Palatine High School, or PHS, 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 ...

Township High School District 211 Township High School District 211 is a school district located in Cook County, Illinois, and is the largest high school district in Illinois. District 211 serves the communities of Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Palatine, and Schaumburg, and p ...

. Located at 1111 N. Rohlwing Road in Palatine, Illinois,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, a northwest suburb of

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

, it serves primarily all of and only those areas of Palatine northeast of the UP NW tracks, but also serves small portions of Arlington Heights and Barrington. In addition, PHS is a

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

for the entire district's

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

program. Feeder schools include Winston Campus Junior High and Sundling Junior High. Elementary schools in the attendance area include; Winston Campus, Lake Louise, Jane Addams, Virginia Lake, Lincoln, Sanborn and Paddock.

History

Palatine High School was founded in 1875, the first public high school in what are now the northwest suburbs of

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

. Its operation was reorganized into a modern school district in 1914, and in 1928 the high school built its first dedicated school building. It served the entirety of Palatine Township as a public high school, and also admitted paying students from neighboring

Schaumburg Township Schaumburg Township is one of 29 Civil township, townships in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States, USA. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, its population was 131,288. It is in the north west corner of Cook C ...

. In the 1950s, rising enrollments due to

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

an expansion and the

baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ca ...

caused many changes. Palatine High School's district formally expanded to include Schaumburg Township, two additions were built in rapid succession, and additional school buildings were built in the southwest part of Palatine (

William Fremd High School William Fremd High School, or Fremd (initially Palatine High School South), is a public four-year high school located in Palatine, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School Distric ...

) and in Hoffman Estates (

James B. Conant High School James B. Conant High School is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes William Fremd ...

). The student distribution changed as Fremd served as a school for freshmen and sophomores while Palatine High School served juniors and seniors. The current three-story facility was completed in 1977, and a second gymnasium was built in 1997. In 2003 a new math and foreign language wing was built. This new three-story wing included 24 new classrooms and activity areas, and added to the existing building. In the summer of 2009, Palatine's Chic Anderson Stadium was installed with an

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...

for nearly $1.5 million. On November 30, 2017, transgender Palatine High School senior Nova Maday filed a lawsuit against District 211 with the help of the ACLU and a Chicago law firm. She alleged that the district had discriminated against her by denying her full use of the girls' locker room.

Academics

All schools in District 211 have been accredited by the

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It w ...

; PHS's is the oldest accreditation in the district, dating back to April 1, 1935. PHS is not making

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) as a part of the federal

No Child Left Behind 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 ...

Act because multiple sub groups within the student population failed to meet minimum standards. 2008 also marks the third year the school has been on academic watch. In 2008, Palatine High School had an average composite ACT score of 22.1. 92.3% of the class of 2008 graduated. Applied Technology Department PHS maintains a comprehensive applied technology department with classes such as

Computer-Aided Design Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

, Small Engines, Automotives, Home Construction, Woodshop, Metals, and a Plastics course when demand is large enough. Recently, the Applied Technology Department has brought in "Project Lead the Way" Courses: Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Digital Electronics, and Civil Engineering and Architecture to further bolster the classes offered to students. These classes are all engineering based curriculum that offer the possibility for students to earn some college credit. PHS is certified through

Harper College William Rainey Harper College is a public community college in Palatine, Illinois. It was established by referendum in 1965 and opened in September 1967. It is named for William Rainey Harper, a pioneer in the junior college movement in the ...

to teach certain classes that count towards credit for receiving an apprenticeship with a Master Electrician. There is also a computer repair class that is certified through the Computing Technology Industry Association (

CompTIA The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is an American non-profit trade association that issues professional certifications for the information technology (IT) industry. It is considered one of the IT industry's top trade associ ...

) where students that pass the qualification exam receive an A+ Certification, demonstrating competency as a computer technician.

Awards

PHS has twice received the U. S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Award, once in the 1992-1993 school year, and again in 1999-2000. In 2000, PHS was one of few high schools named a

New American High School The New American High Schools initiative, started in 1996 under the direction of the United States Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, is a national recognition program for United States secondary schools. Description In 1996, 1998, 1999, a ...

. The award, last given in 2000, was given to schools which serve as "model" schools based on innovation. PHS was selected as an Outstanding American High School by receiving a Silver Medal from '' U.S. News & World Report'' magazine. In 2008, the school was ranked 1157 in the annual ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' magazine top 1,300 high schools in America. The school had previous been ranked in 2007 (1204) and 2005 (992).

Activities

PHS currently offers over 80 extracurricular activities for students to participate in. Varsity Flag Team The Varsity Flag team has been Overall State Champions for three consecutive years: 2007, 2008, and 2009. Each year they received 1st place in the Tall Flag and Lyrical Flag categories. Additionally, they have been the Overall Flag Division State Champions, having scored the highest of all the teams that competed with a flag routine. They compete through Team Dance Illinois. Band The PHS band has been to numerous states across the US, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Canada, and twice to London, England. The band represented the state of Illinois in the WWII Memorial Dedication Parade in Washington, D.C. in May 2004. In 2005 thirteen members of the PHS band were cast as extras in the World War II movie, ''

Flags of Our Fathers ''Flags of Our Fathers'' (2000) is a book by James Bradley with Ron Powers about his father, Navy corpsman John Bradley, and five United States Marines, who were made famous by Joe Rosenthal’s '' Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima'' photograph. Th ...

'' directed by

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

. The scene they were in was shot at Glencoe Train Station in

Glencoe, Illinois Glencoe () is a lakefront village in northeastern Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,849. Glencoe is part of Chicago's North Shore and is located within the New Trier High School District. Glenc ...

. In 2007 thirty members of the band were cast to portray the

Syracuse University Marching Band The Syracuse University Marching Band (SUMB), also known as the Pride of the Orange, is the collegiate marching band of Syracuse University. The band consists of approximately 200 members. The SUMB performs at all home Syracuse Orange football ...

in the movie '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story''. The scene was filmed at

Ryan Field Ryan Field may refer to: * Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, also known as Ryan Field, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States * Ryan Field (airport), also known as Ryan Airfield, in Tucson, Arizona, United States * Ryan Field (sportscaster) (born ...

on the

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

campus. The movie stars were

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the late 1970s, some of his notable credits include ''Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The ...

and Rob Brown. In 2010 the band played at the White House staff Christmas party, after the PHS choir turned down the invitation to return due to prior engagements. Instead, choir director, Steve Sivak, suggested that the band should play. In 2013 Ms. Horn retired from her role as director of bands and the new band director is Mr. Carlos Esquivel. Spotlight Yearbook Spotlight is the name of the Palatine High School yearbook. It was first published in 1920.

Athletics

Palatine High School is a member of the

Mid-Suburban League The Mid-Suburban League (MSL) is an Illinois High School Association recognized high school extra-curricular league which includes 12 schools located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The conference is split up into two divisions for ...

(MSL). They are also 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 non-athletic competitions in Illinois, as well as sponsors their state championship tournaments. As a part of IHSA they currently host the State Meet for girls' gymnastics. The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for 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 ...

, 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 ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

, while 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 not sponsored by the athletic department, the school sponsors a

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 ...

team which competes in the IHSA sponsored state competition. They also sponsor a club for

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

IHSA

The following teams have finished in the top 4 of their respective IHSA sponsored state athletic tournaments.

NXN

Both the girls' cross country team, as well at the boys' have competed in the

Nike Cross Nationals Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) (formerly known as Nike Team Nationals) is an invitational cross country meet that serves as the unofficial team national championship of United States high school cross country. Sponsored by Nike, It was designed to h ...

(NXN) since they were both invited in 2009. Since NXN is an unofficial national race, schools are not allowed to use their school name, therefore both teams use Palatine XC Club.

Notable alumni

Mauro Fiore Mauro Fiore (born November 15, 1964) is an Italian-American cinematographer. He was born in Marzi, Calabria and moved to the US with his family in 1971. He attended Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois, and graduated in 1982. He started o ...

is an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning cinematographer. *

Carol Marin Carol Marin (pronounced "''marine''") (born October 10, 1948) is a television and print journalist based in Chicago, Illinois. Career Marin began her journalism career in 1972 at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee working as a reporter, anchor, and ...

is a journalist known for her work in print and on television. * Ronald Kozlicki is a former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

basketball player (1967–68). *

Kevin McKenna Kevin James McKenna (born 21 January 1980) is a Canadian former professional soccer who played as a centre back and current assistant manager of 1. FC Köln. Occasionally, he also played as a central midfielder or striker. Club career McKenn ...

is a former

basketball player (1981–88), current assistant coach at

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and former head coach at

Indiana State Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

. * Maria Pinto is a fashion designer who has designed for

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

, among others. *

Len Rohde Leonard Emil Rohde (April 16, 1938 – May 13, 2017) was an American football offensive tackle who played fifteen seasons for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He helped the 49ers win the NFC West Division from 1970–72 ...

is a former

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

for the NFL

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

(1960–74). * Anton R. Valukas was U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1985 to 1989; in 2007, he became chairman of Chicago law firm Jenner & Block, and in 2009 he was appointed bankruptcy examiner in the

bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008, was the climax of the subprime mortgage crisis. After the financial services firm was notified of a pending credit downgrade due to its heavy position in subprime mortgages, the Federal ...

References

External links

*
District 211 History
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1875 Palatine, Illinois Public high schools in Cook County, Illinois Magnet schools in Illinois 1875 establishments in Illinois