Crystal Lake South High School
Encyclopedia
Crystal Lake South High School, often referred to as "South" or "CLS," is one of three high schools in Crystal Lake, Illinois
, United States
, and currently has a body of roughly 1916 students. As Crystal Lake's second oldest school, it was founded in 1978 when Crystal Lake Community High School, now Crystal Lake Central High School
, split into two schools due to the pressures of the population growth in the communities it served, Crystal Lake, and part of Lake in the Hills
. South graduated its first class in 1979 - this class consisted of seniors who were transferred from Crystal Lake Central High School. South graduated its first class who attended all four years in 1982.
After the community's school split, the South Gators and Central Tigers became large rivals in the Fox Valley Conference. Though recently, focus of rivalry has primarily shifted to the Cary-Grove High School
Trojans due to vastly increased competition in football
games between the two schools. However, an underlying tone of competition still vibrates between the two Crystal Lake schools.
The city of Crystal Lake has grown rapidly since South first opened it doors. The school reached its structural capacity in 2002. A new addition opened for the 2003-2004 school year, with several dozen new classrooms. However, due to the phenomenal growth of the city, the addition was already insufficient by the 2005-2006 school year (the graduating class of 2004 consisted of 366 students, class of 2006 had 435 students, and the class of 2009 contained approximately 540 students). The final phase of the 2003-2004 additions was opened in the 2006-2007 school year. The "Lower level" under C-Hall added 10 classrooms and over 1,000 lockers.
Crystal Lake South High School's mascot is the "Gator". This mascot was chosen in 1976 by a poll of students who would attend South when it first opened. Currently South is being sued by University of Florida (CLS allegedly used their logo without permission to sell it on merchandise) and the logo has to be changed. From this, arose a contest; graduates, current students, and the community got to design and enter logo's to be voted upon for the new one.
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Crystal Lake is a city located in southeastern McHenry County in northeastern Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. It is named after Crystal Lake, a lake located west-southwest of downtown. Crystal Lake is also a suburb of the city of Chicago. The population was 38,000 at the 2000 census, but as of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and currently has a body of roughly 1916 students. As Crystal Lake's second oldest school, it was founded in 1978 when Crystal Lake Community High School, now Crystal Lake Central High School
Crystal Lake Central High School
Crystal Lake Central High School, often referred to as "Central" or "CLC," is the oldest of the three high schools in Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States.-History:...
, split into two schools due to the pressures of the population growth in the communities it served, Crystal Lake, and part of Lake in the Hills
Lake in the Hills, Illinois
Lake in the Hills is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,152 at the 2000 census. A 2006 special census put the village's population at 29,175....
. South graduated its first class in 1979 - this class consisted of seniors who were transferred from Crystal Lake Central High School. South graduated its first class who attended all four years in 1982.
After the community's school split, the South Gators and Central Tigers became large rivals in the Fox Valley Conference. Though recently, focus of rivalry has primarily shifted to the Cary-Grove High School
Cary-Grove High School
Cary-Grove High School is a high school in Cary, Illinois, USA; it is part of Community High School District 155. In 1995, it was the subject of much news attention after the Fox River Grove level crossing accident that killed seven students. In 2006, on the anniversary of the accident, another...
Trojans due to vastly increased competition in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games between the two schools. However, an underlying tone of competition still vibrates between the two Crystal Lake schools.
The city of Crystal Lake has grown rapidly since South first opened it doors. The school reached its structural capacity in 2002. A new addition opened for the 2003-2004 school year, with several dozen new classrooms. However, due to the phenomenal growth of the city, the addition was already insufficient by the 2005-2006 school year (the graduating class of 2004 consisted of 366 students, class of 2006 had 435 students, and the class of 2009 contained approximately 540 students). The final phase of the 2003-2004 additions was opened in the 2006-2007 school year. The "Lower level" under C-Hall added 10 classrooms and over 1,000 lockers.
Crystal Lake South High School's mascot is the "Gator". This mascot was chosen in 1976 by a poll of students who would attend South when it first opened. Currently South is being sued by University of Florida (CLS allegedly used their logo without permission to sell it on merchandise) and the logo has to be changed. From this, arose a contest; graduates, current students, and the community got to design and enter logo's to be voted upon for the new one.
Famous alumni
- Jim VerrarosJim VerrarosJames Conrad "Jim" Verraros is an American singer/entertainer and native of Crystal Lake, Illinois who is most notable for being one of the top 10 finalists in the first season of American Idol...
- singer/actor of American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
fame - Scott OlsenScott OlsenScott Matthew Olsen is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who is a free agent.-Early life:Olsen was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan...
- major league pitcher for the Washington NationalsWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium... - Randy SalernoRandy SalernoRandall Salerno was an American news anchor for CBS news in Chicago at WBBM-TV. Salerno had previously worked at WGN-TV.-Biography:...
- news anchor WBBM-TVWBBM-TVWBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... - Ivana BozilovicIvana BozilovicIvana Božilović is an American model and actress.Božilović was born in Belgrade, SR Serbia and grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States. Her credits includes small roles in the films 100 Girls, National Lampoon's Van Wilder and Wedding Crashers...
- Class of 1995 Model/Actress 100 Girls100 Girls100 Girls is a 2000 comedy film written and directed by Michael Davis. It tells the story of a college student's efforts to find a mystery girl with whom he had sex on an elevator during a black out.-Plot:...
, National Lampoon's Van WilderNational Lampoon's Van WilderNational Lampoon's Van Wilder is a 2002 comedy film directed by Walt Becker that stars Ryan Reynolds as the main character. The film also stars Kal Penn, Tara Reid, and Daniel Cosgrove. It features Sophia Bush's acting debut...
, Wedding CrashersWedding CrashersWedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....