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214@100: Arlington High School legacy lives on

Arlington High School opened in 1922 as the first building in District 214. It closed in 1984, but for generations of loyal Cardinals - many of whom still are an integral part of the Northwest suburban community - the memories and legacy live on.

In the early 2000s, former Arlington students Brian Sullivan and Jon Cofield teamed up on a 75-minute documentary about their beloved alma mater. The title, "The Lady in Red," is a nod to the redbrick school's nickname, and the movie features interviews with graduates and staff through the years, interspersed with photographs and old film footage from Arlington High School homecomings, football games, parades and other moments that shaped the school's iconic history.

Interviewees reminisce about the "snake dances" that took crowds of students hand in hand through the streets of town; the crowning of the school's first homecoming queen in 1946; and other moments that made an indelible mark on Arlington grads. The film also discusses the creation of the school, its place in the community and in history, and the 1984 closing, when then-Principal John Rowe made his final remarks.

The film premiered in 2007 to sold-out crowds at the Forest View Educational Center, and in front of another crowd in September 2014, when it aired in the Grace Gym at the former Arlington High as part of District 214's centennial.

Students still flock to the former Arlington High - now Christian Liberty Academy - for reunions and tours, and a 2002 homecoming event drew hundreds.

"For 60 years, it was a place that was so unique and special, young people would walk through its hallways and return years later to raise their own families," the film's narrator says. "Some will say it's difficult to understand how an Illinois suburban school could have such a profound influence on anyone. Hopefully, this story will demonstrate how a community high school can have an everlasting impact on thousands of students' lives, decade after decade."

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