Oak Forest High School is a public high school located in Oak Forest, Illinois. It is part of Bremen Community High School District 228 which also includes Tinley Park High School, Hillcrest High School and Bremen High School. It serves most of the community of Oak Forest, as well as portions of Midlothian and Crestwood in Bremen Township in the south suburbs of Chicago in Cook County.
| Oak Forest High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
15201 S. Central Avenue , 60452 United States | |
| Coordinates | 41°36′56″N 87°45′22″W / 41.61562°N 87.756232°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public Secondary |
| Motto | Academics plus Activities equal Excellence[3] |
| Opened | 1971 |
| School district | Bremen High School District 228 |
| Superintendent | Brad Sikora |
| Principal | Dr. Jane Dempsey[1] |
| Teaching staff | 84.14 (FTE)[2] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coed |
| Enrollment | 1,370 (2022-23)[2] |
| • Grade 9 | 291 students |
| • Grade 10 | 344 students |
| • Grade 11 | 344 students |
| • Grade 12 | 391 students |
| Average class size | 24.2 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 16.28[2] |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Black Vegas Gold |
| Athletics conference | South Suburban Conference |
| Nickname | Bengals |
| Publication | Vedas[4] |
| Yearbook | Safari |
| Communities served | Oak Forest, Country Club Hills, Crestwood, Hazel Crest, Markham, Midlothian |
| Website | oakforest |
History
editIn March 1968, taxpayers of District 228 approved a US$1.3 million loan from the Illinois School Building Commission to begin first phase construction of the district's fourth high school. In August 1968, the Board of Education approved the new school's name, and in September, the architectural plans were approved.[5] The construction contract was approved in March 1969, with the plan calling for an initial "first phase" of construction, and a second phase to be added on if necessary.[6]
Oak Forest High School opened in 1971 as a remedy to the excessively high numbers of students attending the three other existing high schools in the district. Before the school had even opened, it became clear that the school would not be sufficient to contain the increasing student population. The district again turned to voters to approve a bond issue to add onto the school.[7] After two failures, and threats of students needing to attend double shifts, the bond issue passed in December 1971.[8][9]
On December 2, 1985, a fire broke out at the school causing severe damage to the school's electric systems. After missing a week of school, and with the building still not inhabitable, Oak Forest students were required to temporarily attend classes at Tinley Park High School with split shifts set up (Tinley Park students from 7 am to noon, and Oak Forest students from 12:40 to 6 pm).[10]
Construction to the building in the summer of 2005 created a new Instructional Materials Center (IMC), which serves as media lab and library. Additionally, the space occupied by the old IMC was re-structured into additional classrooms, a move towards solving the approaching five-year deadline of the outdoor portable classroom mobile units (commonly referred to as the "trailers").
Academics
editIn 2007, Oak Forest High School had an average ACT score of 21.2 and graduated 97.3% of its senior class. The average class size was 20.2.[11][12]
In accordance with the federal law No Child Left Behind, Oak Forest has achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The school has no subgroups that meet the minimum number to be included in testing.[13]
As of January 17th 2022, OFHS has a rating of 9/10 on GreatSchools [14]
Athletics
editOak Forest is a member of the South Suburban Conference, with its teams named as the Bengals. The school's teams participate in state championship tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for boys and girls in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Boys may also compete in baseball, football, wrestling, while Girls may also compete in badminton, and softball. There are also district water polo and lacrosse teams which students from Oak Forest, Bremen, Hillcrest, and Tinley Park High Schools collectively compete.[15]
The Athletic Director is Matt Manzke.
The following teams placed in the top four of their respective class in their respective sports in IHSA sponsored state championship series: [16]
- Baseball: State Champions (1984-85); 2nd Place (2010-11)
- Basketball (Girls): 4th Place (1978-79)
- Cheerleading: State Champions (2015-16, 2020-21); 2nd Place (2011-12, 2018-19, 2019-20); 3rd Place (2008-09, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2016-17)
- Softball: State Champions (2008-09)
- Volleyball (Girls): 2nd Place (1979-80); 3rd Place (1983-84, 1985-86)
- Wrestling: 3rd Place (2013-14, 2014-15)
Activities
editOak Forest has 46 student organizations in fields ranging from community service to the arts and from academic competition to career related groups. Among these 46 organizations are some groups of national notability with chapters or other representation at Oak Forest. These include: Science Olympiad, Business Professionals of America, DECA, FCCLA, National Honor Society, Scholastic Bowl, Mathletes, Speech Team and Operation Snowball.[17]
Notable alumni
edit- Bob O'Dekirk (class of 1987) was the mayor of Joliet, Illinois 2015-2023.[18]
- Tim Byrdak (class of 1991) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher (1998–2000, 2005–2013).[19][20]
- Jason Frasor (class of 1995) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher (2004–present) with the Kansas City Royals.[21]
- Rick Gorecki (class of 1991) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. (1997–98).[22][23]
- Jimmy Pardo (class of 1984) is a professional comedian.
- Kylie Rae (class of 2010) is an American professional wrestler who signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
- Tevin Coleman (class of 2012) is an American football running back who plays for the New York Jets National Football League (NFL).
- Kyle Funkhouser (class of 2012) is a baseball pitcher who was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2016.
- Robbie Avila (class of 2022) currently plays basketball at Indiana State University, where he became a viral sensation during the 2023–24 season.[24]
- Mike Stoklasa (class of 1996), founder of the popular YouTube channel RedLetterMedia.[25]
References
edit- ^ "Oak Frest High School". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "Oak Forest High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ "Letter from the principal, noting the school motto; accessed 31 August 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ The Vedas - The Student News Site of Oak Forest High School, Retrieved 23 December 2021
- ^ Bremen Board OK's Plan for High School, 29 September, 1968, Chicago Tribune, p. S9; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ Bremen School Board Awards High School Construction Contract, 27 March 1969, Chicago Tribune, p. S10; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ Colvin, Robert, Second 'Go-Round' Slated for Vote on Building Bond Issue, 13 June 1971, Chicago Tribune, p. S_A12; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ Voters to Decide High School Fate, 25 November 1971, Chicago Tribune, p. S5; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ Reject Two Tax Plans, Accept One, 5 December 1971, Chicago Tribune, p. A16; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ Fegelman, Andrew, Fire makes odd schoolfellows; Blaze forces Oak Forest students to attend rival, 10 December 1985, Chicago Tribune, p. A3; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ "2007 School Report Card, ACT results & graduation rate, p.3; accessed 1 September 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ "2007 School Report Card, avg. class size, p.1; accessed 1 September 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ "2007 School Report Card, AYP, p.8; accessed 1 September 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ Greatschools/Illinois/oak-forest/714-Oak-Forest-High-School
- ^ "Oak Forest HS Athletic Department; accessed 1 September 2008". Bhsd228.com. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ "School Directory | IHSA". www.ihsa.org. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ "Student Activities at Oak Forest HS; accessed 1 September 2008". Bhsd228.com. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ Bremen District 228 (September 26, 2017). "Oak Forest HS Hall of Fame Induction". Patch (Press release).
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tim Byrdak Major League stats". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ Pree Release from South Suburban College regarding Tim Byrdak's return to baseball; accessed 1 September 2008 Archived September 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jason Frasor stats & bio; accessed 1 September 2008". Toronto.bluejays.mlb.com. 2010-01-01. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ Rick Gorecki career stats; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ Major League Baseball draft picks from Oak Forest HS; accessed 1 September 2008
- ^ Horner, Scott (March 8, 2024). "Who is Indiana State basketball player with goggles? What you should know about Robbie Avila". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Mike Stoklasa, Southtown Star". May 26, 1996. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
External links
edit- Oak Forest High school (official site)