Wheaton Warrenville South High School
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Wheaton Warrenville South High School (WWSHS), locally referred to as "South", is a public four-year
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
in
Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Milton and Winfield Townships, approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, Wheaton's population was 53,970, making it the 27th-mos ...
. It is one of two high schools part of Community Unit School District 200, the other being
Wheaton North High School Wheaton North High School (WNHS), locally referred to as "North" is a public four-year high school in Wheaton, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. It is one of two high schools that are part of Community Unit School District 200, the other be ...
. The school has had a long history, during which it has had three names, and is considered the successor to a school with a similar name. The school is known for its academic and athletic accomplishments, its alumni include astronomer
Edwin Hubble Edwin Powell Hubble (November 20, 1889 – September 28, 1953) was an American astronomer. He played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology. Hubble proved that many objects previously ...
, comedian
John Belushi John Adam Belushi ( ; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, singer and musician. He was one of seven ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members of the first season. He was arguably the most popular member of the ''Satur ...
and actor
Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in fi ...
.


History

The history of Wheaton Warrenville High School can be traced back to the original high school in Wheaton, ''Wheaton High School'', which opened in 1876. In 1925, the school was relocated to a new building which would eventually become
Hubble Middle School Warrenville is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,195 at the 2024 special census. Warrenville is a far west suburb of Chicago on the DuPage River. It is part of the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor, a ...
, and changed its name to ''Wheaton Community High School''. In October 1946, the school's cafeteria was largely destroyed by a fire that was blamed on a recently installed
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or payment is otherwise m ...
. In 1964, with the completion of its sister school, Wheaton North, the school was again renamed, ''Wheaton Central High School''. By 1967, overcrowding became an issue at Wheaton Central. In late 1967, the school board proposed a redistricting move that would send all Warrenville students to the newer Wheaton North building. In January 1968, the board approved bussing underclass students in Warrenville to Wheaton North, and allowing upperclassmen the choice of either school. The current building that houses Wheaton Warrenville South was opened in 1973, and operated as Wheaton-Warrenville High School from 1973 to 1983. By 1982, it was clear that the high school population in the district was shrinking, and there would be a need to close either the older, tradition rich Wheaton Central, or the newer, but smaller Wheaton-Warrenville. In June 1982, the school board voted 6–1 to close Wheaton-Warrenville High School, effective at the end of the 1982–83 school year. In response, there was a request for a mass transfer of all students from Wheaton-Warrenville High to either of the two other schools, and forcing more changes at the other schools. When the request for the mass transfer was not granted by the board, a group of Warrenville parents began threatening to secede from the district. In January 1983, the parent group presented a petition signed by over 75% of the registered voters of Warrenville to approve detaching from the district. The movement to split from the district eventually moved to the courts. Without even hearing the school board's argument, the judge ruled against the parents group. The issue finally came to an end when the DuPage Valley Regional Board of School Trustees voted 5–2 to reject the secession bid. In 1983, the original Wheaton-Warrenville High School became Wheaton Warrenville Middle School, reflecting a shrinking high school population and an increasing population of younger students. In 1988, with Wheaton Central aging, the board moved to renovate Wheaton Warrenville Middle School in preparation for opening it again as a high school, when Wheaton Central would need to eventually be closed. In October 1989, the school board formally proposed moving high school students from Wheaton Central back to Wheaton-Warrenville Middle School, and converting the older Wheaton Central building to a middle school. On May 9, 1990, the board officially voted to make the change, ending a situation that had again "divided residents". Even after the decision was made, there was debate over the naming of the school. In 1992, with an increase in the district's high school population, there was a need to move the high school population from the older 1925 building to the newer, larger 1973 building. The 1925 building became Hubble Middle School, and upon moving, Wheaton Central High School became ''Wheaton Warrenville South High School''. Thus, the original Wheaton-Warrenville High School is considered the forerunner of the current Wheaton Warrenville South High School (not the same school). This can be seen in the evolution of the school seal which came from WCHS. The school colors, mascot, and nickname are continuations of Wheaton Central. It is proper to write the name of the earlier school as ''Wheaton-Warrenville High School'', with a hyphen. When the school was renamed, the hyphen was dropped to symbolize a lack of division. The hyphen in the original name implied a separation between the two communities, and also suggested that the school was not fully a part of either community, and instead existed as a separate entity between them. By removing the hyphen, the school is effectively signaling that it is no longer separating the two communities, and instead is fully a part of both. The new name, Wheaton Warrenville South High School, does not emphasize the separation between Wheaton and Warrenville, but instead the coming together of the two communities. In this way, the removal of the hyphen can be seen as a symbol of unity and a lack of division between the two communities. It may be used to represent the school's desire to bring the community together, to bridge the gap and make a stronger connection. It may also reflect the school's efforts to create an inclusive and harmonious environment for all students and staff, regardless of their background. The 1925 building housing Hubble Middle School was closed at the end of the 2008–09 school year. A new Hubble Middle School was constructed, and the site has been demolished and turned into a supermarket called Mariano's.


Architecture

The building comprises five major pods: ''Grange'', completed in 2005, and ''Tradition'', ''Scholarship'', ''Commitment'', and ''Integrity'', which are taken from the school seal. In 1999, the Integrity wing was built in the southeast corner of the school to house the math department. It includes eleven new classrooms, a math lab, and a math office. In 2002, The Tradition and Commitment pods, primarily housing the English and Science departments, respectively, underwent significant renovations with reconstruction of all second floor classrooms. More than $100,000 worth of technology was also upgraded in 2002, with all classrooms receiving at least one new
Dell Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), Server (computing), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcam ...
XP computer connecting to a new
broadband internet access In telecommunications, broadband or high speed is the wide- bandwidth data transmission that exploits signals at a wide spread of frequencies or several different simultaneous frequencies, and is used in fast Internet access. The transmission m ...
connection,
cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
TV, accompanying DVD/ VCR combo player. The computer labs were also updated and several carts of
wireless internet Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information (''telecommunication'') between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided mediu ...
laptops were added. Wheaton Warrenville South installed
solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...
s on the roof of the school as an
alternative energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...
source as part of a 2004 partnership with
British Petroleum BP p.l.c. (formerly The British Petroleum Company p.l.c. and BP Amoco p.l.c.; stylised in all lowercase) is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. It is one of the oil and gas " supermajors" and one of ...
. BP's North American Chemical headquarters is located approximately two miles south of the school in
Naperville Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located west of the city on the DuPage River. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,540, making it the state's ...
. The remaining energy comes from
Commonwealth Edison Commonwealth Edison, commonly known by syllabic abbreviation as ComEd, is the largest electric utility in Illinois, and the primary electric provider in Chicago and much of Northern Illinois. Its service territory stretches roughly from Iroquoi ...
, which primarily produces energy from
nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...
and
fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geolog ...
sources. On April 1, 2003, residents of Community Unit School District 200 approved, by a vote of 10,173 to 6,518, a $72 million bond referendum to add about of space and renovate both Wheaton Warrenville South, and its counterpart, Wheaton North. The first phase of construction began in August 2003 and was completed in March 2005 and included 21 new classrooms with two resource centers to house the English and Foreign Language departments, two art rooms, a band room, an orchestra room, a choral room, and nine sound-proof practice rooms. In addition, the central office area was reconverted for the counseling center and the health office, while all other administrative offices were moved to the front of the building. A new commons area was constructed and the
cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...
underwent significant renovations. The second phase began in spring 2005 and was completed by May 2006 and consisted primarily of renovations to the athletics wing and the construction of the field house. The library has undergone significant renovations during summer of 2006.


Academics

According to the 2017–18 Illinois Report Card, Wheaton Warrenville South has a 95% graduation rate; 85% of graduates enroll in a two-year or four-year college within 12 months of graduation. Wheaton Warrenville South has earned an "A+" Rating for Academics according to Niche independent ratings. Wheaton Warrenville South was #21 (IL) on ''U.S. News & World Report'' 2018 Best High Schools list. All academic classes at South are divided into two difficulty levels: Intermediate (I level) and Advanced (A level)/AP. The school has a weighted GPA system in which there is a 4.0 scale for I-level classes and a 5.0 scale for A and AP-level classes. The school offers 17 Advanced Placement Courses; 31% of students are enrolled in AP classes. In 2018, Community Unit School District 200 was one of 447 school districts in the U.S. and Canada honored by the College Board with placement on the Annual AP District Honor Roll. In 2018, Money Magazine rated the community as #27 on their National "Best Places To Live 2018" ranking 1 in Illinois citing "The school district in town consistently ranks among the best in the state—one reason Wheaton has made repeat appearances on Money's Best Places to Live rankings over the years."


Student life


Athletics

WWSHS competes in the DuKane Conference as of the 2018–2019 school year. Wheaton Warrenville South is also a member of the
Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National F ...
(IHSA), which oversees most sports and competitive activities in the state. The school sponsors interscholastic athletic teams for young men and women in: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, swimming &
diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...
, tennis,
track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...
, and volleyball. Young men may also compete in baseball,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
, volleyball, and
wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
, while young women may compete in badminton,
cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...
, and
softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors an teams for
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
and dance. The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournament or meet: * Badminton: 4th place (1992–93, 2000–01) * Basketball (boys): 4th place (1980–81) * Basketball (girls): 2nd place (1984–85) * Cross Country (boys): 3rd place (2017–2018); 2nd Place (2019–2020); State Champions (2018–2019) * Cross Country (girls): 3rd place (1991–92, 2009–10, 2010–11); 2nd place (2011–12) * Football: semifinalists (1989–90, 2004–05, 2005–06); 2nd place (1990–91, 1991–92, 2007–08, 2011–12); State Champions (1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11) * Golf (boys): 3rd place (1997–98) * Golf (girls): State Champions (2016–17) * Gymnastics (boys): 5th place (2005–06) 4th place (2008–09) 3rd place (2003–04) 2nd Place (2010–11, 2014–15) State Champions (2004–05, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14) * Gymnastics (girls): 4th place (1997–98) * Soccer (boys): 3rd place (2003–04); 2nd place (1974–75, 1976–77, 1983–84) * Soccer (girls): 3rd place (2002–03); 2nd place (2001–02) * Track & Field (boys): 4th place (1905–06, 1920–21, 1997–98, 2003–04); 3rd place (2002–03); 2nd place (1929–30, 1994–95); State Champions (1995–96, 1998–99) * Volleyball (boys): 2nd place (2010); State Champions (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012); 2012 ESPN National Champions * Volleyball (girls): 2nd place (2019–20); 4th place (2002–03) * Wrestling: 2nd place (1965–66) * Lacrosse: 4th place (2011–2012) * Hockey: 2nd place (2011–2012) As of the end of the 2011–12 season, the seven state titles for WWS in boys volleyball is a state record. As of the end of the 2010–11 season, the seven state titles in football is the fifth highest total in state history, and the highest among public schools.


Activities

There are over 30 student activities ranging from athletic and artistic to social awareness and academic interests; and entire list of which can be seen her

Among those which are affiliates or chapters of nationally recognized groups are:
Key Club Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. Key Club International is the high school branch of the Kiwanis International family, classified as a Service Leadership Program ...
,
National Art Honor Society The National Art Honor Society (NAHS) is an American honor society for high school students. It was established in 1978 by the National Art Education Association (NAEA) to recognize outstanding accomplishments in the visual arts by students in grad ...
, and
National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...
. There are typically four different student theatrical productions each year: a novice production in the early autumn, a play in late autumn, a variety show in early spring, and a musical in the last month before the end of the school year. The school also sponsors a number of music groups including a jazz ensemble, pep band, and
marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...
. In addition to a general
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
, there are two
show choir A show choir (previously known as a "swing choir") is a Ensemble (musical theatre), musical ensemble that combines choral singing with choreographed dance, often integrated into a narrative story or overarching theme. Origin Show choirs have been ...
s (''The Classics'' and ''Esprit''). The Classics (mixed gender) won the FAME National Championship in 2011 and again in 2012. The Esprit team (unisex) is affiliated with the school and became school sponsored as of the 2017–18 season. In the 2022–23 school year, the school's fledgling
esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
team had a successful season, winning first and second place in th
Illinois High School Esports Association's
individual
Fortnite ''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...
season. The following competitive activities have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet: *
Marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...
: State Champions (1998–99), (1999–2000), (2003–04), (2004–05) 2nd Place (2005–06) *
Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
: 3rd place (2001–02, 2002–03) *
Speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
: State Champions (1940–41, 2013–14) * Drama: 4th place (1981–82, 1989–90); 3rd place (1974–75, 1984–85); 2nd place (1982–83) * Group Interpretation: State Champions (1981–82) *
Individual Events Individual events in speech include public speaking, limited preparation, acting and interpretation are a part of forensics competitions. These events do not include the several different forms of debate offered by many tournaments. These events ...
(Speech): 4th place (1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 2002–03, 2006–07); 3rd place (1995–96, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2010–11); 2nd place (1969–70, 1976–77, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2014–15 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19); State Champions (1968–69, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1989–90, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2013–14, 2020–2021, 2022–23) *
Scholastic Bowl Quiz bowl (quizbowl, scholars' bowl, scholastic bowl, academic bowl, academic team, academic challenge, etc.) is a family of quiz-based competitions that test players on a wide variety of academic subjects. Standardized quiz bowl formats are pl ...
: 3rd place (1995–96); 2nd place (1987–88) *
Bass Fishing Bass fishing is the recreational fishing activity, typically via rod-based angling, for various North American freshwater game fishes known collectively as '' black bass''.Henshall, James A. (Dr.), ''Book of the Black Bass'', Cincinnati, OH: R ...
: 2nd place (2012–13); 3rd place (2022–23)


Notable alumni


Wheaton High School (1876–1925)

*
C. Wayland Brooks Charles Wayland Brooks (March 8, 1897 – January 14, 1957) was a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from Illinois from 1940 to 1949. Early life Born in West Bureau, Illinois, Brooks served in t ...
(class of 1916),
U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
(1940–49) *
Harold "Red" Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American professional football halfback who played for the Chicago Bears and the short-lived New York Yankees. Hi ...
(class of 1922), college and
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
halfback. He is a member of both the
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
and
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
. His uniform No. 77 was retired by the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
and the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
. WWSHS's football field is named in his honor. *
Edwin Hubble Edwin Powell Hubble (November 20, 1889 – September 28, 1953) was an American astronomer. He played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology. Hubble proved that many objects previously ...
(class of 1906),
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
who determined the existence of galaxies beyond the
Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...
, and proposed
Hubble's law Hubble's law, also known as the Hubble–Lemaître law, is the observation in physical cosmology that galaxies are moving away from Earth at speeds proportional to their distance. In other words, the farther a galaxy is from the Earth, the faste ...
, which helped in postulating the expanding universe theory. The
Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...
was named in his honor.


Wheaton Community High School (1925–1964)

*
Dennis Dugan Dennis Barton Dugan (; born September 5, 1946) is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films ''Problem Child (film), Problem Child'', ''Brain Donors'', ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' and ''National Security (20 ...
(class of 1964), actor and director (''
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'' (also simply known as ''Chuck & Larry'') is a 2007 American buddy comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan from a screenplay by Barry Fanaro, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin J ...
'', ''
You Don't Mess with the Zohan ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' is a 2008 American Satire (film and television), satirical Action comedy, action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow. Sandler also stars, alongside Joh ...
'') * James H. Monroe (class of 1963),
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
combat medic A combat medic is responsible for providing emergency medicine, emergency medical treatment at a point of wounding in a combat or training environment, as well as primary care and health protection and evacuation from a point of injury or illnes ...
during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. He received the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
when he saved lives by throwing himself on a live
grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...
. * William Rathje (class of 1963),
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, best known as "Professor of Garbology", while heading the
Tucson Garbage Project The Tucson Garbage Project is an archaeological and sociological study instituted in 1973 by Dr. William Rathje in the city of Tucson in the Southwestern American state of Arizona. This project is sometimes referred to as the "garbology project". ...
at the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
*
Grote Reber Grote Reber (December 22, 1911 – December 20, 2002) was an American pioneer of radio astronomy, which combined his interests in amateur radio and amateur astronomy. He was instrumental in investigating and extending Karl Jansky's pioneering wo ...
(class of 1929), amateur astronomer, constructed one of the first
radio telescope A radio telescope is a specialized antenna (radio), antenna and radio receiver used to detect radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky. Radio telescopes are the main observing instrument used in radio astronomy, which studies the r ...
s in his Wheaton backyard, and conducted the first radio survey of the sky *
Samuel K. Skinner Samuel Knox Skinner (born June 10, 1938) is an American politician, lawyer, and businessman. Skinner served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush. Prior to the Bush administration, ...
(class of 1956), U.S. Secretary of Transportation (1989–91) and
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
for President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
(1991–92) *
Mike Taliaferro Myron Eugene Taliaferro (pronounced "tollifur", born July 26, 1941) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football fo ...
(class of ), former
collegiate Collegiate may refer to: * College * Webster's Dictionary, a dictionary with editions referred to as a "Collegiate" * ''Collegiate'' (1926 film), 1926 American silent film directed by Del Andrews * ''Collegiate'' (1936 film), 1936 American musi ...
and
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
who led third-ranked
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
to the
1964 Rose Bowl The 1964 Rose Bowl was the 50th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 1964. It featured the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Washington Huskies. Illinois was led by co-captains Dick Butkus and George Donnelly, Jim Grabowski, Lynn Stewart, and Ar ...
win over
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
*
Orrin Tucker Robert Orrin Tucker (February 17, 1911 – April 9, 2011) was an American bandleader born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, whose theme song was " Drifting and Dreaming". His biggest hit was "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!" (1939), sung by vocalis ...
(class of 1929),
bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...
*
Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the honorific title of associate editor though the Post no longer employs ...
(class of 1961),
investigative reporter Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend ...
and author who works for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''. He is best known for his collaboration with reporter
Carl Bernstein Carl Milton Bernstein ( ; born February 14, 1944) is an American investigative journalist and author. While a young reporter for ''The Washington Post'' in 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward, and the two did much of the original ne ...
in uncovering the
Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the Presidency of Richard Nixon, administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Resignation of Richard Nixon, Nix ...
. * Bob Zeman,
American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...
defensive back


Wheaton Central High School (1964–1992)

*
Robert Jauch Robert Jauch (born November 22, 1945) is a retired American Democratic politician. He served 28 years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1987–2015) and four years in the State Assembly (1983–1987). He retired in 2015, citing the incre ...
(class of 1963) Wisconsin state legislator *
John Belushi John Adam Belushi ( ; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, singer and musician. He was one of seven ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members of the first season. He was arguably the most popular member of the ''Satur ...
(class of 1967), comedian and actor known for his work on television (''Saturday Night Live'') and in film (''
Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller (writer), Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Tom ...
'', ''
The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul music, soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast ...
'') *
Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in fi ...
(class of 1972), comedian and actor best known for his work in film (''
Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
'', '' K-9'') and television (''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', ''
According to Jim ''According to Jim'' is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children (and then five children, starting with the seventh season finale). It originally ran on American Broadcas ...
'') *
Rob DeVita Robert Gerard DeVita (born November 29, 1965) is an American former professional football linebacker who played one season with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois University ...
(class of 1983) gridiron football player *
Matt Leacock Matt Leacock is an American board game designer, most known for cooperative games such as Pandemic, Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert. Early life Leacock grew up in Long Lake, Minnesota. He studied visual com ...
(class of 1989), board game designer best known for cooperative games such as
Pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...
. *
Katie Meier Katie Meier (born December 19, 1967) is a former college basketball coach who last coached the women's basketball team at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. She is a 1990 graduate of Duke University, where she played college bask ...
(Class of 1985), college women's basketball coach, all-time winningest basketball coach – men's or women's – at
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
. * Jeff Thorne (Class of 1989), College football coach, won a Division 3 National Championship as the head coach of the
North Central Cardinals The North Central Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent North Central College, located in Naperville, Illinois, in NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports. The Cardinals compete as members of the College Conference of Illinois and Wis ...
.


Wheaton-Warrenville High School (1973–1983)


Wheaton Warrenville South High School (1992–present)

*
Cory Barlog Cory Barlog (born September 2, 1975) is an American video game designer, director, and writer who is the current creative director of video game development at Santa Monica Studio. He is best known for his work on the ''God of War'' series. Early ...
(class of 1993), director and writer in the entertainment industry. He was a writer and director for the God of War video game series, creative consultant on the unreleased Mad Max reboot game. In March 2012, it was announced that Barlog joined
Crystal Dynamics Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California. The studio is best known for its games in the ''Tomb Raider'', '' Legacy of Kain'', and '' Gex'' series. Madeline Canepa, Judy Lange, and Dave Morse ...
to direct the cinematics for the new ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...
'' game and go on to direct an unannounced game. * Jon Beutjer (class of 1999), former professional football
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
who has played in the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
and
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
*
Dustin Byfuglien Dustin Byfuglien ( ; born March 27, 1985), nicknamed "Big Buff", is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Winnipeg Jets. Drafted as a defenceman, defenseman, he played both ...
(attended 2000–01, did not graduate from WWSHS), former NHL defenseman. He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. *
Jerome Collins Jerome Vincent Collins (born August 18, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the St ...
(class of 2000), former NFL
tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
; 2x
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
Champion ( XLI, XLII) * Corey Davis (class of 2013), former
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
; fifth overall pick of
2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
; NCAA career receiving yards leader. *
Titus Davis Titus Davis (January 3, 1993 – November 11, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver. He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas, and holds the school records for both career receiving yar ...
(class of 2011), former
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
* Tony Moeaki (class of 2005), free agent
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
; drafted in 3rd round of
2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...
by
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. WWS received a gold football as part of the NFL's High School Honor Roll program during the
Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) ...
celebration for having a player (Moeaki) in one of the first 49 Super Bowls (
Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 NFL season, 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2014 New England Patriots season, New Eng ...
). *
Jason Rezaian Jason Rezaian (; born on March 16, 1976) is an Iranian-American journalist who served as Tehran news bureau, bureau chief for ''The Washington Post''. He was convicted of espionage in a closed-door trial in Iran in 2015. On July 22, 2014, Irania ...
(attended 1990–1992) a Washington Post journalist who was imprisoned for 545 days in Iran after being accused of Espionage * Sean Rooney (class of 2001), professional volleyball player in Europe and Asia. He was a member of the gold medal-winning team for the United States at the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
. * Sonal Shah (class of 1998), actress, best known for her role as Dr. Sonja "Sunny" Day on the television series ''
Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," ...
'' * Sandra Smith (class of 1998), television reporter for Fox Business Network * Kevin Streelman (class of 1997), professional golfer on the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
* Dan Vitale (class of 2012), former
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
for
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
; drafted in the 6th round (197th overall) of the
2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...


References


External links

*
Community Unit School District 200
{{authority control 1876 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures in Wheaton, Illinois Educational institutions established in 1876 Public high schools in Illinois Schools in DuPage County, Illinois