In a few years, the president of the Illinois High SchoolAssociation will be a black woman from Chicago.
Think about it.
Linda Layne does. Fenger's principal is the first female andminority representative to serve as an officer of the IHSA. As vicepresident, she figures to succeed newly elected president LorinStevens of Minonk.
Like many Chicago public school administrators, Layne oncethought the IHSA was located on another planet, that its ideology wasto the right of Genghis Khan. Now she is one of the IHSA's biggestpromoters and one of executive director Dave Fry's biggest boosters.
'I felt Downstate didn't care for Chicago,' Layne said.'That's a common feeling in the city. But once I joined (the IHSA'sboard of directors), I felt that was a misperception.
'In the past, the IHSA hasn't been as open as it is now underDave Fry. He makes a lot of difference. He wants Chicago to be apart of the IHSA. He has opened his door and come to Chicago. Hehas sought us out, made us feel welcome. I think a lot of othercity principals are getting that feeling.'
Layne is determined to improve the relationship between Chicagoand the IHSA and to change what she describes as an old-fashionedattitude among city administrators that has kept city schools in theDark Ages.
'There is a great turnover in city principals, there are manymore women, a lot of changes in the last three years,' she said.
'The new breed of principal is pro-active, child centered andwilling to take risks in regard to speaking out and saying what theyneed to say to make their schools better. In the past, principalshave been part of the old boy network and reluctant to makechanges.'
Layne has been anxious to make changes ever since she wasgrowing up in Gary, Ind. When she attended Gary Roosevelt, sheparticipated in the Girls' Athletic Association and enjoyedvolleyball and softball. But Title IX was years away and there wereno interscholastic sports for girls.
'At that time, we didn't think about interscholastic sports forgirls,' she said. 'We were satisfied with GAA. I didn't likesix-girl, halfcourt basketball. It wasn't as exciting as the boys'game.'
As a teacher at Harlan for 18 years, she enjoyed watching coachLee Umbles direct his teams to Public League championships in 1967,1970 and 1971. Harlan star Tim Bryant was one of her students.Now Bryant, who played at Northern Illinois, is assistant principalat Perry elementary school.
Eager to move into adminstration, she spent three years in theBoard of Education's central office as coordinator of the high schoolsocial studies program. It was good training, but she wanted toreturn to the front lines.
'I learned more about myself than anything else,' she said, 'butI realized bureaucracy wasn't the place for me. I needed to workdirectly with kids to be fulfilled. I missed having my own teams tosupport. Sports is an important aspect of school life.'
She became Fenger's principal in 1989. When Lindblom principalLynn St. James decided to resign from the IHSA's board of directors,she asked Layne to complete a remaining year on her term.
Now she is vice president and vows to make changes.
'My role is facilitating better relationships between the IHSAand Chicago,' she said. 'I will speak up at meetings and say we aremember schools of the IHSA and need to cultivate positiverelationships between Chicago and other schools.'
Layne also hopes to influence city coaches to participate inIHSA-sponsored activities, such as the three-point shooting and dunkcontests at the state basketball tournament, and improve the girls'sports program.
'In three years, when my term is over,' she said, 'I hope therewill be more girls participating in more girls' sports.'
