Cicero District 99 is saying goodbye to a legend. 

On a rainy day that felt like the sky itself was mourning, current and former staff came together one last time at Daniel Burnham Elementary School — the iconic school building on 59th Avenue and 16th Street that has stood for more than 113 years.

Built in 1911, Burnham Elementary was named after Daniel H. Burnham, the visionary behind the 1909 Plan of Chicago. For over a century, its brick walls have echoed with the voices of students from every generation of Cicero's rich history — from children of Eastern European immigrants working at the Hawthorne Works in the 1910s... to children of Hispanic heritage who proudly fill our classrooms today. 

📚 Did you know? 
• Burnham once had over 1,200 students enrolled, making it one of the largest public elementary schools in all of Illinois! 
• In 2019, the school received national honors as a Model PLC School, recognized for collaboration and student success.
• The Class of 1916 (pictured below) studied under gas lamps and chalkboards — now, today's students learn with Chromebooks and smart panels. 

As we prepare to demolish the historic structure, we're not erasing its memory — we're building on its legacy.

⭐ In its place, a brand-new, purpose-built Early Childhood Center will rise, designed to nurture our youngest learners with warmth, imagination, and room to grow. Just like Burnham did for more than a century.

So today, we remember the teachers, the students, the laughter in the hallways, and the lives that were changed inside that building.

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Burnham — you were more than a school. You were a second home, a first chance, and a lifelong memory.