Glenbard West High School

Infobox Secondary school
picture =
name = Glenbard West High School

principal = Dr. Jane Thorsen
established = 1922
type = Public Secondary
grades = 9 – 12
city = 670 Crescent Blvd
Glen Ellyn
state = Illinois
country = USA
enrollment = 2,121
faculty = 127
campus = Suburban
mascot = Hilltoppers
colors = Forest Green, White
newspaper = The Glen Bard
yearbook = The Pinnacle
website = http://www.glenbardwesths.org/

Glenbard West High School, or GWHS (also GBW), and locally referred to as "West," is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ellyn Avenue and Crescent Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87, which also includes Glenbard North High School, Glenbard South High School, and Glenbard East High School. The West campus draws students from Glen Ellyn (primarily north of Illinois Route 38), a small portion of Lombard, and a portions of Glendale Heights, and Carol Stream.

History

Glenbard West was the first of the Glenbard high schools to be built, and was originally referred to as simply 'Glenbard'. The school was built in the style of a castle, complete with roof turrets, atop what was then called Honeysuckle Hill in 1922, purchased for the sum of $1 million. The 1991 television documentary "Yearbook" was filmed here. It was also featured in the book "The Girl Who Owned A City" by O.T. Nelson. Large portions of the 1986 film "Lucas" were shot in and around the school. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091445/locations Lucas (1986) - Filming locations ] ] Glenbard also figures prominently in the award-winning young adult novel Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver.

Facilities

'Glenbard' as it was originally named, was constructed in 1922, atop Honeysuckle Hill, overlooking picturesque Lake Ellyn. Built with dark red brick, the building was built with castle-like design, complete with a turret and other minor castle details. Athletics were initially played in a gymnasium built in the school building itself, but with the construction of a $12 million state of the art field house across the street, the once gym was turned into the Robert D. Elliott Library, named after one of the most influential principals in school history. Across the road from Glenbard West is Duchon Field, where football is played. Duchon field has recently been named one of the top 10 places to watch highschool football by USA today.

Academics

In 2006, Glenbard West had an average ACT score of 23.2,Graduated 97.7% of its senior class. Glenbard West has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act [http://www.glenbard.net/Glenbard_DistrictHQ/2005/media/pdf/Report%20Cards/Current%20Year/Glenbard_West_Report_Card.pdf] Glenbard West was ranked 688 out of the nation's top 1351 schools by Newsweek in 2007, placing it in the top 3% of schools in the United States. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/newsweek/ America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com ] ]

The staff consists of 114 teachers, of which 84% hold an advanced degree. [http://www.glenbard.dupage.k12.il.us/Glenbard_DistrictHQ/2005/media/pdf/Profiles/West.pdf] The average class size is 26.8.

Theatre

Each year Glenbard West performs three productions in the Larry Shue Auditorium, and two Black Box/Studio Shows in the black box theater. In recent years the studio pieces have been student written plays. Its production of "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" was selected for the 2008 Illinois State Theatre Festival. The department is currently headed by Michael C. Fox and includes Rob Matz, technical director, and Michael Moran as key members as well.

Dances

Various dances, supported by the Glen Ellyn Youth Center and various clubs from the school, are held in Biester Gym-the main exception being the first dance of the year, which is held on Circle Drive. Dances that are held in Biester Gym include Homecoming, the Halloween Dance, Heart Hop, and Mistletoe Madness, among others. Additionally, a monthly dance, sponsored by the Glen Ellyn Youth Center, occurs in Biester Gym.

Athletics

Glenbard West competes in the West Suburban Silver Division of the West Suburban Conference. Its mascot is the Hilltoppers.

Glenbard West is currently categorized in football as a division 7A school. The football team, which won its only state championship in 1983 plays at Duchon Field, built in 1923, which in 1980 was named after Head football coach from 1960-76, Bill Duchon. The stadium seats up to 5,000 spectators, of which the home side overlooks picturesque Lake Ellyn. The stadium was used in the 1986 film "Lucas". [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2001-10-25-top10-stadiums-glenellyn.htm Ten Great Places to Watch a High School Football Game] ]
* Boys Sports
** Baseball (P.R.I.D.E.)
** Basketball
** Cross Country
** Football
** Golf
** Gymnastics
** Ice Hockey
** Lacrosse
** Soccer
** Tennis
** Track
** Wrestling
** Volleyball

* Girls Sports
** Badminton
** Basketball
** Cross Country
** Field Hockey
** Golf
** Gymnastics
** Lacrosse
** Softball
** Soccer
** Tennis
** Track
** Volleyball

Clubs

* Amnesty International Club
* Chess Club
* Club Ed
* Eco Club
* Forensics (Speech Team)
* Foods Club
* French Club
* German Club
* International Club
* Key Club
* Math Team
* Operation One World
* Political Science Club
* Prism
* Scholastic Bowl
* Science Olympiad
* Sports Talk Club
* Spanish Club
* STRIVE
* Student Council
* Students for Students
* Theatre Club
* Target Success
* West Spirit

Activities

* Anime
* Bible Study
* Chess
* Cheerleading
* Color Guard/Winter Guard
* Dance Squad
* Forensics
* Individual Events
* Mime Club
* Model U.N.
* Music-Instrumental
* Music-Organization
* Music-Vocal
* Orchesis
* Rugby
* Scholastic Bowl
* Steppers
* Student Council
* Theatre
* Ultimate Frisbee
* J.K.B.

Notable alumni

* Samuel Bodman, U.S. Secretary of Energy 2005--, class of 1956
* Larry Shue, Playwright, class of 1964
* Laurie Anderson, Musician, class of 1965
* Colin Stinton, Actor, class of 1965
* Jeffery Deaver, Author, class of 1968
*John Jacob, Author, class of 1968
* Julie Deaver, Author, class of 1971
* Ted Wass, Actor/director, class of 1970
* Bobby Rahal, Indy-car driver and team owner, class of 1971
* Peter Roskam, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, class of 1979
* Fareed Haque, Musician, class of 1981
* Phil Vischer, Co-creator of Veggie Tales, class of 1984
* Amy Carlson, Actress, class of 1986
* Christina Filiaggi, Radio personality, WLS AM 890, class of 1986
* Sean Hayes, Actor, Will & Grace, class of 1988
* Matt Bowen, Professional football player, Buffalo Bills, class of 1995
* Mike Hall, ESPN Dream Job winner, class of 2000
* Michael Herbick, Emmy-winning and Academy Award nominated film sound mixer, class of 1967
* Chris Faller, bassist for The Hush Sound, class of 2003
* Darren Wilson, drummer for The Hush Sound, class of 2004

References

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091445/locations "Filming locations for Lucas"] , "IMDB". Accessed Sept. 1 2007.
* [http://www.glenbard.net/Glenbard_DistrictHQ/2005/media/pdf/Report%20Cards/Current%20Year/Glenbard_West_Report_Card.pdf "Glenbard West High School"] , "2006 Illinois School Report Card". Accessed Sept. 1 2007.
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/newsweek/ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools"] , "Newsweek". Accessed Sept. 1 2007.
* [http://www.glenbard.dupage.k12.il.us/Glenbard_DistrictHQ/2005/media/pdf/Profiles/West.pdf "Glenbard West High School Profile - 2006-07"] Accessed Sept. 1 2007.
* [http://www.espn.com]

External links

* [http://www.glenbardwesths.org/ Official Website]