Victor J. Andrew High School
| Victor J. Andrew High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
|
9001 W. 171st Street Tinley Park, Illinois 60487 United States | |
| Coordinates | 41°34′39″N 87°50′21″W / 41.5775°N 87.8391°W |
| Information | |
| School type | public secondary |
| Opened | 1977 |
| School district | Consolidated H.S. 230 |
| Superintendent | Dr. James Gay[1] |
| CEEB code | 144117[2] |
| Principal | Robert Nolting[3] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | coed |
| Enrollment | 2,150 |
| Average class size | 23.5[4] |
| Area | South Suburbs |
| Campus type | suburban |
| Color(s) |
black gold[5] |
| Athletics conference | South Suburban |
| Team name | Thunderbolts[5] |
| Average ACT scores | 24.8[4] |
| Publication | Illusions[6] |
| Newspaper | The Circuit[6] |
| Website | http://andrew.d230.org/ |
Victor J. Andrew High School, Andrew, or VJA, is a public four-year high school located in Tinley Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the third school to become part of Consolidated High School District 230, which also includes Amos Alonzo Stagg High School and Carl Sandburg High School.
Academics
In 2008, Andrew had an average composite ACT score of 22.8 and graduated 96.3% of its senior class.[4] The average class size is 23.5. Andrew has not made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, the test used in Illinois to fulfill mandates in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[4]
Student life
Athletics
Andrew competes in the Southwest Suburban Conference (SWSC), and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most sports and competitive activities in the state. The school's teams are stylized as the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolt name and logo was based on the "Flash" trademark of the Andrew Corporation.
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo.[7] Young men may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may compete in badminton, cheerleading, and softball.[7]
The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:[8]
- Badminton: 4th place (1987–88, 90–91, 94–95, 2007–08, 08–09); 3rd place (1988–89, 91–92, 98–99, 2003–04, 05–06); 2nd place (1992–93, 2002–03, 06–07); State Champions (1982–83, 93–94, 99–2000, 00–01, 01–02, 04–05)
- Baseball: 3rd place (1998–99, 2001–02); 2nd place (1997–98); State Champions (1991–92)
- Bowling (Boys): State Champions (2005, 2006, 2012) and State Runner-Up (2014)
- Bowling (Girls): State Champions (2012)
- Football: Semifinals (1991–92)(1997)
- Volleyball (Girls): 2nd place (1989–90)
The 14 top three finishes by the Andrew badminton team, and their six state championships are both the second highest totals in state history.[9]
Activities
The marching band is a nationally recognized field show marching band.
The first director of the Victor J. Andrew High School Marching band was Patrick Culler in 1977. During Culler's tenure, he wanted his band to strive for excellence and the current principal wanted the band to start competing. Thus, the band started competing in 1979. Later in 1982, Dan Romano inherited the band program including the marching band and all concert bands; he directed the program until 2010.
In the 1980s the band didn't have much money and didn’t excel in competition. So Dan Romano tried to give the band a base to build on. Romano tried a different approach and after many years the band started to succeed in competition. Another thing he told the band was to "keep their feet together, shoulders back, chins up and to keep their eyes with pride."
In 1999 the Victor J. Andrew High School Marching Band started going to band camp at Pilgrim Park,[10] a church camp located in Princeton, Illinois (Near Peoria, Illinois). Since then the band annually goes to Pilgrim Park to prepare for the upcoming season. While they’re there they learn marching drill, visuals, marching techniques and keep trying to improve their music. The Victor J. Andrew High School Marching Band has attended many Bands Of America competitions. During their fall season they have traveled out of state to Cincinnati, Ohio, Centerville, Ohio, Pontiac, Michigan, St. Louis and Indianapolis, Indiana. They also attend many competitions in state. These have included Illinois State University Marching Band Invitational, Lake Park Joust, Amos Alonzo Stagg Band Jamboree, Lincoln Way East Marching Band Invitational, Mount Prospect Marching Knights. Knight of Champions Marching Band Competition, and Wheeling Marching Band Competition.[11] Every year starting in 2010 (every other year from 1994 to 2008) the band competes in BOA Grand National Championships, held in the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. During their spring season they have traveled to California, Nashville, and Orlando, Florida. While in Orlando, the band usually competes in parades and concert performances. The band travels to Orlando every three years. The band has also performed in the 6abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade and in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In 2009 Dan Romano directed his last show, called Reflections. He retired later that year and is now going back to school. The current band director is Mark Iwinski, who marched in the band while he was in high school.
The district also has a Relay For Life event that donates money towards the American Cancer Society. In 2010, the Relay For Life of District 230 raised nearly $400,000. This placed them first in the state of youth events and boosted the event to the second-largest youth event in the country. This 2nd in the nation was behind one large university, Virginia Tech. The relay has been going on for the past 13 years and was the first event of its kind in the country.[12]
Notable alumni
- Keith Edmier is an artist.[13]
- Armando Estrada (Hazem Ali) is a professional wrestler working for World Wrestling Entertainment.[13][14]
- Gina Glocksen is a singer and 9th place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol.[13]
- Garrett Jones is a Major League Baseball player, currently playing for the New York Yankees.[13][15]
- Christine Magnuson is a competitive swimmer, specializing in the butterfly stroke. She won 2 silver medals in swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[13][16][17]
- Kevin Sefcik is a former Major League baseball player (1995–2001), playing most of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies.[13][16]
- Ken Rutkowski is the host of Business Rockstars, an entrepreneurial business show based in Los Angeles, California.
References
- ↑ "Administration". directory. Consolidated High School District 230. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ↑ "High School Code Search". College Board. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ↑ "Administrative Staff". directory. Victor J. Andrew High School. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 "2008 Illinois School Reeport Card for Victor J. Andrew HS" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- 1 2 "Tinley Park (Andrew)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 October 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- 1 2 "Clubs & Activities". directory. Amos Victor J. Andrew High School. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- 1 2 "Athletic Department". Victor J. Andrew High School. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ↑ "IHSA season summaries". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 6 October 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ↑ "Table of Titles: Badminton". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 6 October 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ↑ "About Pilgrim Park". Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ↑ http://www.ilmarching.com
- ↑ http://www.relayforlifeorlandyouth.com
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Meyer-Abbott, Ben (1 December 2009). "Andrew". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ↑ Virtusio, Jessi (9 June 2009). "Pro Wrestling Extra: A conversation with Armando Estrada". Southtown Star. Tinley Park, IL, USA: Sun-Times News Group. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
... those in the Southland, know Estrada as Haz Ali -- a 16-year resident of Tinley Park, a man with many family members in the region, and a graduate of Tinley Park's Andrew High School.
- ↑ Ginnetti, Toni (30 September 2009). "Andrew grad Garrett Jones sees homecoming as a Pirate". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- 1 2 Schorsch, Kristen (31 March 2009). "District 230 to honor Christine Magnuson, other alumni Friday". Southtown Star. Tinley Park, IL, USA. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
Kevin Sefcik - Former Major League Baseball Player - Andrew High School Class of 1989 ... Christine Magnuson - Two-time Silver Medalist U.S. Olympic Swimmer - Andrew High School Class of 2004
- ↑ "Christine Magnuson". biographical sketch. University of Tennessee Athletic Department. Retrieved 29 October 2009.