In 1964, growing disagreement between the western (Lake Zurich) and eastern (current Stevenson) sections of the district emerged regarding the school's direction. Before the opening of Stevenson, the students in the Stevenson area attended Ela-Vernon High School in Lake Zurich. Stevenson was planned to be a second school for the growing district, but the western side (Lake Zurich) of the district decided to build their own district. Adlai E. Stevenson High School opened in September 1965.[5] This left Stevenson with an unfinished building, no board or administration, and no faculty. When Stevenson opened to 467 students and 31 teachers in 1965, the building was not carpeted, the library was empty, most classrooms were without desks and athletic fields were non-existent, as most of the school furniture had been shipped to Prairie View, Texas instead of Prairie View, Illinois.[6][5]
In the 1980s, the release of "A Nation at Risk" and the arrival of Richard DuFour as school principal marked pivotal events. During the 1980s and 1990s, the school's student activities program expanded, providing over 100 clubs and teams for students. By the late 1990s, intense student competition led to the formation of a task force to find solutions to issues like grading system manipulation. In 1992, a community referendum determined that Stevenson would remain the district's only high school, with 52% supporting this option. In 1995, Stevenson underwent its largest expansion, growing by more than 50% with a $25 million project.[5]
Stevenson has grown since its opening to become one of the largest high schools in the area.[7] The school has undergone various additions over the years, the first being in 1970 where the school gym and pool were renovated. To accommodate the increasing student population, another round of remodeling occurred in the mid-1990s. After the addition of the three-level east building in 1995, the physical size of SHS increased to more than six times its original size of 113,000 square feet. The new east building included 60 new classrooms, a new Performing Arts Center (PAC), the Patriot Aquatic Center, Field House, and the Technology Center, among other projects as well. Also built was a new indoor walkway ("The Link") between the original west building and the new east building.
In 2002, a referendum seeking an increase in the education tax rate received nearly 70% support from the community, stabilizing the district's finances. Since 2002, DuFour's retirement year, he had become a leading voice for school reform within the education community until his death in 2017.[8] In April 2008, Education Week featured Stevenson High School in an article about its successful implementation of professional learning community practices.[5]
In 2004, the main entrance to the school was completely rebuilt and transformed into another commons area now known as "The Point." Other renovations that year included more fine arts areas around the band, choir, and orchestra rooms in the west building.[9] Around 2008, many of the athletic fields were expanded and the football field received new turf. In that same year, the original auditorium was renovated as well.
[10]
In the 2005–06 school year, Stevenson had its highest enrollment of 4,573 students. Between the 2005–06 and 2014–15 school years, each school year saw progressively declining enrollment in the student body. In the 2014–15 school year, Stevenson had its first enrollment increase since the peak in the 2005–06 school year.[11] Stevenson's enrollment was 4,337 for the 2018–19 school year,[12] and enrollment is expected to surpass 4500 by 2020.
In 2011, the school library and student resource center in the old/west building were renovated for the first time in Stevenson's history. The project was finished in 2015 when the removal of the two lecture halls was completed to make way for the Quiet Learning Center (QLC).[13] In addition to the new ILC/QLC, the photography studio was also renovated in the summer of 2013.
In 2019, the school added an extension to the east building, including 22 new classrooms, conference rooms, a green roof and flower garden, multiple living walls and solar panels, with the intent of making the new addition a net-zero building.[14]
In 2020, Stevenson began planning for an additional expansion, with new athletic courts, an artificial turf playing field, a larger running track, an area for exercise equipment, and other features to be built in the enlarged field house.[15] This addition was finished in August 2022.
Demographics
In 2023, the demographics were: White: 46.6%, Asian: 39.3%, Hispanic: 9.0%, Black: 1.7%, Two or More Races: 3.2%, and American Indian: 0.2%.[16]
In November 2009, a dispute erupted between school officials and the student newspaper, The Statesman, regarding censorship of stories. The administration stopped publication of the November 20 issue, objecting to stories regarding drugs, teen pregnancy, and shoplifting. When students wanted to leave the front page blank in protest of the censorship, the officials instead required the students to produce other stories approved by the administration.[21][22] The Stevenson public information officer released a statement November 20 stating the administration did not think anonymous sources discussing alleged illegal activity was fit for print.[23]
The Chicago Tribune, in a November 26 editorial, said the school was wrong to force students to produce administration-approved stories. "This isn't editing, it's censorship," wrote columnist Zak Stambor.[24] The Society of Professional Journalists' Freedom of Information chairman called the censorship "immoral, un-American, irresponsible and not fit for education."[25]
Following the censorship fiasco, 11 of 14 Statesman staffers — and all the paper's top editors — resigned from their positions at the start of the spring 2010 semester.[26]
Confiscation of student cellphones
In February 2012, the school administration initiated an investigation into marijuana sales at the school, during which the cellphones of students suspected of marijuana sales were confiscated, and the text messages stored on the phones were read. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois described the incident as a "fishing expedition", while school officials stated they were "perfectly within our rights". In one instance a student was suspended for five days and barred from participating in extracurricular activities because he refused to provide the password to his cellphone. The probe resulted in two arrests on misdemeanor drug charges.[27][28]
Student altercations
In 2017, three female students were put on academic suspension when a video surfaced of a student attacking another student on a bus. The student was later charged in juvenile court for aggravated battery.[29]
Discrimination against Black students
In January of 2020, a black student at Stevenson was allegedly targeted and disrespected by dean Nick Valenziano on a recorded video. This led to student protesting and an uproar in the Stevenson community. School administrators accepted Valenziano's resignation around June of 2020,[30] and hired a diversity director to address racial issues within the school.[31]
Athletics
The Stevenson Patriots compete in the North Suburban Conference.[32] The following is a list of sports Stevenson lists for the 2023–24 school year: [33]
Stevenson High School is a member of the IHSA, the athletic teams are stylized as the Patriots. Many of its teams are top-ranked nationally and have a history of producing collegiate and professional athletes.
The following teams have won their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meets:[34]
Stevenson High School is one of the only high schools in the country to receive the United States Department of Education's "Excellence in Education" Blue Ribbon Award five times.[41][42] In addition, Stevenson has been named one of America's top high schools by both U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek magazines, and has been named a National School of Distinction in Arts Education by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[43]
Niche ranked Stevenson as one of the best public high schools in America in 2017.[44] In 2016, Niche gave A+ ratings in the following areas: academics, teachers, educational outcomes, health and safety, resources and facilities, sports and fitness, co-curricular activities, food service, and administration and policies.
Several national publications have regularly included Stevenson in their lists of America's best public high schools. Stevenson was the top-ranked open-enrollment public high school in Illinois in 2021, 2015, and 2014 in U.S. News & World Report, and was the top-ranked open-enrollment school in Illinois in the Washington Post’s rankings in 2014, 2013, and 2012.
In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Stevenson as 171st in national rankings and 6th in Illinois.[45]
For the class of 2016, 99.9% attended college.[46] In 2015–2016, 360 students were named Illinois State Scholars. In addition, there were 32 National Merit Semi-Finalists in the Class of 2016 and 38 Commended students.[citation needed]
^Staff. "Bozek makes U.S. women's Olympic hockey team", Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), June 24, 2013. Accessed September 11, 2017. "Buffalo Grove native Megan Bozek has been named to the 25-player roster for the U.S. Women's National Team that will compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The Stevenson graduate is one of three Illinois natives to make the roster."
^Williams, Lena. "OLYMPICS; Taking a Legacy To New Heights", The New York Times, August 3, 2004. Accessed November 4, 2007. "Even now that Tamika, 25, is a star in her own right, her father's legacy continues to shadow her. It was there at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill."
^Yannis, Alex. "SCOUTING; An Early Finish", The New York Times, March 12, 1983. Accessed November 5, 2007. "Andrea Jaeger didn't want high school studies to interfere with her busy tennis schedule in the spring and early summer. So she took extra credits the last few weeks and graduated from Adlai Stevenson High School in Prairie View, a Chicago suburb, yesterday rather than in June."
^ abPompei, Dan/ "Rex Ryan family standard-bearer in NFL", Chicago Tribune, May 17, 2009. Accessed September 11, 2017. "When he left the NFL 14 years ago after the Cardinals fired him, the legacy he left the league was his twin sons, Rex and Rob. They had been ball boys for the Bears back in the heyday when they were students at Stevenson High School, and later they were assistants on their dad's staff with the Cardinals."
^"Kiki Van Zanten". Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website. July 2, 2019.
^Daday, Eileen O. "On the road to the Olympics Local athlete sets her sights on the gold", Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), September 2, 2006. Accessed November 6, 2007. "A mini-class in rhythmic gymnastics enthralled Buffalo Grove native Lisa Wang as early as third-grade with its graceful routines filled with ribbons and balls. It still does, though now the Stevenson High School senior is competing in the sport at its highest level."
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