About 46 Latin School of Chicago students and their teachers will be traveling by bus to participate in the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality Tuesday, Oct. 22, the scheduled first day of the fall veto session of the Illinois State Legislature.
Participating studentsall members of The Cause, Latin School's Gay Straight Alliancefirst proposed the plan to take the day away from classes for the Springfield trip over the summer and almost immediately received support from teachers and administrators alike.
According to Latin School Director of Studies, Elizabeth Denevi, participating in the march offers an invaluable hands-on learning experience for students.
"Students learn best when they are engaged with real-world issues," Denevi said. "The opportunity for them to study an important equity struggle can extend and enhance the work we do in the classroom every day."
Furthermore, she added, "Students grow into healthy young adults when they have a sense of something larger than themselves along with the ability to advocate for change. It is our mission as a school to educate young people who will leave the world a little better than they way they found it. By supporting students' efforts that show they care about the world around them, we help to fulfill this mission."
The "March on Springfield" is part of a broad grassroots strategy to secure final passage of Illinois Senate Bill 10, the "Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act" already approved by the Illinois Senate and with Governor Pat Quinn's support. Once adopted, Illinois will become the 14th state, plus the District of Columbia, to treat all of its citizens equally under state marriage laws.
The Latin School bus will be leaving at 7 a.m., on October 22, from the school, 59 W. North Blvd. The rally and march, will take place Noon-3:30 p.m. at the State Capitol, 401 S. 2nd Street Springfield, Ill. Students are scheduled to return to Latin by 9:30 p.m.
For more information about the Latin trip, contact Betty Lark Ross at bross@latinschool.org, or 312. 582.6332
See www.marchonspringfield.org .