Providence St. Mel School


Providence St. Mel School is a private, coeducational preschool – grade 12 school in East Garfield Park, Chicago, Illinois.

History

The school was created in 1969 with the merger of two schools, Providence High School and St. Mel High School. In 1978 the Archdiocese of Chicago decided to close it. The principal, Paul J. Adams III, and administrators of the school chose instead to operate it as an independent school, after the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, owners of the school building, agreed to sell it to them for a low price.
In 1982 and 1983, President Ronald Reagan visited the school. In 1993, Oprah Winfrey donated $1,000,000.
The October 2006 issue of Chicago magazine ranked Providence St. Mel as one of the most outstanding elementary schools in the metropolitan area. The school earned a place on the magazine's "A+ Team", the list of select 115 public and 25 private elementary and middle schools.

Alumni