Antioch Community High School
Encyclopedia
Antioch Community High School, Antioch, or ACHS, is a public four-year high school
located in Antioch, Illinois
, a far north suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
. It is part of Community High School District 117
, which also includes Lakes Community High School
.
The current ACHS logo was created in the early 1970s by John O’Hara for the football squad. Other sports teams soon adopted the logo as their own, and before long the image was used as a school wide symbol. According the ACHS website: “The “A” in the center stands for Antioch (naturally) and the circle surrounding it represents unity of the students and athletes who wear the symbol. The arrow always faces forward, symbolizing the need to move ahead and overcome obstacles. Two feathers below the arrow represent teamwork and working together to achieve success.”
There is no Native American tribe named “Sequoit” or any Native American word for that matter. Though the word “sequoit” has Native American origins, the story behind the name is a complicated and confusing one. Fred Willman explained in his in-depth book examining Illinois high school nicknames, “Why Mascots Have Tales”, “The word Sequoit is a form of spelling of the Iroquois Indian word Sa-da-quoit, which was the name the Iroquois Indians gave to a stream that flows through Oneida County in New York state. In the Iroquois language, Sa-da-quoit literally means ‘smooth pebbles in the bed of a stream.’ When white settlers moved into Oneida County
, they modified the spelling and pronunciation of the stream to Sauquoit Creek.”
Antioch’s first settlers, Darius and Thomas Gage, traveled west from the Oneida County, and named the stream that ran past their land “Sequoit Creek” because it reminded them of Sauquoit Creek back home. Many local businesses, and ACHS sports teams, used “sequoit” in their names. In its early years, students would dress in Native American apparel and perform during half-time, but over time the performances died out. But the sequoit logo and spirit have remained intact throughout the ages.
composite score is 20.4, and its graduation rate is 99.8 percent with 87 percent of seniors listed as college bound. Attendance rate is 93.9 percent. The average class size is 18.7 and the pupil-to-teacher ratio is 19.4 to 1. The staff's average teaching experience is 12.7 years. Antioch has made Adequate Yearly Progress
on the Prairie State Achievement Examination
, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act
, as of August 2007.
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 Antioch, Illinois
Antioch, Illinois
Antioch is a village in the Antioch Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,430 at the 2010 census. Antioch is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.- Prior to incorporation :...
, a far north suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of Community High School District 117
Community High School District 117
Community High School District 117 is a 9-12 high school district based in Lake Villa, Lake County, Illinois that serves both the city where it is based and the village of Antioch, Illinois, alongside Old Mill Creek and Lindenhurst.District 117 is composed of two high schools: Antioch Community...
, which also includes Lakes Community High School
Lakes Community High School
Lakes Community High School, or LCHS, is a public four-year high school located in Lake Villa, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
.
History
ACHS was built in 1915 at 1133 Main Street, where it has remained since then. Though the original building was razed in the late 1990s to make room for new facilities, it has undergone numerous additions and a name change throughout its history. ACHS was originally named Antioch Township High School when is was founded in 1915. In February 1926, voters approved $65,000 to build a two-story north wing to the existing high school, which served 184 students at the time. In 1953, the school was improved once again with the addition of a new wing expanding the school further north. The old gym was converted into an auditorium large enough to hold the 382 students enrolled at the time, and new gym was added, in addition to new class rooms and office space. In November 1962, an addition was made to the west of the school. Science labs, a cafeteria, classrooms, and a library blocked the view of the original Antioch Township High School which was renamed Antioch Community High School the following year. In 1972, additions where needed again to house the 1,377 students enrolled. Additions to the north wing added drivers ed. and fine arts facilities, a new gym, lockers, 24 classrooms, and a commons area. But only 26 years later, the school underwent a major renovation to accommodate the population boom in the 1990s. The original building was razed in 1998 to pave the way for extensive remodeling and new additions. A third gymnasium was built in 2004. More than $16 million in renovations have been made since 2003.The current ACHS logo was created in the early 1970s by John O’Hara for the football squad. Other sports teams soon adopted the logo as their own, and before long the image was used as a school wide symbol. According the ACHS website: “The “A” in the center stands for Antioch (naturally) and the circle surrounding it represents unity of the students and athletes who wear the symbol. The arrow always faces forward, symbolizing the need to move ahead and overcome obstacles. Two feathers below the arrow represent teamwork and working together to achieve success.”
There is no Native American tribe named “Sequoit” or any Native American word for that matter. Though the word “sequoit” has Native American origins, the story behind the name is a complicated and confusing one. Fred Willman explained in his in-depth book examining Illinois high school nicknames, “Why Mascots Have Tales”, “The word Sequoit is a form of spelling of the Iroquois Indian word Sa-da-quoit, which was the name the Iroquois Indians gave to a stream that flows through Oneida County in New York state. In the Iroquois language, Sa-da-quoit literally means ‘smooth pebbles in the bed of a stream.’ When white settlers moved into Oneida County
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
, they modified the spelling and pronunciation of the stream to Sauquoit Creek.”
Antioch’s first settlers, Darius and Thomas Gage, traveled west from the Oneida County, and named the stream that ran past their land “Sequoit Creek” because it reminded them of Sauquoit Creek back home. Many local businesses, and ACHS sports teams, used “sequoit” in their names. In its early years, students would dress in Native American apparel and perform during half-time, but over time the performances died out. But the sequoit logo and spirit have remained intact throughout the ages.
Athletics
Antioch Community High School has many sports available, including bowling, soccer, softball, baseball, basketball, tennis, cheerleading, cross country, track, gymnastics, golf, dance, football, field hockey, volleyball and wrestling. Field hockey, dance and bowling are girls-only sports, while football and wrestling are offered only for boys.Academics
Antioch's 2007 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...
composite score is 20.4, and its graduation rate is 99.8 percent with 87 percent of seniors listed as college bound. Attendance rate is 93.9 percent. The average class size is 18.7 and the pupil-to-teacher ratio is 19.4 to 1. The staff's average teaching experience is 12.7 years. Antioch has 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...
on the Prairie State Achievement Examination
Prairie State Achievement Examination
The Prairie State Achievement Examination is a two-day standardized test taken by all High School Juniors in the U.S. state of Illinois. On the first day, students take the ACT, and on the second day, a WorkKeys examination and Illinois State Board of Education-developed science examination....
, a state test part of the 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...
, as of August 2007.
Notable alumni
- Dale BarnstableDale BarnstableDale Barnstable is an American retired basketball player from Antioch, Illinois who was banned from the NBA for life in 1951 for point shaving. He had an outstanding college career at the University of Kentucky before his career came to an abrupt end.- Biography :Barnstable was born in Antioch,...
(Class of 1946), basketball player for the University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
and figure in the 1950's college basketball point shaving scandalCCNY Point Shaving ScandalThe CCNY point shaving scandal of 1950-1951 was a college basketball point shaving gambling scandal that involved seven schools in all, with four in Greater New York and three in the Midwest...
. - James GrippandoJames Grippando-Biography:James Grippando was born in Waukegan, Illinois and raised in rural Illinois.In his first job out of law school Grippando served as law clerk to the Honorable Thomas A. Clark, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta...
(Class of 1976) is the New York Times Bestselling Author of sixteen novels published worldwide in twenty-six languages. - John ThainJohn ThainJohn Alexander Thain is an American businessman, investment banker, and currently chairman and CEO of the CIT Group.Thain was the last chairman and chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch before its merger with Bank of America...
(Class of 1977) was the last chairman and CEO of Merrill LynchMerrill LynchMerrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
before its distressed merger with Bank of AmericaBank of AmericaBank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
. - Anthony StarkeAnthony StarkeAnthony Starke is an American actor. Starke is well known for his one episode role in Seinfeld, playing the 3rd person-speaking character Jimmy in "The Jimmy", as well as playing Jack on The George Carlin Show, on Fox.-Biography:...
(Class of 1981) is an actor, having appeared on many television series including Nip/TuckNip/TuckNip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
and Prison BreakPrison BreakPrison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
.