Westgate Celebrates 50 Years of Learning!
On Friday, September 7th, Westgate Elementary School celebrated 50 years of learning. An all-school assembly to recognize and to celebrate the event took place. Mrs. Anderson, Principal of Olive-Mary Stitt School spoke with the students and the staff. She attended Westgate and lived in the community when growing up. Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder was also a guest speaker. Mayor Mulder lives in the Westgate Community and her children attended Westgate School. Mayor Mulder has been a proud member of the Westgate PTA for about 18 years. She presented the school with a Proclamation from the Village of Arlington Heights to formally recognize our 50 years of service. The assembly concluded with two songs led by music teacher, Mr. Berger---Nifty 50 Years at Westgate and Happy Birthday.
Westgate Elementary School first opened in 1957 with the address 1211 West Grove. Builder Leo Reuter donated the seven acre site for the school. Westgate was originally a six classroom building serving kindergarten through 3rd grade.
In 1964 Dwyer School opened on the campus and served as a primary building. During this time period the school was referred to as Westgate-Dwyer School. In 1994 a large addition was completed to join Westgate and Dwyer School with a new gym, commons, office, and library. The new address for Westgate School became 500 South Dwyer Avenue. Most recently in 2006 Westgate earned the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence from the U.S. Department of Education. Today, Westgate Elementary School includes 100 staff and about 30 classrooms. The school serves nearly 600 students Pre-kindergarten through the fifth grade, including two district special education programs.
Overall, Westgate’s proud history is a story of change, innovation, challenges, pride, and academic achievement.
