Glenbard West High School
Glenbard West High School, or GWHS (also GBW and 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. The West campus draws students from Glen Ellyn (primarily north of Illinois Route 38), a small portion of Lombard, and portions of Glendale Heights and Carol Stream.
History
The first high school that students in the area attended was Glen Ellyn High School, which served students from 1916-1922.[7] These classes were held at the DuPage Bank Building.[7] By 1920, it was clear that a new facility was required as classes were spread between the bank building and local church basements.[7]
The district purchased a site on Honeysuckle Hill for the price of US$1.[7] The current building opened in 1922 as Glenbard Township High School; the first of the district's high schools.[7] The school was built in the style of a castle, complete with roof turrets.
Facilities
'Glenbard' as it was originally named, was constructed in 1922, atop Honeysuckle Hill, overlooking Lake Ellyn. Built with dark red brick, the building was built with castle-like design, complete with a turret and other minor castle details. Glenbard West also has a tower known as the fourth floor that if you look out of the window in the tower section of the building on a clear day you can see The Willis Tower. 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 Robert D. Elliott Library, named after one of the most influential principals in school history.
Across the road from Glenbard West is Bill Duchon Field, where both football and other school sports are played such as both boys and girls soccer and track are played. Originally built in 1923, it was renamed in 1980 in honor of a former head football coach.[8] Duchon was a very successful coach and turned the losing Glenbard West football team into a state championship team. The stadium seats up to 5,000 spectators, of which the home side overlooks Lake Ellyn. In 2001, Duchon field was named one of the top 10 places to watch high school football by USA Today.[8]
In media
Billy Duchon Field was used to stage the football field scenes in the 1986 film Lucas[8][9] , which featured rising stars such as Corey Haim, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Winona Ryder, and Jeremy Piven. The school building was also used for shooting scenes in the film, as well as other local sites such as the "Glen" movie theater in downtown Glen Ellyn. Glenbard West cheerleaders appeared as extras in the film, though the school colors and school name were changed.
The 1991 television documentary Yearbook was filmed here.[10][11]
Glenbard West figures prominently in the award-winning young adult novel Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver.[12]
It was also featured in the post-apocalyptic book The Girl Who Owned A City by O. T. Nelson.
Academics
Glenbard West has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which with the ACT, comprise the assessments used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[4]
Glenbard West has been ranked among the top 1500 public schools in the United States six times, according to Newsweek's challenge Index. In 2009, the school ranked #1022.[13] The school had been previsouly ranked #954 (2008), #673 (2007), #626 (2006), #684 (2005), and #711 (2003).[13]
Activities
Glenbard West is home to a number of competitive activities that have represented the school well in numerous fields.
The Glenbard West Forensics team (Speech, Individual Events) won the team IHSA state championship trophy in 1991. Since then, the team has won numerous individual in State Finals. In 2010, the team tied for second overall.[14]
The Glenbard West Theatre program performs in the Larry Shue Auditorium. In 2008, the school's production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was performed at the Illinois Theatrefest.[15]
The Glenbard West Model United Nations team regularly annually competes at the Brown University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Model UN Conferences.[16] The team has received numerous awards at each of those conferences.
Athletics
Glenbard West competes in the West Suburban Conference. The school is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Hilltoppers.
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.[17] Young men may compete in baseball, football, and Scholastic wrestling, while young women may compete in badminton and softball.[17] While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors lacrosse teams for young men and women, in addition to field hockey and poms for young women.[17]
- Basketball (girls): 3rd place (1998—99)
- Cross Country (boys): 4th place (1962—63, 67—68, 68—69, 77—78); 3rd place (1973—74); 2nd place (1958—59, 59—60, 61—62, 63—64); State Champions (1960—61)
- Cross Country (girls): 3rd place (1979—80); 2nd place (1980—81)
- Football: semifinals (2008—09); 2nd place (1976—77, 09—10); State Champions (1983—84)
- Golf (boys): 4th place (1992—93); 3rd place (1955—56, 93—94); 2nd place (1942—43, 44—45, 66—67)
- Gymnastics (boys): 4th place (2000—01); 3rd place (2006—07); 2nd place (1994—95, 97—98, 99—2000); State Champions (1995—96)
- Soccer (boys): 4th place (1991—92)
- Tennis (boys): 3rd place (1938—39)
- Track & Field (boys): 4th place (1932—33, 34—3572—73); 3rd place (1956—57, 69—70)
- Volleyball (girls): 3rd place (1981—82); 2nd place (1982—83); State Champions (1983—84)
- Volleyball (boys): 4th place (2011)
- Lacrosse (boys): 3rd place (2009); 2nd place (2010)
Notable alumni
- Laurie Anderson (class of 1965) is a musician, songwriter, inventor, and performance artist.[18]
- Zak Bagans (class of 1995) Is the Founder and Lead investigator of the highly respected Ghost Adventures Crew.
- Samuel Bodman (class of 1956) was the U.S. Secretary of Energy (2005—2009).[19]
- Rob Boras is a football coach, currently tight end coach with the Chicago Bears.[18]
- Matt Bowen (class of 1995) was an NFL defensive back (2000—06).[18][20]
- Amy Carlson (class of 1986) is an actress who works in film and television (Alex Taylor on the TV series Third Watch).[18]
- Jeffery Deaver (class of 1968) mystery author, recently chosen to be the new author of the James Bond novels, is perhaps best known for his creation of the character Lincoln Rhyme in novels such as The Bone Collector.[21]
- Julie Deaver (class of 1971) is a screenwriter and author of award-winning young adult novels, including Say Goodnight, Gracie which is set in Glen Ellyn and features Glenbard West.
- Christina Filiaggi (class of 1986) is a radio producer and on-air talent.[18]
- Erin Gilreath competed in the hammer throw at the 2004 Olympics.[18]
- Mike Hall (class of 2000) is a sportscaster and ESPN Dream Job winner.[18]
- Fareed Haque (class of 1981) is a guitarist and professor of Jazz and Classical Guitar Studies at Northern Illinois University.[18]
- Diane Holum (olympic gold medalist) (class of 1968) won Silver and Bronze medals in 1968 and Gold and Silver medals in 1972 at the Winter Olympics in speed skating.
- Sean Hayes (class of 1988) is an Emmy Award-winning actor, best known for his role as Jack McFarland on the television series Will & Grace.[18][22]
- Michael Herbick (class of 1967) is an Oscar nominated sound mixer (Lonesome Dove, The Fugitive).[23][24]
- Bobby Rahal (class of 1971) was an Indy-car driver and is co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing. As a driver, he won the 1986 Indianapolis 500.[18]
- Nancy Reno (class of 1984) was an Olympic competitor in beach volleyball (1996) and won a bronze medal at the 1997 Beach Volleyball World Championships.[18]
- Peter Roskam (class of 1979) is a U. S. Congressman, representing Illinois's 6th congressional district (2007—present).[18]
- Larry Shue (class of 1964) was a playwright (The Foreigner).[25][26]
- Phil Vischer (class of 1984) is an author, actor, and puppeteer who co-founded Veggie Tales.[18]
- Ted Wass (class of 1970) is an actor and director best known for his work on television (Blossom).[18]
References
- ^ District 87 Administration Directory; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ Administration for GWHS; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ Staff directory; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ a b c d Class of 2008 Illinois School Report Card; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ a b School information for GWHS; ihsa.org; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ a b c Activities directory for GWHS; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ a b c d e GWHS History; accessed 30 July 2009
- ^ a b c USA Today. 25 October 2001. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2001-10-25-top10-stadiums-glenellyn.htm.
- ^ Fuentes, Gabe; HOLLYWOOD ON LOCATION AT GLENBARD WEST STUDENTS GET CLOSE-UP LOOK AT FILMMAKING; 25 June 1985; Chicago Tribune; accessed 30 July 2009
- ^ L.L; "Yearbook": The Real Thing; 3 March 1991; Los Angeles Times; Au contraire , say seniors at suburban Illinois' Glenbard West High School, who willingly bared their souls for Fox's new reality series "Yearbook." ; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ Rowland, Debran; A teen drama in Glen Ellyn? Stay tuned . . .; 9 October 1990; Chicago Tribune; accessed 30 July 2009
- ^ Julie Reece Deaver biography; juliedeaver.com; In "Say Goodnight Gracie", for example, Morgan and Jimmy attend Glenbad West, my old high school; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ a b The top of the Class - The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools; 8 June 2009; newsweek.com; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ http://www.speechwire.com/
- ^ http://www.illinoistheatrefest.org/main.htm
- ^ http://www.glenbardwesths.org/sitepages/community/S02338B07-02C3D5BF
- ^ a b c Athletic Department for GWHS; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wilcox, George M; Glenbard West Hilltoppers; 24 March 2009; Chicago Sun-Times; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ Glenbard Twp. HS district 87 Famous Alumni; accessed 30 July 2009
- ^ Matt Bowen stats & bio; databasefootball.com; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ "Mystery Writers of America (Midwest Chapter), 8 February 2009 meeting report; 19 February 2009; As a boy, Deaver ... developed his own subgenre about pudgy, clumsy, socially inept boys—wish fulfillment stories in which the nerds got the pom-pom girls. He became editor of the Bard, Glenbard West’s literary magazine; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ Biography: Sean Hayes; New York Times; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ Gire, Dann (22 February 2009). "Why you can't buy a ticket to the Oscars - and more". Arlington Heights, IL: Daily Herald. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=273944. Retrieved 15 August 2009. "To answer this one, I asked a real, live Academy voter: Michael Herbick. He grew up in Glen Ellyn, graduated from Glenbard West High School in 1967 ..."
- ^ "List of Awards for Michael Herbick". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378655/awards. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ Production notes for "The Nerd" by Larry Shue; The Theater of Western Springs; September 2000; About The Author: ... Larry attended Glenbard West High School, and while there, he played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream.; accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ Christiansen, Richard; Obituary: ACTOR LARRY SHUE, COMEDY PLAYWRIGHT; 25 September 1985; Chicago Tribune; When his family moved to the western Chicago suburbs, Mr. Shue attended Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn.; accessed 30 July 2009
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