North High School (Downers Grove, Illinois)
| Downers Grove North High School | |
|---|---|
 Downers Grove North High School Logo | |
| Address | |
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4426 Main St. , 60515 United States | |
| Coordinates | 41°48′20″N 88°00′44″W / 41.8055°N 88.0122°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public |
| Opened | 1928 |
| School district | Community HS Dist. 99 |
| Superintendent | Dr. Mark McDonald[1] |
| Principal | Janice Schwarze[2] |
| Staff | 326[3] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | co-ed |
| Enrollment | 2,186[4] |
| Average class size | 21[4] |
| Campus | suburban |
| Colour(s) | purple white[5] |
| Athletics conference | West Suburban Conference |
| Nickname | Trojans[5] |
| Publication | Northwind[6] |
| Newspaper | Omega[6] |
| Yearbook | Cauldron[6] |
| radio station | WDGC[6] |
| cable TV station | channel 29[6] |
| Website | http://www.csd99.org/north/ |
Downers Grove North High School, or DGN, and locally referred to as "Downers North," is a public four-year high school located near the corner of Main Street and Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Community High School District 99, which also includes Downers Grove South High School. The North campus draws students from Downers Grove (north of 55th St.), and small sections of Woodridge, Oak Brook, and Westmont.
History
The original building (then called Downers Grove High School) was finished in 1928, with additions made in 1935, 1952, 1976, 1999-2000, and 2011-2013. In 1964, the school's student body was split in half, one portion attending North, the other attending the newly built Downers Grove South.
The auditorium is named after Clarence Johnson, who served as Principal of the school for 35-years from 1932 to 1967, and DGN's outdoor stadium is named after their former longtime football coach Dick Carstens.
The Green Room of the theatre is named after George B. Pappas, former English teacher, department head, and pep rally leader known for his positive spirit. George B. Pappas died May 4, 1999 .[7]
Academics
Downers Grove North's class of 2015 had an average composite ACT score of 24.0, 3 points above the state average.[4] 94% of the senior class graduated.[4] Downers Grove North made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprises the state assessments used to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Because the school had previously not made AYP, the school is still on academic watch.[8]
For years 2008, 2009, and 2010, North High was named among the top 6% of high schools in the nation, according to Newsweek magazine’s annual ranking of high schools.
Athletics
Downers Grove North competes in the West Suburban Conference. The school is a full member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. The schools teams are stylized as the Trojans.
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball. Young men may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may compete in badminton, bowling, cheerleading, and softball.[9] The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championships tournament or meet.[10]
- Badminton: 4th place (1996—97); 3rd place (1999—2000, 04—05, 06—07, 09—10); 2nd place (2000—01, 01—02); State Champions (2002—03, 03—04, 05—06)
- Cross Country (boys): 4th place (1986—87); 3rd place (1949—50, 2000—01); 2nd place (2013–14)
- Cross Country (girls): 4th place (1979—80, 87—88); 3rd place (1982—83); 2nd place (1983—84, 84—85, 88—89); State Champions (1980—81)
- Football: Quarterfinals (2012-2013, 2013-2014) semifinals (1991—92, 98—99, 2003—04); 2nd place (1990—91); State Champions (2004—05)
- Golf (boys): 4th place (1951—52, 59—60)
- Gymnastics (boys): 4th place (1995—96)
- Swimming & Diving (girls): 4th place (2010—11); 2nd place (2013—14, 14—15)
- Volleyball (boys): 2nd place (1993—94)
- Volleyball (girls): 4th place (1984—85, 88—89)
- Athenas (girls dance team) : 1st place (2009–2010)
Activities
The student newspaper, Omega, which is published monthly, has been ranked in the top ten in the 9 to 12 page broadsheet category by the NSPA.[11] The school literary magazine, the Northwind, is published annually. In 2012, its Speech Team placed second at the IHSA state competition.[12]
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Notable alumni
- Muriel Anderson (1978) is a composer, songwriter, and guitarist.[13][14][15]
- Andrea Evans (1978) is a television actress (Tina Lord on One Life to Live and Passions).[15]
- Collin Fernandez (2015) is a professional soccer player for the Chicago Fire.
- Cammi Granato (1989) is a former Olympic hockey player, who captained the U.S. national team to the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2008, she was inducted into the International Hockey Hall of Fame, and became the first woman inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[15][16]
- Don Granato (1985) is a former professional hockey player and, from 2008 to 2009, head coach of the Chicago Wolves.[15]
- Tony Granato (1982) is a former NHL left wing (1988–2001) and head coach of the NHL Colorado Avalanche.[15]
- Tomlinson Holman (1963) was the creator of the Tomlinson Holman Experimental Sound System (THX Sound System) and its companions the Theater Alignment Program, Home THX, the THX Digital Mastering program.[14][15]
- Erica Hubbard (1997) is an actress predominantly known for her work on television (Lincoln Heights, The Replacements).[15]
- Eric Jagielo (2010) is a baseball player in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
- Jim McDermott (1954) is the current U.S. Congressman representing Washington's 7th congressional district (1989—present).[14][15]
- Sherrill Milnes (1952) is a professional baritone opera singer, who had a long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He performed on three Grammy Award winning albums.[14][15]
- Lanny Poffo (1973) was a professional wrestler, known under the stage name "The Genius" in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[15][16]
- Randall Poffo (1971) was a professional wrestler, known under the stage name "Macho Man Randy Savage" in WWE, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) & Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).[15]
- John A. "Shorty" Powers (1941) was a public relations officer with the United States Air Force, and later with NASA during Project Mercury.[15]
- Jim Reninger, Former MLB player (Philadelphia Athletics)
- Denise Richards (did not graduate) is an actress (Starship Troopers, The World Is Not Enough).[15]
- Barbara Stock (1974) is an actress best known for her work on television (Spenser: For Hire and Dallas).[15]
- Matthew West (1995) is a guitarist and songwriter of Contemporary Christian music (More, You Are Everything).[15]
References
- ^ District 99 Administration; accessed 15 July 2009
- ^ "DGN Administration". Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "- Teacher Demographics".
- ^ a b c d e "COMM H S DIST 99 - NORTH H S - School Snapshot".
- ^ a b http://www.ihsa.org/data/school/schools/0422.htm.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b c d e Activities directory for DGNHS; accessed 15 July 2009
- ^ "Downers North Teacher George Pappas". tribunedigital-chicagotribune.
- ^ Class of 2008 school report card; accessed 15 July 2009
- ^ Athletic Department for DGNHS; accessed 15 July 2009
- ^ "IHSA".
- ^ "NSPA Winners (2012)". www.studentpress.org. National Scholastic Press Association. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "SpeechWire Tournament Services - Forensics Tournament Software - Speech, Debate, Congress".
- ^ Murphy, Flynn; Thoughts of home; Professional musician named Alumni of Excellence at North; 15 December 2005; The Sun; accessed 15 July 2009
- ^ a b c d DGNHS Alumni Award of Excellence; accessed 15 July 2009
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bell, Taylor (6 October 2009). "Downers Grove North Trojans". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ^ a b Fourth of July Festivities; 2 July 2007; Downers Grove Reporter; Downers Grove North High School alumni Olympic gold medalist and USA hockey team captain Cammi Granato and professional wrestler Lanny Poffo will be there.; accessed 15 July 2009