Glenbard West High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Glenbard West High School |
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| Established | 1922 |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Principal | Jane Thorsen |
| Faculty | 128 |
| Students | 2,121 |
| Grades | 9 – 12 |
| Location | 670 Crescent Blvd Glen Ellyn, Illinois USA |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Forest Green, White |
| Mascot | Hilltoppers |
| Newspaper | The Glen Bard |
| Website | www.glenbard.net/Glenbard_West |
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Glenbard West High School, or GWHS (also GBW or G-Dub), and locally referred to as "West," is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ellyn Avenue and Crescent Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87, which also includes Glenbard North High School, Glenbard South High School, and Glenbard East High School.
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[edit] History
Glenbard West was the first of the Glenbard high schools to be built, and was originally referred to as simply 'Glenbard'. The school was built in the style of a castle, complete with roof turrets, atop what was then called Honeysuckle Hill in 1922, purchased for the sum of $1. The 1991 television documentary Yearbook was filmed here. It was also featured in the book The Girl Who Owned A City by O.T. Nelson. Large portions of the 1986 film Lucas were shot in and around the school.
[edit] Facilities
'Glenbard' as it was originally named, was constructed in 1922, atop Honeysuckle Hill, overlooking picturesque Lake Ellyn. Built with dark red brick, the building was built with castle-like design, complete with a turret and other minor castle details. Athletics were initially played in a gymnasium built in the school building itself, but with the construction of a $12 million state of the art field house across the street, the once gym was turned into the Elliot Library, named after one of the most influential superintendents of District 87 history.
[edit] Academics
In 2005, Glenbard West had an average composite ACT score of 22.3, and graduated 96.4% of its senior class. Glenbard West has not made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act [1]. Glenbard West was ranked 699 out of the nation's top 1036 schools by Newsweek in 2005, placing it in the top 3% of schools in the United States [2].
The staff is comprised of 128 teachers, of which 86% hold an advanced degree [3]. The average class size is 31.0
[edit] Dances
Various dances, supported by the Glen Ellyn Youth Center and various clubs from the school, are held in Biester Gym-the main exception being the first dance of the year, which is held on Circle Drive. Dances that are held in Biester Gym include Homecoming, the Halloween Dance, and Mistletoe Madness, among others. Additionally, a monthly dance, sponsored by the Glen Ellyn Youth Center, occurs in Biester Gym.
[edit] Athletics
Glenbard West competes in the West Suburban Silver Division of the West Suburban Conference. Its mascot is the Hilltoppers.
Glenbard West is currently categorized as a division 7A school. The football team, which won its only state championship in 1983 plays at Duchon Field, built in 1923, which in 1980 was named after Head football coach from 1960-76, Bill Duchon. The stadium seats up to 5,000 spectators, of which the home side overlooks picturesque Lake Ellyn. The stadium was used in the 1986 film Lucas.[1]
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[edit] Clubs
- Foods Club
- German Club
- Spanish Club
- French Club
- Students for Students
- Political Science Club
- Forensics
- STRIVE
- Student Council
- Math Team
- Key Club
- Chess Club
- Science Olympiad
[edit] Activities
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[edit] Notable alumni
- Laurie Anderson, 1965, Musician
- Samuel W. Bodman, 1957, United States Secretary of Energy
- Matt Bowen, 1996, Professional football player, Buffalo Bills
- Scott Brew, 1991, Founder of Adtegrity.com
- Jeffery Deaver, 1968, Author
- Julie Reece Deaver, 1971, Author of novels for young adults
- Bill Pullman, 1972, Actor
- Chris Faller and Darren Wilson, of the band The Hush Sound
- Erin Gilreath, 1998, 2004 Olympian
- Mike Hall, 2000, ESPN Dream Job winner
- Sean Hayes, 1988, Actor, Will & Grace
- Peter Roskam, 1979, United States Representative of Illinois' 6th congressional district
