Mundelein High School

Mundelein High School
Committed to Excellence
Location
1350 W. Hawley Street Mundelein, IL 60060 USA
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1961
Principal	Lauren Fagel
Faculty	158 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,298 (as of 2008-09)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	22.0[1]
Campus	Suburban
Athletics conference	North Suburban Conference
Mascot	Maverick The Mustang
Newspaper	'The Mustang'
Yearbook	'The Obelisk'
Information	847-949-2200
Website	School website

Mundelein High School, or MHS, is a public four-year high school located in Mundelein, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the only school in Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120.

History

The first graduating class was the class of 1962.

In 1996, a $32.8 million, 113,383 sq ft (10,533.6 m²). addition and renovations were made to the original structure.

2011 Referendum

In 2011, a referendum was passed that would allow the school to make critical repairs and improvements to the existing structure.^[2] Critical areas in need of repair include: the 50 year old wing, football field and track, and the natatorium.

50 Year Old Wing

• repairs to the roof
• installing new energy efficient windows
• upgrading the electrical system
• remodeling 6 restrooms
• remodeling 10 classrooms
• plumbing pipe replacement
• installing new energy efficient classroom unit ventilators

Football Field and Track

• replacing the grass field with a new synthetic turf field
• replacing the track that surrounds the football field

Natatorium

• deepening of the pool to allow for safe diving
• make pool handicap accessible
• replacing the natatorium ventilation system

Academics

The school has an excellent academic program, with approximately 85% of the graduates continuing their education at post-secondary institutions^[3]. The school offers a wide range of challenging courses, including honors and Advanced Placement classes that are available to any interested student. The school also offers special education services, ESL, and bilingual classes. Qualified students may also take classes at the nearby College of Lake County, as well as at the Lake County High School's Technology campus.

The school was home to an "Aviation Technology" class from 1980 until the early 2000s, in which students constructed an airplane from a kit for private sponsors. The class was intended to prepare future aviation technicians. It was one of the few aviation technology programs in a high school until it was removed from the curriculum due to lack of sponsors and a lack of accredited teachers, as the school required teachers to not only hold an Illinois teaching certificate, but either a pilot's license or an airframe-and-powerplant mechanic certificate from the FAA as well.^[4]

Awards and recognition

MHS recognitions include:

• During the 1992-93 school year, Mundelein High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education^[5], the highest award an American school can receive.^[6][7]
• 2004 Lincoln Bronze Award
• Received the "What Parents Want" Award from SchoolMatch for the ninth consecutive year
• Selection by School Search as a Bright Red Apple Award recipient for the eighth year in a row
• Named one of America's best schools by Redbook Magazine

Athletics

Mundelein competes in the North Suburban Conference and the Illinois High School Association. The school's athletic teams are known as the Mustangs. The high school offers 14 varsity sports for boys, 11 for girls, and 1 co-ed (cheerleading). Mundelein athletic teams have won several state titles, including boys gymnastics under the guidance of former coach Doug Foerch (1989, 1990, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000) and girls water polo under the guidance of former coach Jeff Wimer and current coach Andrew Schneider (1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001). Additionally, Mundelein athletes have won individual titles in several sports, including boys gymnastics and boys swimming.

Activities

The school offers a wide variety of extracurricular programs, clubs, and activities, including band, choir, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society, Student Government, Mock Trial, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Chess, among many others.

The school's choir program, headed by John Neubauer,director, and Cory Thompson, is the most successful extracurricular activity the school has to offer. Its concert choirs include Mixed Chorus (freshman boys and girls), Women's Choir, Select Women's Ensemble and Master Singers. The school also has three show choirs - Lights (girls' unisex), SoundFX (boys' unisex), and Sound (mixed). These choirs have received national recognition in Nashville, at FAME Orlando, and at Showstoppers New York, and compete annually at regional competitions such as Hersey's Chicagoland Showcase. In March 2007, Mundelein Lights were crowned Grand Champions of the Unisex Division at nationals, held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Grand Ole Opry. It was the first national championship for the show choirs. Most recently, Mundelein Sound was named the 2009 National Grand Champions at an invitational held in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and Mundelein Lights won the Unisex Division.

The band program is also well-known. In the upcoming year, there will be four concert bands; the highest being the Wind Ensemble, followed by Symphonic Band, newly added Varsity Band, and then Concert Band. There is also a jazz program, which was expanded during the 2006-2007 school year to include Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, and Jazz Combo. Their marching band, known affectionately as the Marching Mustangs, plays during pregame and halftime at football games as well as serving as pep band for other sporting events. The Marching Mustangs are best known for their crowd-pleasing drumline. Matt Farmer and Adam Gohr are the band directors.

Also in Fine Arts, Mundelein boasts a wonderful theatre program. Directed by Jonathan Meier, who joined the MHS faculty in the 04-05 school year, MHS Theatre has tackled some impressive shows at the high school level. Recent productions include "Chicago," A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, and Dancing At Lughnasa by Brian Friel. Lughnasa was selected to perform at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival at Illinois State University in January 2008. Other productions include an annual student-directed one-act presentation.

Additionally, Mundelein has built a solid Mock Trial program, with numerous Top 8 in State finishes in the past 10 years. Most recently, MHS Mock Trial took 2nd in state in at the 2007 State Competition in Springfield, Illinois. The team, who had won one Best Attorney and two Best Witness awards in the preliminary rounds, finished 2nd to Glenbard East, who they squared off with in their Final 8 matchup. It was the highest finish ever by a Mundelein Mock Trial Team.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Mundelein High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 8, 2008.
2. ^ Kohl, Stephanie. "Voters back referendum for campus updates". Pioneer Local. Pioneer Local. http://www.pioneerlocal.com/mundelein/news/3142056,mundelein-referendum-040511-s1.article. Retrieved 4/13/11. 
3. ^ Mundelein High School - Information
4. ^ Fleischman, John (2002-05-01). "Shop Class Was Never Like This". Air & Space Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/shop-class.html?c=y&page=1. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
5. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), accessed May 11, 2006
6. ^ CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
7. ^ Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."

External links

• Official Website
• National Center for Education Statistics data for Mundelein High School