Sward School Breaks 'Twinning' Record Set in 1950s

Yesterday and today: 1950s and 2016 twinning sets.

Oak Lawn, IL, Dist. 123’s Carl A.Sward Elementary School has beaten its old record for twins set in the 1950s.

Eleven sets of twins are currently enrolled in the 64-year-old public elementary school at 9830 Brandt Ave. .

During the 1950s, nine sets of twins were enrolled at the school. A historic photo from the 1950s was recently discovered of the double siblings. To mark the discovery, a photo the 2016 twinning sets were photographed. Both pictures will be framed and hung in the school.

Here are some more interesting historic facts about the opening of Sward in the 1950s.

• The school building was built on a budget of $435,000. It took two years to finish construction.
• In 2000, Sward was renovated at a cost of $3.2 million. It took 59 days to finish the upgrades.
• There were 499 students when Sward opened in September for the 1952-53 school year; by May the next year, there were 601 students.
• The school has had only four principals: Dorothy Beckley (1953-1975); Arlene Diericks (1975-76); Lee Stanton (1976-91); and Lori Gloodt (1991-present).
• The school’s namesake, Carl A. Sward, was born to Swedish immigrants on Feb. 9, 1896 in Chesterton, IN. He began his teaching career in 1916 in Porter, IN. Mr. Sward was a teacher at Cook School in Oak Lawn from 1925 to 1936. He became principal of Cook in 1937. When Covington opened in 1938, he was named principal and remained there until 1950, when he was elected district superintendent that same year. In 1952, he announced his retirement.
• Mr. Sward’s middle name was Arvid. He died on Sept. 28, 1972 at age 76.

Source: Sward School 60th Anniversary Program