6/03/2015
Mayor Emanuel joined their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands today to take part in a tour of Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy with Principal D’Andre Weaver. The tour with the Royal Couple comes on the heels of Brooks College Prep recently being ranked as the 16th best high school in Illinois by U.S. News and World Report.
“I want to thank the King and Queen of the Netherlands for coming to Chicago, but also for making Gwendolyn Brooks a must-see stop on their tour,” said Mayor Emanuel. “During their visit, the King and Queen saw two reasons why Chicago’s future has never been brighter: the potential of our children and the revitalization taking place in our neighborhoods like Pullman. I look forward to strengthening our ties to build a common future for our residents.”
The tour was led by Student Ambassadors of Gwendolyn Brooks, and included a spoken word performance, a history game with noted Chicago historian Dr. Timuel Black, and concluded with a community gathering in the learning garden with students as well as Pullman community and business leaders.
The school visit was part of a trip to celebrate Holland’s liberation in World War II. The area where Gwendolyn Brooks Prep sits was first settled by Dutch Farmers. As part of their visit to Chicago, the King and Queen also gifted the City of Chicago 60,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands that will arrive in October.
While in Chicago, the Royal Couple attended a business dinner hosted by World Business Chicago and Mayor Emanuel, attended an Electronic Dance Music concert at Pritzker Pavilion, visited Lurie Rehabilitation Center, and toured Gotham Greens. The visit of the Royal Couple is being accompanied by an economic delegation and an urban agricultural delegation. Before coming to Chicago, the King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands visited Canada, met with President Obama in Washington, D.C. and visited Grand Rapids, MI.
