Introduction to Dyett High School’s Success
BRONZEVILLE — Jayden McKinnon never counted on playing college ball at the schools he grew up watching. But the Walter H. Dyett High School Eagles have long counted on McKinnon, a senior whose high school career ended with the school’s first state championship this season. The underdog team embodied a remarkable rebound for the small arts school at 555 E. 51st St., which was saved from closure a decade ago after a group of community members staged a monthlong hunger strike.
The Road to Success
The championship brought Dyett a parade through nearby Washington Park, a meet-and-greet with the mayor and a trip Wednesday to be honored at City Council. And it helped McKinnon score invites to practice with local college teams. Dyett had only 13 seniors in the building in 2015 when community members fought to keep its doors open as then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed public schools with low enrollment to cut costs. This year, the champion basketball team will send six players, including McKinnon, to play college basketball next season.
College Commitments
McKinnon is committed to Highland Community College, a two-year junior college in Freeport in northwest Illinois, with the confidence he’ll keep growing into a Division 1 player. “I see this as another stepping stone, and I want to keep doing this my way,” McKinnon said. “If I don’t bet on myself, then who will?”
Audience members cheer during the Decision Day event for seniors at Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts, 555 W. 51st St., in Washington Park on March 20, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Decision Day Event
This year Dyett High School is set to graduate a class of 125 students, Principal Doreatha Butler said. On Thursday, Butler organized a Decision Day event, featuring a DJ and a motivational speaker, for students to celebrate where they’ll go after graduation. The event was held in the school’s black-box theater, the hallmark of a $14 million commitment from Chicago Public Schools to transform Dyett into a neighborhood arts school after the hunger strikers won their battle. Butler had all her graduating students, not just the athletes, walk across the stage and sign a letter of intent. Popular choices included Illinois State, Northern Illinois and Alabama State University, a historically Black college Butler had arranged for students to travel to and tour. There were future nurses, firefighters, teachers, psychologists and lawyers. Dyett’s prom queen plans to join the Army.
Future Plans
From the basketball team, Rickey Coleman will play next season at Illinois Central College, Devon Shelton at Lake Michigan College and Matthew “Ray” Wilson at Judson University. Cornell Dunbar and Aramis Brown Jr. are still choosing between local two-year colleges. Brown is thinking about teaming up again with McKinnon at Highland. “I have to focus on getting stronger,” Brown said. “To be honored around the city this season, it’s motivating to accomplish more things out of basketball.”
<img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === ‘function’) newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401-1024×684.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&quality=89&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-879981" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&quality=89&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=300%2C200&quality=89&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=768%2C513&quality=89&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&quality=89&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=1200%2C801&quality=89&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=780%2C521&quality=89&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=400%2C267&quality=89&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?resize=706%2C471&quality=89&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/05/052225-Dyett-Decision-Day-Colin-Boyle-7401.jpg?w=2000&quality=
