Westville High School - Janus Yearbook (Westville, IL)

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Fire Wipes Out Lab Cause Still In A Mystery On Sunday, January 3, at 2 P.M. two graduates from W.H.S., J.K. Vilk and Mike Wilson, were playing basketball in the gymnasium and heard a fire alarm go off. After discovering the fire was in the chemistry room, Mike quickly called the fire department. Once the firemen arrived the fire was extinguished with a chemical fire extinguisher. The cause of the fire is yet undetermined. Some possible causes are a heat build-up in the closet where the chemicals are stored; a chemical spill; or a water leakage. An estimated $23,000 worth of damage was done to chemcials and glassware with $8,000 damage done to the room. An estimate of $80,000-$90,000 was needed to rebuild the room and replenish supplies. On Monday, April 26, one-third of the chemicals needed for classes arrived, but other chemicals and shelves damaged in the fire have not yet been replaced by late May. Chemistry has been greatly hindered since the fire. Mystery Fire 9

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Walking The Line For seventeen days kids didn't go to school, teachers picketed in front of schools and in front of the town hall, board members suffered much criticism, and parents joined together to get things straightened out. The W.E.A. went out on strike for many different reasons. The main one was for a contract. The contract would consist of changes in salaries, working conditions, and benefits. This alone made many teachers upset enough to stop working. On the first day of the strike about 590 students showed up for school out of the district's 1,400 students. By the second day only 343 kids came. Attendance dwindled until it hit an all time low on September 29, 1981. The attendance was 211 students for all four schools. After that attendance rose, but only very minutely. On October 16, 1981 the teachers went to court and were ordered back to work by Judge Carl Lund. It was seventeen days since September 23 when the strike began. Parents were overjoyed and students were both happy and downcast. The strike was not something that would soon be forgotten. 8 Scrike

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Exercise The Physical Education classes at W.H.S. not only increases your knowledge of good health with exercise, but P.E. teaches you new rules and new activities for your enjoyment. During the 81 -82 school year, we have had some P.E. favorites. Like hockey and pickle-ball, gymnastics, ping-pong and whiffel ball. We all began our P.E. hour stretching, bending and loosening muscles to get ready for the Hour’s activities. We all have an exhuberating time and can't wait for the end of that hour so we can relax.