Joliet Central High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
201 East Jefferson Street , 60432 United States | |
Information | |
School type | public secondary |
Opened | 1901 |
School district | Joliet Twp. HS 204 |
Superintendent | Karla Guzman [1] |
Principal | Shad Hallihan [2] |
Teaching staff | 178.70 (FTE) [3] |
Grades | 9–12 |
Gender | coed |
Enrollment | 3,339 (2018–19) [3] |
Average class size | 18.8 [4] |
Student to teacher ratio | 18.68 [3] |
Campus type | urban |
Color(s) | royal blue gold [5] |
Athletics conference | Southwest Prairie Conference |
Team name | Steelmen/Steelwomen [5] |
Newspaper | JTC Journal |
Website | www.jths.org/central |
Joliet Township High School | |
Location in Illinois | |
Location | 201 E. Jefferson St., Joliet, Illinois |
Coordinates | 41°31′31″N88°04′29″W / 41.5254°N 88.0747°W |
Area | 3.6 acres (1.5 ha) |
Built | 1901 |
Built by | D.S. Burnham (1917, 1922, 1924, and 1931 additions) |
Architect | Frank Shaver Allen (1901 original) |
Architectural style | Collegiate Gothic |
NRHP reference No. | 82002604 [6] |
Added to NRHP | August 12, 1982 |
Joliet Central High School is a public secondary school located in Joliet, Illinois. Central is part of Joliet Township High Schools, along with Joliet West and Joliet East (now defunct). Before the opening of Joliet East and West, the school was called Joliet Township High School. In 1993, when Joliet Central and Joliet West combined many of their athletic and other competitive extracurricular programs, the combined program took the old "Joliet Township" name.
The original building was designed by architect Frank Shaver Allen in the "Collegiate Gothic" featuring arches, castellated walls, and towers. It was built in 1901 and expanded by the D. H. Burnham Company, in 1917, 1922, 1924, and 1931 which were built in similar style. It is built of locally quarried limestone. [7] The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. [6]
The school is four stories tall, two city blocks long, and includes four separate buildings. The campus underwent a moderate expansion during 2005 when the old shop building was knocked down and a new building was erected in its place. A catwalk connects the main building to the T&I building and allows students to cross sheltered from inclement weather. The facilities include a daycare center, a planetarium, one soccer field, four baseball fields, a 1/16-mile indoor track and a 1/4-mile track across the street to the east.[ citation needed ]
There is a historical display on the second floor near the South Entrance that is maintained by the Joliet Central Historical Society. Many archived items are kept in a vault; the display includes the original Steelman sculpture and conceptual models of it from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The Steelman was sculpted by Louise Lentz Woodruff and is positioned with its hands behind a male and female, symbolizing technology advancing humans. It is surrounded by the original relief panels representing the basic sciences: astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, medicine, and geology. It has long been considered good luck to rub the right knee of the male before any test or sporting events; therefore, the knee has been worn away and reconstituted over the years.[ citation needed ]
After finishing a new parking lot in 2007, Central began constructing a Field House over the parking lot. In October 2008, the Field House was completed.[ citation needed ]
In April 2016, Gilbane Building Company completed construction of a new 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m2) addition. The new structure, designed by Wight & Co., features a three-story glass curtainwall facade that leads a student center and cafeteria that can seat up to 600 people for events. [8] [9]
In sports, the district had combined teams between Joliet West and Joliet Central that was collectively known as "Joliet Township." However, the schools separated and now have two athletics. The program is a member of the Southwest Prairie Conference (SWPC) and the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). In this combined form the Steelmen/Steelwomen name which continues to be used by Joliet Central when it competes alone, is used for the combined teams. Joliet Central is the headquarters for the combined athletic program.
The athletic department sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. [10] Young men may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may compete in badminton, cheerleading, and softball. [10] While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school sponsors a poms team. [10]
The following teams finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament: [11]
During the 2008–2009 school year, Central and West began to separate their football programs, causing the West mascot to become the Tiger again, leaving Central as the Steelmen. The split began with Joliet's freshmen football team dividing. By the 2010–2011 school year, Joliet Central and Joliet West will have their own football teams. All of the other sports except golf have divided too.
In 1913, A.R. McAllister, a manual arts instructor who played the cornet, was asked to organize a band for Joliet Township High School. Mr. McAllister, who grew up on a farm in Jackson Township, bought a cornet at age 14 with profits he earned from selling his pig at the Will County Fair. He studied music under James H. Ward, director of Ward's Boy Band in Joliet. Prior to directing the JT band, McAllister organized the Trinity Girl's Band in 1905 and performed with local ensembles, including the Dellwood Park Band and Joliet Steelworkers Industrial Band.
Under Mr. McAllister's leadership, the band won state championships from 1924 to 1926 and national championships from 1926 to 1928. In their hometown, the band received permanent possession of the trophy in 1928 and was praised by John Philip Sousa (see photo below). The band was exempt to play at the 1929 contest in Denver, but performed as an exhibition group. In 1931, the band regained the national title.
In 1936, McAllister lead his young musicians through a week of nine performances at Radio City Music Hall where the band performed an Easter show with the Rockettes, playing for a total of 160,000 people. The band played for draftees, and was known as "the minute men" because they were always ready - day or night to perform for soldiers traveling through Joliet.
Mr. McAllister became a nationally recognized leader of the school band movement and was known as "the father of the high school band program." McAllister helped organize the National School Band Association in 1926. He was elected vice-president the same year before serving as president for 14 years. On Sept. 30, 1944, McAllister died at age 63. [12]
The Joliet Township High School Band, later the Joliet Central Band, still continues today. It is one of the longest running band and one of the most successful band programs in the country. [13] One of Joliet's nicknames is the "City of Champions." This nickname stems from the numerous state and national titles won by the Joliet Township High School and grade school bands over several decades. [14]
Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen was an American actress of stage and screen. She was known for her role as "The Chief" of ACME Crimenet in the game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? and various spinoffs, and for her role as "Luna" in the Playhouse Disney children's series Bear in the Big Blue House. For her varied television work, Thigpen was nominated for six Daytime Emmy Awards. She won a Tony Award in 1997 for portraying Dr. Judith Kaufman in An American Daughter, and also played Ella Farmer on The District (2000–2003). Thigpen first gained attention for her role in the 1971 off-Broadway musical Godspell. Thigpen's character is named Lynne, and she sang "O Bless the Lord, My Soul" in the musical. Thigpen reprised her role as Lynne in the 1973 film version of Godspell, which she also starred in alongside David Haskell and Victor Garber.
Rolling Meadows High School, RMHS, is a public four-year high school located in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 214, the second largest high school district in Illinois, after Township High School District 211. The other five schools include Buffalo Grove High School, Elk Grove High School, John Hersey High School, Prospect High School, and Wheeling High School. It serves primarily central and east Rolling Meadows, a significant part of Arlington Heights and a small part of Mount Prospect. Its feeder schools are South Middle School, Holmes Junior High School, Carl Sandburg Junior High School, and Our Lady of the Wayside, a private Catholic school.
Metamora Township High School is a public high school located in Metamora, Illinois, United States, with an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. The school's athletic teams compete in the Mid-Illini Conference. Its colors are red, white, and black.
Joliet Junior College (JJC) is a public community college in Joliet, Illinois. Founded in 1901, it was the first public community college founded in the United States.
Libertyville High School, or LHS, is a public four-year high school located in Libertyville, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Located at the intersection of Park Avenue and Dawes Street, on the shore of Butler Lake, it is part of Community High School District 128, which also includes Vernon Hills High School.
Joliet Catholic Academy is a coed Catholic high school in Joliet, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet. One of the oldest Catholic high schools in the Chicago area, Joliet Catholic is perhaps best known for its prowess in football. Since the advent of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state football playoffs in 1974, JCA is tied for most State Championships with 15.
Providence Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school located in New Lenox, Illinois. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Providence Catholic is a private school run by the Order of Saint Augustine and is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association..
John Cornelius Houbolt was an aerospace engineer credited with leading the team behind the lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) mission mode, a concept that was used to successfully land humans on the Moon and return them to Earth. This flight path was chosen for the Apollo program in July 1962. The critical decision to use LOR was viewed as vital to ensuring that man reached the Moon by the end of the decade as proposed by President John F. Kennedy. In the process, LOR saved time and billions of dollars by efficiently using the rocket and spacecraft technologies.
Lincoln-Way Central High School,LWC, or Central is a public four-year high school about 3.5 miles south of Interstate 80 near the intersection of Schoolhouse Road and Lincoln Highway in New Lenox, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the original school of Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210, which also includes Lincoln-Way East High School and Lincoln-Way West High School. Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way West are located in New Lenox, and Lincoln-Way East is located in Frankfort. Effective since the 2016–2017 school year, Lincoln-Way North High School, in Frankfort Square, closed due to financial troubles and the district is now a three-school district. District 210 offices are located at Lincoln-Way Central.
James J. Stukel is an American former educator who served as the 15th president of the University of Illinois system.
The Northern Illinois Conference (NIC-10) is a high school athletic conference consisting of nine high public schools and one Catholic school in Illinois' Boone, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties. Member schools are also full members of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), and are among the larger schools in that area, all competing in Class AA of IHSA competitions.
Joliet Township High School District 204 is a high school district located in Joliet in western Will County, Illinois. Established in 1899 and founded in 1901, it is one of the area's oldest school districts. Originally consisting of a single school, Joliet Township High School, the district was expanded for the 1964–1965 school year with two new additional schools, Joliet East High School and Joliet West High School.
Triad High School is a high school located in Troy, Illinois. Triad serves the communities of Troy, St. Jacob, and Marine, Illinois, and small portions of Collinsville, Maryville, Glen Carbon, Edwardsville and Highland. The school district has a total area of 121.5 square miles (315 km2). The majority of Triad High School students live in Troy, Illinois, a town 18 miles (29 km) northeast of St. Louis, Missouri.
Collinsville High School (CHS) is a four-year public high school in the Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 in Illinois. In 2011, Collinsville High School had an enrollment of 1,985 students.
The East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) is an athletic conference consisting of 9 Catholic high schools in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The conference became independent in 1974.
The Southwest Suburban Conference is an athletic and competitive activity conference consisting of public secondary schools located in the south and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.
Zachary Taylor McAllister is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. He was drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees in 2006. After several seasons in the Yankees minor league system, he was traded to the Indians in 2010. McAllister made his major league debut in July 2011 and earned his first major league win in May 2012.
Glenbard South High School (GSHS) is a public four-year high school located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87, and is the smallest of the four Glenbard Township High Schools. It contains students within the boundary of Community Consolidated School District 89.
Illinois Valley Central High School is a public four-year high school located at 1300 West Sycamore Street in Chillicothe, Illinois, a city in Peoria County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. IVCHS serves the communities of Chillicothe, Dunlap, Edelstein, Mossville, Peoria, and Rome. The campus is located 15 miles northeast of Peoria, Illinois, and serves a mixed city, village, and rural residential community.
Joliet Township High School graduate Jesse Barfield played major league baseball in an era when 40 home runs in a season meant a lot.
Lois Delander (Miss Joliet) was selected as the very first Miss Illinois on August 7 at the Oriental Theater in Chicago ... Illinois was honored for the first time when Lois was crowned Miss America 1927. The 16-year-old Joliet High School student was deluged with offers from motion picture and stage producers.
(p. 90) Dunham first studied dance at Joliet Township High School and Joliet Junior College.
At Joliet Township High School (JTHS) back in 1926, Katherine Dunham was known as "Kitten." Sixty years later, the New York Times called her a "Controversial Pioneer."
Born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, Goeken was introduced to telecommunications at an early age. He began a radio repair business in the back his friend George McCabe's Kirby vacuum cleaner shop while still attending Joliet Township High School.
Kathryn Hays loved her time at Joliet Township High School, and was thrilled to be a part of the alumni choir. Hays, who has starred as Kim Hughes on the CBS soap opera As The World Turns for 30 years, was back in her hometown to participate in her 50th high school class reunion.
(p. 33) Diplomas and Certificates - Joliet Township High School: Diploma, 1936
(p. 66) John Cornelius Houbolt was born in Altoona ... In spring 1936, John graduated from Joliet Township High School ...
Morton Kondracke is a graduate of Joliet Township High School and got his first newspaper job at the Herald News as assistant to the sports editor, covering JT and JJC sports. He remembers Ansel Gray, his journalism teacher at JTHS, as being his most influential teacher.
When her family moved to Joliet, Phyllis started 7th grade at Washington school, then graduated from both Joliet Township High School and Joliet Junior College.
Joliet Township High School officials are considering honoring longtime syndicated columnist and TV commentator Robert Novak where he got his start – in the journalism room at what is now Joliet Central High School.
(p. 21) In my sophomore year at Joliet Township High School, I became a manager on the varsity track team.
Parks graduated with the Class of '32 at Joliet Township High School.
A Frankfort native, Sangmeister was born Feb. 16, 1931, and attended the public schools of Joliet Township.
When James Stukel and Andrew Sorensen sat next to each other in homeroom at Joliet Township High School in 1955, they never realized they would be sitting next to each other at national higher education meetings 43 years later. Stukel and Sorensen went on to become presidents of two major universities, the University of Illinois and the University of Alabama, respectively.
251:5510 Cufflinks presented to EWT from Joliet Township Highschool, 1955; 254:5552 Joliet Township High School Yearbook, 1918
Where in the world is Lynne Thigpen? She's in New York and she's a star ... She has been in our hearts and before our eyes in a large number of roles since she graduated from Joliet Central High School in 1966.
When Lynne Thigpen was a student at JT Central, she was a standout ...