Vernon Hills High School
Encyclopedia
Vernon Hills High School, or VHHS, is a public four-year high school
located in Vernon Hills, Illinois
, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
. It is part of Community High School District 128
, which also includes Libertyville High School
.
score of 24.7, and graduated 95.9% of its senior class. The average class size is 20.3. Vernon Hills has made Adequate Yearly Progress
on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act
.
The faculty consists of 111 teachers, of whom 97 hold a masters degree or beyond.
In 2009, Newsweek
released a list of the best high schools in America. Vernon Hills High School was ranked 638th nation-wide and 14th state-wide.
The VHHS football team finished the 2003-04 season with the best record in the North Suburban (Prairie) Conference. It finished the 2005-06 season undefeated, winning the conference. It has qualified for state finals in every year except the 2004-05 season.
The boys bowling team has also been successful, placing 3rd in the state during the 2005-06 season. They have since won Sectionals in both 2008 and 2009 and placed 2nd in the state during the 2010-11 season.
The 2007-08 Pom Pons team won a state championship in the TEAMDance Illinois Class AA Open Dance category. They defended their state title with another win in 2009.
The boys volleyball team has been very successful within the North Suburban (Prairie) Conference. They have earned four conference championships, in 2003, 2008, 2009 (when they finished 10-0 in conference play) and 2010. They were the first team of any sport at VHHS to become back-to-back conference champions.
In the 2007 season the varsity baseball team won in the Sectional semifinals but lost in the Sectional finals against the Lake Forest High School Scouts.
In the 2010 season the Girl's Track and Field team won their IHSA AA Sectional.
A complete list of notable state finishes can be found under State Competition Placements, below.
Vernon Hills High School offers a variety of musical ensembles for its students to perform in. These include the following:
The Symphony Orchestra has been invited to play at the international Midwest Clinic and the MENC
National Conference. The Wind Ensemble has performed in New York City and at Walt Disney World's Epcot
in Florida. The Vernon Hills High School Band was also the Superstate Honors Band for the AA division in 2010.
The VHHS music department has always performed very well at the IHSA
state competition, placing 4th in its class in its first year of existence. VHHS has placed within the top three schools in the state every year since 2004, and as of 2009 has placed first in the state in Class A for three consecutive years. The complete record of notable music department state finishes can be found under State Competition Placements, below.
In 2006, 2009 and 2011, the VHHS Wind Ensemble was selected as the Class AA Honor Band at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
-sponsored Superstate band competition, recognizing the VHHS Wind Ensemble as one of the top high school concert bands in Illinois.
The Math Team earned a state championship in division 3AA at the 2008 ICTM State Math Competition, where all 13 VHHS teams placed within in the top six in the state. Moya Chen placed first on the Algebra I test and VHHS took first place with its Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II teams. Also taking first place honors were the Frosh/Soph 8-person team and the Relay team of David Kim, Brynan Qiu, Parin Kadakia, and Paul Juhn.
At the 2009 ICTM State Math Competition, VHHS Math Team once again took first place in division 3AA. The Junior/Senior relay team of Max Candocia, Nishant Nangia, Parin Kadakia, and Bryan Maldonado took first place.
In 2010, VHHS Math Team placed 3rd, after a strong performance from the Calculator Team of Rachel Wells, David Kim, Andrew Tung, Udit Nangia, and Parin Kadakia. Additionally, Sean Hogan placed 1st in the state for the pre-calculus competition. Last, but not least, Kenny Shavel, placed 3rd in the oral competition, being the first Vernon Hills oralist to place in the top five.
The Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering club at VHHS continues to be successful in their 1500 division. They have placed at the state level in many years past. A team of 14 students compete in the events of Math, Biology, Chemistry, English, and Physics, with each student taking two tests, and at least two students per each subject. The competition takes place at a regional, sectional, and state level. Regional and sectional levels are usually successful, and have resulted in first-place finishes. The team is coached by Joshua Ravenscraft, physics teacher, who has led the team for six years. The WYSE team has placed within the top three schools in the state for seven of its eight years, and won its first state championship in 2009. A complete record of state competitions can be found under State Competition Placements, below.
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 Vernon Hills, Illinois
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Vernon Hills is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,120 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 23,957 as of 2005...
, a northern 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 128
Community High School District 128
Community High School District 128 is located in Lake County, Illinois. The district includes Libertyville High School and Vernon Hills High School.-History:...
, which also includes Libertyville High School
Libertyville High School
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...
.
History
Following the successful passage of a $48.5 million bond referendum in 1997, construction on the school began. The doors opened on September 7, 1999 for all freshmen in District 128. Construction continued for the next year, upon which the school opened for all grades in August 2000. The school was formally dedicated on April 9, 2000. The first graduating class was that of 2002. The Cougar mascot was chosen following a poll of the freshmen and sophomore students attending the new school in August 2000.Academics
In 2010, Vernon Hills had a mean composite 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...
score of 24.7, and graduated 95.9% of its senior class. The average class size is 20.3. Vernon Hills 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 Achievements 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...
.
The faculty consists of 111 teachers, of whom 97 hold a masters degree or beyond.
In 2009, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
released a list of the best high schools in America. Vernon Hills High School was ranked 638th nation-wide and 14th state-wide.
Athletics
Vernon Hills competes in the North Suburban (Prairie) Conference. Its mascot is the Cougar.The VHHS football team finished the 2003-04 season with the best record in the North Suburban (Prairie) Conference. It finished the 2005-06 season undefeated, winning the conference. It has qualified for state finals in every year except the 2004-05 season.
The boys bowling team has also been successful, placing 3rd in the state during the 2005-06 season. They have since won Sectionals in both 2008 and 2009 and placed 2nd in the state during the 2010-11 season.
The 2007-08 Pom Pons team won a state championship in the TEAMDance Illinois Class AA Open Dance category. They defended their state title with another win in 2009.
The boys volleyball team has been very successful within the North Suburban (Prairie) Conference. They have earned four conference championships, in 2003, 2008, 2009 (when they finished 10-0 in conference play) and 2010. They were the first team of any sport at VHHS to become back-to-back conference champions.
In the 2007 season the varsity baseball team won in the Sectional semifinals but lost in the Sectional finals against the Lake Forest High School Scouts.
In the 2010 season the Girl's Track and Field team won their IHSA AA Sectional.
A complete list of notable state finishes can be found under State Competition Placements, below.
Activities
Vernon Hills High School offers more than thirty student organizations, including:
|
Knitting clubs Knitting clubs are a feature of the recent revival of hand knitting which began in America and has spread to most of Europe. Despite the name, knitting clubs are not limited to knitting: both crochet-centered and knit-centered clubs are collectively called "knitting clubs." While some may say... Literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters... (Whispers of Immortality) National Honor Society The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries... Robotics Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots... SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 320,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations. Since 2010, SkillsUSA has had Thomas... - VICA Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries.... Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering The Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Academic Challenge is a high school academic competition run in Illinois and Missouri by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Missouri University of Science and Technology, respectively. The team competition consists of 14 team members... ) |
Theatre
Vernon Hills High School's Backlight Theatre Company presents two plays, a musical, and two nights of student-directed one acts each year. Recent productions include the following:- 2009-2010: Treasure IslandTreasure IslandTreasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
, GreaseGrease (musical)Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, The MousetrapThe MousetrapThe Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap opened in the West End of London in 1952, and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far. It is the longest running show of the modern... - 2008-2009: The Love of Three Oranges, Once Upon a MattressOnce Upon a MattressOnce Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
, Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero.... - 2007-2008: Dancing at LughnasaDancing at LughnasaDancing at Lughnasa is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in Ireland's County Donegal in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator...
, The WizThe WizThe Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
, Museum - 2006-2007: Twelfth Night, The Music ManThe Music ManThe Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
, Noises OffNoises OffNoises Off is a 1982 play by English playwright Michael Frayn. The idea for it was born in 1970, when Frayn was standing in the wings watching a performance of Chinamen, a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave... - 2005-2006: Story Theatre, Anything GoesAnything GoesAnything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
, AmadeusAmadeusAmadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
Ensembles
Vernon Hills High School offers a variety of musical ensembles for its students to perform in. These include the following:
- 3 Symphonic Bands
- 3 Orchestras
- 3 Choirs
- 2 Jazz Bands
- Jazz Strings
The Symphony Orchestra has been invited to play at the international Midwest Clinic and the MENC
MENC: The National Association for Music Education
MENC: The National Association for Music Education is an organization of American music educators dedicated to advancing and preserving music education and as part of the core curriculum of schools in the United States...
National Conference. The Wind Ensemble has performed in New York City and at Walt Disney World's Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
in Florida. The Vernon Hills High School Band was also the Superstate Honors Band for the AA division in 2010.
State Competitions
The VHHS music department has always performed very well at the IHSA
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...
state competition, placing 4th in its class in its first year of existence. VHHS has placed within the top three schools in the state every year since 2004, and as of 2009 has placed first in the state in Class A for three consecutive years. The complete record of notable music department state finishes can be found under State Competition Placements, below.
In 2006, 2009 and 2011, the VHHS Wind Ensemble was selected as the Class AA Honor Band at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
-sponsored Superstate band competition, recognizing the VHHS Wind Ensemble as one of the top high school concert bands in Illinois.
FBLA and DECA
VHHS also sponsors two award-winning business clubs. FBLA sent five students to compete in the National Competition in Anaheim in the summer of 2009. FBLA has had students place in the top 10 of Accounting at the National level for two straight years (2008, 2009). DECA sent 13 state winners to the International Competition in Orlando. VHHS's DECA Financial Analysis team, which consisted of two freshmen, Sean Hogan and Jake Dinkel, placed 7th at the International Competition out of the over 150 teams competing in 2007. Also, one of DECA's written events by senior Cody Meltzer placed 8th at the competition in 2007.Math Team
The Math Team earned VHHS its first state championship when it won first place in its division at the 2001 ICTM State Math Competition. The team took 3rd place at the 2007 competition, where its freshmen and junior teams each took home 2nd place for written competition.The Math Team earned a state championship in division 3AA at the 2008 ICTM State Math Competition, where all 13 VHHS teams placed within in the top six in the state. Moya Chen placed first on the Algebra I test and VHHS took first place with its Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II teams. Also taking first place honors were the Frosh/Soph 8-person team and the Relay team of David Kim, Brynan Qiu, Parin Kadakia, and Paul Juhn.
At the 2009 ICTM State Math Competition, VHHS Math Team once again took first place in division 3AA. The Junior/Senior relay team of Max Candocia, Nishant Nangia, Parin Kadakia, and Bryan Maldonado took first place.
In 2010, VHHS Math Team placed 3rd, after a strong performance from the Calculator Team of Rachel Wells, David Kim, Andrew Tung, Udit Nangia, and Parin Kadakia. Additionally, Sean Hogan placed 1st in the state for the pre-calculus competition. Last, but not least, Kenny Shavel, placed 3rd in the oral competition, being the first Vernon Hills oralist to place in the top five.
WYSE
The Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering club at VHHS continues to be successful in their 1500 division. They have placed at the state level in many years past. A team of 14 students compete in the events of Math, Biology, Chemistry, English, and Physics, with each student taking two tests, and at least two students per each subject. The competition takes place at a regional, sectional, and state level. Regional and sectional levels are usually successful, and have resulted in first-place finishes. The team is coached by Joshua Ravenscraft, physics teacher, who has led the team for six years. The WYSE team has placed within the top three schools in the state for seven of its eight years, and won its first state championship in 2009. A complete record of state competitions can be found under State Competition Placements, below.
State Competition Placements
| Activity | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| IHSA Boys Bowling | 3rd | 2nd | |||||||||
| IHSA Music (Band, Choir, Orchestra) | 4th | 4th | 24th | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | |
| Wind Ensemble (Superstate) | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||||||||
| ICTM Math | 1st | 4th | 4th | 5th | 7th | 7th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 3rd |
| IDTA Dance: Hip Hop | 4th | ||||||||||
| IDTA Pom Pons: Dance | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | ||||||||
| JETS Engineering Challenge (Nationwide) | 1st | ||||||||||
| Science Olympiad | 3rd | 2nd | |||||||||
| TDI Dance: AA Open Dance | 1st | 1st | 2nd | ||||||||
| TDI Dance: AA Open Pom | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | ||||||||
| WYSE Academic Challenge | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||