North Shore welcomes Dr. Marcia Chatelain, assistant professor of history at Georgetown University, as the 2014-2015 Focus on History Speaker. Dr. Chatelain is originally from Chicago and attended St. Ignatius. She received her bachelor's degrees in the arts and journalism from the University of Missouri, followed by both an A.M. and Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University.

Her talk with students at Monday's Upper School Community Gathering will focus on the historical context of Ferguson. Additionally, she will spend time with two Upper School history classes to talk about her first book, "South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great Migration," which will be published in March. The book "recasts Chicago's Great Migration through the lens of black girls. Focusing on the years between 1910 and 1940, when Chicago's black population quintupled.” In addition, Dr. Chatelain will have lunch with the Black Student Affinity Group and meet with available US faculty.

The Focus on History Speaker series brings to campus working historians, authors, scholars and other outstanding individuals who capture and tell stories that preserve history. The series is funded by an anonymous, generous donation from a parent of North Shore graduates.