HR0419 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0419 LRB097 12112 GRL 56078 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the administration, teachers, and students of Timothy Christian Schools on the occasion of the school's 100th anniversary in 2012; and

WHEREAS, The rich history of Timothy Christian Schools began on April 16, 1907, when the first meeting for the purpose of organizing a "Society of Christian Instruction" was held at the home of F. Speckman; the Timothy Christian School was officially opened on August 13, 1911, in a rented hall with an enrollment of 60 pupils; in 1912, the first Timothy Christian school building was built at 13th and Tripp Streets in Chicago; in July of 1917, Timothy was fully accredited by the Chicago Board of Education; in 1920, the society decided to join the National Union of Christian Schools; and

WHEREAS, In the 1920s, Timothy Christian School began to move west to the Cicero, Berwyn, and Oak Park areas; in 1927, with the enrollment at 150 pupils, a new Timothy Christian School was opened at 5900 West 14th Street in Cicero; in 1946, the Ebenezer School merged with Timothy, increasing enrollment by 116 pupils; and

WHEREAS, In 1951, Timothy Christian School was expanded to include a high school; a building was constructed at 1225 60th Court in Cicero to house both the high school and the junior high; as enrollments continued to grow to the near-800 mark in 1956, expansion bulletins were again circulated to society members; in 1962, a new high school was built at its present location in Elmhurst; in 1965, a gymnasium, industrial arts, and music wing were added to the high school; in 1962, Timothy joined the Private School League for athletic competition and the Illinois High School Association; in 1965, the school was formally recognized by the State of Illinois; the high school subsequently received accreditation from the North Central Association in 1976; and

WHEREAS, In 1970, the building on 60th Court in Cicero was sold and the junior high was moved to a new building on the Elmhurst campus; in 1971, the Western Suburbs Christian School was merged with Timothy, which resulted in two separate K-6 campuses; in 1972, the Society approved the construction of six additional classrooms on the west side of the junior high building; grades 1 through 6 from the Cicero building were moved to this addition and the 59th Avenue building was sold; the school continued to operate two grade schools until 1980, when the school's east wing, consisting of the all-purpose room, media center, and six classrooms, was added; in 1973, the grade school was formally recognized by the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Due to increased enrollments, the Society approved an expansion program to both the grade school and the high school in 1984; in the spring of 1985, the south wing, consisting of a library-media learning center and six classrooms, was added to the existing grade school building; in the fall of 1985, a new fine arts wing and auditorium was constructed at the high school; the school's most recent capital expansion project added space to the elementary building in 1995-1996; and

WHEREAS, Today, Timothy Christian Schools has over 1,100 students in its K-12 program; the school remains dedicated to its mission of "developing academically prepared Christian disciples"; and

WHEREAS, In 1999, Timothy Christian Schools was named one of 96 outstanding high schools in America by U.S. News and World Report; and

WHEREAS, The Timothy Christian Schools community will celebrate this milestone in its history throughout the 2011-2012 school year with numerous events, including a campus-wide carnival on October 1, 2012 to kick off the celebration and a gala dinner to be held at Chicago's Field Museum in April of 2012; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the administration, teachers, and students of Timothy Christian Schools on the occasion of the school's 100th anniversary and wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Matt Davidson, superintendent of Timothy Christian Schools, as a symbol of our esteem and respect.