Arlene Welch

Arlene Welch
1935-1995

Arlene Welch was a gentle, sincere and affectionate teacher who was dedicated to her students and their families.  The contributions she made to the lives of hundreds of individuals will be long remembered.

Arlene grew up on the south side of Chicago.  She attended St. Symphorosa Elementary School and Loretta High School.  She earned a bachelor's degree at DePaul University.  She began teaching at the elementary level back in 1959 when educators could begin working while still taking courses toward a college degree.

Arlene married in 1963 and took a leave of absence to raise her family of three children.  She returned to work as a substitute teacher in the surrounding school districts.

She began her career with Indian Prairie School District #204 by taking a second grade position at Longwood Elementary School.  As the district began to grow, and new schools were built, staff members were needed for the new teaching positions.  In 1987, Arlene moved with many staff members and friends to Indian Plains Elementary School.   She remained there until February 1989.  May Watts Elementary School opened and the Indian Plains staff moved there.

Arlene officially retired in June 1994, after 21 years of teaching.  The term "officially" is used because she began substitute teaching in the district just a few months after her retirement.  In January 1995, Arlene and her husband, Chuck, took their annual trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, a trip where they joined other educators.

Arlene loved children and they loved her.  She welcomed them as though they were her own.  As the years would pass Arlene took extraordinary efforts to keep in touch with her former young charges.  She wrote letters and made phone calls to them.   They would often write back and stop for visits.

"Some teachers can easily let go of a class to prepare for the next, but Mrs. Welch never wanted that closure," said a former mother of a child that had Mrs. Welch.  "She had a sincere interest in her students and would do anything for the kids."

Arlene's love for people extended well beyond her own classroom.  Early in her career she did volunteer work for the blind.  She would help transcribe written text into Braille.  She volunteered at the Naperville's Little Friends, visited with women in the Illinois Women's Penitentiary in Dwight, and volunteered at the juvenile center in Warrenville, Illinois.  She was also involved in the Waubonsie Valley Booster club, along with her husband, who was at the time, the booster president.

Church activities were always at the top of Arlene's list.  She dedicated herself to delivering food to needy families in the area.  During the summer she would travel to a poor, deprived area in Mississippi.  There she would volunteer to tutor children in first and second grades.  She would teach all morning each day of the week.   In the afternoon, she would clean and help take care of the school.  Fellow volunteers marveled at her enthusiastic and caring attitude.

At school Arlene was a mother figure.  "She was the veteran," said Laura Cavallaro, who suggested the school be named after Arlene.  "She took the new teachers under her wing.  We bounced ideas off her.  She checked up on us regardless of our grade level.  She was gentle, sincere, and genuine."

When she found time for herself Arlene was with her family or outside tending to her garden.  Each spring and fall she would split and separate her plants and flowers and share them with others.  Several co-workers and friends can still look into their own flower beds and see plants that originated in Arlene's garden.

Arlene loved life to the fullest.  She could be seen frequently on a tennis court, bike path, or golf course, which, ironically, is where this great individual died, just beginning to learn to play golf.