Victor J. Andrew High School
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| Established | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Type | Public secondary |
| Principal | Glenn Wood (2006-present) |
| Students | 2,524 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | 9001 W. 171st Street Tinley Park, Illinois, USA |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Mascot | Thunderbolts |
| Yearbook | The Sentinel |
| Newspaper | The Circuit |
| Website | andrew.d230.org |
Victor J. Andrew High School, Andrew, or VJA, is a public four-year high school located in Tinley Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the third school to become part of Consolidated High School District 230, which also includes Amos Alonzo Stagg High School and Carl Sandburg High School.
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[edit] History
 Collage of Andrew students and activities in the late 70's |
Andrew opened in the fall of 1977, enrolling freshman and sophomore students. The first class graduated in 1980. The school is named after scientist Victor J. Andrew, founder of Andrew Corporation, which specializes in communication technologies. Andrew died in October of 1971 and eventually became the forerunner for the name of the new District 230 school.
 The 1984 Sentinel |
The school underwent major renovations and additions at the turn of the millennium which added a new performing arts center, gymnasium, and cafeteria, among other things. The classrooms and hallways in the old building were renovated with the same modern architecture and design that defined the new addition. Beginning in 2005, all of the school's bathrooms were renovated, including all four locker rooms during the spring and summer months of 2007. In addition, since 1985, the school has become host to hundreds of crafters during spring and fall craft shows.
[edit] Academics
In 2005, Andrew had an average composite ACT score of 21.4 and graduated 94.2% of its senior class. The average class size is 18.5. Andrew has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act.[1]
[edit] Athletics
Andrew's athletic teams play in SWSC, and Illinois High School Association. Andrew's mascot is the Thunderbolts, taken from the "Flash" trademark of Andrew Corporation. The Tasmanian Devil runs around with a thunderbolt in his hand to represent the pride of Victor J. Andrew and the T-bolt faithful. In the 2006-2007 school year Andrew adopted a new mascot, T-bolt Man. In 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Bowling season the Thunderbolts won back to back state championships led by Jimmy Bergstrom in 2005 finals and Tony Yakes in the 2006 finals. During the 2005-2006 school year a vote was taken and the school mascot was changed to Mr. T-Bolt.
[edit] Marching Band
Andrew's marching band is one of the best in the state of Illinois and in the district. It is a consistent finalist at the Illinois State University Marching Band and has won its class, 5A, 5 times: 1994,1997,2002,2006,2007. Its Percussion section won "Best Percussion" in 1994,1997,1998,2003 and 2007. In addition to their fall marching band program, VJA offers and indoor percussion line and and indoor color guard during the winter months. In 2008, the indoor percussion line, for the first time ever, made open class finals in Dayton, Ohio during WGI's (Winter Guard International) World Championships. They placed 9th overall and had an outstanding performance.
[edit] SkillsUSA
One of Andrew's activities is the SkillsUSA state-wide competition. Students compete in many different competitions from Graphic Arts and Creative Photography all the way to Culinary Arts. In 2008, for the first time ever, Victor J. Andrew's very own Matthew Knippen and Alicia Dawson took first place in the category of Web Page Design. This is a new standard for the school as they will be the first time Andrew will ever compete in the SkillsUSA Nationals Competition.
[edit] Activities
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[edit] Notable alumni
- Gina Glocksen, 9th place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol.
- Garrett Jones, Major League baseball player.
- Kevin Sefcik, Major League baseball player.
- Dan Conybear, Major League Doosh
- Matt Withrow, 2003 Footlocker National Champion, currently one of the fastest collegiate distance runners.
[edit] References
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