Wilmette Junior High School

Wilmette Junior High School, called WJHS in casual speech, is a school comprising of seventh and eighth grade students for the Wilmette, Illinois public school District 39. When the school opened in 1962 it was originally called Locust Junior High School, but was changed to Wilmette Junior High School in 1979 upon the closing of its counterpart, Howard Junior High School, in the eastern part of town. WJHS is located directly west of Highcrest Middle School, which houses the district's fifth and sixth grade students. The two schools are separated by a very large conglomeration of recreational fields commonly used by both school's physical education classes and extra-curricular programs for sports such as soccer, football, cross country, and field hockey. A bicycle path crosses the fields and connects the two schools for bicyclists and pedestrians. WJHS attendance marks the first time that students in the district are required to wear a uniform during physical education classes.

Organization

At any given time the school has around 800 students, with a population bubble experienced by the New Trier Township High School district effecting WJHS between 2002 and 2005. This has resulted in a student population of 950 during the 2007-2008 school year. The students are separated into four teams per grade, with three main teams consisting of 5 teachers and between 75-150 students. Teachers individually specialize in the subjects of Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics. In addition to the main teams, there is one seventh grade team and one eighth grade team consisting of two teachers divided into the subjects of social studies/reading/writing and social studies/science/math. All eight teams also have a faculty member functioning as a Learning Behavioral Specialist (LBS). Students are additionally required to take a Modern or Classical Language (French, Spanish, Latin, and German are offered), Related Arts (such as photography, drama, music, etc...), and Physical Education (which includes units on health and sexual education). In seventh grade, students participate in six related arts sessions, each lasting for six weeks, that allows them to sample what the school has to offer. In eighth grade students pick four sessions each lasting nine weeks. The day is organized into 9 periods, the five core subjects and lunch, P.E., Related arts, and Foreign Language.

The school has a number of student clubs, and conducts many fund raising activities such as Relay For Life. In the 2005-2006 school year, WJHS raised over $50,000 to aid Hurricane victims.

See also

* Wilmette, Illinois
* Highcrest Middle School
* New Trier Township High School

External links

* [http://www.wilmette39.org/wjhs/ Wilmette Junior High School]

References