Founded by progressive education pioneer, Clara Bell Baker, in 1918, Baker Demonstration School serves close to 300 toddlers through eighth grade students. In the 21st century, Baker continues its mission as a demonstration school whose outstanding faculty study how children learn and mentor the next generation of teachers. A curriculum that promotes academic excellence is taught through innovative research-based best practices and assessment tools. With over 50,000 square feet of green space Baker boasts a sports field and two play areas including a dedicated Early Childhood yard. Our library of 24,000 volumes, dual-platform technology/media labs, seven interactive whiteboards, laptop cart, performance hall, art studio, drama studio, dance studio, music studio, pool and gymnasium are used by students prek-8th grades. Baker's inclusive community celebrates individual, family and cultural differences. Baker graduates attend top public, private and parochial schools throughout the Chicagoland area.
News
Spring Salons to Benefit Baker!
The new online auction is now open! To check out old favorites and awesome new items, go to www.BiddingForGood.com/baker, create a user account, and point, click and bid to support Baker—super easy and loads of fun!
You are cordially invited to four special evenings celebrating
our Baker community. This year, in lieu of a single event for
the Baker benefit, we will present four salons featuring
engaging speakers, dynamic conversation, exciting venues,
great food, and wonderful company. To attend the Spring Salon of your choice, click here.
Your child’s portrait (professionally taken by jookie) will be available for purchase at any of our salons!
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Saturday, April 10
Let's Talk Art
Three-part conversation about art for personal and public consumption
featuring Japanese-born artist and Art Institute professor Michiko Itatani,
private collector and gallery owner (and Baker parent) Byron Roche,
and Walsh Gallery purveyors (and Baker parents) Julie and Ralph Walsh.
Pan-asian fare will be served at the Walsh Gallery.
Walsh Gallery
118 North Peoria Street, Chicago
6:30 p.m. cocktails and pan-asian fare; 8:00 p.m. program
100 guests maximum
Saturday, April 17
Public Radio in Private
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how stories and programs
come to life on public radio with a dynamic presentation led by
Steve Edwards, former host of 848 and acting program director of Chicago Public Radio,
hosted at architect Myron Hunt's own 1896 landmark home,
now home to Baker parents Doug Haight and Liz Reeves.
Afterwards join our panel for a fun, family-style dinner to close out the night.
Haight/Reeves home
1627 Wesley Avenue, Evanston
6:30 p.m. cocktails; 7:30 p.m. conversation; 8:30 p.m. dinner
50 guests maximum
Saturday, April 24
Serata Italiana: Gastronomia e Teatro
Baker parent Greg Allen, founder and director of the local Neo-Futurists, and
fellow Baker parent Mickle Maher, playwright and co-founder of Theater Oobleck,
will enlighten guests about experimental Chicago theatre.
An intimate evening of great food and good wine will follow
hosted by Baker parent Steve Schwartz.
Upstairs at Campagnola
815 Chicago Avenue, Evanston
6:00 p.m. cocktails; 7:00 p.m. dinner and program
50 guests maximum
Friday, April 30
Intriguing Alumni
Distinguished Baker alumni Christie Hefner and Senator William A. Marovitz,
models of public and private accomplishment,
will draw on their own experiences as they engage guests in
a joint presentation about how school and life intersect.
Join them for a casual dinner at the home of
baker parents Letitia and Jeff Mann.
Mann home
1220 Judson Avenue, Evanston
6:30 p.m. cocktails; 7:30 p.m. program; 8:30 p.m. dinner
100 guests maximum
It's a new event for our newly independent school!
Experience a wonderful evening (or two) while benefiting
Baker Demonstration School.
We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Liz Reeves, Fund Development Committee Chair
Addie Goodman, Director of Advancement
The 2010 Baker Benefit Committee
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
Come one; come all to "A Midsummer Night's Dream", a one hour adaptation of the screenplay originally written by Shakespeare that is being presented by the Baker Demonstration School Middle School.
Tickets cost $6 per person. All tickets are general admission except for people with limited mobility or for those who use wheelchairs. Do not just bring yourselves, bring the whole family. Invite as many people as you want. Performances are limited so start buying tickets now. ...more
Performance Dates and Times
- Thursday, March 11th at 7pm
- Friday, March 12th at 1pm
- Saturday, March 13th at 7pm
- Sunday, March 14th at 1pm
If you require seating accommodations or have questions regarding ticket sales, please email reservations@bakerdemschool.org. Remember, the first play is March 11, so start ordering tickets now because tickets will go fast!!!!
Also, check out the "A Midsummer Night's Dream" blog.
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Baker Welcomes Dan Schwartz
Baker Demonstration School is pleased to announce that Daniel Schwartz has been hired as the new Head of School beginning in the 2010-2011 school year.
Mr. Schwartz has extensive experience in teaching and leadership positions in education and has been the Principal of the Carleton Washburne Middle School in Winnetka, IL for the past 12 years. He has served in a variety of local and national leadership positions, most notably as a board member of the International Network of Principals' Center (Harvard University) and the North Dakota Study Group, a well-known network of educators principally focused on concerns about accountability of schools and assessment of children. Mr. Schwartz brings a deep understanding of child-centered and reflective learning environments....more
Dan shared recently, "I am very excited to lead the skilled and talented staff at Baker, a school whose commitment to the whole child - head, hands, and heart - prepares students to become thoughtful scholars and caring citizens of the 21st century."
Reflecting on the search, Interim Head Don Monroe feels that it is Baker's good fortune to welcome Dan Schwartz: "In addition to valuable experience, Dan brings a wealth of humanity, commitment, intellect and humor to enrich our community."
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Third Graders Receive a Special Visit from Iraqi Immigrant
A hallmark unit of study for the second and third grades this year is immigration, giving students an opportunity to examine the theme through exposure to immigrants’ experiences and study of individual family histories.
Always eager to take advantage of the "teachable moment," Baker warmly welcomed Shadan Salah, a 30-year-old female Iraqi who recently emigrated from Iraq to the United States and was staying with the Haight family, to Jen Rappin's third grade class. Shadan's visit was a wonderful complement to the class's conversation about visas, green cards, permanent residency, and becoming a U.S. citizen, and the students very much enjoyed hearing about her experience of coming to America only a week prior.
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Shadan is from Kurdistan in the northern part of Iraq and grew up near Kirkuk. Though from a small tribal village, Shadan was able to obtain a Bachelors degree in English, and spent the last several years as an interpreter/translator and consultant to the U.S. military, private companies and non-governmental organizations in Iraq during the war. Because of the work she did on behalf of the United States, and the great personal risk to her safety in doing so, she was able to obtain a permanent resident visa to immigrate to the United States.
Shadan left behind her entire family, for whom she is almost entirely financially responsible, in order to come to the United States in search of a better life. She hopes to ultimately find work here in the United States with an NGO to help better the life of the Iraqi people. She has a particular interest in working to improve the status and rights of women in her country.
During her time is Ms. Rappin's class, the students became interested in knowing what they could do to help Iraqi children. Shadan is now working to locate a partner program with which Baker students can correspond, specifically one serving children in an IDP (Internationally Displaced Persons) camp, of which there are many in Northern Iraq. With great appreciation for her personal triumph and contribution to our learning, Richard Sato, school board member, was able to give Shadan an iBook that he had refurbished as part of his work to put computers into the hands of those in need.
Thank you, Shadan, for sharing your story!
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Chicago International Children's Film Festival at Baker
On Tuesday, October 27, lucky middle schoolers gathered in the drama/music studio to watch a screening of "Felix" by visiting award-winning screenplay writer and director, Andreas Utta. The Chicago Children's International Film Festival, CICFF's , Directors in the Schools program is one of many special opportunities brought to Chicagoland children and educators during the festival each year. Baker kids blew Andreas away with thoughtful comments about themes of trust, deafness, the Internet, privacy,communication with parents and friendship. ...more
Students from Baker parent Doug Haight's filmmaking class had great questions about the writing process, learning sign language, character development, casting, production design, and Andreas's personal connection to this story. Families can see "Felix" and meet Andreas Utta again this at the Wilmette Theater, Sunday at 2 pm.
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A Great Horned Owl, Rehabilitated After Being Tangled in a Baker Soccer Net, is Set Free to its Natural Habitat in a "Teachable Moment"
Baker in conjunction with Flint Creek Rehabilitation Center (FCRC) of Barrington released a rehabilitated Great Horned Owl from the Baker sports field where it was found last spring entangled in a soccer net. The bird was set free at approximately 6 PM on October 7th. Nearly 300 individuals from the Baker community and the community-at-large gathered to view the raptor's release back to her home in the woods near the school. A short presentation about the Great Horned Owl was given by FCRC before the bird was set free, during which children shared their hopes for her to "get married and catch a lot of mice."
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According to Jackie Haug, Instructional Coordinator for Baker, "This was an amazing opportunity to model for our students the importance of follow-through and to provide a real life example of animal protection while learning about an animal native to our area." Leading up to the owl release, students at Baker learned about the Great Horned Owl, animal rights, and social responsibility.
Last spring, after finding the avian hunter, Illinois' largest owl, trapped in the net, school officials were unable to safely approach the bird. FCRC was contacted, and a member of their staff detangled the injured owl and then brought it to the center where it spent the summer recovering from a tendon injury. The FCRC cares for 3000 wild animals each year with the goal of returning them back to their habitat.
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