Elgin Academy, which closed in June after 185 years, is being sold to an organization that intends to establish an Islamic school for preschool through 12th grade students, according to a YouTube video produced by organizers behind the proposed Burhan Academy.
Organizers are attempting to raise $3.7 million by the end of the month to purchase the 18-acre campus they say had been valued at more than $25 million.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Paul Druzinsky, the interim head of Elgin Academy, confirmed the sale of the 350 Park St. property is to close by the end of August.
According to the new school’s website, the mission of the Burhan Academy is to ensure “students receive a comprehensive education that meets academic standards while incorporating Islamic teachings.”
Educators will adopt a holistic educational approach that incorporates “Islamic perspective into the academic curriculum” to “equip students with a comprehensive understanding of various subjects at the highest level of academic excellence while instilling Islamic values, knowledge, and principles.”
In addition to four buildings housing classrooms, the campus includes an art gallery; gymnasium; offices for admissions, administration, development and alumni relations; the Old Main occupied by the Elgin Area Historical Society and a sports complex consisting of tennis courts, fields and a track, according to the academy’s website.
To read and to learn by the pen is “the hallmark of our Islamic civilization, which is a promotion of education, teaching, knowledge,” said Dr. Hamid Nazeer, a member of Burhan’s board of directors, in the video. “It is through that knowledge that we learn and understand our creator … It’s through that knowledge that we can refine our character. It’s through that knowledge that we can beautify the environment around us. And it’s through that knowledge that we can ultimately service the community and people.”