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Glenbrook North High School

Coordinates: 42°06′41″N 87°50′03″W / 42.11133°N 87.83422°W / 42.11133; -87.83422
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Glenbrook North High School
Address
Map
2300 Shermer Road

,
60062

United States
Coordinates42°06′41″N 87°50′03″W / 42.11133°N 87.83422°W / 42.11133; -87.83422
Information
Other nameGBN
Former nameGlenbrook High School
TypePublic high school
Established1953 (1953)
School districtNorthfield Township High School District 225
SuperintendentDr. Charles Johns
NCES School ID172901003042[1]
PrincipalJason Markey[2]
Teaching staff160.15 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,040 (2019-2020)[1]
Student to teacher ratio12.74[1]
Color(s)Forest Green and Yellow Gold   [3]
Athletics conferenceCentral Suburban League
MascotSparty Jones[4]
NicknameSpartans[5]
PublicationEuphonium[6]
NewspaperTorch[6]
YearbookLaconian[6]
Websitegbn.glenbrook225.org

Glenbrook North High School (also known as GBN and formerly as Glenbrook High School) is a public high school in Northbrook, Illinois, United States. It was established in 1953 and is part of the Northfield Township High School District 225.

In 2018, it was ranked the 48th-best public high school in the United States by Niche.

History

Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook

Glenbrook North High School opened its doors in the fall of 1953 as Glenbrook High School, and was renamed Glenbrook North in 1962 after the opening of Glenbrook South High School.[7]

Glenbrook North has grown fourfold in the size of its student body since its founding. In 1979, the school opened the Sheely Center for the Performing Arts,[7] and in 1990, a fieldhouse was dedicated. In the spring of 1996, a three-year renovation and construction project involving the science facilities and the "A" wing was built. A second swimming pool was built in 2000 to accommodate the burgeoning growth in aquatics. A successful referendum in 2006 enabled the creation of the two-story classroom "F" wing, state of the art Fitness Center, complete renovation and additions to the Music Area, and a sun-filled main entrance, which were completed in 2009.[8]

Throughout the years, Glenbrook North High School has received state and national recognition for its academic excellence. In the late 1950s, when Glenbrook was less than 10 years old, it was named one of the top 44 high schools in the country by a survey in a national magazine. In 1984, GBN was named one of only four high schools in the state of Illinois to receive the United States Office of Education Excellence in Education Award from President Ronald Reagan. In 2008, GBN was selected again for the nation's top distinction as a Blue Ribbon School.[9]

John Hughes films

John Hughes was an alumnus who used the school in his films. The two best-known movies filmed at this high school were The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.[10] Hughes' 1985 film The Breakfast Club featured a group of kids from "Shermer, Illinois 60062." Shermerville was the original name of the town of Northbrook, where GBN is located, and 60062 is the town's zip code. The movie features the clash between what was known during the 1980s as the 'sporto' versus 'freak' cultures at GBN. Some interior scenes of The Breakfast Club were filmed inside Glenbrook North, and exterior shots of GBN were used in both The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.[10]

President Clinton visit

On January 22, 1997, President Bill Clinton visited the school to deliver a speech about education initiatives.[11] It was held in the school's fieldhouse and largely centered around mathematics and science. At the time, students in Northern Illinois were participating in a program called "First in the World." The program was to judge the level of knowledge in math and science against other schools around the world. Northern Illinois students scored 1st in the Science category and 3rd in the Mathematics category. Remarking about Glenbrook High School District 225, President Clinton said:

Can you imagine a school district or a set of school districts with more genuine local control than this one, with—more than these— more parental involvement, more committed teachers, more—you know, you've got local control. But you didn't use it as an excuse not to throw your hat in the ring. I think it's great that it came out this way. But if you had finished eighth and ninth, I would still be here to pat you on the back because you had the guts to do it.[12]

Less than a month later, Bill Clinton referenced his visit to the school and these achievements in his 1997 State of the Union on February 4, 1997.[13]

Anti Mask Protest Incident

In the week of February 6th, 2022 students organized an anti-mask protest called "Mask Off at GBN" in opposition to the mask mandate imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. On Friday, February 11th, 2022, a group of parents protested outside the school at the beginning of the day. Later, led by student Peter Christos, students entered the cafeteria, maskless, shortly before the first period. Christos stood on top of the lunch table giving a rousing speech against mask mandates. This was met by much applause and support from fellow students. [14]

Student hazing incident

In May 2003, the school gained notoriety after an off-campus, non-school-sanctioned event involving students dressed in school colors turned into a major hazing incident that attracted national media attention. The event was a "Powder Puff" girls' football game between members of the junior and senior classes. The "game" took place on May 4, 2003, in Chipilly Woods, part of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. Although the annual Powder Puff game had been held at the school's football stadium in earlier decades, there was no football at the 2003 event. During the event, about 20 junior class participants were covered in paint, urine, feces, and animal guts. Some were shot with paintball guns, others were kicked and beaten. At least five participants sustained injuries requiring medical attention.[15]

Thirty-one students – twenty-eight females and three males – were suspended from school for 10 days. They were later expelled.[16] Some of the expelled students and their parents filed a lawsuit to allow the expelled students to graduate.[17] The plaintiffs and the school district reached an agreement where the expelled students would have their diplomas mailed to them but would not be able to participate in graduation ceremonies.[18] Local law enforcement authorities investigated the hazing incident and filed charges against 15 students for assault and battery.[19][20] Two mothers were charged with providing alcohol for the event. All were convicted and the sentences received were light, ranging from probation to community service.[21]

A community-wide task force was established by the Northbrook Police Department Community Services Division after the hazing incident.[22] Their final report stressed the needs for recognizing and preventing hazing incidents.

Academics

The academic school year consists of 37 weeks divided into two semesters. It has a block schedule with classes meeting on alternating days and each school day consists of four blocks of 90 minutes each. The summer school program at Glenbrook North is six weeks in length.

In 2017, the school graduated 98.4% of its senior class, which had an average composite ACT score of 27.1, and 89.5% enrolled in college.[23] The 2017 class included 21 National Merit Semifinalists. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11.54 to 1.[24]

In 2018, it was ranked the 48th best public high school in the United States by Niche.[25] In 2016, it was ranked 23rd on the public high schools with the best teachers in America by Business Insider.[26]

Debate

The school's debate team was ranked the top debate school of the 20th century based on performance in the National Speech and Debate Association.[27] The school has won numerous state and national championships in Policy Debate, as well as state championships in Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum Debate. It is the only high school debate program in the country to have ever won the debate's "Triple Crown," sweeping the National Speech and Debate Association Tournament, the Tournament of Champions, and the Grand National Speech and Debate Tournament in 2004.[28]

Since 1974, it has won at least one national championship in debate in fourteen individual years. It has also won an Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state championship in 18 of the 35 years since 1982, and has placed as runner up in three of those years.[29]

Athletics

The school is a member of the Central Suburban League and the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). William Lutz Stadium, which is the home of the Glenbrook North's football, lacrosse, track and field and soccer teams, is named in honor of William Lutz, the school's first athletic director.

The school sponsors interscholastic teams for boys and girls in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and diving, lacrosse, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo. Boys may also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Girls may compete in badminton, cheerleading, and softball.[30]

In 2005, the school became the first large-enrollment high school in Illinois to have won a state championship in each of football, basketball and baseball.[31] The following GBN teams have won IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments in the listed years:[32]

  • Baseball (2): 1966, 1974
  • Basketball (boys) (1): 2005
  • Football (1): 1974
  • Golf (boys) (1): 2021
  • Hockey (5): 1984, 1985, 2007, 2008, 2015
  • Soccer (boys) (1): 1983
  • Swimming and diving (girls) (1): 1978
  • Tennis (boys) (3): 1981, 1999, 2006
  • Volleyball (boys) (2): 1993, 2021

Basketball

On December 28, 2005, the school's basketball program gained national media attention[33] when Jon Scheyer scored 21 points in the final 75 seconds of a comeback attempt against Proviso West. Scheyer fell one point short of the Glenbrook North basketball record for most points in a game, scoring 52 points.

Hockey

Glenbrook North Hockey,[34] a club team, won back-to-back state titles in 1984 and 1985, becoming the first varsity hockey team in Illinois to do so, and repeating the feat in 2007 and 2008. In 2011, 2013, and 2014, the team returned to the title game but lost to the New Trier Trevians. In 2015, it defeated Benet Academy in the state title game in overtime, 3–2. The Spartans hockey program has won five Illinois state championships.[35]

Notable alumni

Benjamin Agosto
Jason Kipnis
Jon Scheyer

Notable faculty

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - Glenbrook North High School (172901003042)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  2. ^ "Glenbrook North Administrative directory; accessed May 8, 2009". Gbn.glenbrook.k12.il.us. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  3. ^ "GBNHS Athletic Dept; accessed May 8, 2009". Gbn.glenbrook.k12.il.us. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  4. ^ "GBNHS mascot; accessed May 8, 2009". Gbn.glenbrook.k12.il.us. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  5. ^ "School info for Glenbrook North HS; ihsa.org; accessed May 8, 2009". Ihsa.org. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "literary clubs for Glenbrook North HS; ihsa.org; accessed May 8, 2009". Gbn.glenbrook.k12.il.us. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Village History". Northbrook Historical Society & Museum.
  8. ^ "Nicholas & Associates, Inc. - Project Detail Print". www.nicholasquality.com.
  9. ^ "GBN Handbook; accessed January 20, 2018" (PDF). gbn.glenbrook225.org. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Glenbrook High School (Ferris Bueller Filming Location)". Roadtrippers.
  11. ^ "Education Initiatives, Jan 22 1997 - Video - C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org.
  12. ^ "Remarks at Stanley Field Middle School in Northbrook, Illinois | the American Presidency Project".
  13. ^ "State of the Union Address - February 4, 1997". clintonwhitehouse2.archives.gov.
  14. ^ Citation Needed
  15. ^ "Initiation turned hazing investigated May 7, 2003 @cnn.com". Cnn.com. May 7, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  16. ^ "Principal: School will seek expulsions for hazing May 14, 2003 @cnn.com". Cnn.com. May 14, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  17. ^ "Suspended Senior Files Suit Against GBNHS May 13, 2003 @nbc5.com". Nbc5.com. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  18. ^ Black, Lisa & Flynn, Courtney; Former students link teachers to hazings; Grease supplied, court papers say; June 5, 2003; p. 6; Chicago Tribune; accessed May 8, 2009
  19. ^ Rome Neal (May 16, 2003). "15 Face Charges In Hazing Incident May 16, 2003 @cbsnews.com". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  20. ^ Wilgoren, Jodi (May 17, 2003). "Misdemeanor Charges Filed in Teenage Hazing Incident May 17, 2003 @nytimes.com". New York Times. Glenbrook (Ill); Cook County (Ill). Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  21. ^ Northbrook teen guilty in hazing; September 25, 2003; p. 6; Chicago Tribune; accessed May 8, 2009
  22. ^ Flynn, Courtney (May 29, 2003). "District open to idea of hazing task force". Chicago Tribune. p. 1. ProQuest 419781409.
  23. ^ "Class of 2017 Illinois School Report Card; accessed January 20, 2018" (PDF). gbn.glenbrook225.org. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  24. ^ "GBNHS Offices; accessed January 20, 2018". gbn.glenbrook225.org. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  25. ^ "2019 Glenbrook North High School Rankings". Niche.
  26. ^ Martin, Emmie. "The 25 public high schools with the best teachers in America". Business Insider.
  27. ^ Copeland, James M. (March 27, 2000). "Top Ten Debate Schools of the Century" (PDF). NFL Rostrum.
  28. ^ Cohen, Jodi S (June 20, 2004). "No debate: Glenbrook North rules". Chicago Tribune.
  29. ^ "GBN Debate - State Success". sites.google.com.
  30. ^ "GBNHS sports teams; accessed May 8, 2009". Gbn.glenbrook.k12.il.us. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Kaye, Dan (November 14, 2007). "First things first for the Spartans". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  32. ^ "IHSA season summaries for GBNHS; accessed May 8, 2009". Ihsa.org. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  33. ^ "Scheyer fueling another Duke run". ESPN.com. 5 January 2010.
  34. ^ "Home". Glenbrook North Spartans Hockey.
  35. ^ "Hockey". Chicago Tribune. March 24, 2013.
  36. ^ "'30 Rock' actor is Glenbrook North grad". Chicago.blockshopper.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  37. ^ Hersh, Philip (December 23, 2000). "They're back: Chinese skaters getting firmer hold on the ice". Chicago Tribune. p. Sports, 6.
  38. ^ "The secret of 'NCIS'? Northbrook, for starters". Chicago Tribune. December 7, 2010.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Great Alumni of GBNHS; accessed May 8, 2009".
  40. ^ "An Editorial on Illinois High School Hockey". 25 March 2013.
  41. ^ Sadin, Steve. "Years before John Cynn won $8.8M in the World Series of Poker, he was a Glenbrook North student playing for fun". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
  42. ^ a b c d e "Rhythmic Gymnastics Team from the North Shore Among Illinois Olympians Headed to Rio". Highland Park, IL Patch. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  43. ^ "Ken Goldstein". www.wizardworld.com.
  44. ^ "BaseballAmerica.com: Prospects: Rankings: Top 100 Prospects: 2011 Top 100 Prospects: 41-60".
  45. ^ Pouliot, Matthew (21 July 2011). "Indians call up top prospect Jason Kipnis".
  46. ^ Laconian. Vol. 27. Glenbrook North High School. 1980. p. 184.
  47. ^ "KAlumni Spotlight: Beth Moses – Commercial Astronaut". Glenbrook Foundation.
  48. ^ Strauss, Ben (24 March 2012). "Experience in Israel Fuels Scheyer's N.B.A. Hopes". The New York Times.
  49. ^ "NBA.com Brian James". www.nba.com.
  50. ^ "Directory of athletic coaches for GBNHS; accessed May 9, 2009".