WINNETKA – Hubbard Woods School has served thousands of Winnetka students over the past century, and now it is time to celebrate. Friends and alumni are invited to share in the neighborhood school’s 100th Anniversary celebration on May 3, 2016, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The festivities will include the opportunity for students, parents, staff, and alumni to mingle and tour the historic school at 1110 Chatfield Road and get a sense of what’s changed over the years — and what has remained timeless.
Alumni have already been visiting Hubbard Woods in recent weeks to record their memories for a special commemorative video that will make its premiere during the open house. Guests will be able to view decade-themed displays the students have been working on all year. From sports and science, to entertainment and lifestyle, the students have been studying what has transpired in world history over the course of the school’s 100 years. The open house will include refreshments, as well as opportunities for visitors to mark their return by signing a guest book, writing on a graffiti wall, recording a story on video, or stepping into a photo booth.
Students at Hubbard Woods School in 1982
Opened in 1915, the building was originally called Skokie School and served students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Modern for its time, it was designed to have a welcoming atmosphere for children and consisted of the auditorium and four classrooms. When The Skokie School was constructed in 1924, the school’s name was changed to Hubbard Woods School after Gilbert Hubbard, a businessman who sold shipping supplies to Great Lakes sailors in Chicago and served as the village treasurer for five years.
Over the past century, Hubbard Woods School has evolved to include additional indoor and outdoor spaces, such as WGST, a student-led television studio; the recently donated Aunt Ruth’s Garden; and the new IDEA Lab, which was unveiled in 2015-2016 thanks to the support of the PTO and Winnetka Public Schools Foundation. This innovative STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) space is based in the Resource Center–which many older alumni remember as the school’s gymnasium.
Alumni have shared fascinating stories of a time when farm animals visited the school courtyard and war bonds were sold in the school lobby. All seem to share a universal affection for their time at the little neighborhood school known for progressive education and a student-centered community. An environment focused on the whole child, deeply connected to a tradition grounded in experiential learning, still pervades teaching and learning at Hubbard Woods School, 100 years strong.
For details about the 100th Anniversary Celebration, visit www.winnetka36.org/hubbardwoods or www.facebook.com/hubbardwoods100. RSVPS for the event and specific questions may be directed to the event organizers via e-mail: [email protected]
This story was sponsored by Winnetka Public Schools District 36
The Winnetka Public Schools is a community that honors the whole child, fosters creativity, inspires lifelong learning, and develops civic responsibility. District 36 is comprised of three elementary schools (Crow Island School, Greeley School, and Hubbard Woods School), The Skokie School (grades 5 and 6) and Carleton Washburne School (grades 7 and 8), where there is a progressive, experiential approach to developing learners who are compassionate citizens, who contribute to their community, and are well prepared for a dynamic future. For more information, visit www.winnetka36.org.
