Type public secondary Superintendent David Larson Staff 208 Phone +1 630-469-8600 Colors White, Forest Green | Opened 1922 Principal Peter Monoghan Grades 9-12 Number of students 2,127 | |
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Address 670 Crescent Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137, USA District Glenbard Township High School District 87 Similar Glenbard North, Glenbard East High School, Glenbard South High School, Glenbard Township HIGH Sch, Wheaton North High School Profiles | ||
Glenbard west high school expansion and renovations
Glenbard West High School, "GWHS," "GBW," or "West," is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ellyn Avenue and Crescent Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87. The West campus draws students from Glen Ellyn (primarily north of Illinois Route 38), a small portion of Lombard, and portions of Wheaton, Glendale Heights and Carol Stream. Glenbard West is known for its historically strong academic performance. The town of Glen Ellyn is passionate about athletics and West sporting events are often packed with supportive fans.
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History
The first high school that students in the area attended was Glen Ellyn High School, which served students from 1916-1922. These classes were held at the DuPage Bank Building. By 1920, it was clear that a new facility was required as classes were spread between the bank building and local church basements.
The district purchased a site on Honeysuckle Hill for the price of US$1. The current building opened in 1922 as Glenbard Township High School; the first of the district's high schools. The school was built in the style of a castle, complete with roof turrets.
Facilities
'Glenbard,' as it was originally named, was constructed in 1922 atop Honeysuckle Hill, overlooking Lake Ellyn. Built with dark red brick, the building was built with castle-like design, complete with a turret and other minor castle details. Glenbard West also has a tower known as the sixth floor. If you look out the window of the sixth floor tower on a clear day you can see the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower in downtown Chicago.
Athletics were initially played in a gymnasium built in the school building itself, but with the construction of a $12 million state of the art field house across the street, the former gym was turned into the Robert D. Elliott Library, named after one of the most influential principals in the school's history.
Across the road from Glenbard West is Bill Duchon Field, where football and other school sports such as boys and girls soccer and track are played. Originally built in 1923, it was renamed in 1980 in honor of a head football coach who led West to several conference championships. The stadium seats up to 5,000 spectators, with the home side overlooking Lake Ellyn. In 2001, Duchon field was named by USA Today as one of the top 10 places to watch high school football.
In media
Bill Duchon Field was used to stage the football field scenes in the 1986 film Lucas , which featured rising stars such as Corey Haim, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Winona Ryder, and Jeremy Piven. The school building was also used for shooting scenes in the film, as well as other local sites such as the "Glen" movie theater in downtown Glen Ellyn. Glenbard West cheerleaders appeared as extras in the film, though the school colors and school name were changed.
The 1991 television documentary Yearbook was filmed here.
It was also featured in the post-apocalyptic book The Girl Who Owned A City by O. T. Nelson.
Academics
Glenbard West has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which with the ACT, comprise the assessments used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
In 2015, U.S. News and World Report ranked Glenbard West #520 in the nation and 20th overall in Illinois.
Glenbard West has been ranked among the top 1500 public schools in the United States six times, according to Newsweek's challenge Index. In 2010, the school ranked #900. The school had been previously ranked #1022 (2009), #954 (2008), #673 (2007), #626 (2006), #684 (2005), and #711 (2003).
Activities
Glenbard West is home to a number of competitive activities that have represented the school well in numerous fields.
The Glenbard West Forensics team (Speech, Individual Events) won the team IHSA state championship trophy in 1991. Since then, the team has won numerous individual in State Finals. In 2010, the team tied for second overall.
The Glenbard West Theatre program performs in the Larry Shue Auditorium. In 2008, the school's production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was performed at the Illinois Theatrefest.
The Glenbard West Model United Nations team regularly annually competes at the Brown University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Model UN Conferences. The team has received numerous awards at each of those conferences.
Athletics
Glenbard West competes in the West Suburban Conference. The school is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Hilltoppers.
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, Boys Lacrosse, and volleyball. Young men may compete in baseball, football, lacrosse, basketball, Scholastic wrestling, track and field, and cross country while young women may compete in badminton, basketball, track and field, cross country, and softball.