Schools of Mount Prospect

School District: Archdioceses of Chicago

Grade levels: K-8

Built: 1961

Is it still standing? Yes

Is it still a school? Yes

History

Saint Emily’s Catholic School was the second Catholic school in Mount Prospect. Saint Raymond’s school had been the first Catholic school and was heavily over enrolled for the first few years it operated. When Saint Emily’s opened it helped to spread out the Catholic student body and made the system more manageable. The school has since been well attended and provided a quality education for students in the area. In 1998 Kimberly Siprut, a second grade teacher at Saint Emily, received the National Catholic Education Association’s Miriam Farrell Distinguished Teacher Award, one of the highest awards that can be bestowed upon a Catholic School Teacher.

School District: 59

Grade levels: k-5

Built:

Is it still standing? Yes

Is it still a school? Yes

History

We have very little information in our files on this school, anyone with materials related to the history of this school is invited to share them with the Historical Society.

School District: 21

Grade levels: K-5

Is it still standing? Yes

Is it still a school? Yes

History

Robert Frost School has been one of the most progressive schools in the area in its work with the diverse community in Mount Prospect. In 1997 they began organizing picnics and games with local police departments; in order to make the children comfortable with police officers and make information available on the services offered by the law enforcement agencies. In 1998 it underwent a major renovation, creating more multi use spaces and became the first school in District 21 to offer a bilingual program, serving students whose first language was Polish. In 2000 the school began hosting an annual Mexican Fiesta, to celebrate the diverse cultural history of the students and make the Latino families in the community feel more included and a part of the school system.

School District: 26

Grade levels: 5-8

Built: 1965

Is it still standing? Yes

Is it still a school? Yes

History

River Trails Middle School was named through a “Name the School” contest, which was won by 6th grader Lane Johnson. He wrote: “Many schools are named for people, but after a time their greatness may fade or even be forgotten, but a school with a name taken from nature…will never fade or be forgotten for nature is everlasting.” The school was built towards the end of the baby boom, although it has since felt the fluctuations in populations. During the baby boom, many schools were built to house the rapidly growing population, but as the population aged in the 1970s and ‘80s, many of these schools were demolished or consolidated. For example, in 1981 the Feehanville School was closed and the 5th and 6th grade students were transferred to River Trails, along with the bell from Feehanville’s cupola, which is now displayed in front of River Trails. With rising student populations in the 1990s school districts have found themselves short of space and missing the schools that were closed. Additions have been put onto the River Trails School in 1968, 1971, and 1991. However, these additions were not enough to hold the increasing population of students. In the late 1990s the school was forced to buy trailers to use as classrooms, as the population of the school had surpassed the space.

School District: 214

Grade levels: 9-12

Built: 1956-57

Is it still standing? Yes

Is it still a school? Yes

History

Around the turn of the century there was a discussion about the need for a high school in the northwest suburban area. There was a lot of opposition to the founding of a new school, at least in part because much of the community was still agricultural and very conservative and they did not want the government to spend money on education. At the same time, there was also a national discussion about voting rights. Women still did not have the right to vote. Some states, mostly on the east coast, had passed laws either giving women complete or partial voting rights starting in the 1800s. Illinois gave women the right to vote for school board members in 1891 but did not grant them the right to vote for the U.S. President and local offices or referendums until 1913. Even then, women were not allowed to vote for state representatives, congressmen, or the governor and because of this, women had to use separate ballots and separate voting booths. Finally in 1920 the 19th amendment was passed and women were given full voting rights nationally. This all relates to the history of Prospect High because it was in 1914 that an election was held to found a high school district for Wheeling, Elk Grove, and Palatine Townships and because of the change in the Illinois state law in 1913, this was the first election women were allowed to vote in. Because of the women’s vote, the referendum passed. Had only the men’s votes been counted, the referendum would have failed. The conservative people who had opposed the founding of a high school contested the legality of this vote until it was finally upheld in the Illinois Supreme Court in 1922. The School District built Arlington High School on Euclid road, which served the entire region for years.

In early 1950, with an increasing population, a referendum was held to build a second high school in the area. This was again opposed by many of the conservative community members and the referendum failed the first two years it was proposed. By 1956 students were forced to attend Arlington High in shifts and the community finally supported the referendum, although, by then the land prices and constructions cost had risen so quickly that the project cost far more than it would have two years earlier. Construction began immediately and the school open in 1957. The first year the school only served freshmen and they added a new grade level every following year for three years. The school has gone on to have a long legacy, far outlasting Arlington High. The sports teams and bands have won statewide and national acclaim.