W. Chicago High parents vow to fight on over conference switch

At least one parent at West Chicago High School is not about to give up her efforts to convince the school to switch athletic conferences.

Cathie Sanzeri was at Tuesday's school board meeting, during which Principal Moses Cheng said that, for the time being, the school will remain in the DuPage Valley Conference.

But Sanzeri said some board members' comments made her hopeful something could get done, whether it means moving to the fledgling Metro Suburban Conference or the more-established Upstate 8.

In any case, Sanzeri said a group of parents on a committee intends to keep pressure on the board to find a conference that more closely matches West Chicago's demographics and size.

"We're going to make sure they follow through on this," she said Thursday. "Somebody needs to start following up on some of this stuff."

At Tuesday's meeting, Cheng said the issues with a move to the Metro include a lack of some team levels at the conference and the distance between some of the schools.

But board member Ruben Campos praised the parents group at the meeting, saying he hoped the committee's energy continues to be considered.

Sanzeri said a plan had been discussed to bring other area schools along with West Chicago and, in one year, the Metro splitting conferences geographically.

"It's a steppingstone to a bigger thing," she said of the first year. "This isn't the perfect fit, we realize it's lacking levels and travel is a little farther than we are used to. But out of conference, we're already traveling."

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