Hinsdale Central High School

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Hinsdale Central High School
Hinsdale Central logo
Location
Map
5500 S. Grant St.
Hinsdale
,
Illinois

USA
Information
TypePublic secondary
MottoPartnership in a lifelong learning
Established1879
PrincipalKevin Pobst
Faculty210
Grades9–12
Enrollment3,000
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Red, White
MascotRed Devils
NewspaperDevil's Advocate
YearbookEl Diablo
Websitecentral.hinsdale86.org/

Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS, and locally referred to as "Central," is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Founded in 1879, the school is well known for its large spending per student, academic excellence, and its stellar athletic programs. It is part of Hinsdale Township High School District No. 86, which also includes Hinsdale South High School. The school is 17 miles west of Chicago and serves a suburban residential area of approximately 35,000 people. Students live in Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, and portions of Burr Ridge, Willowbrook and Westmont. The parents are predominantly professional, executive, or managerial people [1].

History

File:School125 02.jpg
Front of main building

Hinsdale High School was established in 1879 when community members began to see the need for education beyond eighth grade for their children. The first students, Alice Warren, Minnie Hinds, Grace Redfield, and Florence Webster, were graduated in 1883. In this period, there were five teachers, including the principal, teaching about 120 students in grades 1 - 12. All twelve grades shared the ca. 1866 schoolhouse at Garfield and Third Streets, built by William Robbins to serve the community he was developing.

In 1894 the school building burned, and was replaced by a new building on the same site. In 1911 the school district was reorganized, and the school became officially known as Hinsdale Township High School. In 1916 a new school building was completed nearby.

By the 1930s, a site for a new school to serve the growing community was purchased south of town at the corner of 55th & Grant Streets. Though a new football field was dedicated here in 1932, Depression and World War II constraints postponed construction until 1948. The current high school building as dedicated in 1950.

By the 1960s, two additional school sites were purchased. Hinsdale South High School opened in 1965 a the corner of Clarendon Hills Road and 75th Street in Darien. It was then that the word "Central" was added to the name of the school. The other property at the corner of Midwest Road and 31st Street in Oak Brook, for a potential Hinsdale North High School, was later determined to be not needed, and was sold. This property now forms part of the Trinity Lakes Subdivision.

In 2004, the school underwent additional construction to alleviate crowded hallways and rebuild deteriorating parts of the building. The reconstruction a new 5 million dollar library, extended cafeteria, and connected hallways greatly opening up the campus and improving the flow of traffic.

In 2007, it was the only high school in the country to be nominated as a Character Counts school. Today, Hinsdale Central is considered one of the most elite public high schools in the country in academics, athletics, and the arts.

Academics

File:Hinsdale central library.jpg
The school library

Hinsdale Central has a statewide reputation for stellar academic performance. In the class of 2006, 99.0% of its senior class graduated, and 98% were college bound[2]. Furthermore, there were 21 were National Merit Semi-Finalist, 20 National Merit Finalists, 27 National Merit Commended Students, 167 Illinois State Scholars. All students take the ACT test. In the class of 2007, Hinsdale Central had and average composite ACT score of 25.4.[3].

Hinsdale Central High School is currently ranked 352 out of the 1300 best public high schools in the United States, according to a recent 2007 Newsweek ranking [4].

The average class size at Central is 20.4. Hinsdale Central has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test that is part of the No Child Left Behind Act.[1]

The staff is comprised of 210 teachers, of which 67% hold an advanced degree. Thirty percent of the faculty have more than twenty years of teaching experience.

Hinsdale Central has traditionally sent many students to very competitive colleges and universities each year.[citation needed]

Technology

In recent years the administration has moved towards integrating technology into the daily life of the school. A so-called "Tablet Initiative" attempted to have every freshman from the class of 2009 purchase a tablet PC for use in classes. However, this inititaive was met with poor enthusiasm - only 8 tablets were sold under this program.[citation needed]

Grade notification is now available online, and Hinsdale Central has integrated their server with Microsoft's Sharepoint solution as opposed to their original use of Blackboard in the 2003-2004 school year.

The school currently provides all teachers with Tablet PCs, and the school is fully equipped with wireless internet technologies. Tablet PC carts and desktop PC workstations are also available to students. Also, students at Hinsdale Central are allowed the option of bringing a laptop computer, tablet PC, or personal digital assistant for note taking and word processing in class.

Hinsdale Central has a fully equipped and operating radio room which powers its very own radio station, WHSD 88.5 FM.

Athletics

File:Red hinsdale devil.jpg
Official logo of the Hinsdale Central Red Devils

Hinsdale Central competes in the West Suburban Silver Division of the West Suburban Conference and is a member school in the Illinois High School Association. Its mascot is the Red Devil, which has been a source of controversy among religious advocates. A commonly held (though untrue) belief is that there was a proposal to change the mascot to the Flamers. The school offers 23 varsity sports for men and women and has won 73 state championships, the second most of any high school in Illinois. Central's main sports rivals are sister school Hinsdale South High School, Lyons Township High School and Downers Grove North High School. The annual Hinsdale Central vs. Hinsdale South football game almost always has sellout crowds and is annually one of the most popular high school football games (based upon attendance) in the Chicago area. Also, the annual "Old Oaken Bucket Game" is played between Hinsdale Central and Downers North for the possession of the Old Oaken Bucket.

At the State level, Hinsdale Central holds more top four finishes in all combined sports than any high school in Illinois, with the sole exception of New Trier High School.

Hinsdale Central has finished in the top four in several IHSA sponsored state championship series. Among them:[2]

  • Badminton (girls) - 2nd (2003-04); 3rd (2000-01)
  • Basketball (boys) - State Champions (1908-09); 3rd (1909-10); 4th (1907-08)
  • Basketball (girls) - State Champions (2001-02)
  • Cross country (girls) - State Champions (2006-07); 4th (2005-06)
  • Golf (boys) - State Champions (1945-46, 53-54, 60-61); 2nd (1961-62); 3rd (1952-53, 62-63, 63-64, 72-73, 78-79)
  • Golf (girls) - 2nd (2006-07); 4th (1987-88, 2003-04)
  • Gymnastics (boys) - State Champions (1969-70, 70-71, 71-72, 72-73, 74-75, 75-76, 90-91, 93-94, 94-95); 2nd (1968-69, 7-74, 91-92, 98-99, 2005-06); 3rd (1987-88, 89-90, 95-96, 96-97, 99-2000); 4th (1978-79, 92-93, 2003-04)
  • Gymnastics (girls) - 2nd (1995-96); 4th (1977-78)
  • Soccer (boys) - State Champions (1975-76)
  • Soccer (girls) - 3rd (1988-89)
  • Swimming & Diving (boys) - State Champions (1962-63, 66-67, 67-68, 68-69, 69-70, 70-71, 71-72, 72-73, 73-74, 74-75, 75-76, 76-77, 77-78, 80-81, 86-87, 87-88, 88-89); 2nd (1963-64, 65-66, 78-79, 79-80, 90-91, 93-94, 94-95, 95-96); 3rd (1961-62, 64-65, 83-84, 84-85, 85-86, 2001-02, 02-03, 03-04); 4th (1960-61, 91-92)
  • Swimming & Diving (girls) - State Champions (1976-77, 79-80, 80-81, 90-91, 91-92, 92-93, 93-94); 2nd (1978-79, 81-82, 82-83, 89-90); 3rd (1977-78, 85-86); 4th (1999-2000)
  • Tennis (boys) - State Champions (1955-56, 56-57, 57-58, 58-59, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 72-73, 73-74, 74-75, 75-76, 76-77, 77-78, 78-79, 79-80, 89-90, 90-91, 06-07); 2nd (1866-67, 68-69, 70-71, 82-83, 92-93, 93-94, 94-95, 96-97, 2000-01, 01-02); 3rd (1984-85, 88-89, 98-99, 2004-05); 4th (1981-82, 87-88, 91-92, 95-96, 97-98, 99-2000)
  • Tennis (girls) - State Champions (1976-77, 77-78, 78-79, 79-80, 83-84, 99-2000, 00-01, 03-04, 06-07); 2nd (1974-75, 80-81, 81-82, 85-86, 94-95, 97-98, 98-99); 3rd (1973-74, 82-83, 86-87, 87-88, 93-94, 2002-03); 4th (1975-76, 84-85, 2004-05, 05-06)
  • Track & Field (boys) - State Champions (1924-25); 2nd (1919-20); 3rd (1922-23, 42-43, 48-49)
  • Track & Field (girls) - 4th (1996-97)
  • Volleyball (girls) - 3rd (1977-78)

Hinsdale Central's best teams have traditionally been men's and women's tennis, men's gymnastics, and men's and women's swimming. The men's tennis team has won the conference championship for 48 consecutive years and has won 18 team state championships, tied for most with New Trier. The women's tennis team has won 9 team state championships, the most in the state. The men's gymnastics team has won 9 team state championships, the most in the state. The men's swimming team has won 17 team state championships, second again to New Trier (18). The women's swimming team has won 7 team state championships, second to New Trier (10). In addition, the football team has been particularly good in recent years, making it to the Class 8A state semi-final round of the play-off bracket in 2005.[3] In 2006, the women’s cross-country team won the state class AA championship, the women’s tennis team won the state team and doubles championships, and the women’s golf team featured the individual state class AA champion. The girls basketball team was state champions in 2002. The girls cross country team was also invited to Nike Team Nationals, which is an invite in Oregon, that invites the top 20 cross country clubs in America. Even though the team represented the school, they went under the alias, Hinsdale XC Club. Although not a school sponsored sport, on May 24th, 2007, the Girls' Lacrosse team defeated Loyola Academy, ending their three year reign and claiming the 2007 state championship title.[citation needed]

Some of the school’s many outstanding individual athletes include Marty Riessen with four individual state tennis championships, and John Kinsella, an Olympian who won the James E. Sullivan Award as America's top amateur athlete in 1970 John Mangan who was very fast and won an olympic gold in the 400 meter dash. [5].

Student Life

Activities

The school offers more than fifty clubs, including community service organizations, academic competition teams, foreign language groups, and special interest clubs. A complete list is available at http://central.hinsdale86.org/activities/clubdescriptions.htm Many clubs have won local and state awards and competitions.

Social Security Leak

In the 2004-2005 school year, two students allegedly hacked into the school's server and obtained the social security numbers of the student body and faculty. The school administration was not aware of this hack for months.Both students were later caught. They both have claimed that they have destroyed their records. Hinsdale Central no longer keeps digital records of student's social security numbers. Hinsdale school officials say the accused students have had the Social Security numbers of their fellow students and teachers for months, but there is no indication that they have done anything with that information. Still, the school may take disciplinary action against the students, and criminal charges could be filed. [6]


Traditions

Alma Mater Song

Stanza 1 

Wherever in the world you go, 
You’ll hear just the same old song; 
’Tis borne on all the winds that blow. 
From hearts that are true and strong. 
Refrain: We will ever love our Alma Mater, 
 Though our high school days be o’er; 
 We will ever love our H.T.H., 
 As we did in day of yore; 
 Red and white will always be our colors 
 That will make our pulses throb. 
 So H.T.H. to you, we will e’er be true 
 H.T.H. dear Hinsdale High.

Stanza 2 

Then let us bravely raise our song, and let our voices ring; 
Our days in high school won’t be long, 
So while we’re here we’ll sing.  (Refrain)

Controversy

Former teacher Robert Mueller was convicted in December 2006 of criminal sexual assault of two students, females aged 15 and 16 years old, over a span of 14 months. He was found guilty on 8 counts of sexual assault and is currently serving 32 years in prison.[4]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ Illinois School Report Card
  2. ^ Hinsdale Central Athletic Records at IHSA.org
  3. ^ Illinois High School Association
  4. ^ Hinsdale Central Coach Guilty Of Sexual Assault

Baaken, Timothy. HINSDALE. Hinsdale, Ill.: Hinsdale Doings, 1976.

Dugan, Hugh. VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE. Privately Printed, 1949.

Sterling, Tom, and Mary Sterling. HINSDALE AND THE WORLD. Hinsdale, Ill.: Sterling Books, 19

External links

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