The Glenbard West Centennial Foundation has been established with the Centennial Committee, in collaboration with DuPage Foundation. The primary objective of the Foundation is to endow an annual scholarship that will be awarded to a graduating senior who best embodies the ethos and character of a Glenbard West Graduate. The Foundation will also look to fund a beautification update to Circle Drive. To learn more about the Glenbard West Centennial Foundation, and make your contribution, click HERE.
Decade Fun Facts about Glenbard West
1960’s: Glenbard High School Becomes Glenbard West; The passing of Fred L. Biester.
1960-61 was a time to build on the frenzy of the recent past and get used to the idea that there were now two Glenbards. The Cross-Country team won the State Championship again. 1961-62 started with a new principal, Mr. John D. Sheahan, at the helm.
At the district level, Mr. Biester had indicated he planned to retire in the near future, and he started the search for a new superintendent. On March 20, 1962 Mr. Biester died, just 3 months from his retirement. The entire community was shocked. Fred L. Biester had been a part of Glenbard for 44 years.
The leadership for District #87 was different for the 1962-63 school year, but the problems were not. The number of students enrolled increased, and it was apparent that there were new space needs. Not only was there a need for general classrooms, but some specialized facilities were outdated and inadequate for the number of students enrolling in the courses that required these facilities. Curriculum and teaching methods in the sciences and foreign languages were in desperate need of improvement. Biology, physics, and chemistry labs built in the 1920s were designed for a lecture-demonstration teaching style.
1963-64 was another year of construction for the students and faculty at Glenbard West. Plans called for an addition to the building at the end of the wing running north from the auditorium lobby, remodeling of the cafeteria, moving the home economics foods lab, conversion of the speech classroom under the auditorium stage to dressing rooms and a few other changes. The addition would contain an instrumental music room on the first level and a choral room on the second level. Also, the new foods lab allowed the Home Economics department to offer Boys’ Chef for the first time, and it proved to be a very popular course.
Although the Varsity football team had a losing streak at the beginning of the season there were signs of hope for the future of the program; four of the players were named to the All-Conference team and the head coach, Mr. Bill Duchon, was voted DuPage County Coach of the Year. As coach of the Hilltopper football team, his record was 93-44-3. He passed away in 2017.
Coach Duchon is credited with creating the Glenbard “G,” borrowing the design from the Green Bay Packers. In fact, Duchon appreciated the Green Bay Packers so much that he added the yellow accent color to the already green and white of Glenbard’s palette. The original—and official—accent color is black, which made a comeback when football coach Chad Hetlet used it in football uniforms. Finally, Coach Duchon also created the Hitters’ Club. These football players were allowed to wear special helmets spray painted gold. The football field was named after Bill Duchon in May 1981.
In the late 1960’s, increasing student enrollment continued to strain the existing facilities and in August 1966, ground was broken for the construction of Glenbard North High School.
To accommodate the large enrollment, both Glenbard East and Glenbard West implemented an overlapping class schedule for the 1967-68 school year.
When school started in September 1968, Glenbard North opened with Ray Livingston as Principal, and there was some relief in the student enrollment at Glenbard East and Glenbard West.
On the athletic front, the 1967-68 golf team won the West Suburban Conference title; the 1968-69 Varsity football team won the conference title for the first time in 29 years, and the baseball team won the conference title for the third time since 1962.
By the end of the decade, the dress policy had relaxed. English teacher, Virginia Gannon, is credited as the first female Glenbard teacher to wear a pantsuit.
In the 1968-1969 school year, the Glenbard varsity football team became the first football team in school history to have an unbeaten record—with no tied games.
Coming next month: Glenbard and the 1970's
THE HISTORY OF GLENBARD WEST - 3RD EDITION
Coming soon! The History of Glenbard West High School: 3rd edition. After two years of revisions and additions, this Centennial edition book is ready. Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Glenbard West High School with this gorgeous, full-color, hardcover book. All copies are signed by the author: Glenbard West English teacher, Steve Wiersum.
The book is chock full of pictures and tells the story of Glenbard West High School beginning with its Glen Ellyn High School roots of the 1880's. In addition to the decade-by-narrative, it also includes information on when each sport, club, and activity began and a section on famous and notable alumni.
100% of profits go towards the Glenbard West English Department's Writing Scholarship: The Firley Award. Click Here to purchase.
On February 6, the Board of Education appointed Ben Peterselli the next principal at Glenbard West, effective July 1, 2023. Peterselli will become principal after Dr. Peter Monaghan retires on June 30.
Peterselli has been Glenbard West Assistant Principal for Instruction since 2021. Prior to that, he was West’s English Department Chair for nine years.
Peterselli said, “When thinking about the principalship at Glenbard West, it is difficult not to think about the strong leadership of Dr. Monaghan and the high expectations that all stakeholders have for our school’s continued success. Serving Glenbard West is a source of immense honor and pride for me, and I look forward to working with our talented staff to make a positive difference in the lives of all of our students.”
Superintendent David Larson said. “Mr. Peterselli has experience as a master teacher, department chair, and assistant principal for instruction and has had record success in all of these areas. He is a strong educational leader and we are fortunate to have him on our leadership team.”
Peterselli earned a bachelor's degree in English Education and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Kansas. In addition, he earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Peterselli was hired as the English Department Chair for Glenbard West in 2012. Over the course of his nine years as department chair, he worked at the building and district level to develop systems to improve the quality of curriculum, instruction, and support for students. He has also served as Summer School Principal and the Summer Outreach and Engagement Coordinator.
His previous experience includes working eight years as an English teacher at Wheaton North High School. He was selected as the 2010-11 Distinguished Teacher of the Year by the N.E.W. 200 Foundation for high school teaching.
“February is Black History Month (BHM), an annual observance dedicated to honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history. It serves as a powerful reminder that Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America.”- Glenbard District 87
The Equity and Inclusion Committee in conjunction with the Black Student Association (BSA) and teachers and staff across the building have worked tirelessly to create and plan events, as well as, designed supplemental material for classroom use that recognizes the contributions, history, and culture of African Americans. This year’s districtwide African American Student Leadership Summit will focus on empowering students To Be The Change, while our culminating event, Career Day, will expose students to Black professionals from a variety of careers who will share their educational and work experiences in navigating their chosen professions. The infographic displayed below lists all of the major events throughout the month of February. You can view the entire infographic here.
February is upon us and it looks like winter is making a full comeback. The snow is beautiful when it begins to fall, but traveling in snowy conditions may not bring such joyous feelings. Therefore we, here in the Deans’ Office encourage students to make sure that they plan accordingly when the weather changes in order to arrive at school safely and on time.
Some suggestions include:
Check the weather the night before.
Prepare to wake early the next morning.
Make sure you have the necessary outdoor gear (dress in layers, wear appropriate footwear) to travel to and from school safely.
When walking outside, be cautious of ice.
If necessary, leave early if you are driving to school or being driven.
For students who ride the bus, the school will communicate with students using the Remind App should a bus issue occur.
For weather conditions that may cause traffic delays, students who arrive late to school within a specific time frame that is determined by the deans will be issued an Inclement Weather pass to class.
We encourage parents to call the Attendance Line at (630) 858-5060 if you are planning to excuse your child from school.
The annual Presidents' Day of Service event happens on Monday, Feb. 20 from 11:30 a.m - 1:00 p.m. at the Ackerman Sports and Fitness Center, 800 St Charles Rd, in Glen Ellyn. To kick off Live Life Well Week 2023, all Glenbard high school students and staff are invited to spend the Presidents’ Day holiday (day off of school) making blankets that will be donated to area hospitals and children in need as part of Project Linus. Students are encourged to come with their teams, club, and friends. The Glenbard ACTS: Advocating Character Through Service Committee will provide pizza and fabric. Donations of fleece (1 and 1/2 yards) are greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at the Ackerman Center or any Glenbard High School.. The benefits of volunteering/gving back can last a lifetime—not only for those who you are helping, but for you as well.
Chicago: High School Edition (Musical):
April 20-22
Performances begin 7:30 p.m.
Set in the 1920s, CHICAGO is a story of jazz, love, crime, and yearning for fame. Roxie & Velma are on their way to becoming famous performers, but their hopes are dashed when they wind up in jail for crimes they "didn't" commit. They leverage the press and even their own loved ones in a quest to not only be acquitted, but to achieve stardom. Featuring the songs, “All That Jazz” & “Razzle Dazzle,” CHICAGO is a rousing, energetic story that will leave you wanting more.
Thank you to all who helped make our annual Winter White Out Pack the Place event a huge success. It was a great day full of athletic events watching our Hilltoppers compete at a high level. The Boosters play such an important role in bringing the Glenbard West community together and it is always great to see everyone, especially for our continued Centennial celebration.
All schedules will constantly be update on our athletic website as we look forward to following the Hilltoppers as they advance through the postseason at the following website: https://il.8to18.com/glenbardwest/home
Spring sports are right around the corner. The first day of practices for Boys Gymnastics is February 13th, and Girls Badminton, Boys Tennis, Girls Soccer, Girls and Boys Lacrosse, Baseball, Softball and Soccer all begin on February 27th with Boys Volleyball beginning on March 6th. Please make sure all current physical forms are turned into the athletic office prior to the first day of practice.
GO WEST!
The DuPage County Health Department is coming to Glenbard West on Friday, March 7, 2023 for FREE dental exams for all students who return a completed signed consent form. This exam will meet the state mandated requirements for 9th grade students if they have not completed the necessary dental examination yet. If the student meets the necessary requirements, in addition to the exam, they will receive a dental cleaning, fluoride treatment, and sealants. All high school students are welcome to participate. Health forms are available in the Glenbard West Health Office and here.
Forms must be turned into the health office or emailed to stephanie_gloodt@glenbard.org by Monday, March 6th at 12:00 p.m.
HEALTH REPORTING FORM AND HEALTH SAFETY REMINDERS
Reminder: use our health reporting form to report school-related health issues.
The DuPage County Health Department offers the following reminders to manage and prevent severe illness related to COVID-19:
- Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
- Staying home and getting tested if you have symptoms.
- Washing your hands often or using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- Increasing air flow and maintaining improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces when possible. Spending more time outdoors and in well-ventilated settings.
You can keep up with Glenbard information throughout the year by signing up for Glenbard News, our district-wide enewsletter, at this link.
Each week, you will receive district-wide news about students’ achievements in school-sponsored activities; upcoming events; fund-raisers; school board information and more.
Superintendent encourages families to register for summer program
Although the weather outside is cold, it’s time to think about summer school. Registration for summer school is open now. Learn more at sr.glenbard.org.
Variety of Course Formats Available
I am proud of our robust summer school program offerings, which feature many free classes, as well as classes taught by our teachers.
Our summer courses are a great opportunity for incoming freshmen to take a Bridge class and get acclimated to their new school environment. It’s also an important opportunity for older students to take enrichment, get-ahead credit classes, and credit recovery. Let’s take a closer look at these offerings.
- Bridge courses are noncredit bearing and help students transition from eighth grade to freshman year in specific content areas. Bridge classes are also free, and an important opportunity for new students to familiarize themselves with their high school building, staff and teachers. I imagine many of us remember that feeling of being overwhelmed and a little lost when we started high school. Bridge classes alleviate that feeling for students, while reviewing academic skills at the same time.
- Enrichment courses are noncredit bearing, free and designed for rising sophomores through seniors as support over the summer in preparation for the upcoming school year. AP Launch is a popular course specifically designed to help students who will be experiencing an Advanced Placement course for the first time.
- Credit recovery courses provide students with the opportunity to recover course credit from a previous school year. These classes also are free. These courses align with our goals of ensuring that all students graduate on time and with a clear postsecondary plan.
- Get-ahead credit courses allow students to get ahead in earning their graduation requirements, and free up room in their schedule during the regular school year to explore additional coursework. These are the only summer program classes with a fee.
Benefits of Summer Program
Summer school is part of our school culture. During the summer, it is common to see many of our students in school. I am proud of our students for taking advantage of this opportunity, and I appreciate families who prioritize year-round learning. Research shows that students who take summer school courses avoid “summer slide” in their learning. Additional benefits include:
- Summer school cultivates a work ethic that will serve students well in the future.
- Summer school also provides structure for young people and helps them build confidence in their skills and abilities.
We developed our summer program to meet the needs of each of our students. Our knowledgeable school counselors help students determine which classes to take during the summer.
Room for Learning and More in Summer
We understand that students have a lot going on during the summer, including working, family time and participating in summer camps. Our summer program is designed to allow students to take classes and still have time for all of these things and more.
I encourage you and your student to review the course offerings and register for a summer class at sr.glenbard.org. The summer program will make a meaningful difference in students’ academic achievement.
SAFE2HELP ILLINOIS
Safe2Help Illinois Call 844-472-3345 or Text 72332(SAFE2)
Safe2Help Illinois offers students a safe, confidential way in which to share information that might help prevent suicides, bullying, school violence or other threats to school safety. This program is intended to get students to “Seek Help Before Harm.”
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE/TEXT 988
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call/Text 988
This number has trained staff to answer calls and respond to texts from individuals at risk for suicide as well as those experiencing other mental health and substance use-related emergencies. Specialized services will be available for veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other groups.
Glenbard West High School
Email: gw_news@glenbard.org
Website: glenbardwesths.org
Location: 670 Crescent Blvd.
Phone: 630-469-8600
Twitter: @GWHilltoppers
