School type Public Secondary Superintendent Lynn Gibson Staff 187 Phone +1 815-624-2070 | Established 1923 Principal Eric Flohr Grades 9–12 Colors Purple, Gold | |
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Address 307 Salem St, Rockton, IL 61072, USA District Hononegah Chd 207 School District Mascot Native Americans in the United States Similar Harlem High School, Boylan Catholic High Sch, Roscoe Middle School, Stephen Mack Middle Sc, Beloit Memorial High Sch Profiles | ||
Hononegah community high school virtual building tour
Hononegah Community High School is a public high school in Rockton, Illinois and is the only high school comprising Hononegah Community High School District 207. Located between Rockford and the southern border of Wisconsin, the school serves students from the towns of Rockton, Roscoe, Shirland, and parts of South Beloit.
Contents
- Hononegah community high school virtual building tour
- History
- Academics
- Athletics
- Notable alumni
- References
The high school opened its doors in 1923. The school is named after Ho–no–ne–gah, the Native American wife of Stephen Mack, Jr., who is generally credited for founding the town of Rockton. The school's namesake is honored with a large mural in the school's main lobby (see gallery below).
One of the unique aspects of Hononegah is its inflatable "bubble" field house, the first of its kind for any Illinois public school, until its collapse in December 2015.
History
Hononegah High School was built in 1922, and dedicated in February 1923. Additions to the building have taken place in the 1950s, 1971 (metal gym complex), 1981 classroom addition, 1996 (Performing Arts Center and classrooms) and 2003 (new entrance, locker rooms, guidance and social studies as well as the information system's academy). The cafeteria was originally the theater and gym. The concession area in the metal gym was the location of the Hononegah Theater in the 1970s through 1996.
George Kelsey, a local entrepreneur and successful businessperson, donated $1.6m in 1941 to build a new football stadium, and the school honors him with an award presented to one student each year, based on GPA, being in at least two sports and two honors level classes, and a lack of criminal background.
District 207 purchased land near Interstate I-90 to accommodate a second campus if enrollment continues to rise. Notable additions to the base campus include a Performing Arts Center capable of seating 1,100 and an athletic practice dome(which deflated in a hail storm during the winter of 2015). The school is 86% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Black, and 2% Asian
Academics
In 2011, Hononegah had an average composite ACT score of 21.0, and graduated 88.0% of its senior class. Though from 2006 to 2014 Hononegah students have achieved 9 perfect scores. As of 2013, Hononegah had not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test used in Illinois to fulfill the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The school overall did not meet minimum expectations in mathematics.
In 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times listed Hononegah as the 50th best public high school in the state of Illinois based on average scores on the PSAE, and one of the ten best outside of the Chicago area.
In 2010, Newsweek announced that Hononegah qualified for the magazine’s 2011 list of the nation’s top high schools. Over the past three years Hononegah has increased the amount of advanced placement tests its students are taking.
Athletics
Hononegah competes in the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC-10) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most high school athletics and competitive activities in the state. Teams are stylized as the Indians.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments or meets:
Hononegah is also one of five drafting schools of the Rockford Icemen hockey program. Along with Boylan High School, Guilford High School, Harlem High School, and Christian Life, Hononegah contributes nearly ten student athletes to the Rockford Icemen who recently won their fifteenth consecutive Illinois state championship.
Notable alumni
Mike Sorce AKA Don Geronimo. (radio personality) Nationally syndicated talk show, now based in Sacramento California. graduated from Hononegah in 1976.