A proposal to change Gordon Tech College Prep High School’s name has been met with intense backlash from alumni and parents.
Founded in 1952 and located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, Gordon Tech has faced declining enrollment in recent years, even after opening to girls in August 2002. The proposal stems from a desire to rebrand the school after two 2011 studies revealed that limited academic offerings, an image perception issue and outdated technology and facilities were some of the reasons parents were not enrolling their students.
In response, Gordon Tech entered into an academic partnership with DePaul in 2012 that led to a new principal, enhanced curriculum and increased enrollment, according to a letter sent out to alumni. The board, which includes former Chicago Library Commissioner and current DePaul University Board of Trustees member Mary Dempsey, is proposing to honor the partnership in the new name.
Chris Ballenger, Gordon Tech class of 2005 and a storage consultant for Meridian IT, is one of the many alumni who are fighting against the name change.
“I feel they are trying to rid Gordon of its history and memories that were created during the 60 plus years of existence,” Ballenger said.
“All of my older brothers graduated and played sports for Gordon and made many long time friends and memories from there,” he added. “I personally feel it will remove my high school years from my life if I were to say 20 years from now to my children or grandchildren, ‘When I was at Gordon Tech,’ yet they would have no idea where it was or if it even existed.”
While many alumni are left upset and trying to preserve memories, others see this as an opportunity for necessary change.
“My opinion is that I could care less about a name change,” Tom Molloy, Gordon Tech alumnus and a sophomore digital cinema major at DePaul, said.
“Gordon was a dying school and DePaul will help bring it back to life,” he said. “It will always be Gordon Tech at heart, regardless of the name. People are just holding on to old memories, but change is good, and Gordon Tech needs it.”
A task force created for rebranding and research purposes held a meeting Wednesday night to hear alumni’s comments and present them with the board’s findings.
“While we heard from some alumni that they want no changes, we are also hearing from some (alumni) who believe this process is timely and have offered to help with rebranding,” Robert Karpinski, DePaul Director of Catholic School Initiatives, said.
“The rebranding of Gordon Tech has already started and renaming is just another step to consider in the process to ensure the school is making the educational needs of students and families on the North Side,” Karpinski said.
Monique Torres has a son at Gordon Tech and will be attending DePaul’s College of Law in the fall. She is also adamant about keeping the name the same.
“Changing the name will demolish the very soul of the school,” Torres said. “When I tell everyone what school my son goes to everyone looks with admiration and prestige as he attends a good school. I agree with renovating the school and upgrading the programs but not to the name change.”
For Torres, changing the name may defeat the very purpose for which it is under consideration.
“If the name change goes into effect, I will have to rethink the reason I chose Gordon for my son in the first place; most likely I would transfer him to a school that takes its identity and history with pride,” she said. “They will not only lose my son, but the rest of my five other children that are planned to attend there as well.”
While plans for the name change have not yet been determined, and a possible name has not been solidified, alumni and those invested have made their voices heard.
“I guess you could call it personal ties, but a lot of (alumni) I have chatted with feel they will not give back to a school they did not attend,” Ballenger concluded. “Therefore, the alumni body for this rebranded Gordon will be slim to none.”