Hinsdale South High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Hinsdale South High School

motto =
principal = Mr. Brian Waterman
established = 1965
type = Public secondary
grades = 9–12
city = 7401 Clarendon Hills Rd.
Darien
state = Illinois
country = USA
enrollment = 1,913
faculty = 185
campus = Suburban, 42-acres
mascot = Hornets
colors = Black, Gold
yearbook = Vespa
newspaper = Stinger
website = [http://south.hinsdale86.org/ south.hinsdale86.org/]
picture = [http://www.hinsdale86.org/hinsdale_south.htm/ Hinsdale South District Link]

Hinsdale South High School, or HSHS, and locally referred to as "South," is a public four-year high school located at the corner of 75th Street and Clarendon Hills Road in Darien, Illinois, a southwestern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.The South campus draws it's students from the nearby communities of Darien (east of Cass Ave.), and portions of Burr Ridge, Willowbrook, and Westmont. It is part of Hinsdale Township High School District 86, which also includes Hinsdale Central High School. Hinsdale South is the regional feeder school for deaf and hard of hearing students in the Chicago area.

History

In 1962, a referendum for a second high school was passed, and Hinsdale South opened its doors in the fall of 1965 to 418 freshmen and sophomores. [ [http://www.hinsdale86.org/aboutus/index.htm District 86 History] ] A new wing of school, solely designated for the Science department, was opened to students at the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year. The wing includes eight new classrooms, preparatory rooms, a new science department office, and a greenhouse. The school's library contains four computer areas/laboratories.

Academics

According to "Newsweek"'s 2007 "Complete List of 1,200 Top High Schools", Hinsdale South ranks within the top ten high schools in the state of Illinois. [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/58432 The Top High Schools] ]

The class of 2006 included 498 graduates, 95% of whom were college bound, with 70% of students attending a four-year college or university. Three were National Merit Finalists, six were National Merit Commended Students, and 49 were Illinois State Scholars. The average SAT score was 1228 (Math and Critical Reading)and the average ACT score was a 21.9. In 2006, 523 students took 824 Advanced placement examinations with 82% of reported scores a 3 or higher. [ [http://south.hinsdale86.org/departments/guidance/profile.htm SCHOOL PROFILE 2007-2008] ] The average class size at South is 19.8.

Hinsdale South has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act. [ [http://south.hinsdale86.org/publications/reportcard/South%20Report.pdf Illinois School Report Card] ] The staff comprises 185 teachers, 78% of whom hold an advanced degree. Fifty percent of the faculty have more than sixteen years of teaching experience. The College Board Advanced placement Program is heavily encouraged with 24 courses offered.

Technology

The school currently provides all teachers with Tablet PCs, and the school is fully equipped with wireless internet technologies. Tablet PC carts and stations are also available to students. Also, students at Hinsdale South are allowed the option of bringing a computer laptop or personal digital assistant for note taking and word processing. Carts with 20+ laptops each are available for check-out to teachers to provide to their students for use during class time. As of 2004, the school has four large computer labs located in its library.

Athletics

Hinsdale South competes in the West Suburban Conference. Its mascot is the Hornets. Its main sports rivals are its sister school, Hinsdale Central High School, and also Downers Grove South High School.

In recent years, the Hinsdale South Hornet Football Program has been performing increasingly well in their division. The team made it to the State Quarter-Finals in Fall 2000, 2001 and 2005. The 2001 team posted the school's first ever and only perfect regular season record, going 9-0 and beating both rivals Downers Grove South and Hinsdale Central by a score of 35-27. The 2001 team also beat Mount Carmel High School (Chicago) in the second round of the state playoffs, eliminating the Caravan from contention for the state title. This marked the only year in the five years spanning 1998-2002 that Mount Carmel would not win a state championship. Ironically, Mount Carmel defeated Hinsdale South for their first IHSA football state title in 1980. The annual Hinsdale Central vs. Hinsdale South football game almost always has sellout crowds and is annually one of the most popular high school football games (based upon attendance) in the Chicago area. The winner of the annual game with Downers Grove South is awarded the Rebel Cannon trophy.

Hinsdale South is traditionally a strong state competitor in both Girls Tennis and Badminton. They have won numerous state championships and accolades for both sports including a recent IHSA State Championship title in Badminton in 2005 and 2006. The Hinsdale South Badminton team places in the top three spots each year since 2001. They are the pride of Hinsdale South.

There are seven gyms, including a multipurpose gym used for Physical Education, assemblies, and volleyball and basketball games. There is also a pool, wrestling gym, gymnastics gym, field house, a fitness center/gym, and a general use gym. Outdoor facilities include a new track, a stadium, 4 baseball/softball diamonds, soccer fields and nine tennis courts.

Activities

Activities and clubs are also heavily stressed at Hinsdale South. Over 90% of graduates have taken part in the more than sixty organizations available to all students. [ [http://south.hinsdale86.org/departments/guidance/profile.htm Hinsdale South Guidance Department] ] Several of Hinsdale South’s competitive organizations, such as Math Team, Speech Team, Orchestra, marching band, scholastic bowl, and science olympiad consistently do well in IHSA competitions. The Chess team has been conference champions for the past three years. Model U.N. and Youth in Government also do very well in their competitions. The flagline, which marches in competitions and at halftime with the marching band has been state-recognized and performs exceptionally well at competitions, usually sweeping away all first place awards.

Hinsdale South takes pride in all of the service organizations that its students can participate in, such as: Key Club, National Honors Society (NHS), National Latin Honor Society, National French Honor Society, National German Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, French Club, Latin Club, Environmental Concerns, various bands and choirs, Drama, Habitat for Humanity (H4H), Student Council, Peer Leadership Network (PLN), Cosmopolitan Club, JETs, Ambassadors, Diversity Club, Amnesty International, The J. Kyle Braid foundation, the Principal's Student Advisory Council (PSAC), and many others.

The newspaper is "The Stinger", and the yearbook is "VESPA", which is Latin for hornet. in 2001, the Stinger Newspaper placed 4th in the nation for best magazine style in Kansas City.Hinsdale South is also the home of [http://www.hinsdale86.org/staff/jcrandel/whsd_88.htm WHSD 88.5 FM] , the local radio station.

Notable alumni

*Kevin Kasper, 1996, Professional Football player, member of the 2005 Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots
*Tony Pape, 1999, Professional Football player, member of the San Diego Chargers
*Matt Walsh, 1982, Professional Actor
*Barbara Alyn Woods, 1980, Professional Actress
*Frank Rosch, 1980, Professional Actor/Gymnast
*Pat Rabold ,1984, Professional Football Player, All-American DT at University Wyoming. Drafted by Buffalo 1989 note: Father Michael Rabold played 8 yrs in the NFL 4 of those years with the Chicago Bears 1964-1967 teammate of Mike Ditka, Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus

References

External links

* [http://south.hinsdale86.org/ Official Website]
* [http://www.ihsfw.com/links/D_folder/Darien_HinsdaleSouth.html IHSFW.com's Hinsdale South football page] (News website)