Chance the Rapper Visits Community Links High School!

On Wednesday, December 5th, the Spry Community Links High School community welcomed a very special guest to the stage, Chance the Rapper. He was invited to speak to the students of Spry as part of the school’s partnership with Social Works, Chance’s philanthropic organization that has awarded the school a grant to bolster their arts programming. After motivating students in the auditorium, Chance the Rapper cut the ribbon for the New Chance Arts Media Lab. With funding from Chance the Rapper and the Social Works grant, Links was able to purchase new technology for the lab. Additionally, students from Graffiti Club used funding from the grant to design and paint the walls of the lab. Chance the Rapper was thoroughly impressed with the artistic talent displayed by the students at Links. One of the members of Graffiti Club, Yielsi Gonzalez, read a touching speech to Chance the Rapper and guests in the Media Lab which expressed gratitude for the grant. Her speech highlighted the creative and collaborative spirit of the students at Links. Yielsi received a standing ovation from the crowd. Following the lab dedication, Chance returned to the auditorium to kick off Spry’s fall Louder Than a Bomb Poetry Performance. Chance is a Louder than a Bomb Alumnus and spoke about how the program taught him how to work a stage and why it is important to be part of a supportive, artistic community. He then turned the mic over to Josue Arvizo (senior) who introduced student poets Sony Morales (freshman), Yesenia Robles (sophomore), Mari Lopez (senior), and Naiomi Contreras (sophomore). After the Links students performed, Links students were further treated by performances from Pat Frazier and Luis Carranza, resident teaching artists from Young Chicago Authors. The Links Louder Than a Bomb program is made possible through partnerships with Social Works, After School Matters, and Young Chicago Authors