West Aurora High School
Encyclopedia
West Aurora High School, or WAHS, is a public four-year high school
located in Aurora, Illinois
. It is part of West Aurora Public School District 129
. The school is also referred to as "West," and "West High,".
From 1905 until the 1950s the high school was located in a still–extant building on Blackhawk Avenue (so named after the school's athletics mascot). This same building was Benjamin Franklin
Junior High School until the 1970s, when it was sold to Aurora Christian School, which used it as their school building until 2004. The current WAHS structure was built in the early 1950s, and was dedicated in 1953 as "West Side Senior High." From 1978–1981 the building was briefly known as the "West Aurora South Campus," when two buildings existed on Aurora's west side to house the high school population. The building formerly known as the "West Aurora North Campus" now houses the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
.
The present building has had multiple additions and renovations, with the major additions occurring over four phases. The first added classrooms to an existing two-story classroom wing in the early 1960s. The largest addition, to the north and east sides of the building, added the auditorium, classroom space and other amenities in 1966–1967. This addition was responsible for the creation of the building's first two courtyard spaces. The 1997–1998 addition was constructed as a two–story wing on the south end of the building, giving it a new facade, and closing a portion of New York Street. This addition included a new library, a technology center, a new cafeteria, and additional classroom space. The most recent addition was completed in time for the 2004–2005 academic year. This included a new fieldhouse, a new single–story classroom wing on the northwest corner of the building, and a new choral rehearsal space.
Today West High is a diverse school, with several academic and athletic programs available.
The school's fight song, "Roll On, You Blackhawks," dates from the 1940s, and was written by Sten Halfvarson. A plaque commemorating the composition of the song hangs in a hallway just south of the auditorium, where the opening bars of the song have also been placed into the floor tile.
score of 19.3, and graduated 79.1% of its senior class. West Aurora has not made Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test, which with the ACT, are the assessment tools used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act
. All four of the student subgroups at West Aurora failed to meet minimum expectations in reading and math, as did the school as a whole.
West Aurora, since 1997, competes in the DuPage Valley Conference
. Prior to this, the school was a member of the Upstate Eight Conference
. WAHS is a member of the Illinois High School Association
(IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in the state of Illinois.
Officially, Chief Blackhawk
serves as the mascot for the school. The red and blue logo of the chief is painted on the back of the school's football stadium, as of 2006, replacing the school's WA logo. Use of the "Chief" character has been controversial for its depiction of a Native American
. For a time, the school strictly used the WA symbol, which appears in place of the logo of Chief Blackhawk on all official DuPage Valley Conference logos. The school also invented new characters named "WA Man" and "WA Woman" as mascots, but has recently reinstated the Chief as official mascot. Teams continued to compete as "Blackhawks" during this time.
The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for young men and women in basketball
, cross country
, golf
, soccer, swimming
& diving
, tennis
, track & field, and volleyball
. Young men may compete in baseball
, football
, and wrestling
, while young women may compete in badminton
, bowling
, cheerleading
, and softball
. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the Athletic Department also sponsors a poms
team for young women.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:
The Boys Soccer team in 2002-03 won AA Regionals by defeating Crystal Lake 1-0. Advanced to Sectionals then right away beat Rockford(Boylan) 2-1 in the semi-finals but were defeated by Rockford(Guilford) in the Sectionals Championship in an upset.
The 2006 football game with rival East Aurora High School
was the 114th played between the two schools, and was won 33–0 with a complete domination by the Blackhawks over the Tomcats. The rivalry between these two public high schools is the second oldest in the state of Illinois
.
Among the activities are chapters or affiliates of these national organizations: DECA
, FCCLA, Business Professionals of America
(BPA), Health Occupations Students of America, and Model UN.
The West Aurora band program is a member of district nine in the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA). The Jazz Ensemble performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival on 1 September 2006, becoming only the second high school group ever invited to perform at the Festival. The band participated in festivities and performed at the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl
.
The school's drama troupe is an official member of the International Thespian Society
. Its charter lists it as troupe #2013, which has been incorporated into the official name since becoming a member. The "Theatre Troupe 2013" has performed annual musicals
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 in Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
. It is part of West Aurora Public School District 129
West Aurora Public School District 129
West Aurora Public School District 129 has a tradition in Aurora, Illinois going back to the 1860s. The West Side High School and East Side High Schools have played an annual football game against each other since 1893. Four of the current elementary buildings are reported to be four of the oldest...
. The school is also referred to as "West," and "West High,".
History
High school classes were first offered in 1867 at Stone School (now defunct). The first graduating class of five students had their commencement in 1870.From 1905 until the 1950s the high school was located in a still–extant building on Blackhawk Avenue (so named after the school's athletics mascot). This same building was Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
Junior High School until the 1970s, when it was sold to Aurora Christian School, which used it as their school building until 2004. The current WAHS structure was built in the early 1950s, and was dedicated in 1953 as "West Side Senior High." From 1978–1981 the building was briefly known as the "West Aurora South Campus," when two buildings existed on Aurora's west side to house the high school population. The building formerly known as the "West Aurora North Campus" now houses the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, or IMSA, is a three-year residential public high school located in Aurora, Illinois, USA, with an enrollment of approximately 650 students...
.
The present building has had multiple additions and renovations, with the major additions occurring over four phases. The first added classrooms to an existing two-story classroom wing in the early 1960s. The largest addition, to the north and east sides of the building, added the auditorium, classroom space and other amenities in 1966–1967. This addition was responsible for the creation of the building's first two courtyard spaces. The 1997–1998 addition was constructed as a two–story wing on the south end of the building, giving it a new facade, and closing a portion of New York Street. This addition included a new library, a technology center, a new cafeteria, and additional classroom space. The most recent addition was completed in time for the 2004–2005 academic year. This included a new fieldhouse, a new single–story classroom wing on the northwest corner of the building, and a new choral rehearsal space.
Today West High is a diverse school, with several academic and athletic programs available.
The school's fight song, "Roll On, You Blackhawks," dates from the 1940s, and was written by Sten Halfvarson. A plaque commemorating the composition of the song hangs in a hallway just south of the auditorium, where the opening bars of the song have also been placed into the floor tile.
Academics
In 2008, West Aurora 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 19.3, and graduated 79.1% of its senior class. West Aurora 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, a state test, 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...
. All four of the student subgroups at West Aurora failed to meet minimum expectations in reading and math, as did the school as a whole.
Athletics
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...
. Prior to this, the school was a member of the Upstate Eight Conference
Upstate Eight Conference
The Upstate Eight Conference is an organization of fourteen high schools in northeastern Illinois, representing ten communities in Chicago's suburbs. These high schools are all members of the Illinois High School Association.The high schools of the Upstate Eight Conference are located in Kane...
. WAHS 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 the state of Illinois.
Officially, Chief Blackhawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
serves as the mascot for the school. The red and blue logo of the chief is painted on the back of the school's football stadium, as of 2006, replacing the school's WA logo. Use of the "Chief" character has been controversial for its depiction of a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. For a time, the school strictly used the WA symbol, which appears in place of the logo of Chief Blackhawk on all official DuPage Valley Conference logos. The school also invented new characters named "WA Man" and "WA Woman" as mascots, but has recently reinstated the Chief as official mascot. Teams continued to compete as "Blackhawks" during this time.
The school sponsors interscholastic sports 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....
, 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, and 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...
. Young men may 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...
, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, 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...
. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the Athletic Department also sponsors a poms
Pom-pon
A pom-pon is a fluffy, decorative ball or tuft. Pom-pons may come in many colors, sizes, and varieties and are made from a wide array of materials, including wool, cotton, paper, plastic, and occasionally feathers....
team for young women.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:
- Badminton: 4th place (1983–84); 3rd place (1982–83, 92–93)
- Baseball: 4th place (1990–91)
- Basketball (boys): 4th place (1957–58); 3rd place (1948–49, 72–73, 79–80, 83–84, 2003–04); 2nd place (1927–28, 58–59, 75–76, 96–97), State Champions (1999–2000)
- Basketball (girls): 2nd place (1989–90)
- Bowling (girls): 4th place (1975–76, 82–83, 94–95); 3rd place (1988–89); 2nd place (1991–92, 2000–01)
- Golf (boys): 4th place (1964–65)
- Tennis (boys): 4th place (1985–86, 89–90); 3rd place (1980–81); 2nd place (1977–78)
- Tennis (girls): 4th place (1975–76, 94–95, 1999–2000); 3rd place (1981–82, 98–99, 2001–02); 2nd place (1982–83); State Champions (1996–97, 97–98)
- Track & Field: 4th place (1907–08, 2008–09); 3rd place (1900–01); 2nd place (1898–99); State Champions (1905–06)
The Boys Soccer team in 2002-03 won AA Regionals by defeating Crystal Lake 1-0. Advanced to Sectionals then right away beat Rockford(Boylan) 2-1 in the semi-finals but were defeated by Rockford(Guilford) in the Sectionals Championship in an upset.
The 2006 football game with rival East Aurora High School
East Aurora High School
East Aurora High School, or EAHS, is a public four-year high school located in Kane County, at the corner of Smith Boulevard and Fifth Avenue in Aurora, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the sole high school in East Aurora Public School District 131...
was the 114th played between the two schools, and was won 33–0 with a complete domination by the Blackhawks over the Tomcats. The rivalry between these two public high schools is the second oldest in the state of 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,...
.
Activities
West Aurora offers 47 clubs and activities ranging from cultural and artistic to social awareness and occupational. The entire list can be found here.Among the activities are chapters or affiliates of these national organizations: 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,...
, FCCLA, Business Professionals of America
Business Professionals of America
Business Professionals of America is a career and technical student organization that is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. BPA aims to develop leadership, academic, and technological skills in the workplace among students and leaders within the community...
(BPA), Health Occupations Students of America, and Model UN.
The West Aurora band program is a member of district nine in the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA). The Jazz Ensemble performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival on 1 September 2006, becoming only the second high school group ever invited to perform at the Festival. The band participated in festivities and performed at the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl
Chick-fil-A Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta....
.
The school's drama troupe is an official member of the International Thespian Society
International Thespian Society
The 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...
. Its charter lists it as troupe #2013, which has been incorporated into the official name since becoming a member. The "Theatre Troupe 2013" has performed annual musicals
Notable alumni
- Kenny BattleKenny BattleKenneth R. "Kenny" Battle is an American retired professional basketball player.-High school career:...
(class of 1984) is a former NBA player (1989–1993). - Rich BeckerRich BeckerRichard "Richie" Godhard Becker was a Major League Baseball player between 1993-2000.Born in Aurora, Illinois, Becker was selected in the third round of the 1990 Major League Baseball amateur draft out of West Aurora High School by the Minnesota Twins. In high school Becker, excelled at football...
(class of 1990) was a 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...
outfielderOutfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
(1993–2000). - John DruryJohn DruryJohn Drury was an anchorman from Chicago, IL. He appeared on both WGN-TV and WLS-TV. Upon his retirement came the news that he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease...
(class of 1945) was a local Chicago news anchor (WGN, WLSWLS-TVWLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
) - Andrea EvansAndrea EvansAndrea Lynn Evans is an American Emmy-nominated actress. Evans is most recognized for her portrayal of Tina Lord on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, a role she played from 1978 to 1981 and 1985 to 1990, returning from June 11, 2008 to November 25, 2008., and finally on September 27, 2011 to...
,1967 Award Winning Actress - Ruth VanSickle FordRuth VanSickle FordRuth VanSickle Ford was an American painter, art teacher, and owner of the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.Born to Anna Miller, a German immigrant, and Charles P. VanSickle, of Dutch heritage, Ruth was an only child and grew up on the west side of Aurora, Illinois. She attended Mary A. Todd Grade...
(class of 1915) was a commercial illustrator who became a noted art teacher. - Phillip E. JohnsonPhillip E. JohnsonPhillip E. Johnson is a retired UC Berkeley law professor and author. He became a born-again Christian while a tenured professor and is considered the father of the intelligent design movement...
(class of 1958) is a former University of California-Berkeley law professor, noted as an AIDS denialist and the founder of the Intelligent design movementIntelligent design movementThe intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the idea of "intelligent design," which asserts that "certain features of the universe and of living things are...
. - Stana KaticStana KaticStana Katic is a film and television actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Detective Kate Beckett in ABC's Castle.- Early life :...
, 1996, actress - Don Laz was a silver medal winning pole vaulter at the 1952 Olympics in HelsinkiAthletics at the 1952 Summer OlympicsAt the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, 33 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 9 for women. There were a total number of 963 participating athletes from 57 countries.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:...
. - Nicole NarainNicole Narain-Career:She was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in January 2002 and has appeared in numerous Playboy videos.She has appeared in music videos like R.L's song "Got Me a Model", LL Cool J's "Luv You Better", Mario Winans's "I Don't Wanna Know" and Fabolous' "Baby"...
(did not graduate) is an actress, model, and PlaymatePlaymateA Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month . The PMOM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, as well as a short biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and...
. - Alvin Ross (class of 1981) was an 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...
(1987–88) for the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Troy Buck Ackerman (class of 1986)--Moviemaker Whitewater
- Randy ShiltsRandy ShiltsRandy Shilts was a pioneering gay American journalist and author. He worked as a freelance reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations....
(class of 1969) was a journalist and author (The Mayor of Castro StreetThe Mayor of Castro StreetThe Mayor of Castro Street is a book written by Randy Shilts telling the story of Harvey Milk. It was first published by St. Martin's Press in 1982.- Adaptations :...
, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US MilitaryConduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US MilitaryConduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the US Military from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf War was a non-fiction book by Randy Shilts , published in 1993 shortly before Shilts' 1994 death....
). - Jeffrey SkillingJeffrey SkillingJeffrey Keith "Jeff" Skilling is the former president of Enron Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. In 2006 he was convicted of multiple federal felony charges relating to Enron's financial collapse, and is currently serving a 24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal...
(class of 1971) was the CEO of EnronEnronEnron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
, who was convicted of crimes related to the Enron scandalEnron scandalThe Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world...
. - Tom SkillingTom SkillingThomas Ethelbert Skilling, III , known on-air as Tom Skilling, is a popular meteorologist in Chicago, Illinois. He is the chief meteorologist for the weekday midday, 5 and 9 p.m. newscasts at CW affiliate and national cable superstation WGN-TV .-Early beginnings:Skilling began his career in...
(class of 1970) is a meteorologistMeteorologyMeteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
who works with WGN-TV and the Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
.