Wheaton North High School

Wheaton North High School (WNHS), locally referred to as "North," is a public four-year high school in Wheaton, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. It is one of two high schools that are part of Community Unit School District 200, the other being Wheaton Warrenville South High School.

Wheaton North High School
Address
701 West Thomas Road[1]

Wheaton
,
Illinois
60187

United States
Coordinates41°53′02″N 88°06′58″W
Information
School typePublic Secondary
Opened1964 (1964)
School districtComm. Unit S.D. 200
NCES District ID1742180
SuperintendentJeffrey Schuler[2]
CEEB code144386
NCES School ID174218004223
PrincipalMatt Biscan[3]
Teaching staff128.66 (on a FTE basis)[4]
Grades9–12
GenderCoed
Enrollment2,056[4] (2018–19)
Student to teacher ratio15.98[4]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)  Blue
  Gold[5]
Fight song"Falcon Fight Song"
Athletics conferenceDuKane Conference[5]
MascotFalcon[1]
Team nameFalcons[5]
PublicationFalcon Weekly[6]
NewspaperFalcon Flyer[6]
YearbookThe Northerner[6]
Websitewww.wnhs.org

History

As demand for a second high school increased in the 1950s and 1960s, Wheaton North High School split off from the original Wheaton Community High School in 1963. At this time, Wheaton Community changed its name to Wheaton Central, and in 1974, a third high school Wheaton Warrenville, joined the district. In 1983, Wheaton Warrenville was closed and the district only had the two high schools, Wheaton North and Wheaton Central. In 1992, Wheaton Central moved into the former Wheaton Warrenville high school and changed its name to Wheaton Warrenville South.

The building underwent significant renovations in the mid-1990s and on April 1, 2003, residents of Community Unit School District 200 approved, by a vote of 10,173 to 6,518,[7] a $72 million bond referendum to renovate and add onto both Wheaton North, and its counterpart, Wheaton Warrenville South. Construction began in the summer of 2003 with its first phase of the building of a field house. The second phase included renovations and additions to the building, which were completed in summer 2006.

On August 31, 2007, the school received a surprise visit from former U.S. President Bill Clinton. He made the visit to commend the school for its history of community service, and particularly singled out Kendall Ciesemier for her achievement in raising money and awareness for highly vulnerable children in Africa through her charity, Kids Caring 4 Kids, despite suffering her own medical problems. Kendall was rewarded with a trip to The Oprah Winfrey Show. The episode featuring Kendall aired September 4, 2007.[8]

As of 2015, most of the school has not changed its appearance inside and out physically, until a flood occurred. This flood generated momentum and a problem for the school. The library received help from the community, its own faculty and other people as it was being refinished. This newly refinished library was also the class gift from the class of 2015.[9][10]

Academics

In 2013, Wheaton North had an average composite ACT score of 23.6 and graduated 93.8% of its senior class.[11] Wheaton North has not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprise the assessment tools used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act. One of the school's student subgroups failed to meet minimum expectations in reading and mathematics.

The Challenge Index, used annually by The Washington Post and Newsweek magazine to rank U.S. high schools, placed Wheaton North in the top 1300 three years in a row. This index ranks public schools according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in the past year divided by the number of graduating seniors. In 2009, Wheaton North ranked #1260. In 2006, the school had ranked #1078, in 2007, it had ranked #1039, and in 2008, the school ranked #1276.[12]

Athletics

Wheaton North competes in the DuKane Conference, and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in the state.

In 2003, Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South became the first high schools in the DuPage Valley Conference, and among the first high schools in the nation, to convert their football fields to artificial field turf.

The school sponsors interscholastic athletic teams for boys and girls in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, parasailing, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Boys may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while girls may compete in badminton, cheerleading, and softball.[13]

The following teams have won championships in their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:[14]

  • Cross Country (girls): 2002–03
  • Football: 1978–79, 1981–82, 1986–87
  • Gymnastics (boys): 2004–05, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013–2014

Activities

Wheaton North offers language clubs, service activities, and various other activities, typical of an American high school.

Competitive activities

The following competitive activities have earned championships in their respective State Championship Tournaments, sponsored by the IHSA:[14]

  • Debate: 1977–78 & 2005–06
  • Scholastic Bowl: 2001–02, 2002–03 & 2003–04

Notable alumni

References
  1. "School Profile". Wheaton North High School. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  2. "Superintendent".
  3. "Staff Directory/Administration". Wheaton North High School. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  4. "Wheaton North High School". School Directory Information. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  5. "Wheaton North H.S." School Directory. IHSA. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  6. Activities Directory for WNHS; accessed June 23, 2009
  7. High School Expansion
  8. Fuller, James; Clinton, Oprah, Cash; September 1, 2007; Daily Herald; accessed June 23, 2009
  9. Cilella, Jessica. "Booster club hosting fundraiser for Wheaton North library" – via Daily Herald.
  10. "Wheaton North Booster Club". wnhsboosters.org. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  11. "Wheaton North H.S." (PDF). Illinois School Report Card. 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  12. The Top of the Class – The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools; June 8, 2009; Newsweek.com; accessed June 23, 2009
  13. Athletic Department at WNHS; accessed June 23, 2009
  14. Season Summaries for WNHS; ihsa.org; accessed June 23, 2009
  15. List of National High School Quarterbacks of the Year; The National Quarterback Club; accessed June 23, 2009
  16. Kent Graham stats & bio; databasefootball.com; accessed June 23, 2009
  17. Akouris, Tina (September 22, 2009). "Wheaton North Falcons: Rex assured, a tradition of winners". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  18. Bush, Scott; Adam Harris is an Olympian; July 28, 2008; ILRunners.com; accessed June 23, 2009
  19. Juriga, Jim. "Juriga, Mark Butkus Join Illini Renaissance Celebration". Illinois Athletics. University of Illinois. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  20. Chuck Long profile; University of San Diego Football; accessed June 23, 2009
  21. Chuck Long player profile; University of iowa Athletic Department; accessed June 23, 2009
  22. Chuck Long stats & bio; databasefootbal.com; accessed June 23, 2009
  23. Garcia, John (January 28, 2008). "Local soldier killed in Afghanistan". recap of television news story. WLS-TV (ABC-7 Chicago). Retrieved September 13, 2010. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Miller was shot during a firefight in a town near the Pakistan border Friday. He graduated from Wheaton North High School in 2002. The teachers remember him as a strong student and also a good athlete. He was a member of the gymnastics team who qualified for state his senior year. And those who knew him say it was a terrible loss.
  24. Biasco, Paul (September 9, 2010), "Fallen Wheaton soldier to be awarded Medal of Honor", Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL, USA), retrieved September 13, 2010, A Wheaton North graduate is being posthumously awarded the nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions in Afghanistan in 2008. The White House announced Thursday that Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, who died while in a close-range fire fight on Jan. 25, 2008, would receive the rare award.
  25. Lipton, Michael A; She's Prima and Donna; April 17, 1995; People Magazine vol 43, No. 15; accessed June 23, 2009
  26. Gail O'Grady biography; New York Times.com; accessed June 23, 2009
  27. Randy Pfund profile; nba.com; accessed June 23, 2009
  28. "Hollywood screenwriter Scot Armstrong: "I wanted to be friends with the funniest people"". WGN Radio - 720 AM. April 13, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
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