Dr. Shaka Rawls

By Dan McGrath

That’s Doctor Rawls, if you please.

On Wednesday, March 6, Leo Principal Shaka Rawls defended “Watching the Asphalt Grow,” the dissertation he prepared to complete his doctoral degree in Urban Educational Policy from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

The topic covered the effect school closings and consolidation during Mayor  Rahm Emanuel’s administration had on the Woodlawn neighborhood of Mr. Rawls’ youth. A panel of doctorate-level UIC educators reviewed the manuscript, then questioned Mr. Rawls about the project rather pointedly while viewing a slide-show presentation he prepared to highlight his findings.

After roughly a half-hour of deliberations, the panelists summoned him back to the room and gave him a bell to ring, acknowledging their acceptance of the dissertation and his elevation to Dr. Shaka Rawks, Ed.D.

“Finally,” he said as family, friends and Leo colleagues congratulated him. And after the party adjourned to a conference room, the world-renowned Leo Choir performed a celebratory three-song set.

“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Rawls,” Leo President Dan McGrath said. “For as much time and energy and effort as he puts into our young men at Leo, it’s remarkable that he could rise to the highest level an educator can reach by completing a very demanding degree. It speaks to his commitment.”

As Dr. Rawls made his rounds at Leo on Friday morning, each classroom he entered greeted him with a standing ovation.

“This for you guys,” he told his Leo students. “I come from where you come from, I’m one of you. And if I can do something like this, so can you. Aim high and stick with it.”

UIC wasted no time putting its latest honoree to work. Dr. Rawls has accepted an invitation to be the keynote speaker at UIC’s Black Excellence Graduation Celebration on Saturday, May 4.

“You are an ideal choice to send our graduates into the world with words of celebration, encouragement and wisdom,” UIC Administrator Cynthia Blair said in extending the invitation. “You will give our seniors much-needed perspective and inspiration as they look ahead to life after graduation.”

Fred Cleveland ’19, HBCU Division 1 Player of the Year

Fred Cleveland ’19 was one of the most decorated basketball players in Leo history – All-Area, All-City, two-time All-Catholic League for a Lions team that reached the Class 2-A Supersectional – and he further distinguished himself as a collegian.

Fred’s senior season at North Carolina Central University ended with his being named winner of the Sam Jones Award as HBCU Division I Player of the Year. A first-team HBCU All-American, he will play in the HBCU All-Star Game in Phoenix over Final Four weekend. 

The Sam Jones Award is named for the late Boston Celtics great who was a five-time NBA All-Star and a 10-time NBA champion, second only to teammate Bill Russell, who won 11 titles. Sam Jones also played at North Carolina Central.

Fred, a 5-foot-9 guard, led the Eagles in scoring (15.3 points per game) and minutes (33 per game) this season. His 5.3 assists per game led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Central was 9-5 in the conference, good for second place, and 18-13 overall. The season ended with an upset loss to Norfolk State in the MEAC tournament.

Fred was a true student-athlete at Leo, graduating as the salutatorian for the Class of 2019. Younger brother Cameron, completing his sophomore year at Morehouse College, was valedictorian for the Class of ’22. The Leo family salutes the Cleveland family as they continue to make us proud. 

Jim Earner: Leo MVP

By Dan McGrath

A list of “MVP’s” who have contributed to Leo High School’s transformative  success in recent years would be a lengthy one.

Jim Earner, Vice President for Business Operations, would be near the top.

And he didn’t even go to Leo.

That’s not to say he isn’t a Leo Man as a product of a truly distinguished Leo Family.

Jim’s dad is Gene Earner ’50, known to many as “Mr. Leo” as a Hall of Famer, Man of the Year and recipient of both the Doc Driscoll and Community Service awards.

Six of Jim’s brothers are Leo grads, including Hall of Famers Dan ’82 and Brian ’93.

Jim went to Brother Rice. Hold your hisses: It was within walking distance of the family home in St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish. He was a competitive wrestler at Rice and remains involved with the sport as an official, having worked the IHSA state finals at the University of Illinois this year. He also helps oversee the Leo wrestling program. 

Jim earned an accounting degree from Northern Illinois and an MBA from St. Xavier. He and wife Cathy have three grown children and three grandchildren. 

After a long career with Pepsi, Jim hired on at the Archdiocese of Chicago, and it was our good fortune that he was assigned to help out at Leo after bookkeeper Tanya Townsend retired.

“Helping out” gradually evolved into a total overhaul of Leo’s business operations, which run so smoothly and efficiently these days that the ever-vigilant Archdiocese trusts us enough to leave us alone. 

In his rare “non-Leo time” Jim performs similar magic for Our Lady of Tepeyac High School and a number of Big Shoulders-affiliated grammar schools, including St. Sabina.

“Jim Earner … I’d be lost without him,” Leo President Dan McGrath said of a 12-year partnership. “In my newspaper days, I never met a budget I couldn’t shatter. But Jim has a way of making sure we live within our means, while at the same time providing us with the resources we need to operate a first-rate school.

“And he does it all with a pleasant, engaging, down-to-earth manner… He’s the antithesis of the cold-hearted, bottom-line-driven accountant. He’s a genuinely good guy. His contributions are immeasurable.”

And Hall of Fame-worthy.

Congratulations, Jim. And from your Leo Family, thanks for everything. 

Leo on TV Again

By Dan McGrath

On Monday, March 11, it was ABC-7’s turn to showcase Leo.

The Chicago Bears were here to honor junior Nick Armour as a Community All-Star, in recognition of his accomplishments as a student-athlete and his dedication to community service. Channel 7 was here for coverage and aired a segment on its mid-day newscasts.

An ‘A’ honor-roll student, an all-conference football player and a state-meet qualifier in both wrestling (heavyweight) and track and field (shot/discus), Nick was nominated for the award by his coaches. The Bears’ Community Relations team chose him, based on those accomplishments as well as his activities with the Boy Scouts, where he is closing in on becoming an Eagle Scout.

With Nick in a leadership role, his troop held a coat drive over the Christmas holidays and provided warm winter clothing for more than 80 needy families.

“In the time I’ve been around Nicholas, he has embodied the Leo motto of Facta non Verba–Deeds not Words,” Leo football coach Marques Stevenson said. “This is a tremendous honor, and he’s truly deserving.”

Gustavo Silva and Lenny Smith, Youth Football Initiatives coordinators for the Bears’ Community Relations team, presented Nick with a specially designed football, some Bears Wear and four tickets to next month’s Bears Draft Party, where the No. 1 overall choice will be the center of attention unless the Bears trade the pick beforehand.

Nick’s parents, Gavin and  LeShele Silas-Armour, his grandparents and several other family members were in attendance.

“I’m grateful to the Bears for the award,” Nick said, “and I’m grateful to Leo for the opportunities I’ve been given.”

Leo on TV

By Dan McGrath

If you were watching CBS-2 Chicago on Friday, Feb. 16, you may have seen Leo featured on “School Spotlight.”

Journalism instructor Bill Figel made the original contact with Channel 2. Thanks to input from news anchor Jim Williams, who has reported stories from Leo and MC’d our annual Scholarship Benefit, Leo was selected for the program. Reporters and videographers spent the entire day at Leo and recorded 10 “day in the life” segments that embraced the essence of Black History Month and aired on various newscasts.

Principal Shaka Rawls and Community Engagement Coordinator Yolanda Sandifer-Horton worked with teachers, staff and students to coordinate each segment. They included a walking tour of the facilities with Principal Rawls at dawn, coverage of a live, student-produced podcast under the direction of Journalism instructor James Jackson, and Mrs. LaDonna Hill directing the world-renowned Leo Choir.

Principal Rawls also acknowledged the work of ChiGivesBack, a nonprofit that came to Leo on Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 15) to provide painting services and mural creations.

Nearly 200 volunteers from ChiGivesBack and TLOD–Top Ladies of Distinction–spent the day at Leo, cleaning, scraping, painting and enhancing our efforts to make a 98-year-old building look good for its age, while adhering to Dr. King’s directive to be of service to others.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/school-spotlight-leo-high-school/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

Baseball Lions Start the Season Strong

By Dan McGrath

The opener on Wednesday, March 13 may well have been indicative of how the 2024 baseball season will go for Leo the Lions. Or how they hope it will go

Playing “small ball” and reasonably clean ball throughout, the Lions pushed across four runs in the top of the seventh inning and beat Public League campaigner Kennedy 6-2 at Kennedy’s Wentworth Park field. 

“That’s got to be our formula – pitching and defense and scratch out runs,” Coach Mike Anderson said. “We don’t have a lot of big hitters, so we’ll have to create scoring opportunities and take advantage.”

Leo’s 2023 squad that claimed a Class 2-A regional title and a win over Catholic League champion Brother Rice featured seven seniors: shortstop Joaquin Huerta, center fielder Mitchell Hall,  three-year starters Matthew Hernandez and Esai Jacinto and two-year mainstays Nate Sims, Kyrent Cole and Amare Hall.

This year’s team has one senior, first baseman Clyde Akins. But most of the sophomores and juniors who will fill out the roster have grown up playing baseball, unlike in past seasons, when Anderson and his staff were trying to teach the basics of the game at the high-school level while competing in the always-tough Catholic League.

Sophomore Derrick Davis will anchor the pitching staff along with junior Aiden Lott, who was needed behind the plate for the opener. So Davis got the start and worked five strong innings, allowing only an unearned run while striking out six.

Lott also was nicked for an unearned run pitching the sixth and seventh. Shortstop Ian Dunn moved behind the plate to catch him, with Davis taking over at short. Such roster maneuverability will be an asset as the season progresses.

Leo took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on sophomore Devin Vassel’s double, Lott’s single and Akins’ two-run double to deep right field.

Two walks, an error and a wild pitch produced a game-tying unearned run for Kennedy in the bottom of the sixth, and then “small ball” was the story of Leo’s four-run seventh.

Three walks loaded the bases, and Lott’s high-bounding infield single scored two when Kennedy’s infielders had trouble corralling the ball. Vassel then scored on a throwing error, and Lott steamed around from second with the final run on a routine grounder to third base,

“It’s always nice to get a ‘W,’ but it’s especially sweet on Opening Day,” Anderson said.

The Lions will try to make it two in a row in a nonconference game against  Christ the King at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at Columbus Park, 500 S. Central, Chicago. 

Lions Are Regional Champs!

By Dan McGrath

Regional champs—has a nice ring to it, does it not?

It surely does for the Leo basketball team.

After 18 months as inadvertent victims of unfortunate turmoil, the Lions can point to a Class 2-A Regional title as a sign of undeniable progress, earning the plaque Friday night with a 45-39 victory over host Julian in the championship game of the Julian Regional.

It’s on to the Corliss Sectional for Leo (13-19) and a first-round matchup with Phillips (20-9) on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. Hansberry (19-11) and Dyett (14-11) are the other Corliss Sectional participants.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Coach Jimalle Ridley said. “We probably made it a little harder than it needed to be, but we stuck with it, we competed, and everybody who had a role to play played it.”

For a time the Leo made it look easy—an active halfcourt trap bothered the Jaguars into 12 first-half turnovers as the Lions led 17-6 after a quarter and 27-8 with three minutes left in the half.

But nothing comes easy for a team with four freshmen in its rotation and nary a senior on its roster. All of a sudden the Lions got tentative and uncertain with the ball and forgot how to rebound, enabling Julian to close the half on a 9-0 run for 27-17 at the intermission.

Leo seemed unnerved by the swarming, pick-a-man-and-harass-him defensive tactics the Jaguars employed in the third quarter—they forced six Leo turnovers, outscored the Lions 15-5 and pulled even at 32-all on Orlando Morris’ buzzer-beating three-pointer.

But Leo regained its equilibrium by attacking the basket as the fourth quarter opened. Stephen Barze powered his way to two layups and the Lions made five of six free throws during a 9-0 run that gave them some breathing room. The feisty Jaguars (23-6) kept coming, but they lacked the firepower to erase the deficit once the Lions determined to take better care of the ball while playing an effective delay game. 

Thirty-two of Leo’s 45 points came from freshmen as Nate Stephens delivered a monster game with 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Barze, a junior,  collected six of his eight points in the fourth quarter and helped control things underneath with five rebounds. 

Julian got 13 points from guard Cyrus Jones. Twenty turnovers proved to be the Jaguars’ undoing.

Phillips will be a handful, having won the King Regional after finishing fourth in the Public League’s uber-competitive Red South Central against the likes of Curie, Kenwood and Simeon. Hansberry, the top seed in the sectional, won the South Shore Regional, while Dyett prevailed at Dunbar.

“We’ll be ready,” Ridley vowed. “It’s an honor to still be playing this time of year, and we want to keep playing.”

Leo Youth Roars to IHSA Win As March Madness Begins

by Bill Figel

Leo’s young varsity players cleared their first hurdle in IHSA 2-A division competition Wednesday night at Julian High School beating Longwood 35-34 in a tense game decided as the final shot clanged off the backboard and rim. 

Leo never trailed in its first regional game and ran its record to 12-19 on the season. 

In a game of spurts and breakdowns, the Lions coughed up the ball and leads of 14-2 at the end of the first quarter and 17-10 at half.

Led by Kalvin Leonard’s 23 points, Longwood got within one – and the final scoring – with 20 seconds left on Leonard’s 35-foot wide-open wing jumper. After Longwood got the ball back with 11 seconds left, Leo doubled up on Leonard who was looking for the same magic as time expired but his shot hit hard off glass and rim in that order.

Junior forward Neil Anderson led the Lions with 11 points while working the post and the offensive glass. Ramone Little chipped in eight points.

Freshman point guard Brandon Gandy may have saved the day and helped the Lions advance in a game in which they were not at their best.

With the score 29-24 and Longwood beginning to believe, Gandy entered the game to start the fourth quarter. The slender 6-1 shooter nailed a three to break a tie at 24, forced two turnovers, fed Anderson on two open-floor breakaways and pump faked a jumper leading to his own baseline layup to give Leo a 35-29 lead and finish Leo’s scoring for the night with 4:35 to play. 

Grandy finished with five points, two steals and three assists in half a frame of action.

Leo’s defensive schemes worked early and late, both its man-to-man coverage and an impressive half-court trap with its “bigs up front” to cause havoc. In all Leo forced six Longwood turnovers in the first half and 10 in the second half.

Leo entered the IHSA 2-A division as a No. 2 seed at the Julian Regional Wednesday and will face host Julian (23-5, the No. 3 seed) that beat No. 5 seed Butler College Prep (13-16).

Leo and Julian tip off at 7:00 Friday, with the victor taking the regional title and earning a berth in the Corliss Sectional.

Hansberry (16-10), competing in the South Shore Regional, is the No. 1 seed in the Corliss Sectional that begins next week.

Julian is located at 10330 South Elizabeth Street, just east of Vincennes Avenue. There is plenty of parking in front of the building and west of the building.

Leo Youth To Be Tested Again As IHSA, March Madness Get Underway

By Bill Figel

The ups and downs of any regular season define the character of a team heading into playoff competition. 

Leo finished its regular season 11-19 and 1-6 in Catholic League play. During the toughest stretch run in Catholic League play, the Lions’ flirtation with a .500 record proved a slippery slope. 

But now a fresh start begins with records in the wake while the threat of single elimination looms large as a season finale. 

Leo enters the IHSA 2A division as a No. 2 seed at the Julian Regional Wednesday at 6 p.m. versus No. 6 seed Longwood. 

Julian is located at 10330 South Elizabeth Street, just east of Vincennes Avenue. 

Leo’s biggest believer is the man in charge – Coach Jamille Ridley – who values the “ups” in the season while viewing the “downs” as a kind of science experiment with results, not failures. 

“This is a great collection of young men who have developed over time, and they’re getting better,” said Ridley. “To be a basketball player at a place like Leo High School – that is an historic basketball program and has a history and tradition of taking young men where they are and pushing them – is a great experience.” 

Two recent barometers give Leo faithful reason to believe the young Lions will continue to make significant strides, reverse the turnover-to-assist ratio that has plagued them and win the regional at hand. 

First, the Leo’s underclassmen who make up the bulk of the varsity roster went 2-1 in Saturday’s Catholic League sophomore tournament with victories over DePaul Prep and host DeLaSalle before losing in the championship to Loyola Academy. 

Brian Kizer, Nate Stephens, Karon Shavers and Brandon Gandy “were amazing” in the one-day tournament, according to Ridley. 

“This is really the foundation of our program going forward,” said Ridley. 

Second, the Chicago Sun-Times listed Oak Lawn as one of the top 12, “most dangerous” teams in the 4A bracket. 

The Leo Lions gave Oak Lawn – winners of 11 of its last 13 – all it could muster two weeks ago in the Evergreen Park Hoops Invitational before succumbing to the bigger, upper classmen Spartans 68-61. 

Junior point guard Marlo Moore proved a solid a floor leader and three-point threat in that contest while helping the Lions keep it close, especially in the first half. Moore’s leadership will be counted on Wednesday along with Stephen Barze, an effective and proven scorer. 

Host Julian (21-5), the No. 3 seed, will face No. 5 seed Butler College Prep (13-15) at 7:30, with the winners meeting for the regional title and a berth in the Corliss Sectional on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. 

Hansberry (16-10), competing in the South Shore Regional, is the No. 1 seed in the Corliss Sectional.

Leo Falls to St. Ignatius on the Wolfpack’s Senior Night

By Bill Figel Leo and St. Ignatius – both in the highly competitive Catholic League Blue – faced off Friday night with the home team beating the Lions 72-43 on Senior Night, which served as another reminder of how young Leo is with only one senior. Leo finished its regular season 11-18 and 1-6 in Catholic League play. While the young Lions have made significant strides this season, turnovers continued to plague them. A heads up 30-footer by Marlo Moore sparked the Lions to close the first quarter down 16-11. As St. Ignatius saluted its seniors with generous playing minutes for some non-starters, Leo was able to keep the contest close, trailing 18-16 early in the second quarter. Enter the regulars, who smacked Leo with a 24-6 run for a 42-22 lead at half, along with a tutorial on crisp passing, limited dribbling and interior strength. The home team had three players in double figures, led by Reggie Ray’s 13. Stephen Barze led the way for Leo early with eight points and Kam’ron Dove decorated the scorebook with three 3’s in the final frame for a team-high nine points. The good news is the Lions’ season starts fresh on Wednesday, February 21, after some home court practices to prepare for the spacious gym at Julian, where the Lions have had success and could win a regional with the lessons learned this season. Leo enters the IHSA 2A division as a No. 2 seed at the Corliss Sectional at 6 p.m. versus the winner of the play-in game between No. 8 seed Harlan and No. 6 seed Longwood. Julian is located at 10330 South Elizabeth Street, just east of Vincennes Avenue. Host Julian (21-5), the No. 3 seed, will face No. 5 seed Butler  College Prep (13-15) at 7:30, with the winners meeting for the regional title and a berth in the Corliss Sectional on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. Hansberry (16-10), competing in the South Shore Regional, is the No. 1 seed in the Corliss Sectional.