University High School | |
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Location | |
500 West Gregory Street Normal, Illinois 61790 United States |
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Information | |
Type | Laboratory school |
Motto | An exemplary high school... A model teacher education center. |
Established | 1857 |
Principal | Andrea Markert |
Faculty | 92 |
Grades | 9–12 |
Number of students | 611 (2016-17) |
Color(s) |
Kelly green Gold |
Athletics conference | Central State Eight |
Team name | Pioneers |
Rival | Central Catholic |
Publication | Brome and Beyond |
Newspaper | Clarionette |
Yearbook | Clarion |
Website | uhigh |
University High School (U-High), located in Normal, Illinois, United States, is one of two laboratory schools of the College of Education at Illinois State University designed for research and teacher-training; the other is Thomas Metcalf School, an elementary school. Founded in 1857, it is the oldest laboratory school and among the oldest high schools in the United States. The principal is Andrea Markert, who was hired in April 2013 after having served as interim principal for the 2012–13 school year and as assistant principal from 2010 to 2012. Athletic teams are known as the pioneers and the school colors are kelly green and gold.
The state of Illinois caps the Illinois State University laboratory school enrollment at 1,000. U-High enrolls approximately 600 students while Metcalf enrolls about 400. The IHSA institutes an enrollment multiplier for schools such as U-High that can choose their students, thus classifying it as a larger school in athletic competitions. This multiplier counts each student as 1.65 students, thus moving the athletic division to AA as opposed to A as previous years.[1]
The boys' golf team has won the IHSA state championship 7 years running, and the girls' golf team has won it 4 years in a row. U-High is also known for its basketball program which was home to coach Cal Hubbard. The swimming, boys' tennis, cross country, cheerleading, wrestling, football, and soccer teams along with many others are also highly competitive in the IHSA. The U-High girls' basketball team has had at least 20 wins in the past 4 seasons and since 1992 have 13 Regional Titles, 7 Sectional Titles with a 3rd and a 4th-place finish. The U-High girls' soccer team won 5 straight Regional Titles from 2007- 2011 and in 2010 won their first Sectional Championship in the past 7 years. In the 2010 season, the men's swim team took third place. In 2014 the men's swim won the IHSA state title. The men's cross country team has brought home trophies for three consecutive years (2009-2011) placing 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd respectively at the IHSA State Meet. Also in 2012 the woman's cross country team took 2nd at the IHSA state meet. The men's and women's cross country teams have both been Cornbelt Conference Champions from (2009- 2016). In 2012, the men's basketball team went to state and placed second, the boys' baseball team earned a class 2A state championship, and the girls' soccer team earned a 4th-place finish at state. In addition, in 2016, both boys soccer and golf teams won state championships. In 2017, the boys track team won the 2A state championship.