Evanston Township High School

The first high school in Evanston, the Preparatory School of Northwestern University, established in 1857, was a private institute. In 1873, public school superintendent Otis E. Haven began teaching Evanston's first public high school class in an upper room of the Benson Avenue School. In 1875, Evanston's first Board of Education voted to establish a "high school" in the room, and the first class, consisting of two students, graduated in 1876. Enrollments grew rapidly and, despite multiple relocations to various buildings, by 1882 the school took four prizes in a statewide competition and was ranked third best in Illinois. Shortly thereafter, voters in April 1882, passed a referendum and bond issue establishing a township school. Construction began promptly in October 1882, and the first building opened in 1883, at Dempster and Elmwood.[7]

Enrollment grew rapidly and by 1913, despite multiple additions to the original building, 740 students occupied space meant for only 600. Crowding increased as several attempts to pass bond issues for further addition were defeated at the polls. In 1915, the Board determined to build a new school at a new location, but progress was stalled for years by a bitter fight over the campus location, which included lawsuits that went all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. Finally, in 1921, the Board and voters approved a 55-acre (220,000 m²) site at the school's current campus, 1600 Dodge Avenue in central Evanston. Construction began in 1923, and the school opened in 1924 although still incomplete.[8]

With a campus currently listed as 65 acres (263,000 m²), ETHS provides its students with many technically proficient facilities. With more than 1.2 million square feet indoors, it is the largest high school facility under one roof in the United States. The school's science facilities include a planetarium, greenhouse, and a two-acre (8,000 m²), on-site nature center/classroom. The South Technology Center (STC), formerly the Bacon Computer Center, houses over 200 computers in seven networked labs. Computer software is available for many courses in the curriculum. Near the school is the Edible Acre urban farming project, initiated by The Talking Farm, which is run with the help of ETHS volunteers during the growing season.

Students investigate careers in computer-based SMART Labs. An on-site day-care center serves as a lab for child-study classes. Career and Technical Education offers courses that prepare students for future career possibilities. Classes include Child Development, Business Management, Culinary Arts, where students work hands on with food, and learn how to prepare it in a safe and sanitary way, and Auto-Tech, where students run an auto-repair lab and learn engineering applications in computer-aided design, lasers and robotics using state-of-the-art equipment. Music students have their own computer lab with MIDI-enabled equipment.

The school's library, which is networked to all Illinois libraries, has a 90,000-volume collection and extensive audiovisual resources. Performance facilities include a 1,500-seat auditorium, two additional theaters, and a cable TV broadcasting studio.

There are 15 gyms, a dance studio and fitness/wellness center, two swimming pools, and a field-house with an indoor track and tennis courts. Outdoor facilities include a new track, as well as a FieldTurf stadium, baseball and soccer fields and 18 tennis courts.

Evanston Township High School is a very large co-ed Title I public school with a very diverse student body, both racially and economically. From official data in 2013-14, there were 2,959 students enrolled. Of these students, 1,100 were eligible for free lunch, and 91 for reduced lunch. In recent years, enrollment has increased and become more diverse.

The school reported that the 2015-16 school year reflected "the highest enrollment number (3,322) over the last five years at ETHS... ETHS also recorded its highest enrollment of students who identify as Hispanic/Latino in the history of the school. The proportion of Black/African American students (29.5% in 2015-16) has remained steady at ETHS for the past five years while the proportion of Hispanic/Latino students at the main campus has increased from the prior year (about 18% in 2015-2016 compared to 17% in 2014-2015). The proportion of White students decreased to 43.6% in 2015-16 compared to 44.7% in 2014-2015. Additionally, the percentage of Asian students at the main campus has increased slightly in 2015-16 to 5.2% and the percentage of students identified as two or more races declined in 2015-16 to 3.3%, compared to 4.2% in 2014-15."[9] ETHS also provides a transitional program for refugees from around the world.[10]

Some classes, including most required freshman courses, are taught at a mixed level, allowing all students to earn honors credit, while others are differentiated between regular, honors, and advanced levels. The school offers 34 courses for Advanced Placement credit, as well as 9 nationally recognized Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engineering courses. Students who have exhausted all of the available accelerated courses in an academic area at ETHS may take advanced courses for college credit at Northwestern University through a special scholarship program.[11] Some years Northwestern faculty teaches advanced mathematics students at ETHS. ETHS is listed as a gold medal school under U.S. News & World Report's 2016 list of America's 500 Best High Schools, at #452 nationally and #13 in the state.[12]

Ninety-three percent of the students from the Class of 2015 (723 students) took the ACT. ETHS students continue to score higher than the state and national average.[13]

Evanston Township High School is the only high school in the U.S. to claim a Wildkit as its mascot. Known as "Willie the Wildkit", the mascot represents the unique heritage of the only public high school in Evanston, Illinois. "Wildkits" is a playful reference to Northwestern University's Willie the Wildcat, a mascot that was adopted by the prestigious university in the 1920s.[14] Evanston Township High School's Willie the Wildkit mascot appears to have originated during the 1946-47 academic year. Northwestern and ETHS are known to share a "town-gown pride" that is evident through partnerships in the classroom and in other areas.[3] Most notably, Northwestern announced in January 2017 that its women's basketball and women's volleyball teams would play at ETHS' Beardsley Gym in the 2017–18 school year while Welsh–Ryan Arena, the regular home of both teams, was renovated.[15]

ETHS is a member of the Central Suburban League, and participates in state championship tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). ETHS has 35 IHSA State Championships.

Each year, more than 1,000 students participate on 100 sports team in 31 different sports in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Boys may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Girls may compete in badminton, cheerleading, lacrosse and softball.[16]

ETHS offers 19 no-cut sports at the freshman level to provide 9th grade students with an opportunity to try sports for the first time.

While not sponsored by the IHSA, ETHS also sponsors a team for boys in lacrosse. Both boys and girls may also compete as a member of the pom pom team (Pomkits).[16] As well as on a Varsity Sailing Team, which competes at regattas throughout the country.

The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament:[17]

As of 2009, the Evanston boys swimming team has 53 top ten finishes in the state finals; the second highest number of top ten finishes in state history.[18] The boys track & field team, similarly, has 47 top ten finishes, the second highest number of any team in the state.[19] The 25 top ten finishes by the girls track & field team is, however, a state record.[20]

The following competitive teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA Sponsored state championships:[17]

• Table Tennis: 1st place 2011[21]
• Chess: State champions (1969–70, 1970–71, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2004–05)
• Drama: 2nd place (1960–61); State champions (1957–58, 1962–63)
• Individual Events:State champions (1950–51)
• Speech:2nd place (1950–51, 1957–58, 1970–71)

The 8 state titles and 23 top 10 finishes in chess is the Illinois state record.[22]

Students compete in contests in math, science, forensics, world languages, speech, writing, and many other subjects. Examples include the Geometry Bridge Building Contest, the Regional Science Bowl Competition of the Society of Hispanic Engineers, and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) annual essay contest. Students can participate in more than 80 clubs and activities at ETHS, including Ambassadors, Wildkit Buddies, Chess Club, E-Squad Step Team, E-Town Tuners Car Club, ETHS Dance Company, Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Hip Hop Club/Slam Team, Latino QUEST, NAACP, Rock Climbing Club, Mock Trial, Student Council and Senate, Table Tennis Team, and Ultimate Frisbee.[23]

ETHS hosts 3 dances during the school year: Homecoming Dance, Frosh/Soph Formal (grades 9-10), and Senior Prom (grade 12). Student-led publications include the national award-winning Evanstonian newspaper, the EvanstONION satirical newspaper, the Paper Clip, and the award-winning school yearbook, The Key. ETHS has four honor societies: the Lighthouse Chapter of the National Honor Society (juniors and seniors), the ETHS Chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society (juniors and seniors), and ETHS-based honor societies (sophomores and freshmen). Student vocal and instrumental music groups and theater companies perform at least one public performance a month.[23]

Since 2014, ETHS musical ensembles have performed at the prestigious Midwest Clinic; the University of Illinois SuperState Festival at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; the ILMEA's annual Illinois Music Education Conference; and the Louisville Jazz Festival. In February, the school hosts a regional jazz music festival attended by nearly 50 schools, featuring performances, clinics, and an evening concert with a guest artist.[24]

Evanston Township has an extensive theatre department that puts on a total of 7 shows each year (5 Mainstage and 2 smaller productions). The department always puts on their annual student directed and written comedy revue "YAMO". They then go onto put on a fall play, and a winter play following that. After the 2 plays they put on their big musical, then finish the year out with a smaller spring play which is sometimes a short play festival written and directed by students in the Advanced Theatre 3/4 class.

Some notable alumni include:

John Cusack

Dov Grumet-Morris

• George Ball '26, (US Ambassador to the UN under President Lyndon Johnson)[31]
• Lester Crown '43, (American businessman & son of Henry Crown)[32]
• Joan Cusack '80, (Academy Award-nominated actress)[33]
• John Cusack '84, (Golden Globe Award-nominated actor)[33]
• Karen Finley '74, (American performance artist and educator)[34]
• Zach Gilford '00, (actor known for Friday Night Lights)[35]
• Dov Grumet-Morris '00, (ice hockey player)[36]
• Laura Harrier '08, (actress known for Spider-Man: Homecoming)[37]
• Anders Holm '99, (actor and comedy writer known for Workaholics)[38]
• Lauren Lapkus '03, (actress and comedian known for Orange Is the New Black and Jurassic World)[39]
• Emery Moorehead '72, (professional football player, member of the championship 1985 Chicago Bears)[40]
• Jessie Mueller '01, (Tony-award-winning actress known for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Waitress )[41]
• Jeremy Piven '83, (actor known for role of Ari Gold on Entourage and Harry Gordon Selfridge in Mr. Selfridge)[33]
• Lena Waithe '02, (Emmy-award-winning actress and screenwriter known for Master of None, first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing)[42]
• James Zagel '58, (US federal judge, presided over the conviction of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich)[31]

• John T. Riddell was a football coach at the school and invented the removable cleat, and later invented the plastic suspension football helmet. He later founded Riddell, the sporting goods company.[43][44]

• The 2004 film Mean Girls (2004) is set in Evanston, and its fictitious "North Shore High School" was inspired by Evanston Township High School.[45][46] Filming took place in Ontario.[47]

• Official website