Bumper stickers designed by seventh-graders and Arbor Day poems written by fourth-graders at Sunset Ridge School are hanging on the walls of Northfield Village Hall, where they'll stay through August.
The student artwork is part of a special centennial exhibit in the Village Hall Art Gallery, marking Northfield's 100th anniversary of incorporation. The village invited all schools serving Northfield students to contribute, according to its announcement. Sunset Ridge School, at 525 Sunset Ridge Road, was the only school whose classes participated.
The seventh-grade class designed commemorative bumper stickers capturing Northfield's history and sense of community. Fourth-graders wove the centennial theme into their annual Arbor Day poetry project, combining reflections on the village's heritage with their study of trees and the environment.
The school itself has deep roots in Northfield's story. Sunset Ridge School was under construction during the village's earliest years and opened around 1931. Its first principal, William Cray, took a Depression-era pay cut from $240 to $215 a month just to keep the doors open.
The exhibit is free and open during regular Village Hall hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 361 Happ Road. The village has not published a list of individual student artists or named the teachers who led the projects.
Northfield was incorporated on October 23, 1926, making Friday, October 23, 2026, the village's official centennial date. A community-wide celebration with fireworks, games, and music is scheduled for Saturday, August 22, at Clarkson Park. Town Historian Mary Rhodes and Trustee Charlie Orth have been publishing historical articles on the village's centennial website, northfield-centennial.org, where residents can also submit their own Northfield memories.
North Shore schools week ahead
Monday, July 13 | New Trier Township High School District 203 Board of Education regular meeting. Open session 5 p.m.; regular business 6:30 p.m. Multipurpose Room (C234), Building C, New Trier Northfield Campus, 7 Happ Road, Northfield. First board meeting of the 2026–27 calendar year.
Monday, July 20 | Kenilworth School District 38 Board of Education Committee of the Whole meeting. Joseph Sears School Cafenasium, 542 Abbotsford Road, Kenilworth. Time not confirmed; check kenilworth38.org.
Through August | Northfield centennial student art exhibit. Village Hall Art Gallery, 361 Happ Road, Northfield. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free.
Saturday, August 22 | Northfield centennial community celebration. Clarkson Park, Northfield. Fireworks, games, and music for all ages.
Note: Winnetka District 36 does not hold regular board meetings in July. Glencoe District 35's next meeting is Thursday, August 13. Sunset Ridge District 29 and Wilmette District 39 summer meeting dates have not been confirmed; check sunsetridge29.org and wilmette39.org for updates.
