Park Forest middle school unveils new classrooms, gymnasium

Officials at a Park Forest school plan to officially unveil on Tuesday eight new classrooms, a multipurpose room and a gymnasium with a stage.

Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 will hold a "Celebration of Learning" at 8:30 a.m. at the Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts at 530 Lakewood Blvd.

The Michelle Obama School is the counterpart to the Barack Obama School of Leadership and STEM in Chicago Heights. The schools, named for the president and his wife, serve students from fourth through eighth grades.

Cheryl L. Muench, co-principal at Michelle Obama, said her district "went with concept schools" or ones targeting science and the arts "because we wanted the children to get excited about learning and coming to school."

At the end of third grade, students in District 163 select which school they would like to attend, she said.

Students at both schools also study traditional subjects, Muench said.

At Michelle Obama, she said, students enjoy a "relaxed atmosphere" and are able to focus on disciplines such as fine art, dance, music performance, and applied mathematics.

Although the celebration is taking place at the district's arts school, the kickoff is for all of District 163, and a group of students from Barack Obama will record the celebration and provide commentary that will become part of their weekly podcast, OLS News, according to Susan Klimczak, director of technology for District 163.

School District 163 serves more than 2,000 students across six schools.

Angela Denk is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.