Antioch Community High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Antioch Community High School

motto =
established = 1915
principal = Mike Nekritz
type = Public secondary
grades = 9–12
city = 1133 Main Street
Antioch
state = Illinois
country = USA
enrollment = 1,375
faculty =
campus = Suburban
nickname = Sequoits
mascot = Super Fan Stan, The Sequoit Man
colors = Cardinal and Gray
newspaper = "Tom Tom"
yearbook = "Sequoia"
website = [http://www.sequoits.com/ www.sequoits.com]
picture =

Antioch Community High School, Antioch, or ACHS, is a public four-year high school located in Antioch, Illinois, a far north suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Community High School District 117, which also includes Lakes Community High School.

History

ACHS was built in 1915 at 1133 Main Street, where it has remained for 91 years. Though the original building was razed in the late 1990s to make room for new facilities, it has undergone numerous additions and a name change throughout its history. ACHS was originally named Antioch Township High School when is was founded in 1915. In February 1926, voters approved $65,000 to build a two-story north wing to the existing high school, which served 184 students at the time. In 1953, the school was improved once again with the addition of a new wing expanding the school further north. The old gym was converted into an auditorium large enough to hold the 382 students enrolled at the time, and new gym was added, in addition to new class rooms and office space. In November 1962, an addition was made to the west of the school. Science labs, a cafeteria, classrooms, and a library blocked the view of the original Antioch Township High School which was renamed Antioch Community High School the following year. In 1972, additions where needed again to house the 1,377 students enrolled. Additions to the north wing added drivers ed. and fine arts facilities, a new gym, lockers, 24 classrooms, and a commons area. But only 26 years later, the school underwent a major renovation to accommodate the population boom in the 1990s. The original building was razed in 1998 to pave the way for extensive remodeling and new additions. A third gymnasium was built in 2004. More than $16 million in renovations have been made since 2003.

The current ACHS logo was created in the early 1970s by John O’Hara for the football squad. Other sports teams soon adopted the logo as their own, and before long the image was used as a school wide symbol. According the ACHS website: “The “A” in the center stands for Antioch (naturally) and the circle surrounding it represents unity of the students and athletes who wear the symbol. The arrow always faces forward, symbolizing the need to move ahead and overcome obstacles. Two feathers below the arrow represent teamwork and working together to achieve success.”

There is no Native American tribe named “Sequoit” or any Native American word for that matter. Though the word “sequoit” has Native American origins, the story behind the name is a complicated and confusing one. Fred Willman explained in his in-depth book examining Illinois high school nicknames, “Why Mascots Have Tales”, “The word Sequoit is a form of spelling of the Iroquois Indian word Sa-da-quoit, which was the name the Iroquois Indians gave to a stream that flows through Oneida County in New York state. In the Iroquois language, Sa-da-quoit literally means ‘smooth pebbles in the bed of a stream.’ When white settlers moved into Oneida County, they modified the spelling and pronunciation of the stream to Sauquoit Creek.”

Antioch’s first settlers, Darius and Thomas Gage, traveled west from the Oneida County, and named the stream that ran past their land “Sequoit Creek” because it reminded them of Sauquoit Creek back home. Many local businesses, and ACHS sports teams, used “sequoit” in their names. In its early years, students would dress in Native American apparel and perform during half-time, but over time the performances died out. But the sequoit logo and spirit have remained intact throughout the ages.

Academics

Antioch's 2006 ACT composite score is 27.4, and its graduation rate is 99.8 percent with 87 percent of seniors listed as college bound. Attendance rate is 93.9 percent. The average class size is 18.7 and the pupil-to-teacher ratio is 19.4 to 1. The staff's average teaching experience is 12.7 years. Antioch has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act, as of August 2007. [ [ftp://ftpirptcard.isbe.net/ReportCard2005/3404911700001_e.pdf Illinois School Report Card] ]

Famous Alumni

*James Grippando (Class of 1976) is the New York Times Bestselling Author of fifteen novels published worldwide in twenty-five languages.
*Anthony Starke (Class of 1981) is an actor, having appeared on many television series including Nip/Tuck and Prison Break.
*Essie Shure (Class of 1999) appeared in several episodes of American Dreams.
*Jesse J. Adams (Class of 2000) works in various departments of production, having recently worked with Clint Eastwood and Judd Apatow.
*Sean Buchanan (Class of 2002) is a notable member of the paparazzi, responsible for many infamous and career ending photos. Pictures have been published in OK Magazine, People Magazine, TIME, and National Geographic. Sean has become really good friends with Lauren Conrad of the hit T.V show The Hills, and will make frequent appearances on the 4th season starting August 18th.
*Amanda Horan (Class of 2001) was on the first season of Beauty and the Geek and failed out first because she didn't know the capital of Iraq. She hangs out with Ashton in his mansion. Who do you hang out with, THAT guy?!?!?!?
*Matthew "Bacon" Rynkiewicz (Class of 2004) discovered Billy Mays, spokesman for Oxy Clean. He is also credited with the invention of beards.

References

External links

* [http://www.sequoits.com/ Official Website]