Glenbard West High School

The need for high schools arose with developed communities in the late 1800s. Wheaton voters wanted their own high school but accepted Glen Ellyn students on a tuition basis. In the fall of 1915, Wheaton raised the tuition rates and Glen Ellyn residents decided to start their own high school. Classes were rented on the second floor of the DuPage Bank Building, founded by Arthur. W. Holzman as Principal on October 4, 1915, hosting to fifty Freshmen and Sophomores.[9] From 1915 to 1918 the first high school that area students attended was called Glen Ellyn High School.[9] By 1916 the bank built on a third floor to accommodate the growing student body.

America entered World War I on April 2, 1917, and Glen Ellyn residents petitioned the school board citing that the German language fueled propaganda which they did not want in their school curriculum. Arthur Holzman, an American citizen who was born Canadian, became a controversial topic which put newly elected Glen Ellyn school board president Louis J. Thiele in a difficult predicament, to delegate a successor. (As for the school's future of teaching German, a German Club would not form for another 45 years, 17 years following the end of World War II.)

When Fred L. Biester took over this office in 1918 at Mr. Holzman's recommendation to Mr. Thiele, the faculty consisted of five members who instructed 120 students in a basic curriculum. By 1920, class enrollment quickly outgrew the space and spread between the bank building and local church basements. The administrators decided to search for a site to build a dedicated high school building.[9]

In preparation for this growth, the district purchased a site on Honeysuckle Hill from Charles R. Raymond[10] in April 1919. Twenty-five acres for the price of US$8,000 ($17.48, accounting for inflation).[9] Lake Ellyn, which then covered the present football field, was purchased for an additional dollar. In 1923, the high school deeded the lake to the park board with the stipulation that it revert to the high school should it ever cease to be a lake.

Neighboring Lombard residents learned that Honeysuckle Hill was within one-half mile of the geographical center of the proposed district and their unification would enable the towns to establish a school as large as any in the county, with an attendance of about two hundred pupils. A contest was held among the students to name the districts and the merging of 'Glen' Ellyn and Lom'bard' officially became "Glenbard" on May 15, 1923.

The current building opened in 1923 as Glenbard Township High School, the first of the district's high schools.[9] It was built in the style of a castle, complete with roof turret by the firm of Coolidge and Hodgeson, the architects who planned Chicago's Art Institute, the Chicago Public Library (a.k.a. the Chicago Cultural Center), and Saint Olaf College.

Glenbard East High School opened in Lombard, September 1959. Glenbard North High School opened in Carol Stream, August 1968. Glenbard South opened in Glen Ellyn in 1972.

Bill Duchon Field was used to stage the football field scenes in the 1986 film Lucas,[11][12] which featured rising stars such as Corey Haim, Charlie Sheen, and premiered Winona Ryder, Courtney Thorne-Smith, and Jeremy Piven. The school building was also used for shooting scenes. Glenbard West cheerleaders appeared as extras in the film, though the school colors and school name were changed.

The 1991 television documentary Yearbook was also filmed here.[13][14]

It was also featured in the juvenile post-apocalyptic book The Girl Who Owned a City by O. T. Nelson.

1. The Forensics Club (Speech, Individual Events) won the team IHSA state championship trophy in 1991. Since then, the team has won numerous individual awards in State Finals. In 2010, the team tied for second overall.[18]
2. The Theatre program performs in the Larry Shue Auditorium. In 2008, the school's production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was performed at the Illinois Theatrefest.[19]
3. The Model United Nations team coached by Richard Kotrba, regularly annually competes at the Brown University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, University of Virginia, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Model UN Conferences.[20] The team has received numerous awards at each of those conferences.

The West Nation "Back to School" Dance, Homecoming, Heart Hop, and Prom.

• Basketball (boys): (2021-22)
• Cross country (boys): (1960–61)[22]
• Cross country (girls): (2013–14)[23]
• Football: (1983–84, 2012–13, 2015–16)[24]
• Gymnastics (boys): (1995–96, 2016–17)[25]
• Gymnastics (girls): (2017–18)
• Volleyball (girls): (1983–84, 2015–16)[26]
• Volleyball (boys): (2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2021-22, 2022-23[27])
• Track and field (girls): (2016-2017)[28]

Oh, it's G-L-E-N-B-A-R-D

Oh, well, it's Glenbard, Glenbard fight again!

And for the school and team we love so well,

We're going to yell and yell and yell and yell and yell!

And when the teams in green and white appear,

With heads held high we stand and shout and cheer,

And for the school and team go on to fame

win this game.

Fight, team fight!