Naperville Central High School

In 2008, principal Jim Caudill plagiarized a speech he gave to graduating seniors.[11] The speech originally came from Megan Nowicki-Plackett, a teacher at the time who was formerly a student at the school.[12] Earlier in the year, Caudill had fired a newspaper adviser earlier over profanity, which began a free speech debate among the community.[12] The school district ultimately decided to remove Caudill from his principal position and reassign him to oversight of construction during renovations.[13] Caudill was replaced by Bill Wiesbrook the following year. Wiesbrook was hired in 1996 and previously had worked as a dean to students and assistant principal of operations.[14]

The Mummy at Naperville Central High School.

One of the most notable displays at the school is an Egyptian mummy, also known as "Butch".[15] It is stored in a glass case on the second floor of the school.[16]

The mummy was donated to the school in the 1940s by local doctor, who had purchased it in a curio shop.[16] The mummy was wrapped up and forgotten in an attic at the school until it was accidentally rediscovered by a teacher in 1975.[16] The mummy underwent restoration in the 1990s at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute.

In 2002, the National Geographic Channel visited the school and featured the school's mummy on an episode of its Mummy Roadshow television series. The mummy dates to approximately 55 BCE.[16]

Naperville Central competes in the DuPage Valley Conference (DVC), and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most interscholastic athletics and competitive activities in the state. Teams are stylized as the Redhawks.

The school sponsors the following interscholastic teams for young men and women: lacrosse, basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Young men may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may compete in badminton and softball. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the Athletic Department also oversees a competitive poms team for young ladies.[19]

Memorial Stadium: Neuqua Valley’s Football Field

The following teams have won their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet:[20]

• Baseball: 2005–06, 2009–10[21]
• Basketball (girls): 2002–03, 2003–04[22]
• Football: 1999–2000, 2013–14[23]
• Swimming & Diving (boys): 2001–02, 2009–10[24]
• Swimming & Diving (girls): 2004–05, 2005–06[25]
• Tennis (boys): 2016–2017[26]
• Tennis (girls): 1993–94[27]
• Volleyball (boys): 1997–98[28]
• Volleyball (girls): 2005–06, 2007–08[29]
• Water Polo (boys): State Champions 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018-19[30]

In 2010, the Redhawks achieved fame outside of the playing field, as the NCHS football team appeared in the country singer Kenny Chesney's music video, "The Boys of Fall".[31]

In 2021, the IHSA sanctioned the NCHS football team for violations of its transfer bylaws. The result of this sanction was the forfeiture of NCHS football games encompassing all wins in the 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, totaling 17 competitions where ineligible players participated. The School accepted full responsibility's for their actions, and implemented revised procedures. Along with the football team, the basketball team also had to forfeit 4 wins in the 2018–19 season due to at least one ineligible player.[32]

The NCHS Science Olympiad Team, founded in 2004, ranked third in the state in 2005 and 2006 and second in state in 2007 and 2008(thus advancing to the national tournament).[33] The Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Team won the State Championship in 2006, ending rival Naperville North's multiple-year winning streak.[34] In 2009, Central's WYSE team captured first place at the regional competition held at Naperville North. The Varsity Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) TEAMS's team placed first in the nation in 2006;[35] the JV JETS team placed second. In 2009, the Varsity JETS team took 1st place at the regional competition held at IIT (Wheaton Campus), while the JV team took 2nd.[36]

In 2006, four students from NCHS competed in the Toshiba/NSTA Exploravision Competition and were recognized as 2nd Place National Finalist Winners for their design of a Wireless Information Integration network.[37]

The NCHS chess team placed in 10th in 2010 and respectably in 2005 and 2006, and student Dafe Finster was the Individual State Champion in 2005.[38][39]

The Central Times (CT) student newspaper has won many national National Pacemaker Awards, the high-school journalism version of the Pulitzer Prize.[40][41][42] The CT also tied for first in the 2006 IHSA Journalism State competition as well as maintaining their title in 2010.[43] CT staff members have received national awards for their writing, as well as awards from Columbia University.[44][45]