The saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” finds a home in the new vocational school in Niles
Last week, a truckload of donated bikes arrived at Charles H. Walsh Sr. Academy & Career Tech High School in Niles.
Courtesy of Joel Gonzales Diaz of Walsh Academy
A recent lightbulb moment for Charlie Walsh Jr. of Walsh Partners in Elmhurst led him to drop off a truckload of abandoned bicycles at Charles H. Walsh Sr. Academy & Career Tech High School in Niles. The bikes were left behind by former residents of his Elmhurst condominium.
The school, called Walsh Academy for short, is named after Walsh’s father, Charles H. Walsh Sr., and opened in Niles after Thanksgiving last year. Walsh Jr. was present at the groundbreaking ceremony in November 2022 and the opening ceremony in December last year.
Walsh Academy is the first school in Illinois, and perhaps the nation, to prepare students with learning disabilities to enter in-demand, well-paying skilled trades or graduate school. The new space offers twelve academic and eight professional classrooms.
In addition to their high school education, students have access to a state-of-the-art cooking laboratory, an on-site media studio, a technology laboratory, rooms for carpentry, construction, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and small engines, a new garden and a greenhouse.
In the future, bicycle repair will also be added as part of technical vocational training.
“When I found the abandoned bikes, I immediately thought of Walsh Academy,” said Walsh Jr. “It was a light-bulb moment for me and given what I saw when the school opened, the students are going to have a great one “Have the opportunity to learn how to repair bicycles. “There’s a lot to repair,” he added.
“What’s even more exciting to me about this donation is that it brings back a fond memory of a story my father told when he was a child in Maryville,” Walsh Jr. shared. “It turned out that my dad and his brother Leo were the only two kids who actually had a bike in Maryville. For this reason, his entrepreneurial spirit began at a young age, in the late 30s and early 40s, when he charged his classmates and other children at school a few pennies to ride his bike “around the yard.” So I thought, what a fitting tribute to this incredible story in memory of my father. I think sometimes life comes full circle.”
Walsh Academy Principal Ann Craig thanked Walsh Jr. for thinking about the students and donating the bikes. “What a great opportunity for our students,” Craig said. “I can’t wait to see our students take these bikes apart, develop understanding, and apply the knowledge they gain in real life.”
The school operated as the Jen School in Des Plaines for 16 years. In 2023 the name, location and curriculum were changed. The school has also received the School of Excellence Award from the National Association of Special Education Teachers ten times.
To learn how you can support Walsh Academy, contact Ann Craig at CraigA@walshacademy.org or visit www.walshacademy.org.
