Glenwood High School (Illinois)

Glenwood High School is a public high school in Chatham, Illinois, United States. It is the only high school in Ball Chatham Community Unit School District 5, which is in southern Sangamon County and includes Chatham, Glenarm, and the southern portion of Springfield, Illinois.[2]

Glenwood High School
Address
1501 East Plummer Blvd

Chatham
,
Illinois
62629

United States
Coordinates39.6895°N 89.6894°W / 39.6895; -89.6894
Information
TypePublic high school
School districtBall Chatham Community Unit School District 5
SuperintendentBecca Lamon
NCES School ID170492000184[1]
PrincipalRyan Green
Grades9–12
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment1,491[1] (2020–2021)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Red, Black and White    
Athletics conferenceCentral State Eight
Team nameTitans
NewspaperTitan Torch
Websitewww.chathamschools.org/glenwood-high-school

History

Ball Township

Ball Township High School, sometimes called Ball Township Community High School, opened in September 1923 with 35 students; 2 seniors graduated at the end of the 1923–1924 school year. The school was established on New City Road, approximately four miles east of Chatham,[3] three miles north and one mile east of Glenarm.

There were numerous additions to the original school building, including the 1935 gymnasium.[3]

Ball Township graduated 21 seniors in May 1948, after which it picked up all the students from Chatham High School. The first combined Ball Township graduating class, under Ball Chatham Community Unit School District 5, was 34 seniors in May 1949.[3]

The last Ball Township High School graduating class was 1956, with 43 students. Students then moved to the first Glenwood High School when it opened in March 1957. Since then various combinations of grades have used the Ball Township site. The original 1924 section of the school was torn down in June 2013, but newer sections remain and continue to be used as Ball Elementary School.[3]

Chatham

The Caldwell School was a combination grade school and high school built in 1895, paid for by local resident Ben Franklin Caldwell. Caldwell later became a state representative and state senator in the Illinois General Assembly and afterwards a congressman. The 1895 schoolhouse burnt down in 1904, and a new one built in 1905. Chatham High School, operating in this Caldwell School, was a recognized 4-year high school until 1919. It was reduced to 2 years from 1919 to May 1924, and then extended to 3 years from 1924 to 1938.[4]

In 1938, Chatham High School became a 4-year high school again with its own new building that cost $32,000.[4]

Chatham ended as a high school in May 1948 with 34 students, of which 8 were graduating seniors. Upon consolidation into Ball Chatham Community Unit School District 5 in 1948, students went to Ball Township High School.[4]

Glenwood

Originally located in Chatham, the school has moved twice. As the district outgrew the original school, Glenwood was moved eastward, where it was not confined by the residential boundaries of the older locations. In more recent years, however, that location likewise became too crowded. The school district put up a referendum and won funding, allowing it to move the high school again, to its current location at 1501 East Plummer Blvd. The new 27-million-dollar building was built to accommodate Glenwood's rapidly growing list of pupils.

Academic statistics

Glenwood High School (GHS), based on the 2008 PSAE scores, was ranked in the top 50 high schools in Illinois. All students in Illinois are required to take the SAT exam during their junior year in high school. The SAT examination is optional, and few students elect to take this test. In 2008, though, one GHS student scored 2350 and was a National Merit Scholar. Academic averages are:

ACT[5]

  • Composite: 22.2
  • English: 21.7
  • Math: 21.6
  • Reading: 22.9
  • Science: 22.2

PSAE Meets/Exceeds [6]

  • Reading: 63.3%[7]
  • Math: 60.7% [8]
  • Writing: 67.0%
  • Science: 63.5%
  • Social Studies: 63.4%

Sports

Glenwood participates in various Illinois High School Association (IHSA) sports, including: baseball (boys), basketball (boys' teams and girls' teams), competitive cheerleading (girls' teams and boys/girls team), competitive dance team (girls), cross country (boys/girls), football (boys), golf (boys' teams and girls' teams), soccer (boys' teams and girls' teams), softball (girls), swimming (boys' teams and girls' teams), tennis (boys' teams and girls' teams), track & field (boys' teams and girls' teams), volleyball (girls), wrestling (boys), Mock Trial, Show Choir, Speech, and Scholastic Bowl. The school also participates in ice hockey competition outside the IHSA.

The mascot of Glenwood High is the Titans. The previous mascot, the Redskins, was changed to the more culturally sensitive "Titans" by the school district in August 2001, upon the opening of the new high-school facility. This action upset some Chatham residents who had previously defeated several referendums seeking to change the Redskin mascot.

Television programming

Glenwood High School also offers news and sports coverage that goes under the name GCNN, which is short for Glenwood Cable News Network. This program was founded in 1984. Programs include the weekly sports show known as "The Rush" and daily news known as the "First Five". The network is also known for Live Sports, which include Football and Basketball.[9] In early 2014 GCNN Coordinator, Ryan Bandy, announced his resignation after the calendar school year. The long lasting program came to a close in 2016 after low attendance numbers and district wide budget cuts. The program has attempted to make a recovery thanks to some amazing students with the new name GNN, Glenwood News Network.

Demographics
  • Racial/Ethnic Background[10]
    • White: 79.5%
    • Black: 4.8%
    • Hispanic: 4.8%
    • Asian: 4.8%
    • Two or More Races: 6.1%
  • Other Data
    • Low Income: 17.7%
    • Limited English Proficiency: 1.1%
    • Dropout Rate: 1.0%
    • Chronic Absenteeism: 5.0%

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Search for Public Schools - Glenwood High School (170492000184)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  2. "Click here to access a PDF of the district's elementary school boundaries" (PDF). Ball Chatham Community Unit School District 5. 2011-05-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2014-11-09.
  3. "Ball Township High School "Redskins"". Illinois High School Glory Days. Chicago. Retrieved 2014-11-08.
  4. "Chatham High School". Illinois High School Glory Days. Chicago. Retrieved 2014-11-08.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-06-22. Retrieved 2007-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-06-22. Retrieved 2007-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-06-22. Retrieved 2007-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-06-22. Retrieved 2007-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. gcnn.net Archived June 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  10. "GLENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | Racial/Ethnic Diversity".
  11. "Jayson Werth 28 / RF". New York City: MLB Advanced Media, L.P. March 7, 2011. Retrieved 2014-11-09.
  12. McAndrew, Tara. "Josh Swickard, from Glenwood to 'General Hospital'". The State Journal Register. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
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