West Leyden High School - Shield Yearbook (Northlake, IL)

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Leyden, then and now Built to compensate the increasing enrollment, Leyden was separated into two different schools, to be known as East and West Leyden. After the initial plans were made, students remained at East ' s building for an additional two years until the campus was ready. In their junior year. West Leyden students made their move to their new sur- roundings. Admidst wet plaster and unlaid tile, students attended classes in the unfinished building. So, the new school began - laying the foundation for the Coming of Age. Although faculty and staff members have come and gone, several have remained for this 21st birthday. Among those still teaching or involved on the supportive staff are Mrs. Ruth Cagle, Mr. Joachim Schneider, Mr. Warren Reitzel, Mr. David Koval, Mr. John Farney, and Mr. William Friberg. The sports program has also seen significant changes. For the most part, Farney and Friberg did most of the coaching through the early sixties. The girl ' s intramural sports program expanded into varsity teams and soon became major competitors on the league level. Classes changed as the school began to go through the experimental period in the 1960 ' s, which led to the introduction of modular sceduling. With mods came a different change of pace, bringing confusion as students tried to make sense out of a schedule divided into twenty parts. Commons was introduced as an alternative to study halls. Independent time could be spent in a variety of ways, whether in the Center for Instructional Materials (CIM), or commons. The APEX -English program was also established during this experimen- tal period, offering a wide varity of English classes to students beyond the traditional basic classes. Through the years, students, faculty and curriculum have changed with the times and with society. Crew-cuts have become permanents; gold chains have replaced the pop art pearls; and, a new, young school has grown to the age of twenty one, learning and experiencing over two decades of change. To match the futuristic style of the building ' s exterior, the mosaic tile designs display the artistic tastes of the school ' s past Art Department. ■- In 1957 West Leyden High School was only a mass of steel and concrete. When construction was completed, it converted into a very modern educational facility. Covered by a freshly fallen snow, the dormant appearance of the building conceals all of the daily activities that goes on within the walls. A peaceful scene is shown in the inner court, as the new-fallen snow covers the trees and monuments. The inner courts ' design adds to the overall, modern design of the building.

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Hanging out at McDonalds, goin to rock concerts and amusement parks were some of the things that students had to do on their free time. Keeping abreast of things to do and what to wear were some of the things that occupied students minds. Still as popular as ever the disco scene is still alive and kicking while some of the disco fashions could be spotted in school. Along with the disco fashions, students started wearing straight legged jeans and high heels. Even glasses became different when students had theirs ' personally designed with their own initials, while even some were having their ears pierced in two different spots. As for field trips, students went downtown to see ' Second City a comedy production that brought out the Saturday Night Live comedians. Among the other field trips, students went to see Beatlemania and plays at the Goodman Theater. West Leyden students do a lot more on their free time than just do homework, they are out and about doing the things that makes a students ' life special. Learning how to disco dance occupies the time of students Laura Wallentin, Josie Vacari and Celeste Tito, as they watch how to perfect their steps in gym class.

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je A . Inner court, 1957. This is what the inner court looked like before its completion a year later. Its majestic beauty is enhanced by the trees and walkways which fill the center. iiiill llllii Changing shrinking enrollment, and greater competition is what made our athletic department change to the North Subur- ban League. I think it is best for the school, commented Coach Don Sage. The largest enrollment for the new league is Libertyville, which has 2200, in comparison to the DPVL smallest school, Willowbrook, which has an enrollment of 3600. The smallest enrollment of the North Suburban League is North Chicago, which has 1380. We are the second smallest school in the DesPlaines Valley League, added Mr. William Friberg District 212 Athletic Director. We ' ll be one of the largest schools in the new league. so instead of having one or two teams standout, there will be three or four good teams, stated Coach Dick Schmidt. It will be tougher. The new league allows for more games to be scheduled. There will be a Freshman level for all girls sports and there will also be a girls cross-country team. We will also schedule games against East Leyden in every sport except football and basketball. Within a three year period, we will play East Leyden in football. Non-conference games will als o be scheduled against Willowbrook (cross country), Ridgewood (football) and Elmwood Park (basketball). Because of the longer distance that will have to be traveled, more of the games will be scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays. Double-headers will be played by the baseball and softball teams. The travel will be rough, commented head basketball coach, Dick Schmidt. We needed a change, insisted Coach Pete Ventrelli, and this was about the best league for what we needed. These signs will be ancient history when the school switches to a new conference next year; a move that will bring a new type of competition, one with schools our own size.