Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is a public 4–year magnet high school and middle school located in the Near West Side neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1970, Whitney Young is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district. Whitney Young opened on September 3, 1975 as the city's first public magnet high school. The school is named after Whitney Moore Young Jr., a prominent African-American civil rights leader. History The Chicago Public Schools announced plans for a public magnet high school on the city's Near West Side in mid–1970. A proposal by community residents called for a high school to be built at 211 South Laflin, which was an empty lot that had been burned out during the riots following the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Whitney Young opened for the 1975–1976 school year on September 3, 1975, as a selective enrollment school under the leadership of the school's first principal, Bernarr E. Dawson. Founding faculty The founding staff of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School: Joe Korner – English Jory Chelin – Math Melanie Wojtulewicz – Science Larry Minkoff – Social Studies Roger Stewart – Tech Sandra McKinley – Librarian Dr. William Marshall – Hearing Impaired The founding staff developed and planned the initial curriculum and policies for the school. The principal's secretary was Lillian O'Neill. The staff met for months unpaid in the unused John Phillips Sousa school building while the Young building was under construction.