Roxana High School
Encyclopedia
Roxana High School is a secondary school
in Roxana, Illinois
, USA. The school's mascot is the shell, named for the former Shell Oil
(now ConocoPhillips
) refinery
also located in the town. The school district encompasses all of Roxana
, South Roxana
, and parts of Wood River
, Edwardsville
and Rosewood Heights
.
. Other general schools opened and closed throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century; these include Brushy Grove School (not to be confused with its later incarnation, Brushey Grove School) from 1858 to 1969, Roxana School from 1918 to 1926, Edison School from 1926 to 1936, and Burbank School starting in 1936. Burbank was built as a WPA
project, and was named after botanist Luther Burbank
.
The school district did not have a secondary school at that time; Roxana students went to other districts for their education instead, primarily Wood River High School, which had opened in 1925. In 1939, citizens of Roxana and part of neighboring Wood River
voted to form a new school district; the high school itself was built in 1941 and has been added to throughout its tenure.
The original building had three stories, compromised of twelve classrooms, a main office, a library, and a gymnasium. A larger gym was added in 1954.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the district included four elementary schools: Central, Rosewood Heights, Burbank and South Roxana. Roxana Junior High School was built adjacent to the high school; today, they are one contiguous building. Central, Rosewood, South Roxana, and the Junior High buildings were all constructed simultaneously with the 1954 erection of the large gymnasium at the high school.
Brushey Grove School was sold at public auction
in 1971. A US Bank now stands on the spot previously occupied by Brushey Grove School, and a commemorative marker can be found in its parking lot noting the existence of the old school.
Roxana School was located on Edwardsville Road in Roxana, between Walnut and Tydeman, facing the Standard Oil Refinery fence. After its demolition, the land was sold to a trucking company, and it has been used for that purpose since at least 1970.
Edison School was located at the southwest corner of Tydeman and Central Avenue in Roxana, directly across the street from the First Baptist Church of Roxana. After Edison's demolition in the late 1960s, Roxana Public Library was built on the site in 1970.
Burbank added an addition in 1966. However, as enrollment began to decline with the passage of the Post-War baby boom, schools began closing. Burbank, the oldest of the four, closed in 1983 and was sold to a local chiropractor. The building was given to the city and razed in 2009.
Rosewood Heights School followed in 1989, and the building has since been razed. Following the closure of these two schools, sixth graders were moved to the junior high building, and the remaining two grade schools (Central School and South Roxana School) now service grades Pre-K through 5.
, a football field, an All-weather running track
track, six tennis court
s, a full bus garage
, three on campus parking lots, and entire buildings dedicated to science, family and consumer sciences, technology, and automotive education. A junior high school and the school district's administrative offices also adjoin the high school building. In 2011 construction finished on the new larger cafeteria, track, and parking lot. The cafeteria is a completely new building built near the bus garage on campus (it has since retired the former cafeteria.) The new track was built in place of the former Cinder
track RHS offered. The new parking lot was created behind the football field's home-team bleachers, adding about 70 new paid permit only parking spaces for students.
, participating in 10 out of 14 sports offered for boys and 10 out of 14 sports offered for girls, including Roxana Shells girls basketball team.
Started in the 2005-2006 school year, RHS's Tri-M chapter celebrates over 30 scholar musicians in its current membership.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Roxana, Illinois
Roxana, Illinois
Roxana is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2000 census. A majority of the land in Roxana is taken up by the Wood River Conoco-Phillips oil refinery; the refinery was built and originally owned by Shell Oil...
, USA. The school's mascot is the shell, named for the former Shell Oil
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
(now ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
) refinery
Wood River Refinery
The Wood River Refinery is an oil refinery located in Roxana, Illinois, approximately north of St. Louis, Missouri, on the east side of the Mississippi River. The refinery is currently owned by ConocoPhillips and Cenovus Energy, and operated by the joint-venture company WRB Refining, LLC...
also located in the town. The school district encompasses all of Roxana
Roxana, Illinois
Roxana is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2000 census. A majority of the land in Roxana is taken up by the Wood River Conoco-Phillips oil refinery; the refinery was built and originally owned by Shell Oil...
, South Roxana
South Roxana, Illinois
South Roxana is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,888 at the 2000 census.-Geography:South Roxana is located at ....
, and parts of Wood River
Wood River, Illinois
Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,296 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wood River is located at ....
, Edwardsville
Edwardsville, Illinois
Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,293. It is the county seat of Madison County and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, then Governor of the Illinois...
and Rosewood Heights
Rosewood Heights, Illinois
Rosewood Heights is a census-designated place in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,038 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Rosewood Heights is located at ....
.
History
The area around Roxana began offering education in 1802 with the construction of Gilham's Pasture School on the northeast corner of what is now 13th Street and Edwardsville Road in Wood River, the current site of a Dairy QueenDairy Queen
Dairy Queen, often abbreviated DQ, is a chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc, who also owns Orange Julius and Karmelkorn. The name "Dairy Queen" is taken from the name of their soft serve product, which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or...
. Other general schools opened and closed throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century; these include Brushy Grove School (not to be confused with its later incarnation, Brushey Grove School) from 1858 to 1969, Roxana School from 1918 to 1926, Edison School from 1926 to 1936, and Burbank School starting in 1936. Burbank was built as a WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project, and was named after botanist Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank was an American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science.He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 54-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables...
.
The school district did not have a secondary school at that time; Roxana students went to other districts for their education instead, primarily Wood River High School, which had opened in 1925. In 1939, citizens of Roxana and part of neighboring Wood River
Wood River, Illinois
Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,296 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wood River is located at ....
voted to form a new school district; the high school itself was built in 1941 and has been added to throughout its tenure.
The original building had three stories, compromised of twelve classrooms, a main office, a library, and a gymnasium. A larger gym was added in 1954.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the district included four elementary schools: Central, Rosewood Heights, Burbank and South Roxana. Roxana Junior High School was built adjacent to the high school; today, they are one contiguous building. Central, Rosewood, South Roxana, and the Junior High buildings were all constructed simultaneously with the 1954 erection of the large gymnasium at the high school.
Brushey Grove School was sold at public auction
Public auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
in 1971. A US Bank now stands on the spot previously occupied by Brushey Grove School, and a commemorative marker can be found in its parking lot noting the existence of the old school.
Roxana School was located on Edwardsville Road in Roxana, between Walnut and Tydeman, facing the Standard Oil Refinery fence. After its demolition, the land was sold to a trucking company, and it has been used for that purpose since at least 1970.
Edison School was located at the southwest corner of Tydeman and Central Avenue in Roxana, directly across the street from the First Baptist Church of Roxana. After Edison's demolition in the late 1960s, Roxana Public Library was built on the site in 1970.
Burbank added an addition in 1966. However, as enrollment began to decline with the passage of the Post-War baby boom, schools began closing. Burbank, the oldest of the four, closed in 1983 and was sold to a local chiropractor. The building was given to the city and razed in 2009.
Rosewood Heights School followed in 1989, and the building has since been razed. Following the closure of these two schools, sixth graders were moved to the junior high building, and the remaining two grade schools (Central School and South Roxana School) now service grades Pre-K through 5.
Campus
RHS has grown considerably from its beginnings; the school now contains over twenty-five full classrooms, two gyms, an auditorium, a cafeteria, a weight room, a baseball fieldBaseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
, a football field, an All-weather running track
All-weather running track
An all weather running track is the common term to describe a rubberized artificial running surface for the sport of Track and field athletics. Throughout the history of the sport, there has always been a search for a consistent surface that gave competitors an equal advantage, to test their...
track, six tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s, a full bus garage
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
, three on campus parking lots, and entire buildings dedicated to science, family and consumer sciences, technology, and automotive education. A junior high school and the school district's administrative offices also adjoin the high school building. In 2011 construction finished on the new larger cafeteria, track, and parking lot. The cafeteria is a completely new building built near the bus garage on campus (it has since retired the former cafeteria.) The new track was built in place of the former Cinder
Cinder
A cinder is a pyroclastic material. Cinders are extrusive igneous rocks. Cinders are similar to pumice, which has so many cavities and is such low-density that it can float on water...
track RHS offered. The new parking lot was created behind the football field's home-team bleachers, adding about 70 new paid permit only parking spaces for students.
Sports
RHS is a part of the Illinois High School AssociationIllinois 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...
, participating in 10 out of 14 sports offered for boys and 10 out of 14 sports offered for girls, including Roxana Shells girls basketball team.
Wrestling
The Shells wrestling squad has historically been a strong program, being the champions of the now-defunct Mississippi Valley Conference for 16 years consecutively (from 1972 to 1987). In IHSA state finals, the Shells made appearances in 1984, 2002, 2003, and 2004, finishing 2nd in the state in 2004.Other extracurricular organizations
- Student CouncilStudent councilStudent council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
- Business Network
- Mock Trial
- Colorguard
- Weight Lifting
- ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
Club - German Club
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
Club - FCCLA
- PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
Club - National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- Pep Club
- "R" Club (for lettermen)
- SADD
- Spanish Club
- Sweet 16 (a danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
team) - ThespiansInternational Thespian SocietyThe International Thespian Society is an honorary organization for high-school and middle-school theatre students located at more than 3,600 affiliated secondary schools across the United States, Canada, and abroad. The International Thespian Society was founded in Fairmont, West Virginia...
- ChorusChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
- Honors Choral Ensemble
- Science OlympiadScience OlympiadScience Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
- Concert BandConcert bandA concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
- JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Band - Scholar Bowl
- Tri-MTri-MTri-M Music Honor Society, formerly known as Modern Music Masters, is a high school and middle school music honor society. Each school has its own chapter, which is run by the students but supervised by an advisor or sponsor, usually a school teacher...
Started in the 2005-2006 school year, RHS's Tri-M chapter celebrates over 30 scholar musicians in its current membership.
Notable alumni
- Harry Gallatin - Basketball player, coach; Basketball Hall of FameBasketball Hall of FameThe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
member. - David Herndon - United States federal judgeUnited States federal judgeIn the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....