Gordon Tech High School

Gordon Tech High School
Address
3633 North California Avenue Chicago, Illinois, 60618-4602 USA
Coordinates	41°56′52″N 87°41′51″W / 41.9479°N 87.6974°W / 41.9479; -87.6974
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational, secondary, parochial
Motto	Ad Societatem Resurgendum ((For the Resurrection of Society))
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic;
Established	1952
Authority	Archdiocese of Chicago
President	Kelly Jones
Teaching staff	40
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	507  (2008)
Campus type	urban
Color(s)	orange      gray
Athletics conference	Chicago Catholic League (m) Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (f)
Team name	Rams
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
Tuition	US$8,250[2]
Affiliation	Congregation of the Resurrection
Website	http://www.gordontech.org

Gordon Tech High School, formerly known as Gordon Technical High School, is a Roman Catholic high school located in Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the north side of Chicago on Addison Street and California Avenue. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. The school is named in honor of the Very Reverend Francis Gordon, an influential and high ranking member of the Congregation of the Resurrection.^[3]

School history

Gordon Technical High School was opened in 1952 at Division Street and Haddon Avenue. The school was built in the wake of the relocation of another high school run by the Congregation of the Resurrection, Archbishop Weber High School, which closed in 1999. The school was founded at the request of Cardinal Samuel Stritch, who envisioned a new type of Catholic high school, one that had both a college preparatory curriculum, and a technical curriculum. The school moved to its current campus in 1961. The school formally shortened its name to Gordon Tech in 1999. In 2001, the new school motto was adopted, replacing the old motto Ad Viros Faciendos (For the Making of Men). The school was an all–male school until 2002 when women were admitted.^[4][5]

Academics

The school uses a block schedule where students meet for four 85-minute classes each day. While English and math classes are taught on alternating days for an entire year, other courses are taught on a semester basis, with some classes taught everyday for one semester, and other classes taught on alternating days for one semester.^[6]

Students are required to take four years of religious studies. The school offers a course on world religions which non–Catholics may take to replace any of the four required courses. Any student may choose to take it as an elective.

In keeping with the tradition of the school, students are required to take at least one course in applied technology, with offerings ranging from automotive technology and woodworking to computer–aided design (CAD) and computer repair.

The school offers what it calls The Fr. Francis Gordon Academy (also called the A.P. Academy). The program is designed for advanced students, based upon entrance exam scores, a personal essay, and middle school grades. Students take honors classes for their first two years, and then take a combination of honors and AP courses their last two years. In addition, students must publicly present a multi-disciplinary thematic project during the spring semester of their sophomore year, and a similar final project during the spring semester of their senior year.^[7]

The Advanced Placement courses offered are: English Language, English Literature, Calculus (BC), Biology, Chemistry, U.S. History, and European History.^[8]

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Gordon Tech Rams compete in two conferences. The mens teams compete in the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) while the women compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC). The school competes in state championship series sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The current school colors are orange and gray, though they were originally orange and blue.

The school sponsors interscholastic team for men and women in basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Men also compete in baseball, bowling, football, and wrestling, while women also compete in softball. The school also sponsors a non-competitive cheerleading squad.^[9]

The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective state tournaments sponsored by the IHSA:^[10]

• basketball (boys) •• 2nd place (1989–90)
• football •• State Champions (1980–81)

The school also claims two Chicago Prep Bowl championships in football (1982, 87).

The school used to support an interscholastic fencing team, and competed as a founding member of the Great Lakes High School Fencing Conference (which represents teams from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana). The team won the Midwest Boys Title in 1981, 84, 85, and 88.^[11]

Notable alumni

• Jason Gedrick (born Jason Gedroic) (class of 1982) is a professional actor with credits on stage, film, and television (Murder One)^[12]
• Larry Langowski (class of 2003) is a wrestler who represented Mexico in the 120 kilogram weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[13][14]
• Robert Meschbach (class of 1976) was a professional soccer player who set the (then) national high school record with 71 goals in one season. The record remains an Illinois state record (as of 2008).^[15][16]
• Jitim Young (class of 2000) was a record–setting basketball player at Northwestern University and later played professionally Phoenix Suns (summer league), Chicago Bulls (preseason), San Antonio Spurs (free agent camp). Young also played in Europe and the Dominican Republic, he is currently in Israel.^[17]
• Greg Bingham (class of 1969) – Former Houston Oilers linebacker.
• Tom Kleinschmidt (class of 1991) – Professional basketball player (retired), former DePaul University Basketball player.
• Louis Antonelli (class of 1981) – Award winning independent filmmaker and director.
• Ron Plantz (Class of 1982) Offensive Lineman-(Center) University of Notre Dame 1982–1986; Offensive Lineman- (Center) Indianapolis Colts 1987-90
• Dennis Tufano (Class of 1967) Original lead singer of The Buckinghams, a 1960's Chicago Rock 'N' Roll group

Archbishop Weber High School

Like Gordon Tech, Archbishop Weber High School was administered by the Congregation of the Resurrection. It served Chicago’s Catholic community for over 100 years, but closed in 1999 due to low enrollment. The heritage of Weber is kept alive through Gordon Tech High School. Alumni records are held in Gordon Tech's Office of Records.

References

1. ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". http://www.advanc-ed.org/schools_districts/school_district_listings/?. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
2. ^ 2008–09 tuition^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Biography of the Very Rev. Francis Gordon, CR^{[dead link]}
4. ^ History of Gordon Tech HS^{[dead link]}
5. ^ History of Archbishop Weber HS^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Gordon Tech HS academic schedule^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Fr. Francis Gordon Academy explanation^{[dead link]}
8. ^ Course offerings^{[dead link]}
9. ^ Gordon Tech HS Athletics Department^{[dead link]}
10. ^ IHSA record page for Gordon Tech HS. Ihsa.org. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
11. ^ Great Lakes HS Fencing results^{[dead link]}
12. ^ Jason Gedrick bio @tv.com. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
13. ^ Mexican wrestler Langowski a true Chicago story, 1 August 2008, Beacon News; accessed 24 August 2008^{[dead link]}
14. ^ Couch, Greg, Mexico's one-man gang, 1 August 2008, Chicago Sun-Times; accessed 24 August 2008^{[dead link]}
15. ^ Robert Meschbach bio @FCUnitedPremiere.com^{[dead link]}
16. ^ IHSA individual all-time boys soccer records. Ihsa.org. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
17. ^ Jitim Young bio @nba.com (dleague). Nba.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.

External links

• Gordon Tech Homepage
• Gordon Tech Football Homepage
• Weber High School Alumni Association