| Waubonsie Valley High School | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Address | |
 | |
2590 Ogden Avenue , Illinois 60504 United States | |
| Coordinates | 41°44′18″N 88°15′06″W / 41.73839°N 88.25164°W |
| Information | |
| Other name | WVHS |
| Type | Public high school |
| Motto | Excellence in Every Endeavor |
| Established | 1975 |
| School district | Indian Prairie School District 204 |
| NCES School ID | 174169004173[1] |
| Principal | Jason Stipp[2] |
| Teaching staff | 170.76 (on a FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,593 (2018-19)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 15.19[1] |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Green and Gold |
| Fight song | "We are the Warriors"[3] |
| Athletics conference | DuPage Valley Conference |
| Mascot | Chief Waubonsie |
| Nickname | Warriors |
| Publication | Premier |
| Newspaper | The Voice |
| Yearbook | Arrowhead |
| Website | wvhs |
Waubonsie Valley High School (WVHS) is a public high school in Aurora, Illinois, United States. It was established in 1975 and is part of the Indian Prairie School District 204.
History
Indian Prairie Community Unit School District #204 (a unit district K-12) was formed in the fall of 1972.[4] In December 1972 a referendum was passed to build and equip a high school at a projected cost of $8.2 million. A separate issue also passed to add a swimming pool. Construction on Waubonsie Valley High School began in the spring of 1973.[4]
In September 1975, Waubonsie Valley opened its doors for its first school year. 293 Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors attended the new high school.[4] In addition, 7th and 8th graders were housed in the building (using the name Granger Junior High) until Hill Junior High (now Hill Middle School) opened in the Fall of 1981. Construction delays prevented students from using the gym until May 1976 and the pool until October 1976.[4]
The school was designed as an open campus, with very few walls to separate classes. This quickly gave way to temporary room dividers and eventually, more permanent walls. Major construction projects over the years added three classroom wings, a field house and an auditorium, leaving just a few clues as to the original design of the building. The school was considered futuristic with a swimming pool, greenhouse, and planetarium.[5]
Music program
The Waubonsie Valley music program has received a Grammy Award six times in total. WVHS was named a Grammy Association's Signature School in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2011 through the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 2007 and 2011, WVHS was one of two schools in the nation to receive the honor of the Grammy Association's Signature GOLD School.[6]
The choir program offers seven choirs and several extracurricular ensembles, including three show choirs.[7] The top level mixed show choir was ranked 1st for 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015 by the National Show Choir Ranking System.[8]
Notable alumni
- Derek Ahonen (1999), playwright, director, and founder of the Amoralists Theatre Company in New York City.
- Patrick Beverley, professional basketball player
- Michael Bowden (2005), current professional baseball player, Boston Red Sox,[9] now with the Chicago Cubs.
- Fabien Bownes, NFL wide receiver and kickoff returner for the Chicago Bears (1995, 1997-1998) and Seattle Seahawks (1999-2001).[10][11][12]
- Parvesh Cheena (1997), actor known for role as Gupta in the NBC series, Outsourced. He has also appeared in the TV shows ER, Sons of Tucson, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, along with many more. He was also in the two movies in the Barbershop series.
- Steve Keller, retired soccer midfielder
- Andrew Marin (1999), author
- Chris Schuler (2009), current professional soccer player, Real Salt Lake
- Peter Tiberio, USA Eagles rugby player
- Morolake Akinosun, gold medal winner of the women's 4 × 100 metres relay in the 2016 Rio Olympics
- Troy Fumagalli (2013), current tight end for NFL's Denver Broncos
- Jerry Harris (2017), cheerleader from Cheer (TV series)[13]
Notable staff
- Dan Schatzeder (physical education teacher) was a Major League Baseball pitcher (1977—91). He was a member of the 1987 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins.
- Angelo DiBernardo (Spanish teacher) is a retired soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics. DiBernardo played alongside soccer legend Pelé during his time at New York Cosmos.
References
- ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - Waubonsie Valley High School (174169004173)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "WVHS :: Staff". ipsd.org. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Waubonsie Valley High School :: Home". ipsd.org. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d "WVHS :: History & Fun Facts". ipsd.org. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Indian Prairie School District :: Home". ipsd.org. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ Wilson, Marie (2016-04-25). "16 Grammys between 3 schools in Aurora and Naperville". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ^ "Choir". Waubonsie Valley High School
Music Department. Retrieved 2016-10-10. - ^ "National Show Choir Rank System". National Show Choir Rank System. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ^ "Michael Bowden - SoxProspects.com". soxprospects.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Fabien Bownes, WR at NFL.com". statistics and biographic data. nfl.com. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ^ "Fabien Bownes". statistics and biographic data. databasefootball.com. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
- ^ "Fabien Bownes NFL Football Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com". statistics and biographic data. pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ^ Villagomez, Jason Meisner, Tracy Swartz, Jessica. "Jerry Harris, star of Netflix show 'Cheer,' appears in federal court in Chicago on charges of producing child pornography". chicagotribune.com.