Meet the School Counselor behind Gallistel Elementary’s New Playground

When Mr. Rogelio Lopez, a school counselor at Gallistel Language Academy, was planning his submission to bring a new playground to his school through the Chicago Works Community Challenge, he knew that he needed to receive input from parents, teachers, and other community stakeholders. He also knew that he had a very important point of view right at his fingertips—that of his seven-year-old daughter.

So, he brought his daughter to Gallistel’s playground, knowing that her first instinct would be to compare it to the playground at the CPS school she attends. The first two words to come out of her mouth were “Oh no.”

“I had to explain to my daughter that not everyone has the same resources that she does, and that sometimes you have to work with your community to fight for what you deserve,” he said. “That, along with the conversations I was having with teachers and with my principal, really inspired me to submit the application.”

The Southeast Side, where Gallistel is located, has been Mr. Lopez’s home for many years. He graduated from Washington High School and went straight into the military, where he worked as everything from a firefighter, to a police officer, to a plumber before pivoting to education.

His career trajectory seemed to be pointing in the direction of becoming an administrator; he even served as the acting principal of a CPS school during the early months of the pandemic. But his heart was set on a role where he could build the character of elementary school students and help them determine their interests and potential future careers.

Since he knew the Southeast Side like the back of his hand, coming to Gallistel seemed to be a perfect match.

“Our work at Gallistel is about making sure every student is a respectful, responsible citizen,” he said. “At the same time, we have students who have never been downtown. So, we try the best we can to bring pieces of the beauty of Chicago to our students so they can have those experiences here.”

The school’s new state-of-the-art playground will do just that. Gallistel is one of seven winners selected from more than 500 applicants to the Chicago Works Community Challenge. In addition to submitting the application, Mr. Lopez had to give a presentation on how the proposed project would positively impact his community. He focused on highlighting the social-emotional and academic impacts that the playground would have on both students and the larger Gallistel community.

“When they called and told me that our project had been selected for the Far South Region, I don’t think it really hit me until my wife, who was listening in the background, reminded me that this was a $1.5 million investment in our school,” he said. “It really resonated with me when she said that we were fighting for our community with the power of the pen.”

Though students are likely to benefit from the new playground the most, Mr. Lopez wants this investment to also be an opportunity for Gallistel educators and staff to reflect on how they approach their roles.

“I’ve had a few relatives recently pass away, and that’s led me to remember that everything is left behind when we die. We take nothing with us, but we leave behind the generations of leaders that we helped grow,” he said. “And, if we dig into the reason we became educators, we need to consistently ask ourselves what we can do differently. For me, the answer is always growth.”

When Mr. Lopez announced that his school was one of the winners on social media, he was flooded with messages from Gallistel alumni sharing their memories of playing on Gallistel’s current playground. Memories of having fun. Memories of falling down and scraping their knees. Memories of getting into an argument with their friends—and then making up and enjoying their company once more.

He believes that this playground will be a unifying space where all generations will be able to make memories together in ways that reflect the pride they have in their neighborhood.

“When our students heard about the new playground, the smiles in our hallways meant the world to me,” he said. “I have hope that this playground will be able to give experiences and a sense of belonging to this community. The figures we look up to remind us of the struggles we’ve experienced to get to where we are and inspire our kids to take advantage of the resources given to them.”