Hinsdale South High School, or HSHS, and locally referred to as "South," is a public four-year

high 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 '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located at the corner of 75th Street and Clarendon Hills Road in

Darien, Illinois Darien is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 22,011. A southwestern suburb of Chicago, Darien was named after the town of Darien, Connecticut. Darien is just north of I-55 and Historic U.S. ...

, a southwestern suburb of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, in the United States. The South campus draws its students from the nearby communities of Darien (east of Cass Ave.), and portions of

Burr Ridge Burr Ridge (formerly Harvester) is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it is among the wealthiest towns in Illinois and is locally known for its large, elegant mansions and luxury lifestyles. ...

, Willowbrook, and Westmont. It is part of Hinsdale Township High School District 86, which also includes

Hinsdale Central High School Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS (locally referred to as simply "Central") is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United ...

. Hinsdale South is home to the LaGrange Area Department of Special Education (LADSE)

Deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...

and

Hard of Hearing Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken l ...

program.

History

In 1962, a referendum for a second high school was passed, and Hinsdale South opened its doors in the fall of 1965 to 418 freshmen and sophomores. A new wing of school, solely designated for the Science department, was opened to students at the beginning of the 2003–2004 school year. The wing includes eight new classrooms, preparatory rooms, a new science department office, and a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

. The school's

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

contains four computer areas/laboratories.

Academics

Hinsdales South's class of 2008 had an average composite ACT score of 22.4, 1.9 points above the state average. 98.8% of the senior class graduated. Hinsdale South made

Adequate Yearly Progress Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing ac ...

(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprises the state assessments used to fulfill the federal

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based education ...

. The school is currently listed as requiring "corrective action" under the federal mandate, and on the first year of academic watch by the state. According to '' Newsweek's'' 2010 "Complete List of 1,600 Top High Schools" (which uses the

Challenge Index The Challenge Index is a method for the statistical ranking of top public and private high schools in the United States, created by ''The Washington Post'' columnist Jay Mathews. It is also the only statistical ranking system for both public and pri ...

to rank schools), Hinsdale South ranked #495, making it the 10th best high school in Illinois.''Hinsdale South High School Profile Page - Newsweek''; newsweek.com; accessed 14 June 2010
/ref> This was the sixth year in a row South had made the list, previously being ranked #1506 (2009), #543 (2008), #591 (2007), #711 (2006), and #627 (2005). The deaf/hard of hearing program provides students in the DuPage West Cook Regional Program educational/support services. Included in these services are: interpreters, social work services, tutorial, program assistants, speech and language services, behavior supports, a vocational support team, self-supporting classes taught by teachers in the deaf and hard of hearing program, and guidance counselors who specialize in this program.

Technology in the classroom

The school currently provides all teachers with

Tablet PC A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being comput ...

s, and the school is fully equipped with

wireless internet Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...

technologies. Tablet PC carts and stations are also available to students. Also, students at Hinsdale South are allowed the option of bringing a computer laptop or

personal digital assistant A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in partic ...

for note taking and word processing. Carts with 20+ laptops each are available for check-out to teachers to provide to their students for use during class time. As of 2004, the school has four large computer labs located in its library. As of the 2018–19 school year, the school supplies every student with a Chromebook (generally from the brand Lenovo) for educational purposes both inside and out of the classroom.

Athletics

Hinsdale South is a member of the

West Suburban Conference The West Suburban Conference is an athletic conference in DuPage County and Cook County in the state of Illinois. The conference was founded in 1924. Member schools All of the schools are also members of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA ...

. The school is a member of 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 ...

(IHSA) which governs most sports and competitive activities in the state. The team representing the school are stylized as the

Hornets Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to their close relatives yellowjackets. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other vespine wasps by th ...

. The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in:

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

, cross country,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, and

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

. Young men may compete in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, while women may compete in

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

, danceline and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

.HSHS Athletic Department; accessed 17 July 2009
/ref> While not sponsored by the IHSA, the Athletic Department also sponsors a dance team for young women. The school also sponsors entries in the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

. The following teams won their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet: * Badminton: State Champions (1998—1999, 2004–2005, 2005–2006) (All co-championships) * Baseball: State Champions (1981—82) Hinsdale South engages in two rivalries in football. The annual game against district rival Hinsdale Central is for the Doings Cup. The winner of the annual game with

Downers Grove South High School Downers Grove South High School, or DGS, and locally referred to as "South", is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Dunham Road and 63rd Street in Downers Grove, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United S ...

is awarded the Rebel Cannon trophy. There are seven

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

s, including a multipurpose gym used for

Physical Education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

, assemblies, and

and

games. There is also a

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky pool ...

gym,

gym, field house, a fitness center/gym, and a general use gym. Outdoor facilities include a new track, a stadium, 4

diamonds,

fields and nine tennis courts.

Notable alumni

Barbara Alyn Woods Barbara Alyn Woods (born ) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in television series ''One Tree Hill'' and ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids''. She is the mother of actresses Natalie Alyn Lind, Emily Alyn Lind, and Alyvia Alyn Lind. Car ...

(class of 1980) is an actress best known for her work on television playing the character Deb Scott on the series ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

''. *

Kevin Kasper Kevin Joseph Kasper (born December 23, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa. K ...

(class of 1996) was an

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

wide receiver (2001—09). He was a member of the

Super Bowl XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League ( ...

Champion

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. *

Manu Raju Manu Raju (born February 9, 1980) is an American journalist who serves as the chief congressional correspondent at the news network CNN, covering the United States Congress and campaign politics. He is also anchor of the Sunday edition of CNN's ...

(class of 1998) is a senior congressional correspondent for

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

covering

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

and campaign politics. He frequently guests on

TV and radio shows. * Jason Van Dyke (class of 1996) is a former police officer and convicted murderer *

Matt Walsh (comedian) Matthew Paul Walsh (born October 13, 1964) is an American comedian and actor, best known for his role as Mike McLintock in ''Veep'' for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He is a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brig ...

(class of 1982) Actor, comedian, director, and writer

References

External links

* {{authority control Public high schools in Illinois Educational institutions established in 1965 Darien, Illinois Schools in DuPage County, Illinois 1965 establishments in Illinois