Chicago Seventh-day Adventist Christian School, formerly Shiloh Junior Academy, celebrated its 111th anniversary during its annual alumni weekend on August 30-31, 2024, under the theme “We are Family. Always Bonded, Always Linked, in Christ.”
With representatives from over 30 states, this year's event welcomed more than 500 attendees to the worship service, including a 94-year-old alumna and a family from the Pacific Northwest, who traveled the farthest distance. "We are not just a school, we are a legacy," said Anne Anobian, alumni association president.
The weekend’s featured speaker, Jerome Hurst of the Allegheny West Conference, who emphasized the school's far-reaching influence, sharing that his wife and many of his friends were from Chicago. “The impact of this school has circled the globe," Hurst remarked, commending the efforts to revive the school’s mission. Special musical guest, Grammy and Dove award-winning Pastor Smokie Norful, also participated, making a significant donation in support of the school’s mission.
Founded in 1905 by the historic Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church, the school began in 1913 as a response to the needs of Chicago’s South Side community. It grew to become a premier educational institution with an enrollment peak of 417 students in grades K-8, alongside an early learning center. The church, one of the largest Adventist congregations in North America at the time, purchased the property at 7000 and 7020 in the 1940s and opened its current worship facility in 1969.
The Chicago Seventh-day Adventist Christian School, as it is known today, continues to serve under the leadership of newly appointed principal, Gene Miller Wade. Addressing the alumni, Wade called for support, saying, “God has called our school to be a light, and we need everyone’s prayers, donations, and encouragement. We will not fail because God will not fail us.”
Efforts to revitalize the school began in earnest in 2022 when John T. Boston, II, pastor of the Shiloh Church, launched a need-based scholarship program, which more than doubled enrollment from 21 to 44 students. This interrupted a years-in-the-making downward trend. Boston, now the school board chairperson, emphasized the school’s critical role: “Schools grow churches in the urban context, and we have to make that a priority. Our schools in Chicagoland present us with an incredible opportunity to fight against the enemy’s attack on the minds and hearts of the children in this great city.”
The City of Chicago has also recognized the school's contribution, with a special citation presented by the mayor and city council in 2023, acknowledging the "profound impact" the school has made in transforming lives. Alderman William Hall of the 6th Ward praised the school's work, and David Graham, a member of Shiloh’s finance committee, affirmed the ongoing commitment to the mission: “We have done so much for so long, but we cannot slow down or give up yet.”
As the school continues to grow and seek God’s guidance, the alumni weekend served as a powerful reminder of the legacy Chicago SDA Christian School represents—a beacon of hope, education, and faith for the community.
A.B. Anobian is president of the Chicago SDA Christian School alumni association.
By Herman Clayton, Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church historian
In 1913, Wilber O. Forde, then pastor of the three-year-old “colored” church in the Chicago conference, the local conference before the advent of the Lake Region Conference in 1944, saw the dream of a church school for “his boys and girls” become a reality.
A former schoolteacher in Barbados, West Indies, Forde habitually gave the highest priority to the establishment of church schools. When he first came to Chicago, he was preoccupied with tent efforts and evangelistic activities to increase the size of the tiny congregation of 19, so the goal of a church school was delayed.
Forde moved his miniscule congregation from their make-shift store front quarters to a brand-new structure on 48th Street and Dearborn. He also increased the congregation to nearly 100 and was now able to set aside space in the basement of the new building to provide a Christian education for “my children.” These children numbered 20, ranging in ages from six to 14. They were conveniently fitted into grades one to six and all in the same room.
Fortunately, a professionally trained teacher was available to undertake the job of teaching this disparate group. This teacher, Marie Asey, received a two-year certification from Emmanuel Missionary College, now Andrews University. During this time, elementary grade schoolteachers were granted bona- fide certificates to teach after successfully completing a two-year course. This practice continued until the late 1940’s.
Ms. Asey bravely faced her charges with three worn blackboards, used desks obtained from the Chicago Board of Education, a world globe donated by a church member; wall maps presented as gifts by the publishers of Literary Digest for promised subscriptions. The frayed books they used consisted mostly of handouts from benevolent members of the church and obsolete editions of readers or geography books from the book depository of the Chicago Board of Education.
It would seem that with all these issues, the success of the fledging school was in question, but the faith as well as the willingness of its backers to work and to sacrifice was great.
The teacher assigned copious amounts of homework, requiring the pupils to do considerable modern research and to buttress her efforts the pastor had the parents return at night to the school where he and his Bible Instructor, Mary Graham, taught adult education courses. He taught English, Bible and denominational history, Mrs. Graham, a R.N., taught health and hygiene. The extra-curricular activities, coupled with the patience and special efforts of the dedicated Ms. Asey, assured the success of the school.
It appears that Ms. Asey carried on until 1918. At that time, the cramped space forced the church to seek larger quarters to alleviate this condition. A church building on Prairie Avenue near 43rd Street was obtained. Two rooms in the rear of this one-story edifice were set aside for the growing school.
Two new teachers were hired, Nellie Jordan and Eli Lane. It is assumed that Mr. Lane was named the principal (actually the first one) since the Chicago Conference records of 1918 enter his name as being in charge of the “Dearborn School” as it was called at that time.
A third teacher, Violet Hall, was added about 1920. Her addition to the staff reflected the growth of the church from 1918 to 1921. It was during this time that the first pastor, Elder Forde was transferred to another field to resume his well know cycle of church and school building. He left the Prairie Avenue Church with a membership of 300, a large congregation for the times.
Two new pastors came in 1921, M. G. Nunez for about 11 months and then G. E. Peters who remained the pastor until 1929. In a rather short time, the membership of the church ballooned to about 450 and the church’s seating capacity was only 400. A larger facility was needed and a building that would seat 800 was built on the corner of 46th and St. Lawrence Avenue. Five rooms in the basement were reserved for the school which for the first time was called Shiloh School.
The new principal and the first to have a B.A. degree was Lula Derrick. Mrs. Derrick was fondly remembered by such ministers as R. T. Hudson and Harold A. Lindsey (both deceased). They described her as a very strict disciplinarian and a staunch devotee of the fundamentals of education. Mrs. Derrick’s tenure was from 1922 to 1931.
About 1932, George Murphy was appointed principal. He pursued a program similar to Mrs. Derrick’s. However, whereas she promoted drama as a vehicle for public social development, he emphasized music for the same purpose.
Under Mr. Murphy, a prized goal of the church and school administration was realized. The school which progressively had added grades 10 and 11 was granted Academy status. This was realized in 1933. Mr. Murphy’s tenure extended to 1936.
Arna Bontemps had been a professor of English and Literature at the then Oakwood Jr. College. He also was the author of several historical novels and books of poetry on the Negro’s virtue and trials. Since his forte was the language arts, it is understandable that he would stress language arts. Students were now busy diagramming sentences, composing essays, writing poetry and participating in oratorical contests. He sponsored a series of oratorical contests involving principally the states bordering the Great Lakes. Some of the winners of these contests were Harold Lindsey, Leon Cox and Samuel D. Meyers, all of whom later served as pastors of Shiloh.
Bontemps was followed in 1938 by Fitzgerald Jenkins, who headed the school until 1939 and he restored the school to a more conventional regime.
During 1939, J. Baugh Pearson, formerly an instructor at Oakwood Jr. College was appointed principal. She served until 1942.
During the period from 1942-1949, three men, Phillip Giddings, Murray Harvey and Gaines Partridge served and provided good educational leadership during this period of educational conflict. The early part of these years was further complicated by the United States involvement in World War II.
The next year, 1945, the school had to move a third time because of space limitation. The school moved to a remodeled old mansion located on Lake Park Avenue at 39th Street. The school was housed there until 1952 at which time it moved into the Parish Hall complex of the church structure that was purchased at 7000 South Michigan Avenue.
Three strong women principals held the fort during the period between 1949 and 1954. They were Christine Thompson, Dorothy McClellan and Ida Johnson. Mrs. Thompson, a throwback to the strict disciplinarian orientation of the Derrick period emphasized self-reliance and self-control. Hers was a structured, orderly school. Mrs. Johnson was in the same mold, she stood steadfast against the worldly cry for permissiveness and curricular experimentation.
From 1954 to 1962 the school operated in the same manner as the previous women served as principals. They were Charles Gray and Howard T. McHenry. Both were traditionalists and strong disciplinarians.
In 1962, Elder Samuel Meyers returned to Shiloh as pastor. During his seven-year term, two principals presided over the school. The first one was William H. Brown, Jr., whose easy demeanor and conventional approach to educational administration maintained the status quo. The second was Christine Thompson who was brought back a second time as Mr. Brown was departing. She again ran the proverbial tight-ship and upon retiring turned over the helm to Reginald Barnes a well-functioning school.
Reginald Barnes was elevated to the office of superintendent of Education for the Lake Region Conference. He was succeeded by the following principals: Theresa Cunningham, H.T. McHenry, Ivan Van Lange, Catherine Watkins, Carolyn Palmer, Judith Bernard Fisher, Benjamin Furman, Phillip Giddings, Jr., Glenn Timmons, Edwin Davis, Edward Woods, Jr., Donaldson Williams and Betty Scott, Marie Smith, Fabiola Andre, Terrilyn Jemison, Gene Miller-Wade (current 2024-25).
Shiloh/Chicago Academy has a great history and hoping for an even brighter future!
