Glenbard East High School
Encyclopedia
Glenbard East High School, or GEHS, is a public four-year high school
located in Lombard, Illinois
, a western suburb of Chicago, in the United States
. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87
.
The approximate enrollment for the 2008/2009 school year was 2700 students and 180 staff members.
Prior to the opening of Glenbard East in 1959, Lombard students in High School District No. 87 attended Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn. In Glenbard East's first year, school activities and sports were contained in the Glenbard West yearbook, the Pinnacle, in a special section. The first Glenbard East yearbook was the 1961 edition, and named the Aries. The yearbook staff, Aries, works year round to produce the Glenbard East High School yearbook.
In its first few years, Glenbard East competed in the Interim Conference, comprising mostly newly built suburban schools. Other schools in the conference were Willowbrook in Villa Park, Niles West in Skokie, Morton West in Berwyn, among others. The name of the conference implied that it was a temporary arrangement, which it was.
The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2009, with a display of memorabilia and special recognition to athletes of the 50 years during a rainy halftime celebration during a home football game Oct. 2.
In 2011, The Washington Post named Glenbard East one of the top public high schools in Illinois in its high school challenge.
team won the Illinois State Mock Trial Competition. The team went on to compete at Nationals in Dallas, Texas, placing 18th overall.
In 1984 the band program was awarded The Sudler Flag of Honor, an award presented annually to band programs which have demonstrated a high standard of excellence over a period of years. This award can be received only once under the same director.
The Glenbard East Symphonic Band has participated in the prestigious University of Illinois's Superstate Festival for 20 consecutive years in a row. The band was named honor band in 2003.
The entire music program has been awarded not one but two Grammy's stemming from having an exceptional orchestral and choral program as well as band program
The Glenbard East speech team hosts the "comfy classic" in partnership with Glenbard North and has sent many of its members to higher level compitions.
(DVC). Glenbard East is also a member of the Illinois High School Association
(IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. The teams are stylized as the Rams
.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:
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 Lombard, Illinois
Lombard, Illinois
Lombard, "The Lilac Village", is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 42,322 at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2004 to be 42,975.-History:...
, a western suburb of Chicago, 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 Glenbard Township High School District 87
Glenbard Township High School District 87
Glenbard Township High School District 87 is based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and consists of Glenbard South, Glenbard North, Glenbard East, and Glenbard West. It is the third largest school district in Illinois...
.
History
Glenbard East High School opened in September 1959 with a student body of 525 students and 28 staff members. In the week prior to the school's opening, a tornado or microburst hit the school, causing significant damage. The east wall of the Tower section of the building was sucked out and fell through the roof of the then-unnamed auditorium. The classroom wing was unaffected, but the start of school was postponed for two weeks. When choosing team names during the first semester the school was open, the "Tornadoes" was one of three final choices; the other two were the "Apaches" and the winner, the "RAMS"--shown in caps as an acronym for Right Attitude Means Success. Given the school's location in "the Lilac Village," proposed school colors of lilac (purple, really) and white were not selected; instead the student body chose red, black and white. The first principal was William Rider.The approximate enrollment for the 2008/2009 school year was 2700 students and 180 staff members.
Prior to the opening of Glenbard East in 1959, Lombard students in High School District No. 87 attended Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn. In Glenbard East's first year, school activities and sports were contained in the Glenbard West yearbook, the Pinnacle, in a special section. The first Glenbard East yearbook was the 1961 edition, and named the Aries. The yearbook staff, Aries, works year round to produce the Glenbard East High School yearbook.
In its first few years, Glenbard East competed in the Interim Conference, comprising mostly newly built suburban schools. Other schools in the conference were Willowbrook in Villa Park, Niles West in Skokie, Morton West in Berwyn, among others. The name of the conference implied that it was a temporary arrangement, which it was.
The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2009, with a display of memorabilia and special recognition to athletes of the 50 years during a rainy halftime celebration during a home football game Oct. 2.
In 2011, The Washington Post named Glenbard East one of the top public high schools in Illinois in its high school challenge.
Activities
In 2007, the Mock TrialMock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
team won the Illinois State Mock Trial Competition. The team went on to compete at Nationals in Dallas, Texas, placing 18th overall.
In 1984 the band program was awarded The Sudler Flag of Honor, an award presented annually to band programs which have demonstrated a high standard of excellence over a period of years. This award can be received only once under the same director.
The Glenbard East Symphonic Band has participated in the prestigious University of Illinois's Superstate Festival for 20 consecutive years in a row. The band was named honor band in 2003.
The entire music program has been awarded not one but two Grammy's stemming from having an exceptional orchestral and choral program as well as band program
The Glenbard East speech team hosts the "comfy classic" in partnership with Glenbard North and has sent many of its members to higher level compitions.
Athletics
Glenbard East competes in the DuPage Valley ConferenceDuPage Valley Conference
The DuPage Valley Conference is an organization of eight high schools in northeastern Illinois, representing seven communities in Chicago's suburbs. These high schools are all members of the Illinois High School Association. The Conference, organized in 1967, exists primarily for inter-school...
(DVC). Glenbard East is also a member of the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
(IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. The teams are stylized as the Rams
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:
- Baseball: 2nd place (1976–77)
- Cross Country (boys): 4th place (1964–65); 3rd place (1965–66)
- Football: semifinalist (1999–2000)
- Gymnastics (boys): 4th place (1984–85, 85–86, 88–89); 2nd place (1986–87, 87–88, 89–90)
- Tennis (boys): 4th place (1962–63)
- Volleyball (boys): 3rd place (2005–06)
- Track (boys): State Champions in the 4x800 (2010)
- Basketball (boys): 3rd place (2010-11)
Notable alumni
- Joanna KrupaJoanna KrupaJoanna Krupa is a Polish-American model and actress. Krupa was born in Warsaw, Poland. She has a younger sister, Marta Krupa, also a model. Joanna Krupa moved to India, Delhi, Illinois, with her family at the age of five...
is a model and actress (SuperstarsSuperstarsSuperstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
, Dancing With The StarsDancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
). - David Orr is the clerk of Cook CountyCook County, IllinoisCook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
and was Interim Mayor of Chicago after the death of Harold WashingtonHarold WashingtonHarold Lee Washington was an American lawyer and politician who became the first African-American Mayor of Chicago, serving from 1983 until his death in 1987.- Early years and military service :...
. - Mary Doria RussellMary Doria RussellMary Doria Russell is an American novelist. -Biography:Russell was born in the suburbs of Chicago. Her parents were both in the military: her father was a Marine Corps drill instructor, and her mother was a Navy nurse. She graduated from Glenbard East High School and later she earned a Ph.D in...
is an award–winning author, primarily known for her works of science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
(The Sparrow, Children of GodChildren of God (novel)Children of God is the second book, and the second science fiction novel, written by author Mary Doria Russell. It is the sequel to the award-winning novel, The Sparrow.- Plot summary :...
). At least one character from Dreamers of the Day is named in honor of a former teacher from Glenbard East. - Dan TaniDaniel M. TaniDaniel Tani is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Although born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, he considers Lombard, Illinois, to be his hometown...
(class of 1979) is a NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
AstronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... - Derek WalkerDerek Walker (American football)Derek Raynal Walker is an American football defensive end for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
is a member of the practice squad for the Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. - Timothy ZahnTimothy ZahnTimothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is the author of nine Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, including seven novels featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn: the Thrawn Trilogy, the Hand of Thrawn duology, Outbound...
(class of 1969) is a Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
–winning science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author, whose most famous works may be those set in the Star Wars Expanded UniverseStar Wars Expanded UniverseThe Star Wars Expanded Universe encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films like Star Wars: The Clone Wars,...
.