COVER STORY | A BIG DEAL ON LAVERGNE AVENUE
Alesia Franklin-Allen P r i n ci p a l , G e or ge L el a n d E le m e nt a ry · CPAA G ov e rn i n g B o a r d M e m be r
AUSTIN · PRE-K–8
E very year, Chicago Public Schools names 20 principals as Game Changers… one from each school network, chosen by the network's own leadership for vision, impact, and keeping students at the center of the work. This year, one of them is Alesia Franklin-Allen, principal of George Leland Elementary in Austin since 2023. At our upcoming gala, the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA) will honor her too. So what does a game changer actually look like? At Leland, the answer shows up before the first bell… in who's walking through the door. Principal Franklin-Allen is hard to miss… often the tallest in the room, sure, but her presence is what’s big. You know
when she's in a room. But here's what's bigger still: you know she was in a room. What she leaves behind in a space somehow outgrows her stature. Take Hispanic Heritage Month. She didn't just put up a poster… she wore traditional dress, invited groups in to celebrate and share, and wove the month into the fabric of the school. This year, that means celebrating Leland's English learners and staff with a Spirit Week, a Hispanic Heritage assembly complete with a mariachi band, and a Mexican Fiesta feast. That's how she does everything. All in. For the students she serves.
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I did n ' t cha n ge t he ga m e b y mys e l f . I cha n ged i t w i t h a t ea m t ha t decided our k id s de s e rv e to be he r e , e v e ry da y , a n d t he n m ade i t wort h t hei r w hi l e .
— ALESIA FRANKLIN-ALLEN
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One Union | One Voice | One Direction • 13
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