LGHS Settles Into Their “Home Away from Home”

With great excitement and anticipation, Lubavitch Girls High School of Chicago has unveiled its brand-new Student Center and Dorm building, igniting a wave of enthusiasm among students, faculty, and the wider community.

Lubavitch Girls High School (LGHS) is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking milestone in its journey of educational excellence! With great excitement and anticipation, LGHS has unveiled its brand-new Student Center & Dorm building, igniting a wave of enthusiasm among students, faculty, and the wider community.

Picture this: a dynamic space designed to be nothing short of a “home away from home” for our student body, both local and non local. Located just across the street from the main school building, the facility is not just a dormitory; it’s a vibrant place of student life and engagement.

Upstairs are apartments for the students, complete with their own kitchenette and laundry. But that’s not all – our dorm counselors also enjoy their own apartment, set up with their own laundry and kitchenette, and equipped with cozy lounges for the dorm counselors and the students to unwind after a busy day of learning and growing. Mrs. Faigy Schechter, lead dorm mother, passionately shares how this innovative design has revolutionized the dorm experience for both dormies and dorm counselors , providing a perfect balance of privacy and proximity and creating a sense of family.

Now, let’s descend to the ground floor, where the heart of our school truly comes alive! Imagine stepping into a buzzing hub of activity, where a lounge with their teenage vibe, and communal spaces pulse with energy and possibility. Mrs. Dena Walters, dorm mother, excitedly describes the many amenities: fully stocked commercial kitchens for students to make their own food or to cook for events, a library for games and reading, a dedicated homework room equipped with Chromebooks and Seforim, and even an exercise room in the works! It’s a space where learning meets leisure, where friendships are forged, and where students have fun.

But it doesn’t stop there: our Student Center isn’t just for LGHS students, it’s also used for community outreach. With expanded Bnos Chabad activities and innovative programs like “Study Buddies,” which pairs LGHS students with eager learners from Cheder Lubavitch Hebrew Day School, the center is a hub of connection and learning. Mushka Moscowitz, Bnos Chabad Leader at Cheder, enthusiastically shared, “the Cheder girls wait all week for Study Buddies when they get to connect and learn with their LGHS buddy!”

Mrs. Sara Wineberg, the principal shares , the student center open to both in-town and out of town students has become a unifying force, fostering a sense of belonging among all students. It serves as a hub where friendships are forged, ideas are exchanged, and lasting memories are created, enriching the school culture in an incredible and meaningful way.

Rabbi Baruch Hertz, dean would like to thank the many donors who made this project possible.  Special mention to Gideon Gratsiani, an LGHS parent who helped us find the building.  Rabbi Hertz commented that the beautiful layout of the building was done by architect Chaim Emanuel.  Chaim’s mother Mrs. Devorah Emanuel has also put her heart and soul into the school as the dedicated bookkeeper for 20 years.  

Rabbi Shua Greenspan, administrator thanks alumni of LGHS Mrs. Chani Zalmanov and Mrs. Chaya Pinson for their incredible help with interior design. Drawing upon their own experiences as former students, Zalmanov and Pinson approached the interior design process with a keen understanding of current students’ needs, resulting in spaces that blend comfort and functionality.

As LGHS settles into the space, they are already working on the next project, a new 30k square feet school building set to be complete mid next school year.