Paige Hosbein   Latin students come from 17 different suburbs and from 75 of the 77 different neighborhoods in Chicago. To put it in perspective, you will find at least one Latin student in every Chicago neighborhood except for two.  These statistics are no surprise given what an amazing education Latin provides, causing it to attract people from all over the city.   While some students have a 30-second commute, it takes others over an hour to get to school. Lia and Isaac Kim are able to roll out of bed and stroll across the street.  Their house is close enough to throw a baseball from school into their window.  On the other hand, David and Ben Hafner drive forty minutes from Oak Park or take an hour train ride, just to get to school.  Public transportation is a huge part of everyday life of students and faculty alike. Latin is conveniently located close to the Division and Clark train station and the 36, 72, and 22 buses are just across the street.  Ruby Limanowski, a junior, said, “I ride the 22 and 36 buses to school and it connects me to the greater Chicago community.” Latin opens at 6:00 a.m and remains open until 9:00 p.m, allowing students to be dropped off early at school and stay late in the day to study or work on extracurriculars.  These flexible hours permit yearbook club meetings until 8:00 at night and athletes to arrive at school after a long golf match or early in the morning before a far-away cross country meet. This is especially important to students that are dependant on public transportation or the parent’s work schedule. Overall, Latin’s exceptional learning environment attracts people from countless places and family backgrounds.  Students from different areas provide diversity and add a richness to the school experience for everyone.   The neighborhoods in Chicago each have a different culture, sometimes a different language as well, which helps shape the identity of the citizens which reside in it.  Latin is a shared part of our identity which makes our community function.  When we have students from different areas, our discussions have more perspectives and our student body is richer in culture and pride from where we come from. ]]>