| Palatine High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 1111 Rohlwing Rd. Palatine, Illinois, 60074 United States |
|
| Information | |
| School type | public secondary |
| Opened | 1875 [1] |
| School district | Township HS District 211 |
| Superintendent | Nancy Robb, Ph.D. [2] |
| CEEB Code | 143345 [3] |
| Principal | Gary Steiger [4] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | coed |
| Enrollment | 2,764 [5] |
| Average class size | 21.1 [6] |
| Campus | suburban |
| School Colour(s) | scarlet grey [8] |
| Song | "Palatine Loyalty Song" [7] |
| Athletics conference | Mid-Suburban League |
| Mascot | Pirate Pete |
| Nickname | Pirates [8] |
| Accreditation(s) | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [9] |
| Average ACT scores | 22.1 [6] |
| Publication | FACE [10] |
| Newspaper | 'Cutlass [10] |
| Yearbook | 'Spotlight [10] |
| Website | http://www.phs.d211.org/ |
Palatine High School, or PHS, is a public four-year high school in Township High School District 211. Located at 1111 N. Rohlwing Rd in Palatine, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago. It serves primarily all of and only those areas of Palatine northeast of the UP NW tracks, but also serves as a magnet school for the entire district's special education program.
Contents |
Palatine High School was founded in 1875, the first public high school in what are now the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Its operation was reorganized into a modern school district in 1914, and in 1928 the high school built its first dedicated school building. It served the entirety of Palatine Township as a public high school, and also admitted paying students from neighboring Schaumburg Township.
In the 1950s, rising enrollments due to suburban expansion and the baby boom caused many changes. Palatine High School's district formally expanded to include Schaumburg Township, two additions were built in rapid succession, and additional school buildings were built in the southwest part of Palatine (William Fremd High School) and in Schaumburg (James B. Conant High School). The student distribution changed as Fremd served as a school for freshmen and sophomores while Palatine High School served juniors and seniors.
The current three-story facility was completed in 1977, and a second gymnasium was built in 1997.[11]
In 2003 a new math and foreign language wing was built. This new three-story wing included 24 new classrooms and activity areas, and added 46,500 square feet (4,320 m2) to the existing building.[12]
In the summer of 2009, Palatine's Chic Anderson Stadium was installed with an artificial turf for nearly $1.5 million.[13]
All schools in District 211, PHS included, have been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. While PHS has been accredited the earliest in the district, dating back to April 1, 1935.[9]
PHS is not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as a part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act because multiple sub groups within the student population failed to meet minimum standards.[6] 2008 also marks the third year the school has been on academic watch.[6]
In 2008, Palatine High School had an average composite ACT score of 22.1.[6] 92.3% of the class of 2008 graduated.[6]
Applied Technology Department
PHS maintains a comprehensive applied technology department with classes such as Computer-Aided Design, Small Engines, Automotives, Home Construction, Woodshop, Metals, and a Plastics course when demand is large enough. Recently, the Applied Technology Department has brought in "Project Lead the Way" Courses: Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Digital Electronics, and Civil Engineering and Architecture to further bolster the classes offered to students. These classes are all engineering based curriculum that offer the possibility for students to earn some college credit. PHS is certified through Harper College to teach certain classes that count towards credit for receiving an apprenticeship with a Master Electrician. There is also a computer repair class that is certified through the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) where students that pass the qualification exam receive an A+ Certification, demonstrating competency as a computer technician.
Peer Mediation, a district wide program for the resolution of peer conflicts by peer interventions, won the 1999 Peaceleader Award from the Illinois Center for the Prevention of Violence.
PHS has twice received the U. S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Award, once in the 1992-1993 school year, and again in 1999-2000.[14]
In 2000, PHS was one of few high schools named a New American High School. The award, last given in 2000, was given to schools which serve as "model" schools based on innovation.[15]
PHS was selected as an Outstanding American High School by receiving a Silver Medal from U.S. News and World Report magazine.[16]
In 2008, the school was ranked 1157 in the annual Newsweek Magazine Top 1,300 high schools in America.[17] The school had previous been ranked in 2007 (1204) and 2005 (992).[17]
PHS currently offers over 80 extracurricular activities for students to participate in.[18]
Varsity Flag Team
The Varsity Flag team has been Overall State Champions for three consecutive years: 2007, 2008, and 2009. Each year they received 1st place in the Tall Flag and Lyrical Flag categories. Additionally, they have been the Overall Flag Division State Champions, having scored the highest of all the teams that competed with a flag routine. They compete through Team Dance Illinois.[19][20][21]
Band
The PHS band has been to numerous states across the US, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Canada, and twice to London, England.[22]
The band represented the state of Illinois in the WWII Memorial Dedication Parade in Washington, D.C. in May 2004.[11]
In 2005 thirteen members of the PHS band were cast as extras in the World War II movie, Flags of Our Fathers directed by Clint Eastwood. The scene they were in was shot at Glencoe Train Station in Glencoe, Illinois.[23]
In 2007 thirty members of the band were cast to portray the Syracuse University Marching Band in the movie The Express. The scene was filmed at Ryan Field on the Northwestern University campus. The movie stars Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown.[24]
In 2010 the band played at the White House staff Christmas party, after the PHS choir turned down the invitation to return due to prior engagements. Instead, choir director, Steve Sivak, suggested that the band should play.[25]
Palatine High School is a member of the Mid-Suburban League (MSL). They are also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most sports and non-athletic competitions in Illinois, as well as sponsors their state championship tournaments.
As a part of IHSA they currently host the State Meet for girls gymnastics.
The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Young women may compete in badminton, bowling, and softball, while young men may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling.[26]
While not sponsored by the athletic department, the school sponsors a cheerleading team which competes in the IHSA sponsored state competition. They also sponsor a club for cricket.[10]
The following teams have finished in the top 4 of their respective IHSA sponsored state athletic tournaments:
| Sport | State Finishes |
|---|---|
| Badminton: | State Champions (1984–85, 85–86, 88–89, 90–91); 2nd place (1979–80, 89–90, 91–92); 3rd place (1981–82, 83–84); 4th place (1978–79) |
| Bowling (girls): | State Champions (1991–92) |
| Cheerleading (coed): | 4th place (2001–2002); 3rd place (2002–2003); 2nd place (2003–2004); 1st place (2004–2005); 3rd place (2007–08); 4th place (2008–09); |
| Cross Country (boys): | State Champions (2011–2012); 2nd place (1980–81, 93–94, 2003–04, 04–05, 05–06); 3rd place (2007–08); 4th place (2010–11) |
| Cross Country (girls): | State Champions (1989–90, 90–91, 91–92, 92–93, 95–96, 96–97, 2009–10); 2nd place (1985–86, 93–94, 94–95, 2003–04, 10–11); 3rd place (2005–06); 4th place (1983–84, 97–98) |
| Football: | 2nd place (1994–95); |
| Gymnastics (boys): | State Champions (2006–07); 3rd place (2007–08) |
| Gymnastics (girls): | State Champions (1987–88, 88–89); 2nd place (1978–79, 84–85, 89–90, 2006–07); 3rd place (1986–87, 2005–06) |
| Soccer (boys): | State Champions (1994–95); 3rd place (1990–91, 95–96) |
| Soccer (girls): | State Champions (1988–89, 94–95); 3rd place (1987–88, 93–94); 4th place (1989–90, 96–97) |
| Swimming & Diving (girls): | 2nd place (1983–84, 88–89, 95–96, 96–97); 3rd place (1982–83); 4th place (1994–95) |
| Track & Field (boys): | 2nd place (1958–59); 4th place (1963–64) |
| Track & Field (girls): | 2nd place (1992–93, 2005–06, 08–09); 3rd place (1990–91, 91–92, 2000–01, 01–02); 4th place (1993–94, 2002–03, 04–05) |
| Volleyball (boys): | 4th place (2003–04) |
| Volleyball (girls): | 2nd place (1984–85, 86–87); 3rd place (1997–98); 4th place (1983–84) |
| Wrestling: | 3rd place (1962–63); 4th place (1986–87, 89–90) |
Both the girls' cross country team, as well at the boys' have competed in the Nike Cross Nationals since they were both invited in 2009. Since NXN is an unofficial national race, schools are not allowed to use their school name, therefore both teams use Palatine XC Club.
| Year | NXN Midwest | NXN Nationals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palatine XC Club (boys): | 2009 | 10th [28] | – | ||||||
| 2010 | 4th [29] | – | |||||||
| 2011 | 3th | 5th [30] | |||||||
| Palatine XC Club (girls): | 2009 | 2nd | 19th [31] | ||||||
| 2010 | 1st | 8th [32] | |||||||
| "—" denotes team did not place in top 22 | |||||||||
|
||||||||