Hoffman Estates High School

Hoffman Estates High School, or HEHS, is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes James B. Conant High School, William Fremd High School, Palatine High School, and Schaumburg High School.

History

Hoffman Estates High School, built to house an enrollment of 2500 students, opened in the fall of 1973 as a freshman-sophomore school. The first senior class graduated in 1976. Hoffman Estates High School serves sections of Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Hanover Park, and Streamwood.

Former principal Terri Busch received the 2002–2003 Illinois State Board of Education’s Award of Excellence as a school administrator for outstanding contributions to Illinois education.

Hoffman Estates High School’s held a German Exchange with its sister school, Bertolt Brecht Gymnasium in Munich, Germany, for 26 uninterrupted years. A new exchange with Melanchthon Gymnasium Nürnberg began in 2008, replacing the Bertolt Brecht exchange.

In March 2000, Hoffman Estates High School sent the first Special Olympic Unified Floor Hockey Team in the state to Anchorage, Alaska. In July 2003, a Hoffman Estates Special Olympic athlete represented Illinois and the United States in Dublin, Ireland. The volleyball team took first place at World Games. Special Olympics events at Hoffman Estates High School include volleyball, basketball, track, and snowshoeing. Peer coaching is provided by the peer partners. In 2004, the Hawks went to state for track and snowshoeing.

The main corridor is adorned with paintings of Walter Payton on the walls to symbolize the Hall-of-Famer who served as the assistant basketball coach of the team after his retirement from the Bears.

Thomas O. Hillesheim was the first principal of Hoffman Estates High School. He was followed by Dennis Garber. Terri Busch was Hoffman's third principal. James Britton was Hoffman's fourth principal, and was recently replaced by Joshua Schumacher after Britton's promotion to the district offices.

In 2013, a team from the school won the prestigious Argonne National Laboratory's 18th annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.^[8]

The Hoffman Estates High School Booster Club organizes various support activities for the school each year.^[9]

Academics

In 2008, Hoffman Estates had an average composite ACT score of 21.3, and graduated 88% of its senior class. Hoffman Estates has not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which combined with the ACT are the assessment tools used to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The entire school did not meet minimum standards in reading. Three student subgroups failed to meet minimum requirements in reading, and two of those subgroups also failed to meet minimum standards in mathematics.^[10]

The U.S. Department of Education awarded the Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence in Education to Hoffman Estates in 1985.^[11]

Athletics

Hoffman Estates competes in the Mid-Suburban Conference West Division. The school is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most interscholastic athletics and competitive activities in the state. Their teams are stylized as the Hawks.

The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track and field athletics, volleyball, cheerleading and water polo. Young men may also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may also compete in badminton, bowling, and softball. The Hoffman Estates Basketball team gained lots of attention due to the fact the Hall-of-Fame Football Player, Walter Payton, served as the assistant coach for the team during his last years. While not governed by the IHSA, the school also sponsors teams for young men and women in lacrosse.^[12]

Lacrosse was the most recent sport to be added at HEHS, added in the Spring of 2017 as part of an expansion program.

The following athletic teams placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournaments or meets:^[13]

Activities

The Hawkeye View has consistently been rated with excellent marks in regional and national press contests. Recently, Hoffman Estates High School’s newspaper has earned first place ratings from the American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA), the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), and the Kettle Moraine Press Association (KEMPA), as well as a Silver Certificate for Excellence in Journalism from the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association (NISPA). The student-run, student-produced newspaper has also received the Medalist rating, Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s (CSPA) highest award.

The Forensics team, also known as Competitive Performing Arts team, regularly sends competitors to the state tournament.

The Skyhawks Flag Squad has qualified for IDTA State competition for 21 consecutive years. They have earned 1st place in state seven times, including 2004. The team also performs at pep assemblies and home football and basketball games.

The Madrigal Singers have performed each of the past 26 years at Stronghold Castle for in Oregon, Illinois, for 6,000 to 7,000 guests every year. They have also held Madrigal Dinners at the high school since 1974.

In 2004, the WYSE academic challenge team placed 5th overall at the state meet held at the University of Illinois. Fourteen students teamed up to take tests in math, English, chemistry, physics, biology, computers, and engineering graphics. Several students earned individual medals for placing 1st through 6th in the state.

For the past 11 years, members of the Math Team have qualified for the State mathematics competition. State and Regional awards have been earned by team members. In 2004, the team won the District 211 meet. At the state meet, the junior/senior 8-person team took 4th place, the Pre-Calc team took 7th place, and the freshmen and Calculator teams took 10th place.

In 2004, the Scholastic Bowl Team set a school record for wins, compiling a 45–16 record. In Mid-Suburban League competition, the team tallied 15 wins and 0 losses en route to claiming the conference championship. The team won the IHSA regional championship, and had two players achieve all-sectional honors, with one earning 1st team all-state.

The Chess Team started in 1998, and has qualified every year to participate in the State Finals in Peoria, IL. The team has had some great finishes in the State Championship over the years: 1999 – 6th Place; 2000 – 4th Place; 2001 – 14th Place (MSL Conference Champs); 2002 – 22nd Place; 2003 – 40th Place; 2004 – 35th Place; 2005 – 19th Place; 2006 – 33rd Place.

In the 1999–2000 school year, the chess team finished fourth at the IHSA State Tournament.^[12]

Notable alumni

• Sal Fasano was a Major League Baseball catcher (1996–2002, 2005–08).^[14]
• Kyung Lah is a television news correspondent.^[15]
• Al Levine was a Major League Baseball pitcher (1996–2005).^[16]
• Anthony Jewgieniew Sokol, HEHS Class of 1995, is a semi-professional Rugby League player for the Philadelphia Fight. A dual code player in Rugby union and Rugby league.
• John Porcellino, HEHS Class of 1986, is an award winning independent cartoonist, writer, and zine maker. He self-publishes his zine, 'King-Cat Comics and Stories', Drawn & Quarterly publishes his collections.
• Sherri Shepherd is an actress/comedian/co-host of The View.^[17][18]
• Michael Silka (class of 1977), spree killer who killed nine people in Alaska in May 1984
• Ken Snow is a two time Hermann Trophy winner as best American college soccer player of the year.
• Steve Snow was a member of U.S. 1988 Summer Olympics soccer team. Scored 2 goals. Also member of U.S. U-20 national team which took fourth place at 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship.
• Todd Stashwick, The Second City alum and actor, was in the FX series The Riches.
• Robert Steinmiller is an actor who appeared in several films including "Bingo", "Jack The Bear", "Rudy" and "The Ref", also appearing in the TV Series "Cold Case".

References