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An alternative high school for students with special needs, associated with the Catholic Maryville organization, has opened in Niles after moving from Des Plaines.

Students from Maryville’s Jen School in Des Plaines recently began attending Charles H. Walsh Sr. Academy & Career Tech High School, where a ribbon cutting was held Dec. 18. Maryville purchased the building, the former Niles Elementary South School on Touhy Avenue, from Niles Elementary School District 71 for $2.5 million, according to Maryville officials.

Principal Ann Craig said Jen School would remain the property of Maryville’s larger organization and would be used for other programs.

Bishop Mark Bartosic (right) and Deacon Paul Stanton (left) bless the halls and career and technical education classrooms at Walsh Academy in Niles on Dec. 18. The school opened its doors to new students from Maryville Academy after Thanksgiving break.
Bishop Mark Bartosic (right) and Deacon Paul Stanton (left) bless the halls and career and technical education classrooms at Walsh Academy in Niles on Dec. 18. The school opened its doors to new students from Maryville Academy after Thanksgiving break.

Thirty-five students between the ages of 14 and 22 attended Jen, and all of its students face some sort of academic, emotional, behavioral or intellectual challenges, according to Valeria Lazu, communications coordinator. Students over 18 attend school to be ready for the work environment in cases where their real age does not match their mental age, she said.

According to a news release from Maryville, Walsh has nearly twice the space as Jen School, with 56,000 square feet. Walsh will have 12 classrooms meant for academic classes and eight for vocational learning, said Craig. She added that Jen had eight classrooms that served dual functions for academic and vocational classes.

Walsh’s current vocational classes focus on carpentry, small engines, bike repairs, screen printing, health careers, video podcasting, computer technologies and culinary arts. The school is interested in adding more classes for welding, plumbing, HVAC, electric and agriculture, said Craig.

The first floor of Walsh Academy will be mostly used for career and technical education, said P.E. and Health teacher Michael Kelly. Classes such as screen printing, podcasting, culinary arts and computer technologies are already available to students at Walsh Academy, said Principal Ann Craig
The first floor of Walsh Academy will be mostly used for career and technical education, said P.E. and Health teacher Michael Kelly. Classes such as screen printing, podcasting, culinary arts and computer technologies are already available to students at Walsh Academy, said Principal Ann Craig

According to Craig, Walsh has capacity for up to 120 students to attend at any given time. She said the Illinois State Board of Education set a limit of 10 students per class at Walsh.

Craig said students can enroll and start at any time throughout the year at Walsh and that the tuition rate is determined on a case-by-case basis, according to guidelines set by the Illinois Purchase Care Review Board. “The rates are based on the allowable cost related to direct educational services provided by us to our students,” she said.

Maryville, based in Des Plaines, is a nonprofit child-care organization based in Catholic social teaching, according to a news release. It offers housing, health care, family services, and educational services in Chicago, Berwyn, Bartlett, Des Plaines, and Niles.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story contained an inaccurate name for the school. The Niles Herald-Spectator regrets the error.