In October of 2003, under the direction of CBA President Michael Demetrio, the CBA adopted William C. Goudy Elementary. William C. Goudy was the CBA’s first President in 1874. Since the adoption the YLS has had a proud tradition of helping its students enrich their academic lives.  Recent activities include an annual school supply drive, a holiday party for the students, and financial support for the school’s music program. The school is located in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood and serves students from a wide range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Art Room

Through generous donations and YLS volunteer support, his year the YLS was able to completely transform the current Multi-purpose Room at Goudy into the new Art Room.  Volunteers cleaned and painted the walls and and completed other tasks needed to get the Art Room ready. Monetary donations from the school supply drive were used to buy all th necessary supplies for the Art Room to be ready for the first day of scool.

School Supply Drive

The YLS hosted it's fourth successful drive to collect school supplies for the William C. Goudy Elementary School in the Fall. The YLS was able to provide the entire 5th grade of approximately 100 students with everything they need for the school year, ranging from notebooks, pencils and crayons to glue sticks, protractors and red pens. t of: Littler Mendelson; Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; Tribler Orpett & Meyer, PC; Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP; Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP; Wiedner & McAuliffe Ltd; Bates & Carey; Michael P. McCready; Arnold D. Goldstein; David Muschler as well as many individual anonymous contributors.

Constitutional Law Day

Under the direction of Immediate Past Chair Megan McClung, the YLS partnered with the Constitutional Rights Foundation to produce a State v. Bean mock trial video based on the familiar children’s story, Jack and the Beanstalk.  Young lawyer volunteers designed the mock trial script, which included a reporter’s dialogue of events throughout the trial, judge’s remarks, opening and closing statements, and direct and cross examinations of five witnesses.  YLS volunteers played the roles of attorneys and witnesses, the role of the jury was played by Goudy students, while the role of judge was played by Presiding Judge E. Kenneth Wright Jr. The goal of the State v. Bean video is to teach 5^th grade students about the fundamentals of a trial, our court system and to relate how the state and federal court systems reflect the United States idea of constitutional government. It will be distributed to 500 Chicago Public Schools, including Goudy, on Constitutional Law Day on September 17. This project was recognized by the ABA with first place award recognition as being one of the best service projects in the country.   To get a copy of the State v. Bean video contact The Constitutional Rights Foundation

Principal for a Day

Every fall in conjunction with Chicago Public Schools, the YLS participates in the Chicago-wide program, “Principal for a Day.” This program allows community leaders to meet with the school staff, tour the school, deliver morning announcements, read books to the students, eat lunch with the students, and give them an opportunity to remember what it was like to be a kid again.

Holiday Party

On the last day of school before winter break the YLS visits Goudy to help host a Holiday Party for the students in kindergarten through 4th grade. The students sing and use instruments that have been donated by the CBA/YLS. Volunteers from the YLS read a holiday story to the students, coordinate a special visit from Santa and distribute a book and a cookie to each of the 450 students, which can always puts even grumpy old Uncle Scrooge in the holiday spirit!

Lawyers in the Classroom

In the spring, using materials developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, YLS volunteers visit 7th grade classrooms at Goudy to discuss the U.S. Constitution and law with the students.   A constitutional quiz is distributed to help prepare the students for their mandatory U.S. Constitution test The visits are on five consecutive Monday’s, excluding the April week of Spring Break.

Do you want to get involved in a project listed above or learn more about the Goudy School? Contact the William C. Goudy Elementary School Committee Chairs, Dan Cotter  or John Leovy.