Oswego High School (Illinois)

Last updated
Oswego High School
Oswego High School (IL).jpg
Address
Oswego High School (Illinois)
4250 Route 71

Oswego
,
Illinois
60543

United States
Coordinates 41°40′59″N88°20′31″W / 41.683080°N 88.341820°W / 41.683080; -88.341820
Information
School type Public secondary
Opened1867
School district Oswego CUSD 308
SuperintendentJohn Sparlin
PrincipalChris Grays [1]
Teaching staff178.20 (FTE) [2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,901 (2022–23) [2]
Average class size30.8 [3]
Student to teacher ratio16.28 [2]
Campus type Suburban
Color(s)  Navy blue
  Orange [4]
Athletics conference Southwest Prairie Conference
Team name Panthers [4]
Rival Oswego East High School
Newspaper 42Fifty
YearbookReflector [5]
Website sd308.org/ohs

Oswego High School, or OHS, is a public four-year high school located in Oswego, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Oswego Community Unit School District 308, which also includes Oswego East High School. [6] [7]

Contents

History

In 1852, The Old Stone School opened as Oswego's first permanent school building, at the corner of Tyler and Monroe Streets. The Old Stone School served all grade levels, ultimately operating as Oswego's first dedicated elementary, middle, and high school. In 1885, The Old Stone School was gutted by fire, and classes were moved to the former Kendall County Courthouse (Which operated as the county courthouse from 1848-1864), where some high school classes had been taking place since 1867. Between 1885 and 1886, the former courthouse was demolished to make way for a new school building. In the fall of 1886, a new building opened as The Red Brick School, which also served all grades.

The Red Brick School operated as the sole official school building in Oswego for the next 60 years until the arrival of Caterpillar and Western Electric, who built factories north of Downtown Oswego, near Montgomery, Illinois. The opening of both factories resulted in a population boom within the village. By 1947, The Red Brick School could no longer hold full class sizes for all grades, and the village moved to build a new school for high school courses. At the beginning of the 1951-1952 school year, high school classes began at the new Oswego High School on Franklin Street. The Red Brick school served elementary and middle school classes for the next 20 years, before it was shuttered and razed to build a new post office.

The Oswego High School building at 61 Franklin Street operated for only 13 years before the town outgrew the building again. In the early 60s, the village bought farmland along the eastern side of Route 71 (Illinois), and began constructing a new high school. At the same time, the village began constructing East View Elementary School, which was to be located across Illinois Route 71 from the planned high school. In 1964, classes started at the new Oswego High School, along with classes at East View. Middle school courses moved into the former Oswego High School on Franklin Street, where the building was renamed Oswego Junior High, later known as Traughber Junior High (named after SD308 superintendent T. Loyd Traughber). The building at 4250 Route 71 is the current Oswego High School.

At the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, half of Oswego High School's student population was split and sent to attend the new Oswego East High School.

Expansion and Renovation

As Oswego continued and continues to grow many additions have been made to the existing 1964 structure.

In 1989, construction started on an auditorium, which was then completed in late 1990. In the 2000s, the auditorium was dedicated to Dave and Donna Barnes, longtime Oswego drama teachers.

In 1990, construction started/completed on a new semi-circle-shaped cafeteria and atrium connected to the new auditorium.

Also in 1990, the existing library was moved from the 2nd floor to the first floor and was connected to both the new cafeteria and auditorium by the new atrium.

In 1992, a field house including an indoor track was built and completed.

In 1998, more Science and English classes were constructed on the north facade of the building.

In 2002, more classrooms were built along with a new front entrance.

The most recent addition to Oswego High School was in 2013, in which a new wing was built on the northeastern face of the building. The new wing including 22 new mixed use classrooms, an extension to the music wing, department offices, locker rooms, and student lockers. Also in 2013, renovations began throughout the building including a "face-lift" on the interior of the bare-bones construction of the field house, a redesign and expansion of the existing music wing, (including a new band room, choir room, sound-proof practice rooms, locker room, dressing rooms, and a "MIDI Lab" furnished with keyboard pianos and composing software), a new stage floor, gymnasium floor and redesign.

Academics

In 2019, Oswego had an average SAT score of 515.4 for math and 515.3 for ELA, [3] and graduated 96.4% of its senior class. In the same year, it received the "Commendable" designation from the Illinois State Board of Education, meaning the school had no underperforming student groups, maintained a graduation rate higher than 67% and had a performance that was not in the top 10% of schools statewide. [8]

Activities

In 2005, the combined marching bands of Oswego High and Oswego East marched the 116th Tournament of Roses parade, the only band from Illinois to march at the event. [9] OHS offers many co-curricular activities and clubs including six student band classes, several choirs, a drama club, and service organizations. Also available for students to join are organizations that compete in IHSA competitions such as a scholastic bowl team, a speech team, mathletes, WYSE Scholastic Team, and Horticulture/FFA. Oswego High School also boasts an active Student Council, a member of the IASC, and National Honors Society.

Athletics

Main stand of Ken Pickerill Stadium, the football stadium of OHS Ken Pickerill Stadium.jpg
Main stand of Ken Pickerill Stadium, the football stadium of OHS

Oswego competes in the Southwest Prairie Conference, and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), the organization which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Panthers. The Oswego High School football stadium is named "Ken Pickerill Stadium", named after the longtime teacher and coach of many OHS sports teams. [10]

The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. [11] Young men may compete in baseball, High school football, golf, and wrestling, while young women may compete in badminton, bowling, cheerleading, gymnastics, and softball.

OHS has a rivalry with Oswego East High School. The matchup between the two schools is known as the "Crosstown Classic." [12]

Championships

The following teams have won their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments or meets: [13]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oswego, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Oswego is a village in Kendall and Will counties, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 34,485. Oswego is the largest municipality in Kendall County. Part of the Chicago metropolitan area, it is an exurb of Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, Illinois)</span> Secondary school in the United States

Adlai E. Stevenson High School (AESHS), commonly called Stevenson High School (SHS), is a four-year public high school located in Lincolnshire, Illinois, United States. It is named after Adlai E. Stevenson II, the 31st Governor of Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Fremd High School</span> Public secondary school in Palatine, Illinois, United States

William Fremd High School, or Fremd, is a public four-year high school located in Palatine, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes James B. Conant High School, Hoffman Estates High School, Palatine High School, and Schaumburg High School. Academically, Fremd High School has also been recognized by Newsweek as one of "America's Best High Schools" and by U.S. News & World Report as one of 99 outstanding high schools in the United States with the average AP test taker in the class of 2018 taking 5.4 exams. Fremd serves the portion of Palatine that is southwest of the UP NW Line railroad tracks as well as north Hoffman Estates, west Rolling Meadows, north Schaumburg, east South Barrington and southeast Inverness. Feeder schools include Plum Grove Junior High, Carl Sandburg Junior High, Walter Sundling Junior High and Margaret Mead Junior High. Feeder elementary schools are Pleasant Hill, Paddock, Hunting Ridge, Central Road, Willow Bend, Thomas Jefferson, Marion Jordan, Fairview, and Frank C. Whiteley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naperville North High School</span> American public high school

Naperville North High School is a public four-year 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’s a part of Naperville Community Unit School District 203. Naperville North is fully recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education and is a member of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deerfield High School (Illinois)</span> Public secondary school in Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Deerfield High School is a comprehensive public high school in Deerfield, Illinois, United States. It is part of Township High School District 113, which also includes Highland Park High School. DHS opened in 1959, and graduated its first class in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homewood-Flossmoor High School</span> Public secondary school in Flossmoor, Illinois, United States

Homewood-Flossmoor High School (H-F) is a comprehensive public high school in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The district encompasses nearly 11.5 square miles (30 km2) drawing students from Homewood, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, and Olympia Fields. A three-time U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award Winner, Homewood-Flossmoor continues to be ranked nationally, including as one of America’s Best High Schools by U.S. News & World Report in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libertyville High School</span> Public secondary school in Libertyville, Illinois, 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.

Wheaton Warrenville South High School (WWSHS), locally referred to as "South", is a public four-year high school in Wheaton, Illinois. It is one of two high schools part of Community Unit School District 200, the other being Wheaton North High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenbard West High School</span> Public secondary school in Glen Ellyn, DuPage County, Illinois, United States

Glenbard West High School is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ellyn Avenue and Crescent Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87. The West campus draws students from Glen Ellyn, a small portion of Lombard, and portions of Wheaton, Glendale Heights and Carol Stream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proviso West High School</span> Public secondary school in Hillside, Illinois, United States

Proviso West High School (PWHS) is a public high school located in Hillside, Illinois, United States. It is a part of Proviso Township High Schools District 209, and was opened in 1958. Its sister schools are Proviso East High School and Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Sandburg High School</span> Public high school in Orland Park, Illinois

Carl Sandburg High School, Sandburg, or CSHS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of La Grange Road and Southmoor Drive in Orland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Consolidated High School District 230, which also includes Victor J. Andrew High School and Amos Alonzo Stagg High School. The school is named for Illinois-born poet, Carl Sandburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln-Way East High School</span> Public secondary school in Frankfort, Illinois, United States

Lincoln-Way East High School or LWE, is a four-year public high school located approximately three miles south of Interstate 80 near the intersection of Colorado Avenue, U.S. Route 45 and U.S. Route 30 in Frankfort, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is a part of Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210, which also includes Lincoln-Way Central High School and Lincoln-Way West High School and formerly Lincoln-Way North High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willowbrook High School</span> Public secondary school in Villa Park, Illinois, United States

Willowbrook High School (WBHS) is a public four-year high school in Villa Park, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The school is located approximately half a mile north of Illinois Route 38 on Ardmore Ave. It is a part of the DuPage High School District 88, which also includes Addison Trail High School. Willowbrook draws its students from Villa Park, Oakbrook Terrace, and portions of Elmhurst, Oak Brook and Lombard.

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,".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemont High School</span> Public secondary school in Lemont, Illinois, United States

Lemont High School, or LHS, is a public four-year high school located in Lemont, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the only school of Lemont Township High School District 210, which serves the Village of Lemont and small portions of Woodridge and Downers Grove. LHS also serves as a feeder school for Deaf/Hard-of-hearing students in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palatine High School</span> Public secondary school in Palatine, Illinois, United States

Palatine High School, or PHS, is a public four-year high school in Township High School District 211. Located at 1111 N. Rohlwing Road in Palatine, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago, it serves primarily all of and only those areas of Palatine northeast of the UP NW tracks, but also serves small portions of Arlington Heights and Barrington. In addition, PHS is a magnet school for the entire district's special education program. Feeder schools include Winston Campus Junior High and Sundling Junior High. Elementary schools in the attendance area include; Winston Campus, Lake Louise, Jane Addams, Virginia Lake, Lincoln, Sanborn and Paddock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester High School (Illinois)</span> Public secondary school in Rochester, Illinois, United States

Rochester High School of Rochester, Illinois is a public high school located five miles (8 km) east of Springfield. As the only high school serving District 3A, Rochester High School accommodates students from Rochester, Buckhart, portions of eastern Springfield, and other surrounding areas. Rochester has grown rapidly over the past few years. In 2008, the enrollment was 699 students, which was up from 589 in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naperville Central High School</span> American public high school

Naperville Central High School is a four-year public high school located in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. The school, which enrolls students in grades nine through twelve, is a part of the Naperville Community Unit School District 203.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilden High School (Chicago)</span> Public secondary school in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Edward Tilden Career Community Academy High School is a public 4–year high school bordered between the Canaryville and Fuller Park neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in Chicago as Lake High School in 1889, Tilden is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district.

Owatonna High School (OHS) is a public school in Owatonna, Minnesota, United States. The school was established in 1877. Construction of the current building started in 2021 and finished in 2023 and opened for students fall 2023. It currently has an average of 1600 students and 203 faculty members.

References

  1. ↑ "Information". Oswego High School. Oswego Community Unit School District 308 . Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Oswego High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Oswego High School: Illinois School Report Card" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Oswego (HS)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  5. ↑ Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Course Catalog (PDF), Oswego Community Unit School District 308, October 2009, p. 18, archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011
  6. ↑ Tribune, Jack McCarthy, Special to the. "Oswego to expand two high schools". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Hellinger, C. J.; Editor, Features (2018-12-14). "Oswego High School's past, present and future -". oh42fifty.org. Retrieved 2021-03-03.{{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  8. ↑ "OSWEGO HIGH SCHOOL (9 - 12)". Illinois Report Card. Illinois State Board of Education . Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Illinois General Assembly Resolution Congratulating Oswego Bands".
  10. ↑ Armstrong, Rick (September 17, 2019). "Armstrong: Teacher. Coach. Friend of the community. Ken Pickerill meant everything to Oswego". Aurora Beacon-News. Chicago Tribune . Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Athletics". Oswego High School. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Oswego Football Rival". MaxPreps . Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Season Summaries - Oswego (HS)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Bucs land Baxley; Lions sign Moore". The Ledger . June 23, 1995. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Rita B. Garman, Supreme Court Justice Fourth District". Supreme Court of the State of Illinois. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  16. ↑ Sharp, Kristin (February 3, 2005). "Three Panthers ink letters of intent: Panthers moving on to college gridiron next year". Ledger-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  17. ↑ Rolfe, Lyle R. (June 12, 2008). "School building closing a time for reflection: Young and old attend ceremony at Traughber; leave their prints on the wall". Ledger-Sentinel. Oswego, IL, USA. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Joseph's journey: From Dubuque to the Bears, Oswego graduate Michael Joseph never gives up". The Beacon News. May 7, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Chiefs Sign Three More Draft Choices – Magee, Washington & Lawrence" (Press release). Kansas City Chiefs. July 30, 2009. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  20. ↑ Narang, Bobby (8 July 2017). "Oswego's Noah Shannon switches gears, changes commitment to Iowa". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Sutton, Alan (May 20, 2001). "Junior star Sitch helps put Oswego on the map". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  22. ↑ "2013 Men's Soccer Roster: Sean Totsch". Northern Illinois University . Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Representative Keith R. Wheeler (R)". Illinois General Assembly . Retrieved February 4, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.