West Aurora Public School District 129

Last updated

West Aurora Public School District 129 is a unit school district in southeastern Kane County, Illinois. The present "West Side" school district covers the city of Aurora, Illinois with an eastern boundary of the Fox River, a southern boundary of the Kane County and Kendall County line, a western boundary of Aurora's city limits, and a northern boundary of the village limits of North Aurora, Illinois. Students from Aurora, North Aurora, Montgomery, Illinois and Sugar Grove, Illinois attend West Aurora schools.

Contents

District 129 has a tradition in Aurora going back to the 1860s. The West Side High School and East Side High School have played an annual football game against each other since 1893. Four of the current elementary buildings are reported to be four of the oldest still in use in Aurora and in Kane County. Mary Todd school was constructed as Oak Street school, on the ruins of a prior building, and was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s. Its interior still features WPA murals and sculpture. Joseph Freeman Elementary School was dedicated in 1928. Abraham Lincoln Elementary (decommissioned in 2009), was originally the Lake Street School, and Nancy Hill Elementary, originally the Illinois Avenue School, are over a century old.

Two other school buildings exist on the historic sites of original school buildings. The Montgomery Elementary School was built in 1891.[ citation needed ] The present Nicholson Elementary, itself built in the 1950s and 1960s, replaced the Montgomery Elementary building on the same site. The original Galena Street School was built in 1895. It was renamed Greenman Elementary in 1915, and was replaced by a new building, constructed on an adjacent lot, in 2004.

West Side District 129 absorbed the former North Aurora School District #51 in the early 1960s, constructing Schneider Elementary in that village's east side in 1963, and Goodwin Elementary (as a replacement for the former North Aurora School, which stood at the corner of State Street and Lincolnway in North Aurora until it was demolished in 2015), in 1968.

The West Side District is the only one of the three major districts serving Aurora to own and operate its own fleet of School Buses: Indian Prairie School District has a contract agreement with Laidlaw and East Side District 131 does not operate any school buses).

Elementary schools

School's nameSchool's namesakeLocationMascotColorsPrincipalYear opened
Early Learning AcademyAuroraLaurie Klamhous2019
Fearn ElementaryHarold G. Fearn, former Superintendent of SchoolsNorth AuroraFalconsRed & BlackDave Russell2001
Freeman ElementaryCaptain Joseph Hewett Freeman, former Superintendent of Schools, former Illinois State Superintendent of SchoolsAuroraMustangsMaroon & GoldJana Ream1928
Goodwin ElementaryLucia Goodwin, former teacherNorth AuroraEaglesRoyal & GoldBob Halverson1968
Greenman Elementary (originally Galena Street School)A. V. Greenman, former superintendentAuroraLionsKelly & WhiteCliff Englishharden1895, original building 2004, current building
Hall ElementaryFrank Haven Hall, former superintendentAuroraHuskiesRoyal & WhiteCherie Esposito1960
Hill Elementary (originally Pennsylvania Avenue School)Nancy Hill, former teacher and principalAuroraHawksRoyal & GoldMichael S. Smith1888
Lincoln Elementary (originally Lake Street School) Abraham Lincoln AuroraLynxRed & GreyN/A1892 - 2009
McCleery ElementaryWayne McCleery, former superintendentAuroraMustangsRed & BlackDan Ulrich1957
Nicholson Elementary (originally Montgomery Elementary School)Grace Nicholson, former teacherMontgomeryEaglesRed & WhiteJennifer Bernal1891, original building 1953/1962, current building
Schneider ElementaryJ. P. Schneider, early settler for whom Schneider's Mill/Schneider's Crossing was named before it was renamed North AuroraNorth AuroraBulldogsRed & WhiteOlivia Smith1963
Smith ElementaryGertrude Scott Smith, former teacherAuroraSuper StarRoyal & GoldPete Clabough1963
Todd Early Childhood Center (originally Oak Street School)Mary Todd, former teacherAuroraSpelling BeesN/AN/A1934-2019

Middle schools

School's nameSchool's namesakeLocationMascotColorsPrincipalYear opened
Herget Middle SchoolRobert Herget, former teacher, Principal and Associate SuperintendentNorth AuroraHuskieRoyal & WhiteCindy Larry2005
Jefferson Middle School Thomas Jefferson AuroraJ-Hawks (stands for Junior Blackhawks, after the West High Blackhawks)Royal & WhiteJeffrey Bryant1956
Jewel Middle SchoolGary D. Jewel, former teacher and superintendentNorth AuroraJaguarRed & whiteMichael S. Smith1998
Washington Middle School George Washington AuroraGeneralsNavy & RedTom Davidson1964

High school

School's nameLocationMascotColorsPrincipalYear opened
West Aurora High School AuroraBlackhawksRed & BlueDr. Charles Hiscock [1] 1867, original high school 1905, second location (still standing) 1953, current location

Special Education

School's nameSchool's namesakeLocationMascotPrincipalYear opened
Hope D. Wall School (run in cooperation with East Side District 131)Hope D. Wall, special education teacherAuroraRocketsTerry Collette1969

Related Research Articles

Maywood, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was founded on April 6, 1869, and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 24,090 at the 2010 United States Census.

Oak Park, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in 1902, when it separated from Cicero. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife settled in Oak Park in 1889, and his work heavily influenced local architecture and design, including the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Over the years, rapid development was spurred by railroads and street cars connecting the village to jobs in nearby Chicago. In 1968, Oak Park passed the Open Housing Ordinance, which helped devise strategies to integrate the village rather than resegregate.

Aurora, Illinois City in Kane County, Illinois, United States

Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located primarily in DuPage and Kane counties, it is the second most populous city in Illinois, after Chicago, and the 144th most populous city in the United States. The population was 197,899 at the 2010 census, and was 180,542 as of the 2020 Census.

Batavia, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Batavia is a city mainly in Kane County and partly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kane County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 26,098.

Naperville, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a suburb of Chicago, located 28 miles (45 km) west of the city.

Algonquin, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Algonquin is a village in McHenry and Kane counties, Illinois, in the United States. It is a suburb of Chicago, located approximately 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the Loop. As of the 2010 census the village's population was 30,046, and as of 2019 the estimated population was 30,897.

Montgomery, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Montgomery is a village in Kane and Kendall counties, Illinois, as well as a Chicago suburb. The population was 18,438 at the 2010 census, up from 5,471 at the 2000 census. As of 2019 the estimated population was 19,638. Between 2000 and 2010 the village population grew 237 percent, making Montgomery the ninth fastest growing municipality in Illinois during the decade.

North Aurora, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

North Aurora is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. It had a population of 16,760 at the 2010 census, and as of 2019 the estimated population was 18,057. North Aurora maintains its own public library district, fire district, and police department, but public spaces and parks are managed by the neighboring Fox Valley Park District.

Sugar Grove, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Sugar Grove is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 8,997, and in 2018 the estimated population was 9,803.

Yorkville, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Yorkville is a city in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,533 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Kendall County.

Lake in the Hills, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Lake in the Hills is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,965.

Chillum, Maryland Census-designated place in Maryland

Chillum is an unincorporated area in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, bordering Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County.

Aurora, Ontario Town in Ontario, Canada

Aurora is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine. In the Canada 2016 Census, the municipal population of Aurora was the 95th largest in Canada, compared to 97th for the 2006 Census. Aurora has been ranked in the top 10 wealthiest towns in Canada. Aurora is twinned with Leksand, Sweden.

Two main school systems have served the Kane County, Illinois core location of Aurora, Illinois since the 1860s, one on either side of the Fox River which physically divides the city. In addition, the far eastern portion of Aurora, within DuPage County, Illinois, has been served by Indian Prairie School District (IPSD)[] 204 since that district's formation in 1972. All three of these districts have their headquarters and administrative offices in Aurora city limits. As of 2005 there will be no less than forty public schools within Aurora city limits, serving residents of Aurora and neighboring communities.

Randall Road is a major north-south county highway in McHenry and Kane County, Illinois. The road is named after Norman Randall, a prominent area landowner in the 1930s. It serves as the western extent of the Fox Valley suburbs in the Chicago metropolitan area. Its southern terminus is in Aurora, Illinois, at Marseillaise Place. Its northern terminus is at a full four-way intersection at McHenry Avenue and James R. Rakow Road in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The road is 31.4 mi (50.5 km) in length.

East Aurora Public School District 131 is a public school district serving preschool through high school students in Aurora, Illinois, United States. It is considered the state's first public school district.

Aurora Township, Kane County, Illinois Township in Illinois, United States

Aurora Township is located in Kane County, Illinois. It is divided by the Fox River. As of the 2010 census, its population was 146,149 and it contained 49,127 housing units.

Sugar Grove Township, Kane County, Illinois Township in Illinois, United States

Sugar Grove Township is one of sixteen townships in Kane County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 19,618 and it contained 6,963 housing units. The Sugar Grove campus of Waubonsee Community College is within this township.

High Park North Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

High Park North, or often simply High Park, after the park, is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the south by Bloor Street, on the west by Runnymede Road, on the north by Annette Street, Quebec Avenue and Humberside Avenue, and on the east by the GO Transit Weston Subdivision rail tracks. It is located in the Parkdale—High Park provincial and federal electoral districts. The area east of Keele Street is also known informally as the "West Bend" neighbourhood.

Orchard Road is a major north-south road carrying traffic through Kane and Kendall Counties in northeast Illinois. It exists as a county highway in both counties. It runs from Oswego through Aurora to North Aurora, where it connects with Randall Road. Much traffic continues northward on Randall Road to access Batavia, Illinois and points northward in the Fox Valley.

References

  1. West High School Profile; accessed 2 August 2013 Archived February 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine