Quincy Senior High School

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Quincy Senior High School
Quincy Senior High School
Motto: Qualified graduates Headed for Success
Established	1864
Type	Public secondary
Principal	Terry Ellerman
Students	1678
Grades	10–12
Location	Quincy, Illinois USA
Oversight	Quincy Public School District #172
Campus	Rural
Colors	Blue and White
Mascot	Blue Devil
Website	Quincy Senior High School

Quincy Senior High School is the regional public high school for Quincy, Illinois. It is located at 3322 Maine Street in Quincy.

[edit] History

The first school dedicated to high school students in Quincy, Illinois opened in 1891 at the corned of 12th and Maine. This school served students until 1933 when the "new" Quincy Senior High (10-12) opened at 14th and Maine in 1933. The building sits along Historic Maine Street in Quincy and is five stories tall, with mosaic details enscripted on the walls. In 1937, eighth and ninth graders were added to the building to relieve crowding at elementary schools. At this time Webster School and the former high school at 12th and Maine also housed students. As years went on, it was apparent that the 8-12 setup was not working and a change was needed. The school board decided to build a state of the art high school at 30th and Maine (the site of Baldwin Park) and to convert the current building into a 7-9 junior high school. The third Quincy Senior High opened at 30th and Maine in 1957. Enrollment again started to climb in the Quincy Schools and another building would be needed. It was decided to construct a second high school to the east of the current high school (the site of the former Gem City Drive In). The new school was named Quincy Senior High II and would house students in grades 11 and 12. The current high school would house house grades 9 & 10 and be renamed Senior High I, and the junior high would include just seventh and eighth graders. All of these changes happened in 1973. In the 1980's, the district experienced several finance problems and enrollment drops. Because of this, the entire district was reorganized. Senior High I closed in 1982. Tenth grade was moved to Senior High II and ninth grade was moved back to Quincy Junior High. Senior High I was converted into an intermediate school for grades 4-6 (Baldwin Intermediate School).

[edit] Basketball

QHS takes great pride in its basketball program. Blue Devil basketball is widely regarded as one of the elite programs in the state of Illinois. Quincy holds many Illinois state records, including state tournament appearances (29), regional titles (57), sectional titles (30), state tournament games won (44), tournament games lost (30), tournament games played (74), and state tropies won (13). [1] The Blue Devils have claimed two Illinois state championships in its history. The first was in 1934, capping off a 31-2 season with a 39-27 victory over Thornton High School in the championship. The second championship came in 1981. The Blue Devils were led by future Iowa standout Michael Payne and Illinois legend Bruce Douglas. The Devils compiled an astounding 33-0 record, winning their final four state tournament games by a staggering average of 28.25 points. The Blue Devils didn't lose again until the state semifinal game in 1982, compiling a 64-game winning streak, which was a record at the time. Quincy is also the fourth-winningest high school basketball program in the country, with 1809 wins since its first game on December 23, 1907. [2]

On Friday and Saturday nights during basketball season, thousands of Quincyans flock to Blue Devil Gymnasium in Baldwin School to watch the games. Quincy's pregame ritual makes it one of the most intimidating places to play in the state of Illinois. Before the national anthem, all the lights in the gym are turned off. The visiting team's lineup is announced with a single light illuminating their team. After the fifth starter is announced, that light is extinguished, and the pep band begins to play an ominous medley of the theme from The Phantom of the Opera and Maynard Ferguson's "Conquistador." Then, a student clad in blue shorts, a blue cape, and blue devil horns, emerges from the locker room carrying a flaming trident. He runs around the perimeter of the court, inciting loud cheers from the crowd. The devil stands at mid-court while the starting lineup is announced. As he goes back to the locker room, the lights are turned back on, and the players are ready for the opening tip-off.