Galena High School is the public

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and is part of Galena Unit School District 120. , GHS has roughly 240 students. Its current building was built in 1957.

History

The original Galena High School was built in 1861 on Prospect Street and was known as Central High School. In April 1904, Central High School burned to the ground and a new, larger school was built in the same location, opening in 1906. Surrounding communities that may have had rural schools previous to the construction of Central High School were consolidated after the State of

mandated that larger school districts be created in 1949. Opened on September 3, 1957, the new high school immediately brought changes to the curriculum including courses in agriculture and sociology. Outside of the curriculum, the high school building featured a full size regulation gymnasium along with a modern cafeteria.

Academics

Based on the Illinois School Report Card for the 2018-19 school year, Galena had a graduation rate of 88% and an

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

participation rate of 43%. Additionally, in 2019, Galena ranked as the 2,745 best school in the United States, and 106 in Illinois based on '' U.S. News & World Report''.

School song

"Old Galena High" (1928)

Battle cry

:''Galena Pirates we're counting on you'' :''To your colors we'll always be true'' :''Firm and strong united are we'' :''V-I-C-T-O-R-Y'' :that's the Pirate Battle Cry'' :''Onward to victory'' :''YO-HO!''

Notable alumni

* James Wright is the former president of Dartmouth College serving from 1998 to 2009. He is credited with making Dartmouth a more multiracial and multigender campus, hiring more women and minorities to the faculty. *

LaMetta Wynn LaMetta Wynn (August 4, 1933 – June 24, 2021) was the mayor of Clinton, Iowa from 1995 to 2007. She was the first African-American woman to hold the position of mayor in any Iowa municipality. Wynn has 10 children and worked for 30 years as a re ...

, the first African-American female mayor in Iowa, served as Mayor of

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Cl ...

from 1995 to 2007.

Athletics and activities

Galena High School competes in the

Northwest Upstate Illini Conference The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference is a high school conference (sports), conference in northwest and north central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference co ...

and is a member school in the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fed ...

. Its teams are known as the Galena Pirates, have the mascot Petey the Pirate, and the colors royal blue and white. The school has 3 state championships on record in team athletics, boys' football in 1997-1998 (1A), 2003-2004 (1A), and 2007-2008 (1A).

Football

Galena High School football has qualified for the state 1A and 2A playoffs every year except two since 1985. The Galena Pirates Football Team won the IHSA Division 1A football championships in 1997, 2003, and 2007. They were runners-up in 1999. In the semi-finals in 2014, they lost to the Forreston Cardinals. From 1988 to 2003, the football team was coached by Chuck Korte, a former graduate of the school and 8th grade history teacher who retired in 2006. Coach Korte never played high school football as a student, but turned out to be one of the notable coaches in Northwest Illinois: he was inducted into the Illinois Football Coaches Hall of Fame, and the Galena football field is now named for him. The Pirates' rivalries include the East Dubuque Warriors, Le-Win Panthers and Stockton Blackhawks.

References

{{authority control School buildings completed in 1957 Galena, Illinois Public high schools in Illinois Schools in Jo Daviess County, Illinois