Rufus M Hitch Elementary School

To be honest, my experience with Hitch is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, I love that some of the teachers actually try to build wellness into the day—my kid has mentioned doing yoga stretches while waiting in line, which is a nice touch for active kids. The Norwood Park community is great, but being part of CPS means we deal with the usual big-district headaches. I’ve noticed some maintenance issues that seem to pop up unexpectedly, like emergency facility calls, which always makes me wonder about the state of the building's ventilation and overall upkeep. Dealing with the nurse’s office can be a bit of a slow process too. It’s not terrible, but it feels like the staff is spread pretty thin, so you really have to stay on top of things yourself if your kid has specific health needs or if something is going around the classroom.

Honestly, I have really mixed feelings about Hitch. On one hand, the teachers try—I’ve heard they even do yoga in the halls to keep the kids calm and moving, which is a nice touch for wellness. But the actual building maintenance is starting to freak me out. I saw some official CPS reports about emergency plumbing issues and 'rod floor drains' in the boys' bathroom on the second floor, and it makes me wonder what else is going on with the pipes and general cleanliness. Between the weird plumbing smells and the typical CPS overcrowding, it feels like my kid is bringing home every single bug that goes around. For a school in Norwood Park, I expected the facilities to be in much better shape than this.