Geneva High School (Illinois)

Geneva Community High School, or GHS, is a public high school located in Geneva, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Geneva Community Unit School District 304.

History

The history of academics dates back to 1876 when the first Geneva High School graduating class consisted of two students. The original building was provided by a grant made by Joseph Schoen. A life-sized bronze statue of Schoen remains the centerpiece of the current Geneva High School. The first building in which classes were held was located at 22 South Third Street in Geneva's downtown district at the site of the current post office. The school was moved to a newly constructed, then-state-of-the-art building on Peyton Street in 1923, and, in the late 1950s, the Peyton Street building was converted to Coultrap Middle School. For approximately 35 years, it served as Geneva's single middle school before housing an elementary school of the same name in 1994. In 2008 the school closed down because of the buildings poor conditions. Students of the elementary school were transferred to Williamsburg Elementary. In the spring of 2009 the building was officially closed. Neighboring, Geneva High School athletes occasionally used the gymnasium for practice. In the fall of 2013 the building was closed for demolition.

The current GHS building was built in 1958 with additions in the 1970s. In 2002, a major expansion was completed, bringing the school to its present condition, and much of the existing building had been remodeled as well. Currently, a proposed project to build a large addition and make renovations to the existing building is on hold because of the economic downturn and resultant slow-down in housing development in the Geneva area. As of early 2010, the status of any future expansion plans is unclear.

Academics

In 2010, Geneva had an average composite ACT score of 24.2, and graduated over 99% of its senior class. Geneva has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act.^[1]

In addition, in 2010, Geneva had 106 Illinois State Scholars, which constituted 23% of the senior class.

Of the 206 students taking 302 AP tests in 2010, 85% received scores of 3, 4, or 5.

Athletics

Geneva currently competes in the Upstate Eight Conference and Illinois High School Association. School colors are blue and white, and teams are stylized as the Vikings, a nickname that appeared in newspapers as early as 1942, and was first used in the Gecohi, Geneva's yearbook, in 1944 (for the 1943-1944 school year). The title, Gecohi (derived from GEneva COmmunity High School), was renamed the Viking in 1948. Students referred to the school as "Gecohi" as late as 1980.

Geneva's biggest rival is the Batavia High School Bulldogs. Batavia High School is located just minutes away in the neighboring town to the south, Batavia. As of 2014, the Vikings and Bulldogs have faced off on the football field 96 times since 1913, the year the series started. The current record is 51-38-5, favoring Geneva. The Batavia-Geneva game is among the top twenty oldest football rivalries in the state of Illinois.

The Geneva Girls Cross Country squad became the first team in school history to win a team state championship, winning the 3A crown in 2007. The team repeated the feat in 2008.

The Geneva Dance Team followed suit with its first state championship taking home the AA crown for Lyrical Dance in 2009. In 2010, the Viking dancers repeated the feat in Lyrical Dance and added a state championship in Open Dance. In 2013 the Viking dancers won both in conference and sectionals and went on to become IHSA Class 2A champs.

Two girls pole vault IHSA state champions have competed as members of Geneva's Girls Track and Field Team: Sarah Landau in Class AA (2004) and Allie Pace in Class AAA (2010).^[2]

Rebecca Mitchell was a two time IHSA AA Cross Country Champion (1996, 1997). She set a new AA state record with her 1997 win that remains intact. She was a two time IHSA AA State Champion in the 1600 meters (1997. 2000). She was also the Illinois girls' state winner of the Wendy's High School Heisman and a National Top 5 Finalist.

Other notable team athletic accomplishments include Boys Cross Country (2001 - 2nd, 2008 - 3rd), Boys Track and Field (1986 - 2nd, 1989 - 3rd), Girls Basketball (2010 and 2013 - 4th), Girls Soccer (2002 - 3rd, 2005 - 3rd), and Girls Tennis (1992 - 4th, 1993 - 3rd, 1994 - 4th).

Notable alumni

• John W. Scherer (1968) is the founder of Video Professor.

References

External links

• Official Website
• GHS School Profile 2010-2011

Coordinates: 41°53′37″N 88°19′03″W / 41.89361°N 88.31750°W / 41.89361; -88.31750