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West Aurora board names Jefferson Middle School gym for longtime coach Rick Albright
Summary
The Aurora West USD 129 Board of Education voted unanimously to name the Jefferson Middle School gymnasium the Rick Albright Gymnasium and heard remarks from Albright about his decades of service.
The Aurora West USD 129 Board of Education voted unanimously March 3 to name the gymnasium at Jefferson Middle School the Rick Albright Gymnasium.
Board President Kearns opened the agenda change and motion to move action item 7.1 to immediate vote; the motion was moved and seconded and passed on a roll call vote. After the vote, the board invited Rick Albright and his family forward so the board and audience could publicly thank him for his service.
The naming matter was brief at the dais: "I move that the board of education approve the naming of the gym at Jefferson Middle School, the Rick Albright Gymnasium as previously recommended," a board member said when making the motion. The secretary called the roll; Board members Lathan, Saperstein, Stone, Saint Jules, Dykstra and Kearns voted in the affirmative and the motion passed.
Rick Albright, who spoke after the vote, described his start in the district and his decades coaching and teaching. "Back in 1967, you did something else that was remarkable, and that is you gave me a contract. $5,400 a year," Albright said. He described coaching multiple sports, mentoring students and longtime friendships formed in the district, and he told the board he expects an official dedication on Oct. 3.
The board did not discuss changing other facility names during the meeting. No formal objections or amendments to the naming motion were recorded in the transcript.
The board’s action directs the district to proceed with the facility renaming consistent with any internal district procedures for signage and dedication; the transcript did not include implementation dates for signage or other logistics beyond Albright’s mention of an Oct. 3 dedication.
The dedication will be a public event; the board and the honoree thanked family members and former students who attended the meeting.
Votes at a glance: the roll call recorded yes votes from Lathan, Saperstein, Stone, Saint Jules, Dykstra and Kearns; no no/abstain votes were recorded for this motion.
Sources: public meeting transcript of Aurora West USD 129 Board of Education, March 3, 2025.
