Wheaton Warrenville South High School

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.[6] In 1925, the school was relocated to a new building which would eventually become Hubble Middle School, and changed its name to Wheaton Community High School.[6]

In October 1946, the school's cafeteria was largely destroyed by a fire that was blamed on a recently installed Coca-Cola vending machine.[7]

In 1964, with the completion of its sister school, Wheaton North, the school was again renamed, Wheaton Central High School.[6]

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.[8] In January 1968, the board approved bussing underclass students in Warrenville to Wheaton North, and allowing upperclassmen the choice of either school.[9]

The current building that houses Wheaton Warrenville South was opened in 1973, and operated as Wheaton-Warrenville High School from 1973—83.[6] 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] The movement to split from the district eventually moved to the courts.[15] Without even hearing the school board's argument, the judge ruled against the parents group.[16] The issue finally came to an end when the DuPage Valley Regional Board of School Trustees voted 5–2 to reject the secession bid.[17]

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.[6]

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.[18] 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.[19] On May 9, 1990, the board officially voted to make the change, ending a situation that had again "divided residents".[20] Even after the decision was made, there was debate over the naming of the school.[21] 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.[6] 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.[6] The school colors, mascot, and nickname are continuations of Wheaton Central, while the current school's Wolverine Hall, with a green and gold color scheme, honor the earlier Wheaton-Warrenville High School from 1973—83.[6]

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.[6]

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.[22][23]

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 XP computer connecting to a new broadband internet access connection, cable TV, accompanying DVD/VCR combo player. The computer labs were also updated and several carts of wireless internet laptops were added.

Wheaton Warrenville South installed solar panels on the roof of the school as an alternative energy source as part of a 2004 partnership with British Petroleum.[24] BP's North American Chemical headquarters is located approximately two miles south of the school in Naperville. The remaining energy comes from Commonwealth Edison, which primarily produces energy from nuclear and fossil fuel 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 150,000 square feet (14,000 m²) of space and renovate both Wheaton Warrenville South, and its counterpart, Wheaton North.[25]

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 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.

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.[26] Wheaton Warrenville South has earned an "A+" Rating for Academics according to Niche independent ratings.[27] Wheaton Warrenville South was #21 (IL) on U.S. News & World Reports 2018 Best High Schools list.[28]

All academic classes at South are divided into two difficulty levels: Intermediate and Advanced/AP. The school offers 17 Advanced Placement Courses;[29] 31% of students are enrolled in AP classes.[27] In 2018, Wheaton Warrenville CUSD200 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.[30]

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." [31]

• Official website
• Community Unit School District 200