Leyden Pride

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Aug 26 - Open House (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)

Sep 1 - Labor Day, No School

Sep 13 - Parent University, West Leyden (8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

Link: Subscribe to the Leyden calendar

The safety and security of our students and staff are the highest priority at Leyden High Schools.

To that end, we have recently installed a new alert system called BluePoint, which directly alerts police and first responders, and functions in a similar way to a fire alarm system. These new pull-stations are located throughout our school buildings and can be utilized by anyone to initiate an active threat response. If an alarm is activated, first responders are immediately notified and will report to the school, loudspeakers sound throughout the building, and flashing lights are utilized.

Utilization expectations

• Students and staff should only pull a blue point alarm in the event of an active threat.

• If you see an active threat occurring in real time, pull a blue point.

• Students who knowingly create a false alarm, will be subject to disciplinary action, which will include police action (Class 4 felony), suspension or expulsion.

• Examples of appropriate situations to utilize the Blue Point alert system: Active threat only, with an immediate threat to human life

• Examples of inappropriate use of the system: medical issues, fires, fighting, pranks, report needing further investigation, or suspected threats

Other Alert Systems

• In the event of a fire, the fire alarm (red pull-station) should continue to be activated

• In the event of a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 and/or pull a green alarm, which are located in key areas around the building.

Communication expectations

• Leyden will notify students, families and staff in advance of any planned testing of this alarm system;

• Anytime this system is initiated (in an active threat or false alarm), students, families and staff will be notified;

The BluePoint system will be included during our active threat drills as part of Safety Week, and will be covered in more detail by the building administration. We recognize that in the event this alarm is utilized, it may cause a range of emotions in those who are in our buildings. The installation of these systems is an enhancement to our existing safety measures, and must be respected and utilized only in the event of an active threat.

Link: Blue Point Alarm Video

Leyden is pleased to partner with Young Hearts for Life® (YH4L) to offer all Leyden High School students a free, potentially life-saving ECG screening, on Tuesday, August 26, at East and Thursday, August 28, at West. These screenings are optional, offered at no charge and require advanced parent/guardian authorization. Parents/Guardians will receive information via email at the start of the 2025-26 school year with the required authorization form.

YH4L, the largest ECG screening program in the United States, will provide a free heart screening called an electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify high school students at risk for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). More than 60 young adults die each week in the United States from SCD. Since 2006, YH4L has screened over 300,000 students and has identified more than 3,100 with previously undiagnosed heart conditions.

A simple, painless, and non-invasive ECG can detect approximately 70% of the heart conditions that are associated with SCD, while a pre-participation physical can only detect 4% of these conditions. The false positive rate for our program is less than 2%. Additional evaluation and testing by a student’s physician may be recommended.

• Students’ confidentiality, privacy, and individual modesty will be respected throughout all aspects of the program;

• Students are given a designated time by the school to come to the screening area;

• Trained volunteers attach electrodes to the students’ chest and limbs in preparation for the test;

• Clothing is not removed;

• The ECG machine monitors the electrical activity of the heart and prints out the information about heart rate and a trained cardiologist then interprets the printed test;

• Student results are available 2-3 weeks after the screening via a secure link that is sent to the parent/guardian email;

• Results are NOT shared with the school or district.
  
  

Link: Register

Parent University will be held on Saturday, September 13, and is one of the biggest events for families all year. It’s well attended and for good reason: it offers more than a dozen sessions to support parents as they help their child find success during and after high school. Topics include college applications, financial aid, student motivation, behaviors, grading practices, mental health, and career options, pathways and programs. Sessions are offered in English, Spanish and Ukrainian.

In addition to the session content, each year two scholarships are awarded to parents in attendance. This scholarship is applied to their child’s postsecondary plan upon graduation.

Leyden Parent University will take place at West Leyden High School (1000 N. Wolf Road) from 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for all Leyden parents and guardians of students in grades 8 - 12. (Check-in begins at 8:15 a.m.) This event is for parents and guardians only, from both East and West, and we kindly ask that children not be in attendance. Lunch will be provided. Space is limited, registration is required.

Link: Register for Parent University

The research is clear: Parent involvement in their child’s education leads to better student motivation, behavior, grades and future success. For additional information on Parent University, please visit our webpage at https://sites.google.com/leyden212.org/lpu/home.

Attention Athletes! Students interested in participating in a fall sport must register online before the first day of practice and have a current physical on file.

Link: Fall practice dates

On Monday, August 25, the new Girls Flag Football team will be the first to play on the new turf field at the West Leyden stadium. This marks their first game of the inaugural season for the athletes, as they join Leyden as a sanctioned Illinois High School Association (IHSA) for the fall season. Game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Leyden is hiring 1-2 senior student interns who can commit to the calendar year, outside of school hours, to document and produce Leyden's finest moments. This is a paid internship. Send a letter of interest to Mr. Delgado at bdelgado@leyden212.org.

And, check out the Leyden YouTube channels for samples of the videos students will work on: Leyden YouTube

All students, regardless of family income, will receive one free breakfast and one free lunch while at school during the 2025-26 school year. This is due to an extension of Leyden High Schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program. Items beyond what is offered, such as additional beverages, lunches or desserts, etc. are provided at a cost. Students and families can purchase these additional items through a system called MySchoolBucks.

Link: MySchoolBucks

On Thursday, September 25, the Leyden High School District 212 Board of Education invites our community to join in honoring our Wall of Fame inductees in a ceremony and reception. This prestigious honor will be bestowed upon four worthy Leyden graduates who have been selected through a rigorous process. Please join us in celebrating: Angelina Fakhoury-Siverts (East Leyden) Class of 2003; Sergio Farfan (West Leyden) Class of 2014; Rick Heidner (West Leyden) Class of 1978; and Glen Pietrandoni (East Leyden) Class of 1974.

Angelina Fakhoury-Siverts – East Leyden

Angelina was the first ever female football player in our West Suburban Conference during her

playing days. Currently, she serves as the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief

Nursing Officer for City of Hope Cancer Center-Chicago. She has won a variety of awards and formerly served as Director of Inpatient Nursing and the Emergency Department at Loyola Gottlieb Hospital.

Sergio Farfan – West Leyden

Sergio is a full time artist who started designing and selling apparel online when he was a

Leyden student. Today, he has worked with the Chicago Bulls, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and

he has been commissioned to create artwork for world class cellist YoYo Ma. Sergio has

exhibited his work across the United States and across the world.

Rick Heidner – West Leyden

Rick grew up in the King Arthur apartments and worked as a maintenance person there from

ages 11-16. He began working in the auction business with his uncles and started REH

Industries putting pay phones and video games in 7-11s, restaurants, and laundromats. He

started JJ Peppers Food Stores in 1984 and both Gold Rush Gaming and Ricky Rockets Fuel

Centers in 2012. Today, he and his family give over $500,000 annually to charitable causes and

he volunteers in our IncubatorEDU program at Leyden.

Glen Piatrandoni – East Leyden

Glen served as the Senior Director for Virology for Walgreens and was responsible for the

company’s HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis programs. He worked with the White House National

Office on AIDS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the US Department of

Health and Human Services.

The induction ceremony will be held at East Leyden High School at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, September 25. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend this special event.

Illinois’ Top Teachers Share Elmhurst U Connection

Leyden coaching legend Norm Goodman will be honored with a permanent mural at the Basketball Museum of Illinois at Bedford Park, sponsored by the Illinois High School Coaches Association. It celebrates “the streak” with four years of undefeated regular seasons for Leyden in 1970’s.

On Tuesday, September 9, the mural will be unveiled in a special recognition event “Norm’s Night: a tribute to Coach Norm Goodman’s career at East Leyden,” at Moretti’s Ristorante, Pizzeria & Banquets in Rosemont. All are welcome to attend. The event begins at 6 p.m. and includes a buffet dinner and cash bar. Tickets are $30 and all proceeds support the installation of the Tribute exhibit to be showcased at the Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park - Home of the Basketball Museum of Illinois.

Link: RSVP

Triton College School of Continuing Education is offering the following adult education courses at East Leyden for the Fall 2025 semester. If you or someone you know are interested please contact (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3513, or register online at triton.edu.

American Sign Language 1 - Tues/Thurs, 6:30 p.m. - 9:20 p.m. (9/02/2025 - 12/02/2025)

Beginning Yoga - Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. - 7:50 p.m. (9/18/2025 - 12/11/2025)

Basic Sketching & Drawing - Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. - 8:50 p.m. (9/24/2025 - 10/29/2025)

Guitar 1 - Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. - 8:50 p.m. (9/25/2025 - 11/13/2025)

Triton College is offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at East Leyden site for adults (18 yrs. & older) starting September 2. Classes are offered free of charge and will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. To register or for additional information, please contact Francisco Alvarado via email at franciscoalvardo@triton.edu or call (708) 456-0300, Ext.3259 or 3513.

Email: pr@leyden212.org
Website: www.leyden212.org
Location: 3400 Rose Street, Franklin Park, IL, USA
Phone: 847-451-3000
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Twitter: @leydenpride212

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