von steuben high school, here's to you

my high-school alma mater, von steuben metropolitan science center, was often the site of less-than-happy days for me during my teen years. despite the fact that i went to school with a good number of friends from church, and that i met one of my closest friends to date on the first day of freshman year, i just didn't like high school. never a stellar student, i scraped by in the classes i disliked, but i made up for it (i suppose) by excelling in choir, english, and drafting. whew. kind of funny for a girl who went to a magnet school geared toward kids with brains for math and science.

having remained in the neighborhood surrounding my high school for a majority of my life, i have often driven past the large brick building and wondered what it would be like to again walk its halls.

this morning, i received an email from a childhood friend who also went to von. she heard from yet another fellow vonite about a contest being held by american express. it goes a little something like this:

through its partners in preservation chicagoland initiative, amex has chosen 25 historical landmarks in the chicagoland area to vie for the most votes toward a sizeable grant for renovation. voting is open until october 10, and voters can visit every day between now and then. results will be announced in november.

as i type this, von steuben is in second place, having surpassed a viking ship located in geneva, illinois, since i first received the email this morning. not bad for a day of votes.

if you went to von steuben, or if your child(ren) or spouse did, if you'd like to see a 76-year-old building receive some much-needed work, or if you just want to see if you can help von steuben make it to number one, register to vote at the partners in preservation site (you can opt out of receiving mailings from amex and pip). perhaps, if we win, i'll get a chance to walk through new and improved halls at a grand re-opening.

because i'm a dork, and because i do actually have fond memories of von steuben, i leave you with the school's fight song, which i had to learn as a member of the concert choir:

let's raise on high the banner of our school,
let's cheer to make the rafters ring!
ever be faithful to the golden rule,
and of her glories we will sing.
her fighting spirit we will carry on,
in sons and daughters brave and true.
in friendships linking arms,
in mem'ries of her charms,
von steuben high school, here's to you!


vote early and vote often!