Chicago Public Schools Celebrates the 2024 Holiday Season

Chicago Public Schools Celebrates the 2024 Holiday Season (Chicago, IL) – Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students, teachers, administrators, and staff are celebrating the holiday season with a plethora of school-level events before the onset of winter break on Dec. 23.  School events include renditions of timeless classics, cultural celebrations, and school community potluck events that aim to be inclusive and represent the diverse school communities of CPS.

“Seeing our school communities create thoughtful and inclusive holiday celebrations is a testament to the social-emotional learning taking place at CPS,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “While the tried and true holiday events historically include the classic stories, it’s great to hear about the tremendous attention to detail seen within individual school communities that aim to include all our students.”

Schools across the District are hosting assemblies, concerts and holiday parties. Benito Juarez Community Academy, CEO Martinez’s high school alma mater, is hosting “Posada: A Mexican Christmas Celebration” on Friday, Dec. 6. The event, which is open to the school community, will feature hot food and drinks, sweets, music, and piñatas.

Juarez students and school officials plan to give away turkeys and hams at the event to local families.

“Hosting holiday events at Juarez where our students feel seen is top of mind for our school community,” said Juarez High School Principal Juan Carlos Ocon. “We want to make sure Juarez students are involved in the Posada event which is a Christmas tradition in Mexico. Including the traditions recognized within our school community helps shape the holiday message we’d like to send.”

The East Side’s Edward E. Sadlowski Elementary School will host a Winter Wonderland Assembly, while Stephen T. Mather High School in the West Ridge neighborhood will feature “A Christmas Carol” on Friday, Dec.13 starring the school’s improv and comedy classes.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Elementary School in Ukrainian Village has planned a Winter Assembly on Thursday, Dec. 19 where each class performs a song to be followed by a school community potluck. The school community will share dishes representative of their multicultural population, including traditional food from Ukraine, Latin America and Asia.

The West Side’s Suder Montessori Magnet School is hosting its Winter Recital, a two-day event, starting Wednesday, Dec. 18 and Thursday, Dec. 19, where students will perform a holiday-based production.

The Children First Fund (CFF), the CPS Foundation, and their generous philanthropic partners will showcase their holiday spirit, acting as CPS Santas and handing out gifts at a number of our school events over the next couple of weeks. CFF is also gratefully accepting donations to their Compassion Fund to stock schools’ hygiene care closets and provide other essentials like winter clothing and emergency financial assistance for families. If you would like to become a CPS Santa or contribute to the Compassion Fund, please visit childrenfirstfund.org/holiday.

Winter break begins for CPS runs for two weeks; classes resume on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Some of the many school-based events are as follows: