University High School (Normal)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Established | 1857 |
|---|---|
| Type | Public secondary |
| Principal | Jeff Hill |
| Faculty | 92 |
| Students | approx. 600 (2006-2007) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Normal, Illinois, USA |
| Colors | Kelly Green, Yellow |
| Mascot | Pioneer |
| Yearbook | Clarion |
| Newspaper | Clarionette |
| Website | http://www.uhigh.ilstu.edu/ |
University High School ("U-High"), located in Normal, Illinois, is one of two "laboratory schools" of the College of Education at Illinois State University designed for research and teacher-training; the other is the Thomas Metcalf School, a grade school. University High School offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities and has a strong history of sports and academics. Founded in 1857, it is one of the oldest high schools in Illinois.
The principal is currently Jeff Hill, and the vice principal is Steve Wilder. The mascot is The Pioneer. The school colors are kelly green and gold.
Contents |
[edit] Enrollment
U-High enrolls approximately 600 students while Metcalf enrolls about 400. However, the IHSA institutes an enrollment multiplier for schools such as U-High that do not have restrictive geographic boundaries for their students, thus classifying it as a larger school in athletic competition. This multiplier counts each student as 1.65 students, thus moving the athletic division to AA as opposed to A as previous years. [1]
[edit] Important Traditions
As one of the oldest high schools in Illinois, U-High has many established traditions and rituals. One of the most important of these is Class Night, an event which takes place in late May, usually the day after the seniors' last day of attendance. Class Night features a mix of student skits (which in recent years have been replaced by student-produced films), student bands, and the all-important Moving Up of Classes. In this ceremony, the seniors vacate their seats as a symbol of their departure from U-High and each class moves up to take the seats that they will occupy in the next year. The freshmen are welcomed into the U-High community, and the Lamp of Knowledge is passed from the departing seniors to the rising seniors. Class Night is always followed by a dance, which is usually fairly well attended.
Other traditions include the senior chorus concert (where all the music is selected by seniors and each graduating choir member gets a solo), the football games, the welcoming of freshmen on the first day, and the "open campus" that students value so dearly. Individual activities have their own long-standing traditions, and each new class of students adds to them.
[edit] Sports
U-High is known nationally as being one of the best golfing schools in the country. The boy's team has won the IHSA state championship 5 years running, and the girl's team has won it 3 years running. Other sports U-High is known for is Basketball. This school was home to legendary coach Cal Hubbard. Other sports include diving. Some people say that divers are not credited enough. They work a lot harder in their sport. Swimming wrestling, football, soccer, and lots more. DIVING. Well not technically sports, U-High’s chess, math team, and WYSE team are highly competitive. Math team got 7th place in 2007 and 9th place in 2008 for class 2A. In chess, in 2008 they score 5-2 to win first in their class with an impressive win fourth round against number 1 seed Niles North. U-High’s WYSE team scored 2nd place in their division.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
 |
This Illinois school-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007) |
One hundred, fifty years after its founding, the Laboratory Schools at Illinois State University, Metcalf and University High School, continue to serve as clinical experience and practice sites for pre-service teachers and experimental teaching activities. The schools provide a "living laboratory" for research and applied practices to improve teaching and educational practice.
A strong, innovative curriculum... University High School is a modern, well-equipped educational facility serving 600 students in grades nine through 12. With students enrolled from many school districts, University High is a diverse community of learners. Because the school is committed to providing a laboratory environment in which the very best classroom practice can flourish, the curriculum is innovative, strong, and continually reviewed.
The ninth grade curriculum, for example, is interdisciplinary in nature and reflects the belief that learning is enhanced when connections can be made between and among content areas. At the other grade levels, courses are offered at regular and accelerated levels, and numerous advanced placement courses are available.
Advanced technology and a wide range of activities... University High strives to keep pace with changing technological challenges by offering internet access to students through the University, as well as 8 classrooms equipped with laptops and an additional 6 computer labs. Firm in the belief that co curricular programs enhance the experience of the high school student, University High also offers more than 60 programs in academics, athletics and the arts.
At University high, students can choose from a wide range of curricular and co curricular offerings. The school is proud of the level of commitment and involvement reflected in the activities of its students.
A diverse enrollment Students are selected from applications received at each school. To fulfill the research and teacher education mission, the student population at Thomas Metcalf and University High Schools is representative of schools throughout Illinois.
The total enrollment of the laboratory schools is limited by state law to 1000 students. The maximum number of students that can be admitted from McLean County Unit 5 School district is 642; the maximum for Bloomington School District 87 is 246. The remainder of the students may be admitted from other districts in the state.
Students usually are not admitted after the school year has started. Applications for admission are available in the main office starting the first week of February.
