Arlene Albert is the most amazing person you’ll ever meet if you get the chance, she is devoted to her job and keeps all her fellow board members in check. She is the main reason why the building you’re standing in is still up. Arlene has devoted 37 years of her life to help and protect the students of JTHS, she joined the Board of Education in 1981 and is sadly retiring after all the amazing work she has done for the district and especially this school. Tana, one of Arlene’s board member associates sadly couldn’t make it to the event but she did leave a letter that was read out to everyone there. In that letter she talks about a phone call, in which tana remembers just waking up Arlene screaming in her ear “they want to close Central!” she was surprised and didn’t understand at first, but she finally snapped out of her drowsiness and they started planning how they can prevent the school from shutting down, those plans turned into a 3-week campaign, and thanks to that campaign central was saved. This journey was not easy though Arlene herself said “It was hard, really hard. It took a few years to get there” her biggest roadblock was “the financial times” due to the 30% unemployment rate and the very few funds. Sadly, they had to let go of some programs which Arlene was most upset about because she herself ran the symphony and to see something that the students enjoyed so much vanish was very difficult. Her experience in general was full of mixed emotions, because on one hand she had a hard time and it wasn’t easy to see some things go but on the other she felt proud of herself, her board members, and all of the students because together they did all that they could to save this school. She just felt elated once it was all over and said she was just very pleased with the fact that “we can move on now” I asked her how this all personally affected her, and she said “I’m not sure, it was just the right thing to do” Arlene as modest as she is can finally take time for herself and will hopefully take the new time she has to do whatever she desires. Now that she’s retired Arlene will be moving to Washington and will be closer to one of her daughters Jennifer who is very proud of her mother for all that’s she’s done. “when I was young I remember always seeing my mom pace back and forth through the house on so many calls”- Jennifer Bethman. Arlene albert has done so much for our school, district, and community that she can proudly say that she along with every student here are Joliet Central STEELMEN!