| Wheaton Warrenville South High School | |
|---|---|
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Semper Tigris
(always a tiger) |
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| Address | |
| 1993 Tiger Trail Wheaton, Illinois, 60189 United States |
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| Information | |
| School type | public secondary |
| Opened | 1876 |
| School district | Comm. Unit S.D. 200 |
| Superintendent | Brian Harris[1] |
| Principal | David Claypool[2] |
| Teaching staff | 157[3] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | coed |
| Enrollment | 2,390[4] |
| Average class size | 23.7[4] |
| Campus | suburban |
| School Colour(s) | orange black[5] |
| Slogan | Commitment, Integrity, Scholarship, Tradition |
| Athletics conference | DuPage Valley Conference |
| Nickname | Tigers[5] |
| Average ACT scores | 23.6[4] |
| Newspaper | 'The Pride[6] |
| Yearbook | 'Tigris' |
| Website | http://www.wwshs.org/ |
Wheaton Warrenville South High School, or WWSHS, is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Butterfield Road and Wiesbrook Road in the southwest corner of the Wheaton, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Community Unit School District 200, which also includes Wheaton North High School.
The school has had a long history, during which it has had four names, and is considered the successor to a school with a similar name. While the school is known for its academic and athletic accomplishments, it is best known for its association with a number of notable alumni including astronomer Edwin Hubble, football player Red Grange, comedian John Belushi and actor James Belushi.
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The history of Wheaton Warrenville High School can be traced back to the original high school in Wheaton, Wheaton High School, which opened in 1876.[7] In 1925, the school was relocated to a new building which would eventually become Hubble Middle School, and changed its name to Wheaton Community High School.[7]
In October, 1946, the school's cafeteria was largely destroyed by a fire that was blamed on a recently installed Coca-Cola vending machine.[8]
In 1964, with the completion of its sister school, Wheaton North, the school was again renamed, Wheaton Central High School.[7]
By 1967, overcrowding became an issue at Wheaton Central. In late 1967, the school board proposed a redistricting move that would send all Warrenville students to the newer Wheaton North building.[9] In January, 1968, the board approved bussing underclass students in Warrenville to Wheaton North, and allowing upperclassmen the choice of either school.[10]
The current building that houses Wheaton Warrenville South was opened in 1973, and operated as Wheaton-Warrenville High School from 1973—83.[7] By 1982, it was clear that the high school population in the district was shrinking, and there would be a need to close either the older, tradition rich Wheaton Central, or the newer, but smaller Wheaton-Warrenville South.[11] In June, 1982, the school board voted 6-1 to close Wheaton-Warrenville South, effective at the end of the 1982—83 school year.[12] In response, there was a request to for a mass transfer of all students from Wheaton-Warrenville South students to either of the two other schools, and make appropriate forcing more changes at the other schools.[13] When the request for the mass transfer was not granted by the board, a group of Warrenville parents began threatening to secede from the district.[14] In January, 1983, the parent group presented a petition signed by over 75% of the registered voters of Warrenville to approve detaching from the district.[15] The movement to split from the district eventually moved to the courts.[16] Without even hearing the school board's argument, the judge ruled against the parents group.[17] The issue finally came to an end when the DuPage Valley Regional Board of School Trustees voted 5-2 to reject the secession bid.[18]
In 1983, the original Wheaton-Warrenville High School became Wheaton Warrenville Middle School, reflecting a shrinking high school population and an increasing population of younger students.[7]
In 1988, with Wheaton Central aging, the board moved to renovate Wheaton Warrenville Middle School in preparation for opening it again as a high school, when Wheaton Central would need to eventually be closed.[19] In October 1989, the school board formally proposed moving high school students from Wheaton Central back to Wheaton-Warrenville Middle School, and converting the older Wheaton Central building to a middle school.[20] On May 9, 1990, the board officially voted to make the change, ending a situation that had again "divided residents".[21] Even after the decision was made, there was debate over the naming of the school.[22] In 1992, with an increase in the district's high school population, there was a need to move the high school population from the older 1925 building to the newer, larger 1973 building. The 1925 building became Hubble Middle School, and upon moving, Wheaton Central High School became Wheaton Warrenville South High School.[7] Thus, the original Wheaton-Warrenville High School is considered the forerunner of the current Wheaton Warrenville South High School (not the same school). This can be seen in the evolution of the school seal which came from WCHS.[7] The school colors, mascot, and nickname are continuations of Wheaton Central, while the current school's Wolverine Hall, with a green and gold color scheme, honor the earlier Wheaton-Warrenville High School from 1973—83.[7]
It is proper to write the name of the earlier school as Wheaton-Warrenville High School, with a hyphen. When the school was renamed, the hyphen was dropped to symbolize a lack of division.[7]
The 1925 building housing Hubble Middle School was closed at the end of the 2008—09 school year. A new Hubble Middle School was constructed, and the site is awaiting final disposition.[23][24]
The building comprises five major pods: Grange, completed in 2005, and Tradition, Scholarship, Commitment, and Integrity, which are taken from the school seal.
In 1999, the Integrity wing was built in the southeast corner of the school to house the math department. It includes eleven new classrooms, a math lab, and a math office.
In 2002, The Tradition and Commitment pods, primarily housing the English and Science departments, respectively, underwent significant renovations with reconstruction of all second floor classrooms. More than $100,000 worth of technology was also upgraded in 2002, with all classrooms receiving at least one new Dell XP computer connecting to a new broadband internet access connection, cable TV, accompanying DVD/VCR combo player. The computer labs were also updated and several carts of wireless internet laptops were added.
Wheaton Warrenville South installed solar panels on the roof of the school as an alternative energy source as part of a 2004 partnership with British Petroleum.[25] BP's North American Chemical headquarters is located approximately two miles south of the school in Naperville. The remaining energy comes from Commonwealth Edison, which primarily produces energy from nuclear and fossil fuel sources.
On April 1, 2003, residents of Community Unit School District 200 approved, by a vote of 10,173 to 6,518, a $72 million bond referendum to add about 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) of space and renovate both Wheaton Warrenville South, and its counterpart, Wheaton North.[26]
The first phase of construction began in August 2003 and was completed in March 2005 and included 21 new classrooms with two resource centers to house the English and Foreign Language departments, two art rooms, a band room, an orchestra room, a choral room, and nine sound-proof practice rooms. In addition, the central office area was reconverted for the counseling center and the health office, while all other administrative offices were moved to the front of the building. A new commons area was constructed and the cafeteria underwent significant renovations.
The second phase began in spring 2005 and was completed by May 2006 and consisted primarily of renovations to the athletics wing and the construction of the field house. The library has undergone significant renovations during summer of 2006.
In 2008, Wheaton Warrenville South had an average composite ACT score of 23.6, and graduated 99.8% of the senior class.[4] Wheaton Warrenville South has not made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT, comprise the tests which are used to fulfill requirements mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[4] While the school as a whole has successfully met standards, one student subgroup failed to meet minimum expectations in mathematics and reading, while another failed to meet expectations in reading.[4]
All academic classes at South are divided into three difficulty levels: Regular, Intermediate, and Advanced. The increased difficulty of intermediate and advanced/AP classes is reflected in the school's G.P.A. weighting system. Instead of a standard 4.0 scale, South uses a 5.0 scale. An A grade in a Regular class earns a pupil 4.0 points, an A in an Intermediate class 5.0 points, and an A in an Advanced or AP class 6.0 points.
Students are required to successfully complete twenty-four credits to graduate, each course at .5 credit.
WWSHS competes in the DuPage Valley Conference (DVC). Wheaton Warrenville South is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which oversees most sports and competitive activities in the state.
The school sponsors interscholastic athletic teams for young men and women in: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.[27] Young men may also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may compete in badminton, cheerleading, and softball.[27] While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors lacrosse teams for both young men and women, an ice hockey team open to young men and women, and a dance team for young women.[27]
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:[28]
As of the end of the 2008—09 season, the six state titles for WWS in boys volleyball is a state record.[30]
As of the end of the 2010-11 season, the seven state titles in football is the fifth highest total in state history, and the highest among public schools.[31]
There are over 30 student activities ranging from athletic and artistic to social awareness and academic interests; and entire list of which can be seen here.[32] Among those which are affiliates or chapters of nationally recognized groups are: Key Club, National Art Honor Society, and National Honor Society.[32]
There are typically four different student theatrical productions each year: a novice production in the early autumn, a play in late autumn, a variety show in early spring, and a musical in the last month before the end of the school year.[33]
The school also sponsors a number of music groups including a jazz ensemble, pep band, and marching band.[32] In addition to a general choir, there are two show choirs (The Classics and Esprit)The Classics won the FAME National Championship in 2011.[32] The Esprit(a unisex showchoir) show choir is affiliated with the school, but is not sponsored by the school.[32]
The following competitive activities have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:[28]
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