Springfield High School (Illinois)

Infobox_School
name = Springfield High School


imagesize =
motto =
established = 1857
grades = 9 - 12
district = Springfield School District 186
type = Public high school
superintendent = Dr. Walter Milton, Jr.
principal = Mr. Charles Hoots
enrollment = 1424 (as of 2005-06)
faculty = 74.2 (on FTE basis)
ratio = 19.2
grade9 = 424
grade10 = 365
grade11 = 299
grade12 = 336
sports = Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Wrestling, Competitive Cheerleading, Softball, Volleyball
mascot = Senator
teamname = Senators
conference = Central State Eight
colors = Red/Black
publication =
location = 101 S. Lewis Street
Springfield, Illinois 62704
information = 217-525-3100
website = [http://www.shs.springfield.k12.il.us/ School website]

Springfield High School is the oldest high school in Springfield, Illinois. The school draws mainly from the west side of Springfield. As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,424 students and 74.2 classroom teachers (on a FTE ) basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 74.2. [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=173708003838&ID=173708003838 Springfield High School] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed 22 May, 2008.]

Building History and Architecture

Springfield High School first opened in 1857 [http://www.shs.springfield.k12.il.us/features/history/index.php SHS History] , Springfield High School. Retrieved 22 May, 2008.] in a small building on Market Street, now known as Capitol Ave. It was located in this building for only a single school year before it moved to the Academy Building on South 5th Street near Monroe until 1864. In 1865, a $65,000 school building was completed for the high school and was located on 4th and Madison Street. Due to congestion, Central High School was built in 1897, but was already overcrowded by 1915.

In 1915, plans were made to erect a new school in Forest Park. Once the site of a church and cemetery, the church was gone, but there were still gravestones and bodies that were moved to Oak Ridge Cemetery before construction could begin. The new school was completed in 1916.

There are four mosaics on the exterior walls of the building completed by Henry Chapman Mercer. [cite web| url=http://www.shs.springfield.k12.il.us/features/history/pottery/index.html| year=2006| title= SHS: In Search of Mercer |first=| last=| publisher=Springfield High School| accessdate=2007-04-07] The original molds are a part of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works.

Famous Alumni

Many notable individuals have attended Springfield High School. The famous poet Vachel Lindsay graduated in 1897. Many of his poems relate to growing up in Springfield, Illinois. His muse, Susan Wilcox, attended Springfield High School as well.

Ruth Ellis (American) was the oldest known open lesbian, and a die-hard LGBT rights activist. Ruth graduated from Springfield High School in 1919, at a time when fewer than seven percent of African Americans graduated from secondary school. Her life was the subject of the documentary, Living With Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100 [cite web| url=http://www.sistersinthelife.com/1024index.html| year=2000| title= Living With Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100|] . She formed the Ruth Ellis Center, a social service agency dedicated to helping LGBTQ teens and youth adults experiencing homelessness.

Hiram Sherman was born in Boston, Massaschusetts, but graduated from Springfield High School during the 1920s. He was an actor, both on television, and on Broadway. He twice won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.

J. Edward Day was a prominent businessman who served as Illinois State Insurance Commissioner before being appointed U.S. Postmaster General by President John F. Kennedy. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1932.

James S. Martin, Jr. was the NASA Project Manager for the Viking program, which resulted in U.S. aircraft landing on Mars. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1938.

John Porter East graduated from Springfield High School in 1949. He went on to be a Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina.

Vice-Admiral N. Ronald Thunman was also in the class of 1949. He went on to serve 35 years of active duty in the United States Navy, including as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Submarine Warfare and Chief of Naval Education and Training. After retiring, he served as the President of Valley Forge Military Academy as well as Chairman of the Board of several companies. Thunman was the commander of the first-year class of John Sidney McCain. [Muller, Bill and Dan Nowicki. " [http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter2.html Chapter II: At the Naval Academy] ." "John McCain Report". azcentral.com. March 1, 2007. Accessed July 14, 2008.]

Samuel Skinner graduated from Springfield High School in 1956. He went on to be Chief of Staff for President George H. W. Bush. Skinner also served as Secretary of Transportation.

Dr. William Howarth graduated from Springfield High School in 1958. He is a nationally-recognized writer and professor at Princeton University. He [http://shs-58.blogspot.com maintains a weblog] themed on his SHS alumni status, and is currently helping organize the 50th anniversary reunion of his SHS class. [cite web| url=http://www.princeton.edu/~howarth/SHS/| year=2008| title= SHS Class of 1958|]

Bob Trumpy graduated from Springfield High School in 1965. He played tight end for the University of Utah and went on to a Pro Bowl career in the American Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals. After his playing career ended, he began a broadcasting career that is still going strong today.

Robert Fitzgerald is a member of the class of 1928. He is well known for translating many Greek texts into the English versions that many consider the standard.

Justin Knoedler graduated from Springfield High School in 1998. He went on to play baseball at Lincoln Land Community College. In 2000, along with his twin brother Jason and pitcher Ryan O'Malley, Knoedler helped Lincoln Land win the NJCAA II National Championship and was named NJCAA II Player of the Year. Jason and Justin went on the play one season for the University of Miami (Ohio). Justin was drafted by the San Francisco Giants while Jason was drafted by the Detroit Tigers. Justin is now a member of the Giants.

Dave Robisch (class of 1967) played professional basketball in both the ABA and NBA. In 13 seasons he played in 930 games and played 22,780 minutes. He is currently an [http://captwnshp.co.sangamon.il.us/eo.htm elected official] in Springfield, serving as a Trustee of Capital Township.

Athletics

Springfield High School has produced many college athletes, as well as many professional athletes. Springfield High School baseball ranks ninth in baseball wins all-time in the state of Illinois. Springfield High School's boy's soccer team won the State Championship in 1997 and are in the top ten all-time for wins as well. The boys' basketball team has over 1,000 wins. The girls' soccer team ranks sixth in Illinois for wins. In 2007, the boys' and girls' cross country team qualified for state.

References

External links

* [http://www.shs.springfield.k12.il.us/ Springfield High School Online]