Hope in the Arena

When U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Chicago Hope Academy on February 5 as part of the Department of Education’s “History Rocks!” tour, headlines outside our building focused on politics.

The timing stirred strong reactions. Immigration enforcement raids dominated Chicago news. National debates over DEI intensified. And one Connecticut school canceled its tour stop just a week earlier. 

We understood the emotions.

Within our own community, responses ranged from passionate opposition to thoughtful questioning. Others believed engagement – not avoidance – was the more powerful response. At Hope, we chose engagement.

Not because we agree with every policy and not because concerns are unfounded, but because education is strongest when students learn how to think, not what to think.

In the week leading up to the visit, the tension was real. Yet 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

That spirit marked the day. What many expected to be divisive instead became formative. 

Sophomores Emma and Naya led the Secretary through our halls with confidence. In Trades class, Ashton and Devin explained series and parallel circuits on low-voltage boards. In AP U.S. History, Donald and Lukas, our chapel band drummer and starting shortstop, respectively, welcomed her into their analysis of 20th-century progressive fundraising campaigns.

In the chapel, our Spiritual Life Club President, Jaden, opened the assembly with a prayer for our state and nation. His brother, Caleb, stood to join him in singing The Star-Spangled Banner. Afterwards, Dean Landrum led the Pledge of Allegiance, reminding students that we pledge not to a person, but to the ideals of liberty and justice for all.

As I introduced the Secretary, anticipation filled the room, and many expected controversy. Instead, Secretary McMahon thanked us for beginning with prayer, the first such moment on her 50-state tour. Instead of focusing on policy debates, she affirmed our students’ commitment to volunteering with Special Olympics. McMahon shared endearing stories of WWE wrestlers serving that community with generosity and consistency.

She threw T-shirts into the crowd with a few impressive no-look passes, and handed the mic back as we launched into the U.S. and Illinois history trivia game show.

In a school where nearly half of our students identify as Black, the visit invited reflection on the unfinished work of justice and opportunity in our nation’s story. Our commitment to Micah 6:8 remains unchanged: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

The experience was a fantastic, real-world lesson for the students, but also for me. I was reminded that civic engagement is not endorsement, hospitality is not agreement, and dialogue is not surrender. It is formation.

We are grateful for the opportunity to host a national leader. More importantly, we are proud that our students are anchored in character deeper than headlines. 

This is the kind of education your partnership makes possible.

As lawmakers consider the Educational Choice for Children Act, we remain committed to expanding access to this kind of formation, where young people engage a complex world with courage, clarity, and grace.

With gratitude from the West Side,

Ike Muzikowski

President and Principal