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At School Principal Rita Ortiz’s direction, the Dever Color Guard opened the ceremonies with presentation of the colors for the pledge of allegiance and “The Star Spangled Banner.” The Dever Band entertained, and then the Dever Chorus appeared with a banner they made themselves, reading “Thank you. We can hear our music now!” They sang “America the Beautiful.”
One had the feeling that speakers waiting their turn knew they had been upstaged. This was a program for the children, including Dever’s entire seventh and eighth grade classes, who filled the auditorium.
The speakers wisely played to the audience. Chicago Airport System Commissioner Nuria I. Fernandez thanked the students and the school for “the patience and understanding that allowed this wonderful achievement.” No hint of the sound of a passing airplane was audible in the Dever auditorium, though the school is near Addison and Harlem, close to one of the main flight paths for planes landing at O’Hare.
The Chief Administrative Officer of Chicago Public Schools, Hill Hammock, remembered growing up at the end of an Atlanta, Georgia airport runway with no sound insulation. He could appreciate from personal experience what the Dever achievement meant for the children, as he also thanked the teachers, adding, “I can see that there’s a lot of music at Dever School, and now we can hear it more clearly.”
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Rita Athas, brought the Mayor’s message, marking “an important milestone in this critical program for our young people.”
A Dever sixth grade student, Michael Kennedy, delivered perhaps the most moving tribute to the sound insulation accomplishment: “You need to pay attention in order to succeed. We are a very lucky school because we have something that helps us keep our concentration—soundproofing. It creates a space that is like a different world….It is much easier to work when there aren’t any disturbances.”
ONCC Vice Chair and Chair of the School Sound Insulation Committee Dr. Raymond J. Kuper, Superintendent of Union Ridge School District 86, shared his personal experience with sound insulation, as he commended the Committee for its dedication and the students and teachers for their patience.
ONCC Chair and Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene J. Mulder made sure no one was forgotten. She thanked Mayor Daley for his “tremendous vision, leadership and imagination.” She told Dr. Kuper the Commission could not have insulated more than 100 schools without the hard work and support of many school officials. She thanked Commissioner Fernandez and the Chicago Airport System, the Chicago Public Schools beginning with Superintendent Arne Duncan, the airline industry personnel in attendance, and all the members of the ONCC, especially the eight who attended.
Mayor Mulder noted that over $285 million has been spent on school sound insulation, and it has improved the learning environment for thousands of Chicago area school children. She suggested that students look at the ONCC’s work as an example of the value of “cooperation without confrontation” and reminded them that it “does take a lot of people to make positive change. By stressing compatibility and cooperation, our efforts will continue to result in aircraft noise reduction for all of O’Hare’s neighbors.”
Mayor Mulder presented plaques of appreciation to Mrs. Ortiz and Dever School and three individuals who have made a difference in the success of the School Sound Insulation Program: Robert Kichura, a former manager for the Chicago Department of Aviation, Tom Salaman, a former FAA official responsible for school sound insulation, and Lindsay Butler, who currently supervises the FAA’s Chicago region school sound insulation programs.
“Sound insulation makes a huge difference in avoiding interruptions and allowing students to maintain concentration for learning,” said Dever School Principal Ortiz. Built in 1935, Dever School now enrolls 820 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
“Before we had sound insulation, we’d have to close all the windows, so students could hear their teachers,” Mrs. Ortiz said. Now the school has specially insulated doors and windows and air conditioning, so that windows may be kept closed on hot days.
The O’Hare Sound Insulation Program started in 1982 and has now sound-insulated 114 schools, with one school in the construction phase of the program. The program is operated and funded with monies from the City of Chicago and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Funding sources include the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), the Passenger Facilities Charge (PFC) and non-passenger facility charges. The ONCC’s School Sound Insulation Committee oversees the program.
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