Hillcrest High School (Country Club Hills, Illinois)
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Hillcrest High School is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
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 in
Country Club Hills, Illinois Country Club Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb and south of Chicago. The population was 16,775 at the 2020 census. History 10,000 years ago, during a glacial period, this area was a shoreline, with a complex ...
. It is part of Bremen High School District 228 which also includes
Tinley Park High School Tinley Park High School, TPHS or simply Tinley is a public high school located in Tinley Park, Illinois, approximately 30 miles southwest of Chicago. It is part of Bremen Community High School District 228 which also includes Oak Forest High School ...
,
Oak Forest High School Oak Forest High School is a public high school located in Oak Forest, Illinois. It is part of Bremen Community High School District 228 which also includes Tinley Park High School, Hillcrest High School and Bremen High School. It serves most of ...
, and Bremen High School. The name "Hillcrest" aside from the obvious connotation of being "the highest point of a hill", is a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsHazel ''Crest''.


History

The first principal of Hillcrest, William Henry Reeves, was appointed in May 1965, leaving his job as principal of Bremen High School to start the new school. Groundbreaking took place in November of that year, with a needed bond referendum passing in December 1966 to cover construction of an addition, even before the school was opened. The school opened in February 1967. The early 1970s at Hillcrest saw a number of racially motivated incidents as the demographics of the school's attendance area began to shift. A late April 1970 incident, coupled with similar incidents in other local schools led to the spread of attacks beyond the school to the local community of
Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...
. In 1971, the school was temporarily closed after a racially motivated fight that resulted in 48 students being suspended. 1973 saw a 14 May riot that resulted in 34 suspensions and the recommendation for 20 expulsions. When the school board, under pressure from parents, decided to rescind some of the punishments without consulting the building staff or administration, the school's principal, Lee Cox, requested reassignment. In 1990, the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
investigated an incident involving several students from the school who claimed they had been harassed by a
Forest Preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...
officer while taking a day off from school illegally. Among those counseling parents at the time was
R. Eugene Pincham Robert Eugene Pincham (June 28, 1925 – April 3, 2008) was an American attorney active in the field of civil rights who served as both a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and later a judge of the Appellate Court of Illinois. Early lif ...
. In February 1994, the school cancelled planned parent-teacher conferences and a day off of school to accommodate a visit by
President Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again f ...
. Students were banned from parking at the school that day to accommodate the president's helicopter, Marine One, landing in the parking lot. The visit coincided with the Brady Bill becoming law.


Student life


Activities

Hillcrest sponsors over 35 extracurricular activities ranging from academic competition and performing arts to cultural and special interests. Activities which are chapters or affiliates of nationally notable organizations include
Business Professionals of America Business Professionals of America (BPA) is a career and technical student organization that is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Officers Every Business Professionals of America chapter has presiding officers for the national organization, state ...
, DECA, FCCLA, Key club, and National Honor Society. In the performing arts, the school supports a band, chorus, and drama club.


Athletics

Hillcrest competes in the South Suburban Conference (SSC) and 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 Fe ...
(IHSA), which governs most sports and competitive activities in the state. Teams are stylized as the Hawks. The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for both 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
,
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), thou ...
, cross country, and
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 eve ...
. Men may also 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 t ...
, football,
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 ...
, 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
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and
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 Sum ...
. The new Athletic Director is Maurice Young. The following teams won or placed top 4 in their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament/meet: * Basketball (Boys): State Champions (2009-10); 3rd Place (2011-12) * Basketball (Girls): 2nd Place (2009-10, 2010-11); 3rd Place (2012-13) * Bowling (Girls): 3rd Place (1989-90) * Track (Boys): State Champions (2008-09, 2009-10)


Notable alumni

* Maurice Acker is a former college basketball player for the
Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles, formerly known as the Marquette Warriors, Blue and Gold, Gold, Hilltoppers, and Golden Avalanche (football only), are the athletic teams representing Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They ...
. *
Maurice "Mobetta" Brown Maurice "Mobetta" Brown (born January 6, 1981) originally from Harvey, Illinois is a Grammy Award-winning American jazz trumpeter, producer and composer. As a member of Tedeschi Trucks Band, he shared the 2011 Grammy for Best Blues Album ('' Rev ...
(born 1981) is a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
-Winning
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
trumpeter, producer and composer. As a member of
Tedeschi Trucks Band The Tedeschi Trucks Band () is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, '' Revelator'' (2011), won the 2012 Gra ...
, he shared the 2011 Grammy for
Best Blues Album The Grammy Award for Best Blues Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the blues genre. Honors in severa ...
('' Revelator'') * Danny Clark is an NFL
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
, formerly playing for the New York Giants. * Marquice Cole is an NFL
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
, formerly playing for the New York Jets. * Herb Coleman is a former American football player * Gary Dotson (did not graduate) was a convicted rapist whose conviction was overturned after his accuser recanted. He is believed to be the first person exonerated of a crime through DNA evidence. * Brady Dougan is the CEO of Credit Suisse. *
Jerel McNeal Jerel McNeal (born June 1, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for Marquette University before playing professionally in Belgium, the NBA D-L ...
is a former basketball player for the
Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles, formerly known as the Marquette Warriors, Blue and Gold, Gold, Hilltoppers, and Golden Avalanche (football only), are the athletic teams representing Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They ...
, now in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. *
Corey McPherrin Corey B. McPherrin (born March 10, 1955), known professionally as Corey McPherrin, is the evening news anchor for WFLD-TV in Chicago. Biography Early life and education A native of Markham, Illinois, McPherrin graduated from Hillcrest High Sch ...
is an Emmy Award winning television sports reporter, currently working as the weekday reporter and Sports Director for
WFLD-TV WFLD (channel 32) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Gary, Indiana–licensed MyNetworkTV ...
, the
Fox television The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...
affiliate in Chicago.Corey McPherrin bio at myfoxchicago.com; accessed 2 September 2008
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References

{{authority control Public high schools in Cook County, Illinois