elementary School. I am currently at home with my toddler.

I know there are many choices of schools in Chicago, and I know how overwhelming making the right choice can be. We looked at more than a dozen schools for our daughter, and chose St. Benedict School for so many reasons.

First and foremost, we are a community at St. Ben’s. The staff and parents help each other educationally, spiritually and in times of need. The small class size gives my children the opportunity to flourish and express themselves as individuals. The teachers are caring and compassionate. They have high expectations for our children and provide a curriculum and atmosphere in which our children can succeed.

There are so many extra curricular activities at St. Ben’s! My children are involved in Girls Basketball, Bitty Basketball, Volleyball, Cross Country, Art Club, Science Club and Girl Scouts. These are only a few reasons why we chose St. Benedict. The only way you will know if St. Benedict is right for you, is to come and see our school.