| Niles West High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 5701 W. Oakton St. Skokie, Illinois, 60077 USA |
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| Information | |
| School type | public, comprehensive secondary |
| Opened | 1959 |
| School district | Niles Twp. HS District 219 |
| NCES District ID | 1728530[1] |
| Superintendent | Dr. Nanciann Gatta[2] |
| NCES School ID | 172853002988[1] |
| Principal | Kaine Osburn[3] |
| Teaching staff | 178.37 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12[1] |
| Gender | coed[1] |
| Enrollment | 2520[1] (2009-10) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.13:1[1] |
| Campus type | suburban[1] |
| Color(s) | red white[4] |
| Athletics conference | Central Suburban League[4] |
| Team name | Wolves[4] |
| Newspaper | 'West Word' |
| Yearbook | 'Spectrum' |
| Website | http://www.niles-hs.k12.il.us/west/ |
Niles West High School, or NWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It is part of Niles Township Community High School District 219, which also includes Niles North High School.[5] Its school teams were originally the Indians, but this was later changed in 2001 to the Wolves. Its feeder middle schools are Lincoln Junior High School (located in Skokie), Fairview South School (located in Skokie), Lincoln Hall Middle School (located in Lincolnwood), Culver Middle School (located in Niles), and Park View School (located in Morton Grove).
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Niles West High School is built on a former wet land and its campus sits on over 70 acres (280,000 m2) of land. The school opened in 1959. When Niles East High School closed, most of the students attending that school moved to Niles West.
In 1996, the Niles Township Federation of Teachers went on a strike for two weeks over negotiations with administrators. During that time numerous students staged a walkout and pledged their allegiance to Niles West. Strikes have also happened in 1979 and 1985 with similar results.
In 2007, Niles West had an average composite ACT score of 22.3, and graduated 93.4% of its senior class.[6] The average class size is 19.2.[6] Niles West was on academic watch status as of 2007.[6]
Niles West has recently been honored with the following:
A change instituted at the start of the 2005-2006 school year included a switch to a schedule similar to that of New Trier High School with nine 42-minute classes, and the possibility of taking select classes in the early morning, before classes officially begin. Homeroom has been moved to the middle of the day in an effort to prevent students from missing it.
The "West Word" student newspaper has been awarded first place for seven years running, with special merit twice, by the American Scholastic Press Association Newspaper contest.[7]
The Dance Marathon/School Chest raised over $83,000 for Children's Oncology Services, Inc. Niles West DM in partnership with Niles North High School have raised over a hundred-and-fifty thousand dollars for numerous charities in the past.
In April 2007, Niles West, together with Niles North, received the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boards Association Award for excellence in arts education.[8]
In March 2009, Niles West's Poetry Slam Team beat out over fifty other high schools and won Young Chicago Authors' citywide Louder than a Bomb competition and went on to compete nationally at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival that summer.
In summer 2010, the Niles West High School Theatre Department performed at the 2010 American High School Theatre Festival in Scotland.[9]
Niles West competes in the Central Suburban League and Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Teams are stylized as the Wolves.
Until June 2000, at the end of the 1999-2000 school year, the sports teams were known as Niles West Indians, a name which was changed to the Wolves so as not to offend Native Americans. The school colors are still red and white, although wolf murals and symbolism appear throughout the school.
Niles West sponsors interscholastic athletic teams for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Men may also compete in baseball, Water polo, football, and wrestling. Women may compete in cheerleading and softball. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors a Poms team for women.[10]
The following teams have finished in the top 4 of their respective IHSA state championship tournaments: http://www.ihsa.org/school/records/sum1922.htm IHSA Season Summaries for Niles West HS; accessed 11 April 2009]</ref>
The baseball team has won two IHSA state championships (1971-72 and 74-75).[11] The girl's basketball team won the IHSA state championship in 1978-79.[11]
The central athletic stadium, used by football, soccer, and track & field is Mike Basrak Field named in honor of a long-time football coach/teacher.
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