Take Flight 🦅

FCCLA students proudly represented West Leyden at the Regional Competition held on Friday, February 6th, at the College of DuPage. Congratulations to Allisson Huitron and George Padilla, who both earned GOLD in their culinary competitions! 🥇 Students showcased their talents in a variety of competitive categories, including cake decorating, cookie decorating, knife skills, and children's literature presentations. We are incredibly proud of all the students who participated and demonstrated their creativity, skill, and dedication at the regional level. Great job, Eagles!

On Wednesday, February 11th, West and East Leyden Snowball leaders completed part 2 of a 3-part supplemental leader training series from the Illinois Association of Behavioral Health (IABH). The IABH lobbyist taught Snowball leaders about "Navigating Systems and Influencing Change." They learned:

On Thursday, February 12th (2/12... get it?!), the lunch periods were a 'good vibes' zone with the celebration of Vega's birthday. There was a DJ, photo booth, selfie station, balloons, decorations, and birthday cake for all. Thanks to everyone who helped with all of the preparations leading up to the party! May Vega's birthday celebration become a cherished Leyden tradition!

Are you the life of the party, always looking to make people smile? Or are you more of an introvert, but want the opportunity to have your inner spirited self shine through? Blue Crew is looking for more students to be Vega at school events! Contact Ms. Jess Kelly (jkelly@leyden212.org) for more information.

Support the Leyden athletes by attending each winter sport's "BIG Game". The goal is to have as many Leyden students as possible packed in the stands and cheering on the team!

📣Upcoming dates and sports:

Saturday, February 21st: Boys Swim IHSA Sectionals (9:00 am, East Campus Pool, Entrance 16)

This event is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased at the door: $5 for general admission, and $2 for seniors and children ages 5 and under. Have fun while supporting on a most worthy cause!

Don’t miss out! The Leyden Common Local Scholarship Application is NOW OPEN!

Closes at 10:00 pm on Friday, February 27th, 2026.

Leyden has compiled a list of more than 30 local scholarships that are available to East and West Leyden students. We encourage you to see what scholarships are available, decide which ones to apply to, and begin gathering the needed information for those scholarships.

The Leyden Local Scholarship Application requests the following information:

• Personal Information

• Academic Information/History: GPA, ACT Scores, college, major and career plans, schools attended 1st-8th grade

• Extracurricular Information: School Activities, Work Experience, Volunteer Work

• 2 Essay Prompts:

• Prompt 1: A personal statement about your background, your educational and career goals.

• Prompt 2: How will your future career benefit your community?

• 1 Letter of Recommendation

Some local scholarships require that you submit additional materials. These scholarships require that you fill out the Confidential Family Financial/Income Sheet, upload a video, or submit an extra essay answering other prompts.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• You do not have to complete the application in one sitting; information will be automatically saved for 30 days;
• Do not upload blank pages to essay answers or the letter of recommendation; you won't be able to go back and replace them later; and
• Submitted applications are final and cannot be edited.

Questions? See your counselor!

In the Heights is looking for carpenters, painters, & technicians to help with the Winter Musical. We meet Mondays - Thursdays from 3:30 pm - 5:45 pm. Contact Ms. Teslen Sadowski at tsadowski@leyden212.org or stop by the Auditorium after school to learn more about Theatre Guild & the construction crew.

Are you looking to look more than presentable at prom? Cinderella's Closet, hosted by the YWCA in Elgin, is selling a large selection of discounted formalwear for guys and gals on March 7 & 8. Read the information below, and click on the image for more information and to schedule your personal shopping appointment.

Use the QR code in the image below to submit your creative works to the Prizewrite Magazine. Submissions will be accepted until April 24th. Contact Mr. Ian Stong (istong@leyden212.org) with any questions.

West Leyden has almost 60 clubs, including academic, cultural, general interest, honors, performing arts, and service clubs. To learn more:

• Visit the West Leyden Clubs page.
• See a list of clubs and sponsors here.
• See a calendar of when all clubs are meeting here.

Starting this year, all Leyden students in any club will need to use the 5-Star Students app or link. You can access 5 Star Students via your cell phone or Chromebook. To log in, use your Google Leyden account info (email and password).

📲 Mobile App: To download the 5Star App on your phone, click HERE.

📲 Chromebook: Go to www.5starstudents.com & click on "sign in". BOOKMARK this link!

Helpful 5 Star Students Resources:

📲 To see an overview on how to use the mobile app, click HERE.

📲 To learn how to check yourself into meetings & events using the mobile app, click HERE.

We want you HERE! Leyden's new "Strive for 95" campaign offers a lot of cool prizes for students who strive to maintain 90% or higher attendance.

• Monthly raffles to win Leyden clothing, free Prom tickets, Stanley drinking cups, Javaccino dollars, pizza parties for you & your friends, and much more.

• $20 off Prom tickets (juniors & seniors only)

We Are... Awards nominees can qualify to receive Javaccino (students) / Gold and Bold Café (staff members) gift cards. In addition, students may be recognized at Student of the Month breakfasts and staff members may be recognized at staff meetings.

To nominate a student or staff member, you need to fill out this We Are... Awards Google Form.