West Chicago Community High School will mark its 100th birthday with three celebrations during the 2026-27 school year. The first is Homecoming on Friday, Sept. 25. The last is a community party tentatively set for May 8.

Business partners and vendors have contributed roughly $12,000 to $13,000 for promotional items, Superintendent Kurt Johansen told the Wildcat Chronicle, the school's student newspaper. That money paid for T-shirts, mini footballs, cups, pins and stickers the district plans to hand out at centennial events, reducing the cost to the district.

As we reported Sept. 18, Homecoming week opens the centennial. Students will follow a half-day schedule before a pep assembly and the Homecoming parade. The West Chicago City Council approved a special event permit for the parade at its June 15 meeting.

After the parade, food will be available near the school. Alumni will have access to a tent at the south end of Memorial Stadium during the football game.

Organizers plan to give T-shirts to students who attend and stage a halftime show featuring the band, cheerleaders, dance team and fireworks. Johansen told the Wildcat Chronicle, in remarks translated from Spanish, that he finds it exciting to hear stories from alumni who graduated 60 or 70 years ago and to hear the conversations they had as students.

The second celebration ties into the school's winter music concerts. Alumni may be invited to perform alongside current students, though details have not been confirmed.

The final event, tentatively scheduled for May 8, would turn the school grounds into a community block party. Principal Limaris Pueyo said administrators are planning activities that could include student clubs, food trucks and inflatable attractions.

Families from the feeder districts that send students to WEGO will be invited. That includes District 33, Benjamin District 25 and Winfield District 34. The goal is to introduce younger students to the high school and welcome them as future Wildcats.

Planning began in March. Three subcommittees split the work: communications coordinator Roy Ramos oversaw visual identity and outreach, Pueyo's group developed the events, and Johansen's committee coordinated with community organizations. Each of the three celebrations is organized around a theme: the past, the present and the future of the school.

Johansen pointed to the school's recently renovated auditorium as an example of preserving the original building while preparing for future students.