William Fremd High School
| William Fremd High School | |
|---|---|
| File:FremdViking.png | |
| Location | |
 | |
1000 S. Quentin Rd. , Palatine | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1961 |
| Principal | Marina Scott |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,933 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Green, Gold |
| Mascot | Vikings |
| Newspaper | The Viking Logue |
| Yearbook | Valhallan |
| Website | www.fhs.d211.org |
William Fremd High School, or Fremd, 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 District 211, which also includes James B. Conant High School, Hoffman Estates High School, Palatine High School, and Schaumburg High School
History
Fremd opened in 1963 as Palatine High School South. The school was later named after William Fremd who had been a member of the high school board of education for over 30 years and had served on school boards in the area for a consecutive period of more than 45 years. The school was the second high school to be built in Palatine, Illinois after Palatine High School. Palatine South and then Fremd originally served as the school for all Palatine freshman and sophomores while Palatine High School was the school for juniors and seniors. This plan was only in effect for three years before Fremd was expanded to serve as a 4 year high school. In the fall of 1966 the first junior class entered, and they became the first Fremd graduating class in 1968. On October 19, 1974, district residents approved a $22 million referendum which included funds for the addition of an auditorium and pool to Fremd. In 2001, construction began to create a new science wing. The courtyard which stood in the center of the school was demolished. After two years of year round construction, the new science wing was built along with a heating and ventilation facility on the roof of the building.[1]
Today, Fremd is one of the largest high schools in Illinois with over 2800 students including 689 students in the 2004 graduating class and 727 students in 2006. However, the school is also noted for its high operating costs. The school has the highest average salary for teachers as of May 2005. Criticisms concerning its high spending include the purchasing of an electronic sign, a hall rug with an embroidered Viking logo, and unevenly distributed budgets among both academic departments and after school athletics and activities. Although most of this spending is attributed to the parental organization the Fremd Booster Club and not the school itself, the spending of both organizations have been called into question on occasion. For example, from 1999-2001 repairs of a leak in the roof of the newly furnished Kolze Auditorium were put off while the Booster Club focused on purchasing an electronic sign for approximately $50,000.[2][3] Recent attempts to curtail the spending were part of referendums that sought to cut after school activities and athletics. The controversial referendum led to an increase in assessed property tax rates within the school district.
Fremd has seen several construction projects in the last few years, such as new bleachers in the main gymnasium, new tiling and additional classrooms. Currently, the music department is undergoing major construction as part of a multimillion dollar project launched by the district. Changes will include a whole new rehearsal room, addition of bigger practice rooms with more advanced sound-proof walls as well as storage space.[1]
Academics
In 2005, Fremd had an average composite ACT score of 23.7, and graduated 99.9% of its senior class. The average class size is 24.7. Fremd has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act.[4]
Fremd is considered one of the best high schools in the state in terms of quality and standardized test scores. In 1987, Fremd was named among the top in the nation in the United States Department of Education's National Secondary School Recognition Program. Fremd High School has also been recognized by Newsweek as one of “America’s Best High Schools” and by U.S. News & World Report as one of 99 outstanding high schools in the United States.[citation needed] In 2006, Fremd was recognized as the 852nd best high school in the nation by Newsweek, with an average of 1.3 AP tests taken per graduating senior.[5]
Fremd had 37 Academic Scholars representing the highest grade point averages in the Class of 2004. Eight students were National Merit Finalists along with 135 Illinois State Scholars in that same year. The graduates of the Class of 2004 received nearly $3.35 million in collegiate scholarship awards.
Athletics
Fremd competes in the Mid-Suburban League West Conference and Illinois High School Association. Its mascot is the Viking.
The school has 28 athletic activities distributed evenly between males and females to comply with Title IX. Fremd is one of the few public high schools in Illinois to offer Lacrosse and Volleyball to both genders. Their football team (coached by Mike Donatucci) of late has performed well, making the playoffs every season for over a decade and dominating the MSL West Conference by tying for or outright winning the conference title for at least the past 4 years. Fremd's (mainly football) fans have been known to be the rowdiest in the Northwest Suburbs recently having Blackouts and Whiteouts to intimidate their opponents. Their basketball program currently coached by Bob Widlowski has excelled in recent years but has always seemed to take a back seat to football. While Palatine High School, just a few miles away, would seem a logical choice for Fremd's biggest rival, many students, especially the football team, consider Barrington High School to be their biggest competitor.
Activities
Each year, William Fremd High School hosts Writer's Week, which has brought more than 100 writers to the Fremd campus since 1995 to share their work and philosophy on the writing process. Distinguished guest presenters have included Billy Collins, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman; journalists Rick Bragg, Dana Kozlov, Burt Constable, and Eric Zorn; novelists Jane Hamilton, Raymond Benson, Rosellen Brown, Harry Mark Petrakis, and Frederik Pohl; poets Nikki Giovanni and Naomi Shihab Nye; and sportswriters Dan Roan and Mike Imrem. Presenters also include selected Fremd students and faculty. English teachers Gary Anderson and Tony Romano are the lead organizers of Writer's Week.
The school also has many after school clubs some are: The school's monthly newspaper the Viking Logue. Poms and Vikettes(flags) which are both state qualifying teams in both JV and varsity levels last year. Band, which attends many football and basketball games. Service Over Self (SOS). many choirs. and so many more
Notable alumni
- Todd Hundley, Major League Baseball catcher who briefly held the single-season home run record for catchers.
- Mallory Snyder, from the The Real World 13, actress/model.
- Leslie Erganian, artist and television correspondent for the Hallmark Channel.
- Rob Lorenz, movie producer and Academy Awards nominee.
- Dana Kozlov, a general assignment reporter for CBS 2 Chicago[6]
- Jim Schwantz, National Football League linebacker who made it to the Pro Bowl with the 1996 Dallas Cowboys.
- Terrence Coli, writer for the popular drama One Tree Hill
- Jim Degorski is awaiting trial for the infamous Brown's Chicken massacre. His alleged partner, Juan Luna, was sentenced on May 17, 2007, to life in prison without the hope of parole.
- Kris Myers, drummer for the American rock/jam band Umphrey's McGee.
References
- ^ History of Township High School District 211 on the District 211 Website
- ^ Forget the new marquee. The Viking Logue. Volume 34, Number 8, 3 March 2000
- ^ Booster Club funds new sign. The Viking Logue. Volume 34, Number 11, 26 May 2000
- ^ Illinois School Report Card
- ^ Newsweek's Top 1,000 High Schools
- ^ Dana Kozlov Biography