Naperville North High School
Encyclopedia
Naperville North High School is a public four-year comprehensive high school
located at the corner of Ogden Avenue
and Mill Street in the northern-central part of Naperville
, Illinois
, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
. It is the counterpart to Naperville Central High School
of Naperville Community Unit School District 203
.
students who took Physical Education courses in swimming or desired to compete in swimming and/or diving would be bussed from Naperville Central to Naperville North. The pool and the stadium will undergo major renovations and are to be completed before the start of the 2009-2010 school year.
score of 25.4, and graduated 100.0% of its senior class. Naperville North has not made Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which with the ACT, are the assessment tools used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act
. One student subgroup failed to meet expectations in reading and mathematics.
In 2010, Newsweek
ranked Naperville North #1332 in their annual list of the top 1500 American public high schools, based upon the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given at a school, divided by the number of seniors graduating that year. In 2005, the school was ranked #1008, in 2007, #1082, in 2008 #926, and in 2009 #1331.
Naperville North is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the Illinois State Department of Education
.
(DVC). Naperville North is a member of the Illinois High School Association
(IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. The school's teams are stylized as the Huskies
.
The school sponsors interscholastic athletic teams for young men and women in basketball
, cross country
, golf
, gymnastics
, soccer, swimming
& diving
, tennis
, track & field, volleyball
, and water polo
. Young men may also compete in baseball
, football
, and wrestling
, while young women may compete in badminton
, cheerleading
, and softball
. In addition to the above sports, the school also offers club sports in lacrosse
, ice hockey
, and ultimate frisbee.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:
From 1975–87, Naperville North played its home football games at Naperville Central. In 1988, Naperville North opened Harshbarger/Wlezel Stadium as its new home field.
; a quizbowl
-like team, placing first in the 2004 state Latin convention; the Northern Lights, a nationally competitive winter guard; the Marching Huskies marching band
, who tied for second in the state championship in 2005 and took fourth in state in 2009; and a drama
department that contributes regularly to the Illinois High School Theatre Fest. Notable recent IHSTF productions with North students in the cast or crew began with The Kentucky Cycle
in 1999, ending a decade-long absence from the festival, and have since included West Side Story, Pirates of Penzance and Macbeth
. In 2000, a Naperville North adaptation of 12 Angry Men (presented as Twelve Angry Jurors), was selected to perform as a showcase at the IHS Theatre Festival. More recent selections taken to state include The Laramie Project
, Angel's Fall and Wings
. The Naperville North theatre recently received a technical over-haul, allowing for better lighting and control mechanisms. North's newspaper, the North Star, has won numerous local and state-wide awards.
The Math Team at Naperville North has been the DuPage Valley Conference
champions for 28 consecutive years and were Illinois state champions 14 of the last 16 years, and won ten consecutive Math Team state championships (1998–2007). Naperville North also participates in the North Suburban Math League. In 2008, the math team competed at the ICTM Regional competition at the College of DuPage
and placed 1st overall. During the ICTM State competition at the University of Illinois in 2008, Naperville North lost to IMSA, which prevented North from winning their 11th consecutive state championship. They received 2nd place overall. In 2009, Naperville North regained the state title, their fourteenth in sixteen years. The WYSE
team won the state championship from 1999 to 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Naperville North has a Junior State of America
(JSA) chapter. Naperville North's JSA chapter is well known, and has a high chapter membership in the Midwest state. They are debaters who form a tight knit group. The chapter is also involved in the state structure of JSA.
Naperville North also has a DECA
Chapter. The DECA chapter has grown in size and in caliber. In the past five years, Naperville North's DECA chapter has had over fifty different state qualifiers, ten state winners (top three), five national winners, including one taking the championship, and elected a State Vice President, one of the five student leaders who lead Illinois DECA.
, and consists of a full weeks worth of events, including themed dress-up days for each day of the school week. One of the most popular of these is the annual Homecoming Car Show, held in the athletic parking lot, where students bring in their cars (or their parents' cars) to show off during lunch hours, competing for titles such as "Best Muscle Car" or "Dirtiest Car" of the year. Another popular event is the annual The Price Is Right
game show, sponsored by Student Government, where students compete to participate in games based on those in the TV show. Traditionally, the Wednesday before the Homecoming dance is when the Homecoming Coronation and Bonfire take place. The Bonfire is an outdoor dance near a large Bonfire that benefits the Tech Crew. On the Friday before the dance, the week's events culminate in the Homecoming Assembly, an all-school pep rally filled with events such as fall sports recognition and contests between the different classes. During halftime of the Homecoming football game, the Homecoming Coronation is announced by Student Activities and is chauffered around the track in cars donated by a local car dealer. The dance is traditionally held on a Saturday night.
) and is also one of the most popular events held each year. Sponsored by Student Government, the week leading up to the dance is full of themed dress-up days for each school day and other events. The most popular of these events is Airband, a dance and lip-sync competition consisting of teams of students. While any student may participate, by tradition Airband contestants are almost exclusively Seniors. Airband is almost universally recognized as the largest, most exciting, and most widely-attended annual event at NNHS. The top-three teams each year (determined by a panel of judges) perform at the Spring Assembly, held the Friday before the Spring Dance. The dance is traditionally held on a Saturday evening.
, held every fall. First Class, a student-led discussion section designed to promote good character and community, is held every month on late-arrival Wednesdays. Every Friday morning before a football game, the drum line marches through the hallways playing their drums. The annual Holiday Assembly is one of the best assemblies of the year, featuring numerous student performers. The annual Disco Dance, usually held around Thanksgiving, is a very popular event where students dress in their favorite disco attire and dance to disco music.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located at the corner of Ogden Avenue
U.S. Route 34
U.S. Route 34 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 1,122 miles from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches 12,183 ft , making it the highest paved through highway in...
and Mill Street in the northern-central part of Naperville
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the counterpart to Naperville Central High School
Naperville Central High School
Naperville Central High School is a public four-year comprehensive school ranked in the top 3% of high schools nationally by US News and World Report, covering grades nine through twelve in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb southwest of Chicago in the United States...
of Naperville Community Unit School District 203
Naperville Community Unit School District 203
Naperville Community Unit School District 203 is a school district headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, United States.-History:District 203, established in 1972 through the merger of elementary and high school districts, serves central Naperville...
.
History
The building was constructed in 1970 comprising 152,347 square feet (14,000 m²). Additions to the building were made in 1974, 1986 and 1992, increasing the size to the current (as of 2005) 449,665 square feet (42,000 m²). From the time of its construction until the 1992-1993 academic year, Naperville North was the only high school in its district to have a swimming pool. Thus Naperville Central High SchoolNaperville Central High School
Naperville Central High School is a public four-year comprehensive school ranked in the top 3% of high schools nationally by US News and World Report, covering grades nine through twelve in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb southwest of Chicago in the United States...
students who took Physical Education courses in swimming or desired to compete in swimming and/or diving would be bussed from Naperville Central to Naperville North. The pool and the stadium will undergo major renovations and are to be completed before the start of the 2009-2010 school year.
Academics
In 2008, Naperville North had an average composite ACTACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
score of 25.4, and graduated 100.0% of its senior class. Naperville North has not made Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized...
(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which with the ACT, are the assessment tools used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. One student subgroup failed to meet expectations in reading and mathematics.
In 2010, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
ranked Naperville North #1332 in their annual list of the top 1500 American public high schools, based upon the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given at a school, divided by the number of seniors graduating that year. In 2005, the school was ranked #1008, in 2007, #1082, in 2008 #926, and in 2009 #1331.
Naperville North is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the Illinois State Department of Education
Illinois State Board of Education
The Illinois State Board of Education administers public education in the state of Illinois. The State Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the...
.
Athletics
Naperville North competes in the DuPage Valley ConferenceDuPage Valley Conference
The DuPage Valley Conference is an organization of eight high schools in northeastern Illinois, representing seven communities in Chicago's suburbs. These high schools are all members of the Illinois High School Association. The Conference, organized in 1967, exists primarily for inter-school...
(DVC). Naperville North is a member of the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
(IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. The school's teams are stylized as the Huskies
Husky
Husky is a general name for a type of dog originally used to pull sleds in northern regions, differentiated from other sled dog types by their fast hard pulling style...
.
The school sponsors interscholastic athletic teams for young men and women in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, soccer, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
& diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, track & field, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, and water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
. Young men may also compete in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
, while young women may compete in badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. In addition to the above sports, the school also offers club sports in lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and ultimate frisbee.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:
- Basketball (girls): 4th place (1987–88)
- Cross Country (boys): 4th place (1990–91); 3rd place (1980–81, 2004–05); State Champions (2008–09)
- Cross Country (girls): 4th place (2008–09); 3rd place (1994–95, 99–2000, 03–04, 07–08); 2nd place (1998–99, 2000–01); State Champions (1993–94, 2001–02, 04–05, 05–06)
- Football: Semifinalists (1987–88, 88–89, 98–99, 2000–01); 2nd place (1994–95); State Champions (1992–93, 2007–08)
- Golf (boys): 4th place (1976–77, 91–92, 98–99); 3rd place (1979–80, 81–82, 2010-2011); 2nd place (1980–81); State Champions (1989–90, 94–95)
- Golf (girls): 4th place (1994–95); 3rd place (1984–85, 88–89, 90–91, 91–92); 2nd place (1985–86)
- Gymnastics (boys): 4th place (1991–92, 93–94, 98–99, 99–2000, 2010-2011); 2nd place (1992–93); State Champions (2000–01)
- Gymnastics (girls): 4th place (1987–88, 93–94, 95–96); 2nd place (1976–77, 94–95)
- Soccer (boys): 4th place (1987–88, 2002–03, 2010-2011); State Champions (1998–99)
- Soccer (girls): 4th place (1998–99, 2003–04); 3rd place (2000–01); 2nd place (1997–98, 2010-2011); State Champions (1987–88)
- Swimming & Diving (boys): 4th place (1979–80, 81–82, 84–85, 2000–01); 3rd place (1990–91, 94–95, 2006–07); 2nd place (1982–83, 83–84); State Champions (1995–96)
- Swimming & Diving (girls): 4th place (1976–77, 91–92, 2003–04); 3rd place (1987–88, 97–98, 98–99); 2nd place (1986–87, 90–91)
- Tennis (boys): 4th place (1992–93); 3rd place (1994–95); State Champions (1993–94)
- Track & Field (boys): 4th place (1996–97); 3rd place (1986–87)
- Volleyball (boys): 3rd place (1998–99, 2002–03); 2nd place (2005–06, 2010-2011); State Champions (1996–97)
- Water Polo (boys): 2nd place (2006–07)
- Water Polo (girls): 4th place (2003–04)
- Wrestling: 2nd place (1986–87, 91–92)
From 1975–87, Naperville North played its home football games at Naperville Central. In 1988, Naperville North opened Harshbarger/Wlezel Stadium as its new home field.
Activities
The school is also host to a CertamenCertamen
Certamen , Latin for "competition", is a quiz bowl-style competition with classics-themed questions. The reference invokes the brief ancient Greek account of the Contest of Homer and Hesiod, Certamen Homeri et Hesiodi. The formats differ, but most are similar to the formats of quiz bowl...
; a quizbowl
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
-like team, placing first in the 2004 state Latin convention; the Northern Lights, a nationally competitive winter guard; the Marching Huskies marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, who tied for second in the state championship in 2005 and took fourth in state in 2009; and a drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
department that contributes regularly to the Illinois High School Theatre Fest. Notable recent IHSTF productions with North students in the cast or crew began with The Kentucky Cycle
The Kentucky Cycle
The Kentucky Cycle is a series of nine one-act plays by Robert Schenkkan that explores American mythology, particularly the mythology of the West, through the intertwined histories of three fictional families struggling over a portion of land in the Cumberland Plateau...
in 1999, ending a decade-long absence from the festival, and have since included West Side Story, Pirates of Penzance and Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
. In 2000, a Naperville North adaptation of 12 Angry Men (presented as Twelve Angry Jurors), was selected to perform as a showcase at the IHS Theatre Festival. More recent selections taken to state include The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie,...
, Angel's Fall and Wings
Wings (play)
Wings is a 1978 play by American playwright Arthur Kopit. Originating as a radio play, it was later adapted for stage and screen.In 1976, Kopit was commissioned to write an original radio play by the NPR drama project Earplay...
. The Naperville North theatre recently received a technical over-haul, allowing for better lighting and control mechanisms. North's newspaper, the North Star, has won numerous local and state-wide awards.
The Math Team at Naperville North has been the DuPage Valley Conference
DuPage Valley Conference
The DuPage Valley Conference is an organization of eight high schools in northeastern Illinois, representing seven communities in Chicago's suburbs. These high schools are all members of the Illinois High School Association. The Conference, organized in 1967, exists primarily for inter-school...
champions for 28 consecutive years and were Illinois state champions 14 of the last 16 years, and won ten consecutive Math Team state championships (1998–2007). Naperville North also participates in the North Suburban Math League. In 2008, the math team competed at the ICTM Regional competition at the College of DuPage
College of DuPage
College of DuPage, or COD, is a two-year community college in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The college also owns and operates facilities in the Illinois communities of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Naperville, West Chicago, and Westmont...
and placed 1st overall. During the ICTM State competition at the University of Illinois in 2008, Naperville North lost to IMSA, which prevented North from winning their 11th consecutive state championship. They received 2nd place overall. In 2009, Naperville North regained the state title, their fourteenth in sixteen years. The WYSE
Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering
The Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Academic Challenge is a high school academic competition run in Illinois and Missouri by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Missouri University of Science and Technology, respectively. The team competition consists of 14 team members...
team won the state championship from 1999 to 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Naperville North has a Junior State of America
Junior State of America
The Junior State of America is an American non-partisan student-run youth organization. It is also the largest high school student-run organization in the country...
(JSA) chapter. Naperville North's JSA chapter is well known, and has a high chapter membership in the Midwest state. They are debaters who form a tight knit group. The chapter is also involved in the state structure of JSA.
Naperville North also has a DECA
DECA (organization)
DECA, also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service . DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing,...
Chapter. The DECA chapter has grown in size and in caliber. In the past five years, Naperville North's DECA chapter has had over fifty different state qualifiers, ten state winners (top three), five national winners, including one taking the championship, and elected a State Vice President, one of the five student leaders who lead Illinois DECA.
Clubs and Activites
- Art Club
- Bass Fishing Club
- Cat Club
- Chess Club & Team
- Cheerleading
- Circle
- Costume Crew
- Council Of Excellent Children
- Creative Writing Club
- Debate Team
- DECA
- Environmental Club
- FCCLA
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes
- Female Show Choir
- Film Club
- First Class
- French Club
- Frisbee Club
- Freshman Board
- FYI
- Game Development Club
- Gay Straight Alliance
- German Club
- Gourmet Club
- Harry Potter Club
- Horticulture Club
- Human Rights Club
- Interact
- Indian Student Assoc.
- Junior Board
- Junior Statesmen of America
- Key Club
- Latin Club
- Lacrosse Team
- Mandarin Club
- Math Club & Team
- Metaphysical Political Club
- Mixed Show Choir
- Model United Nations
- Muslim Student Assoc.
- National Honors Society
- North Star Newspaper
- NNTV
- Oasis
- Orchesis
- Physics Club
- Robotics Team
- Senior Board
- Scholastic Bowl
- Science Bowl
- Science Olympiad
- Ski and Snowboard Club
- Sophomore Board
- Step Team
- Spanish Club
- Sparkettes
- Spectrum
- Speech Team
- Starlettes
- Student Government
- Tech Crew
- Theater Society
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Urban Revolution Crew
- WebMasters
- Technology Club
- WYSE Team
- Young Life
- Youth and Government
- Youth Ambassadors
- Yoga Club
- Year Book
Traditions
In addition to its reputation for strong academics, athletics, and activities, NNHS is also well-known for its traditions. Many of these traditions come in the form of events and shows on campus throughout the year. The list below is not all-inclusive, but highlights many of the most popular and longest lived traditions at Naperville North.Homecoming Week
Homecoming is put on annually by the Key ClubKey Club
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
, and consists of a full weeks worth of events, including themed dress-up days for each day of the school week. One of the most popular of these is the annual Homecoming Car Show, held in the athletic parking lot, where students bring in their cars (or their parents' cars) to show off during lunch hours, competing for titles such as "Best Muscle Car" or "Dirtiest Car" of the year. Another popular event is the annual The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
game show, sponsored by Student Government, where students compete to participate in games based on those in the TV show. Traditionally, the Wednesday before the Homecoming dance is when the Homecoming Coronation and Bonfire take place. The Bonfire is an outdoor dance near a large Bonfire that benefits the Tech Crew. On the Friday before the dance, the week's events culminate in the Homecoming Assembly, an all-school pep rally filled with events such as fall sports recognition and contests between the different classes. During halftime of the Homecoming football game, the Homecoming Coronation is announced by Student Activities and is chauffered around the track in cars donated by a local car dealer. The dance is traditionally held on a Saturday night.
Senior year
Naperville North seniors are a part of more traditions than any other students in the school. One of the most well-known traditions for seniors is the creation of a "Senior Theme" for the year, which shows up on t-shirts, senior events, and so on. On the first day of school each year, the Seniors come dressed in costume (based upon the senior theme) and participate in a tailgate at the football stadium. Seniors are then allowed to enter the building, where traditionally they run through the halls, scream, cheer, and celebrate the beginning of their year. Seniors also dress up in themed costumes on Fridays for Senior Theme Fridays, which often include activities in the Small Cafeteria during and in between lunch hours. At the end of the year, Seniors enjoy Senior Week, which includes Senior Celebration, an overnight lock-in held at the school, and is largely considered one of the best events of Senior year. Student Government's Mr. NNHS, an all-male talent and beauty pageant, is also held during Senior Week, and is one of the funniest and most widely attended events of the school year, selling out almost every year. Seniors also get to participate in the Senior Fashion Show, an event held late in the year to promote local businesses. Seniors are also given the privilege of purchasing parking passes to park in the main parking lot.Spring Week
The annual Spring Dance is a turnabout dance (a.k.a. Sadie Hawkins danceSadie Hawkins dance
In the United States, the Sadie Hawkins Dance is usually a less formal dance sponsored by a high school, middle school or college, in which female students invite male students...
) and is also one of the most popular events held each year. Sponsored by Student Government, the week leading up to the dance is full of themed dress-up days for each school day and other events. The most popular of these events is Airband, a dance and lip-sync competition consisting of teams of students. While any student may participate, by tradition Airband contestants are almost exclusively Seniors. Airband is almost universally recognized as the largest, most exciting, and most widely-attended annual event at NNHS. The top-three teams each year (determined by a panel of judges) perform at the Spring Assembly, held the Friday before the Spring Dance. The dance is traditionally held on a Saturday evening.
Other traditions
One of the greatest athletic traditions is the Crosstown Classic football game against rival Naperville Central High SchoolNaperville Central High School
Naperville Central High School is a public four-year comprehensive school ranked in the top 3% of high schools nationally by US News and World Report, covering grades nine through twelve in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb southwest of Chicago in the United States...
, held every fall. First Class, a student-led discussion section designed to promote good character and community, is held every month on late-arrival Wednesdays. Every Friday morning before a football game, the drum line marches through the hallways playing their drums. The annual Holiday Assembly is one of the best assemblies of the year, featuring numerous student performers. The annual Disco Dance, usually held around Thanksgiving, is a very popular event where students dress in their favorite disco attire and dance to disco music.
Notable alumni
- Chris BrownChris Brown (American football)Christopher Rejean Brown is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, NFL running backRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... - Levelle BrownLevelle BrownLevelle Desean Brown is a former American professional football player. He was born in Winfield, Illinois. He is the older brother of Chris Brown, running back of the Houston Texans of the National Football League....
, professional football player who played for the Chicago RushChicago RushThe Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
of the Arena Football League - Henry DomercantHenry DomercantHenry Domercant is an American-born Bosnian professional basketball player playing in Europe. In July 2011 he signed 2-year contract with UNICS Kazan.-Junior & amateur careers:...
, professional basketball player for several teams in Europe. - Glenn EarlGlenn EarlGlenn Earl is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He grew up in Lisle, Illinois and attended Naperville North High School...
, NFL safety - Emily GiffinEmily GiffinEmily Giffin is an American author of several novels commonly categorized as chick lit.- Early life :Emily Giffin was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 20, 1972. She attended high school in Naperville, Illinois , where she was a member of a creative writing club and served as editor-in-chief...
, author of Something BorrowedSomething Borrowed (novel)Something Borrowed is a 2005 chick lit novel by author Emily Giffin. The novel concerns morals regarding friends and relationships. It addresses the stigma against single women in their thirties and the pressure that society places on them to get married...
(one former Naperville North teacher inspired a character in the novel) - Jerry Hairston, Jr.Jerry Hairston, Jr.Jerry Wayne Hairston, Jr. is a Mexican-American professional baseball utility player.-Professional career:...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
second basemanSecond basemanSecond base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base... - Scott HairstonScott HairstonScott Alexander Hairston is an outfielder in Major League Baseball. Hairston bats and throws right-handed.-High school years:...
, Major League Baseball player - Will Johnson, professional soccer player and winner of the 2008 MLS Goal of the Year AwardMLS Goal of the Year AwardIn the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Goal of the Year Award since its inception in 1996. It is selected from the season's Goal of the Week Award winners by fans' online vote. Here is a list of the past winners:...
. - Justin McCareins, NFL wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
- Marisol NicholsMarisol NicholsMarisol Nichols is an American actress best known for her role in the sixth season of 24 as Special Agent Nadia Yassir.-Early life:...
, actress (Nadia YassirNadia YassirNadia Yassir is a fictional character from the TV series 24 played by Marisol Nichols. Introduced in Season 6, she works for the Counter Terrorist Unit at Los Angeles, a fictional domestic branch of the Central Intelligence Agency...
in 2424 (TV series)24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
) - Bob OdenkirkBob OdenkirkRobert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
, comedian, actor, writer, director and producer (Mr. ShowMr. ShowMr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series featuring former Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross...
). - Brian PlotkinBrian PlotkinBrian Plotkin is an retired American soccer player.-College and Amateur:Brian Plotkin graduated from Naperville North High School. Plotkin played club soccer for the Chicago Sockers from the U12 to U19 levels, and played college soccer for Indiana University from 2002 to 2005, featuring in 90...
, professional soccer player - Jeri Kehn ThompsonJeri Kehn ThompsonJeri Kehn Thompson is an American radio talk show host, columnist for The American Spectator, political commentator, and former political consultant for the Washington, D.C. law firm of Verner Liipfert. She has also worked for the Republican Senate Conference and the Republican National Committee...
, in talk radioTalk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
personality, RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
consultant, wife of Sen. Fred Thompson. - Douglas Darien Walker, online entertainer, also known as That Guy With The GlassesThat Guy with the GlassesThat Guy with the Glasses is a website that mostly showcases satirical reviews of movies and video games. It primarily stars Chicago native Douglas Darien "Doug" Walker as "That Guy with the Glasses". The founder and administrator of the site is Michael Michaud, CEO of the parent company Channel...
. - Paul Brittain, Cast Member of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...