The 1949-50 school year began with changes. Back then there were two school districts in Naperville. District 78 was the grade school district and District 107 was the high school district. It took in a larger portion of DuPage county.
Kids who lived on the west side of Route 53 came to Naperville High School and those who lived on the east side went to Downers Grove High School. At that time, Lisle did not have a high school.
There were two school boards with one superintendent and as Naperville began growing, the schools became more crowded. The new high school was being opened on Aurora Ave. It was a large three-story building and that first section only had classrooms. There was no band room, wood shop, chorus room or art room!
The sixth graders were moved from Ellsworth and Naper School to the old high school which was renamed Washington Jr. High and it became a building for 6th, 7th and 8th grades.
As a sixth grader I began at Washington and my teacher was Don Barnickle who years later became principal at Elmwood Elementary School. In seventh grade we changed classrooms for English, Science, Math and Social Studies.
Band was on the third floor in an old converted gym which also was used by the high school as those rooms had not been built yet, they were in phase two of the building project. I think that was about the time a third elementary school was being built north of Ogden Ave. Beebe School was on the Bob Fry farm. I remember my sister’s saying that at recess time they would go and pet the cows!
Several chain stores moved into downtown. Sears opened a catalog store, A & P and National Tea opened grocery stores and several other business’s moved out of downtown to Ogden Avenue, working East to Columbia St.
As an eighth grader Mr. Koerner let me sit in the high school band on Fridays because there still was no band room at the new high school. That was a real challenge for me and it really got me practicing!
Entering high school in 1953 as a freshman, this was a typical day for all of us: 1st period, algebra; 2nd period on a bus to Washington for shop class; 3rd period, English; 4th period on a bus to Merner Field House for P. E.; 5th period, lunch on your own (no lunch room at the high school); 6th period, Science; 7th period, Social Studies; and 8th period back on a bus to Washington for Band!
School got out at 3:50PM and if you were in sports, you didn’t get home until after 6PM.
In the spring of 1954 (still a freshman), Mr. Koerner invited me to sit in with the Naperville Municipal Band. In those days the band started rehearsing in March in preparation of Memorial Day Parade and the summer concert series that usually ran to late August. What a thrill that was! Wow! At the end of that first rehearsal I went to Mr. Koerner and asked if I could take the folder home to practice, and he answered, “I was hoping you would ask!”
That was the beginning of a romance of band music that has lasted a lifetime! More next time!
Editor’s Note / This summer, the Naperville Municipal Band, under the leadership of Conductor Ron Keller, has hosted what appear to be “pop-up” concerts on the lawn in Central Park. Though the summer concert season was canceled, the NMB now is rehearsing for two performances in September.
A 45-minute concert, “Salute to Naperville and its Fight against COVID-19” is scheduled to begin at 4:30PM Sun., Sept. 6, in Central Park. The band also will perform during the City’s Annual September 11 Remembrance when it begins at 6PM Fri., Sept. 11, along the Riverwalk near the Cmdr. Dan Shanower September 11 Memorial.
