Mundelein High School

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Mundelein High School
Committed to Excellence
Location
1350 W. Hawley Street
Mundelein, IL 60060

USA
Information
Principal Dr. John Ahlgrim
Enrollment

2,269 (as of 2005-06)[1]

Faculty 103.1 (on FTE basis)[1]
Student:teacher ratio 22.0[1]
Type Public high school
Grades 9–12
Campus Suburban
Athletics conference North Suburban Conference
Mascot Maverick The Mustang
Color(s) Scarlet, Gray
Yearbook The Obelisk
Newspaper The Mustang
Established 1961
Information 847-949-2200
Homepage

Mundelein High School, or MHS, is a public four-year high school located in Mundelein, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120.


Contents

[edit] History

The first graduating class was the class of 1961.

In 1998, a $12.8 million, 113,383 sq. ft. addition and renovations were made to the original structure.

[edit] Academics

In 2005, Mundelein had an average composite ACT score of 20.7, and graduated 88.9% of its senior class.[2] The average class size is 21.3. Mundelein has not made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act.[3]

The school has a strong academic program, with approximately 90% of the graduates continuing their education at post-secondary institutions[4]. The school offers a wide range of challenging courses, including honors and Advanced Placement classes that are available to any interested student. The school also offers special education services, ESL, and bilingual classes. Qualified students may also take classes at the nearby College of Lake County, as well as at the Lake County High School's Technology campus.

[edit] Awards and recognition

MHS recognitions include:

[edit] Athletics

Mundelein competes in the North Suburban Conference and the Illinois High School Association. The school's athletic teams are known as the Mustangs. The athletic director and Mundelein is Perry Wilhelm. Dennis Kessel is regarded as the greatest coach in Mundelein history, leading a successful and exciting basketball program until Wilhelm took over in the mid-nineties. The high school offers 14 varsity sports for boys and 11 for girls. Mundelein athletic teams have won several state titles, including boys gymnastics under the guidance of former coach Doug Foerch (1989, 1990, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000) and girls water polo (1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001). Additionally, Mundelein athletes have won individual titles in several sports, including boys gymnastics and boys swimming.

[edit] Activities

The school offers numerous extra-curricular programs, clubs, and activities, including band, choir, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society, Student Leadership, Mock Trial, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Chess, among others.

The school's choir program, headed by John Neubauer and his associate director Cory Thompson, is one of the best extracurriculars the school has to offer. Its concert choirs include Mixed Chorus (freshman boys and girls), Women's Choir, and Master Singers. The school also has three show choirs - Lights (girls' unisex), SoundFX (boys' unisex), and Sound (mixed). These choirs have received national recognition in Nashville, at FAME Orlando, and at Showstoppers New York, and compete annually at regional competitions such as Hersey's Chicagoland Showcase. In March of 2007, Mundelein Lights were crowned Grand Champions of the Unisex Division at nationals, held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Grand Ole Opry. It was the first national championship for the show choirs.

The band program is also well-known. There are three concert band levels, the highest being the Wind Ensemble, followed by Symphonic Band and then Concert Band. There is also a jazz program, which was expanded during the 2006-2007 school year to include Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, and Jazz Combo. Their marching band, known affectionately as the Marching Mustangs, plays during pregame and halftime at football games as well as serving as pep band for other sporting events.

Also in Fine Arts, Mundelein boasts a wonderful theatre program. Directed by Jonathan Meier, who joined the MHS faculty in the 04-05 school year, MHS Theatre has tackled some impressive shows at the high school level. Recent productions include A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, and Dancing At Lughnasa by Brian Friel. Lughnasa was selected to perform at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival at Illinois State University in January of 2008. Other productions include an annual student-directed one-act presentation.

Additionally, Mundelein has built a solid Mock Trial program, with numerous Top 8 in State finishes in the past 10 years. Most recently, MHS Mock Trial took 2nd in state in at the 2007 State Competition in Springfield, Illinois. The team, who had won one Best Attorney and two Best Witness awards in the preliminary rounds, finished 2nd to Glenbard East, who they squared off with in their Final 8 matchup. It was the highest finish ever by a Mundelein Mock Trial Team.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Mundelein High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 8, 2008.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Illinois School Report Card
  4. ^ Mundelein High School - Information
  5. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), accessed May 11, 2006
  6. ^ CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  7. ^ Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."

[edit] External links