William Howard Taft High School (Chicago)
| Taft High School | |
|---|---|
| File:Taft high school.jpg | |
| Address | |
 | |
6530 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue , 60631 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Motto | Teaching Academics For Tomorrow |
| School district | Chicago Public Schools |
| Principal | Mary Kay Cappitelli |
| Grades | 7-12 (including Academic Center) |
| Enrollment | 3047 (2013)[1] |
| Color(s) | Royal Blue Silver |
| Mascot | Eagles |
| Website | http://www.tafths.org |
William Howard Taft High School is public 4-year high school located in the Norwood Park neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is operated Chicago Public Schools. It is perhaps most famous as the high school attended by Jim Jacobs, the writer of Grease. Jacobs used Taft as an inspiration in writing the musical. Taft's NJROTC unit has won a Distinguished Unit award every year since 2001.[2] Heh, "distinguished unit".
Althletics
Taft competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The boys' baseball team were Public League champions in 1964 and regional champions in 2009. The girls' volleyball team were Public League champions in the 1979-80 season.[3]
Notable alumni
- Jim Grabowski is a former NFL running back. He was selected in the first round of the 1966 American Football League Draft by the Miami Dolphins and the first round of the 1966 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He played in Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II.[4]
- Robert Hanssen is a former FBI agent convicted of spying for the Soviet Union.[5]
- Jim Jacobs is the co-writer of the musical Grease, parts of which were based on his high school experiences at Taft.[4]
- Terry Kath was a guitarist and co–founder of the band Chicago.[4]
- Jerry Krause is the former general manager of the Chicago Bulls (1985–2003).[4]
- Donna Mills, class of 1958, is an actress whose best known role was as Abby on the television series Knots Landing.[4]
- Lynn Morley Martin is a former politician who served as U.S. Secretary of Labor (1991–93).[4]
References
- ^ Chicago Public Schools: Taft
- ^ Taft NJROTC
- ^ IHSA Chicago (Taft)
- ^ a b c d e f Defiglio, Pam (19 February 2009). "Debate plays on for Chicago guitarist's induction into Taft High School's Hall of Fame: Group wants late guitarist added to school hall of fame". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
But none of that is enough to sway some alumni of Taft High School, Kath's alma mater, to induct the guitarist, who died in 1978, into the school's Hall of Fame ... Alumni honored in Taft's Hall of Fame include Jim Grabowski, who played for the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers; Jerry Krause, former Chicago Bulls general manager; actress Donna Mills; Lynn Martin, a Cabinet member in the George H.W. Bush administration; and Jim Jacobs, who based his musical "Grease" on Taft High School.
- ^ Havill, Adrian (2001). The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. xix. ISBN 0-312-98629-7.
Robert Philip Hanssen, a senior at Chicago's William Howard Taft High School in 1962, also saw the first James Bond movie that year.
External links
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