Wheeling High School

This article is about the public high school in Wheeling, Illinois. For the high school in Wheeling, West Virginia, see Wheeling Park High School.

Wheeling High School
Address
Map
900 S. Elmhurst Rd.

Wheeling
,
Illinois
60090

United States
Coordinates42°07′34″N 87°56′21″W / 42.1262°N 87.9392°W / 42.1262; -87.9392
Information
School typepublic secondary
Opened1964
School districtTwp. H.S. District 214
SuperintendentDr. David Schuler[1]
PrincipalDr. Bradford Hubbard
Staff248
Teaching staff110.80 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
Gendercoed
Enrollment1,706 (2019-20)[2]
Average class size20.6[3]
Student to teacher ratio15.40[2]
Campussuburban
Color(s)  royal blue
  athletic gold
  white[5]
Athletics conferenceMid-Suburban League
MascotWildcats
NicknameWildcats[5]
PublicationCircus[7]
NewspaperSpokesman[3]
YearbookLair[6]
TV stationWCAT[8]
Websitehttps://d214.org/whs

Wheeling High School (WHS) is a public four-year high school located in Wheeling, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 214, which also includes Buffalo Grove High School, Elk Grove High School, John Hersey High School, Prospect High School, and Rolling Meadows High School. The school serves the communities of Wheeling, Prospect Heights, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove and Mount Prospect. U.S. News & World Report ranked WHS as the 6th high school in District 214, the 90th high school in Illinois, and as the 2,448th high school in the United States in 2019.[9]

Feeder schools[edit]

Feeder schools include London Middle School, Holmes Middle School, MacArthur Middle School. Some students from nearby private schools, such as St. Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Emily's Catholic School, St. Mary's School, and St. James, matriculate to WHS, too.

History[edit]

Wheeling High School (WHS) first opened in 1964. The class of 1966 was the first graduating class from Wheeling High School. As of 2009, it has a total enrollment of 1,869 students and a 98.8% parent involvement rate. The average class size is 19.9 students for every one teacher. The current principal is Dr. Bradford Hubbard. WHS's school colors are blue, gold, and white, and the mascot is Willie the Wildcat. During the 2010–2011 school year, WHS was due to get their name changed to Wheeling High School Math, Science, Technology Academy and add the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program to the school, but after several debates about the topic, the board of education and superintendent decided not to change the name of the school.

Academics[edit]

As of 2013, Wheeling High School boasts a 90% graduation rate and a mere 2.6% dropout rate.[10] Wheeling High School graduates have been accepted to highly selective postgraduate options, such as United States Naval Academy, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Brown University, Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, Boston College, The United States Military Academy at West Point, United States Coast Guard Academy , New York University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Tulane University.[4] Approximately 85% of Wheeling High School certified staff holds a degree at or above the master's degree level.

Wheeling High School offers over 215 different courses, 22 of which are at the AP level. The academic departments at Wheeling High School are grouped as follows: math/science, career and technology education, English/fine arts, PE/health/dance/drivers' education, foreign language/social studies/ESL/ELL, NJROTC, and special education. The following AP courses are offered at Wheeling High School: Language & Composition, Literature & Composition, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Spanish Language & Culture, Spanish Literature & Culture, French Language & Culture, Italian Language & Culture, Human Geography, World History, United States History, Government & Politics, Psychology, Economics, Studio Art, and Music Theory.

Wheeling's class of 2017's average ACT score was 21, placing it lower than District 214's average score of 23 and equal to Illinois' average score of 21.[11] In terms of subject proficiency, only 42% of WHS students are proficient in math, and 43% are proficient in reading. These proficiency scores are lower than every school in District 214 aside from Elk Grove High School.[9]

Athletics[edit]

Wheeling High School competes in the Mid-Suburban League (MSL) East Division. Wheeling is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most of the interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. Wheeling High School teams are stylized as the Wildcats.

The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for young men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Young men may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may compete in bowling, cheerleading, gymnastics, badminton and softball.[12]

The girls' cross-country teams won IHSA state championships in 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85, and 1986–87.[13] The boys' cross-country team won a state championship in 1998–99.[13]

Activities[edit]

Wheeling HS sponsors 61 clubs and activities for students, ranging from the arts and literature to cultural and community service. The list can change from year to year, but can be found at this site.

Among the activities are chapters or affiliates with the following national organizations: DECA, SADD, Science Olympiad, and the National Honor Society.[14]

WildStang is a robotics team originally founded in 1996 as a joint effort between Motorola, Wheeling High School, and Rolling Meadows High School and is currently composed of students from all Township High School District 214 schools. The team won the 2006 Championship Chairman's Award at the FIRST Championship Event. WildStang has also won the FIRST Championship Event in 2003, 2009, and 2011.[15] The WildStang FTC team, "MiniStang", has won the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Illinois State Championship with an undefeated record.[citation needed]

Wheeling High School's congressional debate team is also one of its most prominent clubs. The team has won 10 out of the last 15 ICDA state titles; in that period, no other school has won more than once. The team had long been coached by Mike Hurley, English teacher.

Another prominent club at Wheeling High School is its Orchesis team. The team has gone to the National High School Dance Festival 4 times in the last 8 years. Wheeling High School's Orchesis team has also gone to state several times in its history. Orchesis sponsor is Diane Rawlison, dance teacher and recipient of the 2014 Ruth Page Award.

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "District 214 Superintendent's homepage; accessed 15 June 2009".
  2. ^ a b c "Wheeling High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Class of 2008 school report card; accessed 18 June 2009" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ a b "Wheeling High School". www.ihsa.org. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  6. ^ "Lair homepage; accessed 18 June 2009".
  7. ^ "Circus homepage; accessed 18 June 2009".
  8. ^ "WCAT homepage; accessed 18 June 2009".
  9. ^ a b [1] "U.S. News & World Report: Wheeling High School"
  10. ^ WeAreGenuine (8 July 2013). "Intel Better Futures™ - Manufacturing Success at a Small Town High School" – via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  11. ^ [2] "Wheeling High School: ACT"
  12. ^ "Athletic Department at WHS; accessed 17 June 2009".
  13. ^ a b "Wheeling Season Summaries". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 3 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  14. ^ "Activities list for WHS; accessed 18 June 2009".
  15. ^ "'Wild' Ride: Teams Compete At 2021 Fuel Duel Robot Competition". Journal & Topics Media Group. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  16. ^ "2002 Distinguished Alumni Award for Wheeling HS; accessed 17 June 2009".
  17. ^ "RotoWire.com - Fantasy Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey and More". www.databasefootball.com.
  18. ^ Gerhardt, Anne Marie. "WHS Grad Advances to American Idol Finals". Buffalo Grove Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  19. ^ Martorano, Dion. "Bren Spillane Goes 82nd Overall To Cincinnati Reds". Journal & Topics. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  20. ^ a b Kliebhan, TJ. "Never Meant: The Complete Oral History of American Football". Vice. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
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