Virginia Lake School celebrates 50th anniversary

Virginia Lake School in District 15 is turning 50 this year, and it is inviting its entire school community to help it celebrate.

On Friday, Sept. 16, guided tours of the building will be provided from 6-8 p.m. to anyone interested in checking out their "old stamping grounds."

History of Virginia Lake School

"Where are you, Virginia Lake School?" inquired a headline in the Dec. 9, 1965, edition of The Daily Herald, as weather and a shortage of workmen delayed the opening of the District's 13th school by almost four months.

"Glory be," was Superintendent E.S. Castor's response when the general contractor informed him of the completion date.

Located on 8.5 acres just north of the Winston Park subdivision, Virginia Lake was one product of a $1.195 million bond referendum approved on Oct. 10, 1964. As reported in the Palatine Enterprise, the 4-to-1 margin of victory represented "twice the favorable turnout than the district received for a similar referendum two years ago."

Until Virginia Lake opened April 12, 1966, students attended class at four other schools: Joel Wood, Gray M. Sanborn, Jane Addams, Winston Park, and three Palatine area churches. More than 9,000 children, an increase of nearly 8 percent over the previous fall, headed back to District 15 schools that September.

The sheer number of students in the district overwhelmed and outstripped the number of classrooms and schools. Winston Park, for example, where most of Virginia Lake students attended, had eight classes on double schedule.

The spring opening of the new, 25-classroom facility alleviated the overcrowding and helped end those double sessions. Richard Shiveley, the principal who opened Virginia Lake, served from April 1966 to June 1971.

Next came Richard Schmidt, who was principal from September 1971 until June 1977, when he became principal of Plum Grove Junior High.

Lee Erickson, the third principal, held that position for 13 years, from September 1977 to June 1990. Dr. Gretchen Ludwig was principal from July 1990 to June 2004, Peter Hannigan from July 2004 to June 2006, and Faith Rivera became principal in July 2006.

In July 2010, Michael Carmody, principal at Gray M. Sanborn School, was reassigned and became the seventh principal at Virginia Lake School.

This year, Kristine Seifert, who had served as the school's assistant principal for four years, returned to serve as Virginia Lake's principal after serving for the past two years as principal at Hunting Ridge School.

In April 1992, Virginia Lake began its renovation as part of the district's $64 million referendum plan. At the groundbreaking ceremony, the school honored four staff members who had been there since Virginia Lake opened its door 26 years earlier: George Auer, Darlene Fiocca, Nikki Hefty, and Sue Schwartz.

Unlike the original construction process, the $5.25 million renovation proceeded without a hitch. On Dec. 8, 1994, the Board of Education dedicated the newly renovated school. Among additions were three classrooms, special education classrooms, a multipurpose-purpose room, and a community room.

On the dedication program was a photo of George J. Wischhusen, a retired AT&T engineer who became a bus driver for District 15 and was a "grandpa" to countless children at Virginia Lake for more than six years until his death in July 1993.

In 2000, six new classrooms were completed at Virginia Lake to provide additional space to accommodate new students.