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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING OF THE OPENING OF THE ELLEN GLASSER GLOBAL (EGG) CENTER AT SULLIVAN HIGH SCHOOL
WHEREAS, Sullivan High School has had renewed energy under the leadership of Principal Chad Adams; and
WHEREAS, Sullivan High School serves a large and diverse student body with nearly 40% of its student body born outside of the United States and well over 40 languages spoken there; and
WHEREAS, these refugee and immigrant students gravitated to the former library as a place to lounge and engage in small group activities. These students often felt that the library offered them a “safe space” to get away from the stress of conforming to an unfamiliar, new environment; and
WHEREAS, the library became the center for the English learning program and was used for individual and small group work; and
WHEREAS, the library had not been staffed for many years and was in major need of a facelift with torn carpeting and unmatched older furniture; and
WHEREAS, Principal Adams and English Learning Director, Sarah Quintenz reached out to Michael Glasser and the recently formed “Friends of Sullivan” group for help; and
WHEREAS, Friends of Sullivan raised money to support this request. With that money and the help of generous volunteers, including student volunteers, the room was transformed with new carpeting and state of the art furniture to create a space of dignity and respect befitting the hardworking students who come to the Center to learn how to make their way in this new world; and
WHEREAS, the library is to be renamed the ELLEN GLASSER GLOBAL CENTER in honor of Ellen Meyer Glasser, an immigrant herself, who came to the United States in 1945. Her family fled Germany after Kristallnacht and first moved to Chile where she attended the English School. In 1945, she moved to the United States with her older sister. She graduated from Lakeview High School and subsequently attended college at the University of Illinois. She later taught nutrition classes in both English and Spanish at Michael Reese Hospital, languages she learned during her years in Chile; and
WHEREAS, Ellen Meyer Glasser is the mother of Rogers Park builder, Michael Glasser; his brother Ralph Glasser; their two sisters, Pam Weston and Debbie Butler; and the grandmother of eleven grandchildren.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, on behalf of the 5.2 million residents of Cook County honors the work of Principal Chad Adams, English Learning Director Sarah Quintenz and the Friends of Sullivan, along with the volunteers who helped create the Ellen Glasser Global Center, which will give years of service to the Citizens of Cook County, Illinois; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of the same be tendered to Principal Chad Adams, the Sullivan High School community, and the family of Ellen Meyer Glasser.
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