University High School (Normal, Illinois)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2011) |
| University High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
500 West Gregory Street , 61790 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Laboratory school |
| Motto | An exemplary high school... A model teacher education center. |
| Established | 1857 |
| Principal | Andrea Markert |
| Faculty | 92 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 662 (2008–09) |
| Color(s) | Kelly green Gold |
| Athletics conference | Corn Belt |
| Team name | Pioneers |
| Newspaper | Clarionette |
| Yearbook | Clarion |
| Website | www |
University High School (commonly referred to as "U-High"), located in Normal, Illinois, United States, is one of two "laboratory schools" of the College of Education at Illinois State University designed for research and teacher-training; the other is Thomas Metcalf School, an elementary school. Founded in 1857, it is the oldest laboratory school and among the oldest high schools in the United States.
Jeff Hill, the former principal of University High School, was promoted to Superintendent of Laboratory Schools in 2012. The principal is currently Andrea Markert, and the assistant principal is Steve Evans. The mascot is the Pioneer. The school colors are kelly green and gold.
Student enrollment
The state of Illinois caps the Illinois State University laboratory school enrollment at 1,000. U-High enrolls approximately 600 students while Metcalf enrolls about 400. The IHSA institutes an enrollment multiplier for schools such as U-High that can choose their students, thus classifying it as a larger school in athletic competitions. This multiplier counts each student as 1.65 students, thus moving the athletic division to AA as opposed to A as previous years.[1]
Athletics and extracurriculars
The boys' golf team has won the IHSA state championship 7 years running, and the girls' golf team has won it 4 years in a row. U-High is also known for its basketball program which was home to coach Cal Hubbard. The swimming, boys' tennis, cross country, cheerleading, wrestling, football, and soccer teams as well as many more are also highly competitive in the IHSA. The U-High girls' basketball team has had at least 20 wins in the past 4 seasons and since 1992 have 13 Regional Titles, 7 Sectional Titles with a 3rd and a 4th-place finish. The U-High girls' soccer team won 5 straight Regional Titles from 2007- 2011 and in 2010 won their first Sectional Championship in the past 7 years. In the 2010 season, the men's swim team took third place. In 2014 the men's swim won the IHSA state title. The men's cross country team has brought home trophies for three consecutive years (2009-2011) placing 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd respectively at the IHSA State Meet. Also in 2012 the woman's cross country team took 2nd at the IHSA state meet. The men's and women's cross country teams have both been Cornbelt Confrence Champioons from (2009- 2016). In 2012, the men's basketball team went to state and placed second, the boys' baseball team earned a class 2A state championship, and the girls' soccer team earned a 4th-place finish at state.[citation needed]
The Speech Team from 2009-2012 has captured both the Regional and Sectional Championships and had 3rd and 4th-place finishers at Nationals in 2008 and 2011 respectively. The math team received 7th place in 2007 and 9th place in 2008 for class 2A. In 2008 Chess scored 5-2 to win first in their class with a fourth round win against number 1 seed Niles North. In 2009 the chess team went 6-1 to earn 6th place in the Illinois High School Association chess tournament. U-High’s WYSE team has qualified for the state competition for 20+ years in a row. The WYSE team has won 4 state titles (1998,2013,2014,2016).[1]
Notable alumni
- Pokey LaFarge, musician and songwriter
- Adlai Stevenson II, Democratic Party presidential candidate in 1952 and 1956, Governor of Illinois (1949-1953)
- Ogonna Nnamani, two-time US indoor volleyball Olympian and winner of the Silver Medal
- Jim Crews, U-High basketball player, Indiana University
- Steve Sample, Sr., jazz educator and composer
- Arnold Orville Beckman, inventor of the pH meter
- Ellen Crawford, actress most commonly known for her part on the TV series ER'
- Gordon Vayo, runner-up at the 2016 World Series of Poker main event final table[2]
References
- ^ ""WYSE" ones back at it". Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ Press, Pantagraph staff with Associated. "Bloomington's Vayo wins $4.6 million as WSOP runner-up". pantagraph.com. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
External links
- Official web site for University High School
- Clarionette, official newspaper for University High School