O'Fallon Township High School

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Address
O'Fallon Township High School

600 South Smiley Street O'Fallon, Illinois, 62269 USA
Coordinates	38°35′12″N 89°54′06″W / 38.5867160, -89.9017677Coordinates: 38°35′12″N 89°54′06″W / 38.5867160, -89.9017677 ^[1]
Information
School district	203
Enrollment	2,508
School type	Public
Grades	9-12
Athletics conference	Southwestern
Mascot	Panther
Team name	Panthers
School Colour(s)	Navy Blue and Gold
Yearbook	Panther
Newspaper	Prowler
Founded	1901
Homepage	http://www.oths.k12.il.us/

O'Fallon Township High School is a public secondary school in O'Fallon, Illinois.

1 History
2 Campus
3 Extracurricular activities
4 Notable alumni
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The first high school was founded in 1901 as a two-year school by William R. Dorris, who became the first principal, according to Brian Keller of the O’Fallon Historical Society.

In 1901, the city had built a new building to serve as the elementary school. One room, Room 10, was set aside for the high school studies.

The first graduating class of O’Fallon had only five people. The Class of 1903 consisted of Ethel Evans Huschle, Edna Thurston Ayers, Thomas Gordon, Ralph Evans, and Henry Poignee.

According to Keller, O’Fallon’s high school officially became OTHS of District 203 in 1920, and the original school song, “Blue and Old Gold” was first sung at graduation a few years later in 1925.

As for our mascot, the 1934 basketball team takes credit for choosing the Panthers. According to Mr. George Bender, class of 1937, the basketball team visited a sports store in 1934, and was impressed by the large picture of a panther in the store’s display window. O’Fallon did not have a mascot of its own, and liked the idea of using the panther. By November of 1934, the team was nicknamed the ‘Panthers’ and the name spread through the other sports and activities.

-Reporting by Chelsea Arnold, '08, Prowler Staff

[edit] Campus

The current high school building was built and opened in 1958, with multiple additions and expansions since then.

The district is currently adding a new freshman campus to ease overcrowding. Also, the district expanded the main campus by extending the street-side hallway, thus adding another hallway stretching the length of the school, along with multiple new classrooms.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] Sports

Baseball
Basketball
Bowling
Cross Country
Cheerleading
Chess
Dance team
Football
Golf
Hockey
Intramurals: Softball, Ultimate Frisbee
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field
Volleyball
Wrestling

[edit] Other Extracurricular Activities

Junior ROTC
Marching Band
Colorguard
Orchestra
Jazz Band
Show Choir
Jazz Choir
Chamber Choir/Madrigals
Fall Play
Spring Musical
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
National Honor Society
Spanish Honor Society
French Honor Society
German Honor Society
French Club
German Club
Spanish Club
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
Mock Trial Team
Mock Trial Club
Model UN
FBLA
Student Council
Players with a Passion
AYO Step Team
Drama Club
Broadcast Staff
Newspaper Staff
Yearbook Staff
Ecology Club
Geology Club
Camera Club
Art Club
Cartoon Drawing and Publishing Club
RUIM
Otaku
Math Team
WYSE Team
Scholar Bowl Team
Science Olympiad Team
History Club
Government Club

[edit] Team Achievements

The boys' baseball team finished third at the 2006 State Baseball Tournament held annually in Geneva, Illinois at Philip B. Elfstrom Stadium, home of the Kane County Cougars. This was O'Fallon's first state trophy in school history.

The boys' basketball team finished second at the 2007 State Basketball Tournament held annually in Peoria, Illinois at Bradley University.

The boys' cross country team has made state appearances for the last 5 years, finishing 21st out of 30 teams in 2006.

The Golden Girls dance team placed first in state competition in March 2008.