Celebrities who walked these halls

Patrick O'Connell, Features Editor

Most students here at West don’t always consider the notable alumni who once attended school here. They would have walked the same halls, had the same classes, sat in the same desks, and had some of the same teachers here. These notable alumni range from actors and actresses, singers, models, Olympic athletes, and pro athletes.

One of these celebrities is Andy Dick. He has appeared in numerous TV shows and even at one time had his own show. He is well known for his outlandish behavior. While at West, he participated in many theatrical productions here and even ran for homecoming king his senior year using the slogan “Don’t vote for a jock, vote for A. Dick.” He won the election.

Professional model Adrianne Curry is another famous person to have attended high school here, but she dropped out in 11th grade. Curry was the first winner of America’s Next Top Model and has appeared in many television shows after that including My Fair Brady. During high school, she had a bad drug addiction and dropped out in 2000 because of it.

Actor John Barrowman is yet another celebrity to have attended high school here. He has appeared in numerous films, TV shows, and plays including Dr. Who and Torchwood. Barrowman is not a native of Joliet. He was born in Scotland, but his family immigrated here when he was a child. While at West, he appeared in several musical productions and said that he would have not become an actor if it wasn’t for his time at West.

These are just a few celebrities to have attended West. Joliet West is not the only school in our district where celebrities once attended. Joliet Central had a Miss America winner, Olympic athletes, several actors and actresses, and many pro athletes, and Lionel Richie attended high school at Joliet East before it closed.