The
Order of Saint Augustine purchased the buildings of the former Pullman Free School of Manual Training in the fall of 1950. Gregory Mendel Catholic High School was established in September 1951 in the Pullman School's former buildings. It started with a freshman class of 360 students. The school was named for
Gregor Mendel, an
Augustinian priest and father of modern
genetics. Construction on a gym, chapel, and monastery began in March 1953. By the beginning of the 19531954 school year, 900 students were enrolled with 127 on the waiting list. In 1967, Black students threatened a walkout of the school to protest racial slurs, lack of Black representation in the student senate, and lack of Black history in the school's curriculum. The walkout was called off after discussion with Fr.
George Clements, an
African-American priest of a nearby St. Dorothy's Parish. Robert Prevostthe future
Pope Leo XIVoccasionally taught math part-time at the school during his time at
Catholic Theological Union. His mother, Millie, worked as a librarian. His older brothers attended the school. In 1975, the school began to host weekly
house dances, averaging around 1,000 students in attendance. As the school began to suffer from declining enrollment due to
white flight, the dances generated $15 million in revenue for the school. At the end of the 1988 school year, Mendel consolidated with Unity Catholic High School and Willibrord Catholic High School to form St. Martin dePorres High School. The combined school continued to operate on the Mendel campus until its closing in 1997.
Closure and future The
Archdiocese of Chicago sold the school to
Chicago Public Schools for $2.8 million which changed its name to
Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy in 2001. ==Notable alumni==