YOUR BELIEF IN
FUELED THIS
CHIARTS
MOVEMENT
AND SHAPED OUR FUTURE:
To every scholar-artist, parent, guardian and ChiArts family,
To every graduate alum, staff, and ChiArts faculty member,
To every arts partner, civic leader, and ChiArts supporter,
Thank you!
Elizabeth Morse
Charitable Trust
Convene Arts Leaders
Chicago Board of Education Approves ChiArts
ChiArts Opens in Bronzeville
Inaugural Class Graduates with First Commencement at Harris Theater for Music and Dance
2014 2019 2021 2025
Creative Writing Conservatory Founded & ChiArts Moves to Humboldt Park
ChiArts Celebrates 10 Years of Arts Education
ChiArts Foundation Launches to Support Arts Conservatories
Chicago Board of Education Votes “Yes” For ChiArts as District School
THE COMMUNITY THAT STOOD UP FOR CHIARTS
Across three pivotal board meetings, dozens of passionate scholar-artists, staff, parents, and alumni made their way downtown, carrying signs, sharing truths, and speaking from the heart to protect the place they call home.
These next pages honor their stories.
“As a young trans girl, I’ve never felt more accepted than at a place like ChiArts. We have such a privilege to have a public, accessible and inclusive institution dedicated to the arts and making people’s dreams come true.”
Sky Bhutt, Theatre ‘26
Sky Bhutt in The Laramie Project, ChiArts Black Box, Nov 6-8, 2025.
“ChiArts is not just a school. The Conservatory is not just an after-school program. It is a lifeline. It is where my daughter stopped hiding. It is where she found her voice, her confidence, her spark.”
Jenny Santiago, Parent of Freshman
“This one place is like an oasis for artists — professional artists teaching, training, and coaching the next generation.”
John Terry, Parent of Sophomore
“My child is now a junior… She found her voice at ChiArts and has become the best version of herself. There is no school like ChiArts.”
Emily Page, Parent of Junior
“ChiArts is a gem that deserves to exist in our public education system… We need more schools like ChiArts that prepare students to thrive in a creative community.”
Laura Lapis, Parent of Alum
“Many of us walked in as novices with no prior arts experiences, but our teachers lifted us from our comfort zones and prepared us for futures bigger than we ever imagined.”
Flynn Ramirez,
‘26
Music
“Before my journey at ChiArts started, I felt an immediate energy from the school—strong, passionate, and unlike any other place I was considering… ChiArts isn’t just a school—it is a lifeline, a safe and creative home for students who see the world through color, movement, beauty, and art.”
Illiana Marrero, Visual Arts ‘27
“Without ChiArts, these students… would likely lack access to high-level arts instruction.
ChiArts is a safe haven for our scholar-artists, a place where students from every ward in our city come together to receive training that isn’t available anywhere else.”
Bernard Chestleigh, ChiArts Paraprofessional
“It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve at this institution—where the majority of our students are Black and Brown, where 55% of our population is categorized as low-income, where 41% of our graduates are the first in their families to attend college.
As the City of Big Shoulders, Chicago should be invested in preserving the only public high school whose core model and mission is to cultivate diverse and well-trained scholar-artists through mentorship and direct education from active artists.”
Kyle Anthony Cortés, Music Faculty
“I am a daughter of Chicago, a proud product of CPS, professional artist, and for over 11 years a teaching artist and department head at The Chicago High School for the Arts. This city shaped me. And through ChiArts, I’ve had the honor of helping shape the next generation of artists.
Here, students don’t just earn diplomas. They discover their voices, their confidence, and their futures. At ChiArts, the arts are a daily practice woven into the very being of our scholar-artists — a practice of freedom, creativity, and self-discovery.”
Tracey Franklin, Dance & Theatre Conservatory Head
“This one-of-a-kind school gave us the opportunity, privilege, and foundation to build one-of-a-kind futures.
We became more than actors, artists, dancers, musicians, and writers. We became thinkers, doers, makers, and changers.”
Goldie
Murray, Visual Arts ‘13
“Save ChiArts” sweaters were created to advocate and fundraise.
Designed by Jonah Bohus, Visual Arts ‘26
In this season of advocacy, we extend our depest gratitude to the ChiArts Parent Support Organization for organizing, mobilizing, and inspiring our community to speak up, contact their representatives, and share their stories.
Thank you, PSO!
PSO President Jenn Baron, PSO Board Rep Karyn Laskey, and PSO Treasurer Jacqueline Crawford outside CPS offices
“ChiArts is a place where we belong, grow, and become who we’re meant to be. If I went to any other school, I wouldn’t feel free to be myself. At ChiArts, I can just be me. In a world where people feel unsafe or unseen, what we do at ChiArts—supporting each other and protecting each other—is everything.”
Amare’ David Agboyi, Dance ‘27
Finally, thank you to our arts partners, civic leaders, board
