sch review 12 01 2005 When Weathersfield was mud Couple recall 35 years ago when four new schools opened in District 54 BY KAREN SHOFFNER STAFF WRITER Schaumburg resident Lee Cook remembers vividly the first day Aldrin Elementary School opened in 1971. He was the school's principal welcoming students, parents and a young staff to the new building March 15. "We had no asphalt, just mud. People were getting stuck. My secretary was driving in and she got stuck in the mud on Weathersfield Way. She sat there for a half an hour before some guys pushed her out," he said. Cook and his wife, Sandy Cook, were 28 and 22 years old, respectively, when Aldrin opened 35 years ago. Sandy Cook was a first-grade teacher. They weren't married to each other then. That happened many years later. They remember those early days fondly. Sandy Cook said many of the school's original staff members became lifelong friends. She taught at Aldrin for three years, took time off to raise a family and came back to Aldrin in 1994 as an assistant principal. She was also an assistant at Campanelli Elementary School in Schaumburg, where she became principal in 1995. She retired two years ago. "It was just so exciting to have our own building," said Lee Cook, who retired from Aldrin in 1999. Aldrin in Schaumburg is one of four District 54 schools celebrating their 35th anniversary this school year. Also celebrating are Armstrong in Hoffman Estates, and Collins and Dirksen schools in Schaumburg. Three of the schools are named in honor of the three astronauts -- Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins -- on Apollo 11, the first piloted lunar landing mission in July 1969. Armstrong was the first person ever to set foot on the moon, Aldrin the second. Jan Jetel, Collins School principal, said that if you've been in one of the "astronaut" buildings you know the other two. "They're all exactly the same design. The layout of the buildings are exactly the same," she said. Collins kicked off its 35th anniversary year with a school picnic this summer and also held a celebration Nov. 17. The celebration featured a read-a-thon and the school's Traveling Zoo. Collins and Armstrong were named Blue Ribbon Schools in 1996, said Jetel, who was an instructional coordinator for the school at that time. Dirksen was named in honor of Everett Dirksen, a Republican U.S. congressman and senator from Illinois. He was a supporter of civil rights, helping pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and also supporting the Open Housing Act of 1968. Dirksen Principal Janet Lueby said the school is in the process of planning events to celebrate the school's anniversary next spring. The school was dedicated Oct. 3, 1971. Mary Kay Marello, current Aldrin principal, said her school is also in the planning stages for its anniversary celebration, which will be held on March 15. She hopes they can get Aldrin himself to visit the school for the celebration. Armstrong Principal Patricia Piech said the school has no formal plans, but will highlight the fact that it's the school's 35th anniversary at an open house held at the end of the year. Lee Cook, looking back on his career in District 54, is upbeat. "It's been a great experience and the Schaumburg community is great," he said.