Argo Community High School is a public four-year high school located in Summit, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. The district draws students from the communities of Summit, Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Justice, Willow Springs, and a portion of Hickory Hills. The school was named for the area surrounding the large corn processing plant located near the school, which manufactured Argo corn starch and is currently owned by Ingredion. In 2014 and 2016, Argo was awarded a bronze medal by U.S. News & World Report for outstanding academic performance, the only school in the South Suburban Conference to receive such recognition.[4]
| Argo Community High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
7239 W. 63rd Street , , 60501 United States | |
| Coordinates | 41°46′34″N 87°48′17″W / 41.776°N 87.8046°W |
| Information | |
| Opened | 1920 |
| School district | Argo Community High School District 217 |
| Superintendent | Dr. William Toulios |
| Dean | Denise Ghaowi, Chris Kelly, Vince Loizzo |
| Principal | Dr. Brandon Cotter |
| Staff | 128.80 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coed |
| Enrollment | 1,924 (2022-2023)[1] |
| • Grade 9 | 493 |
| • Grade 10 | 500 |
| • Grade 11 | 434 |
| • Grade 12 | 497 |
| Average class size | 22.2[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.94[1] |
| Color(s) | Maroon White |
| Athletics conference | South Suburban Conference |
| Nickname | Argonauts |
| Accreditation | Illinois State Board of Education |
| Newspaper | The Maroon |
| Yearbook | Argolite |
| Website | www |
On March 11, 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held a campaign rally at Argo that was attended by several thousand people.[5]
On September 6, 1968, Argo had a Race Riot. Yolande Robbins was key to mending the relationship between African American students and the school itself. She was fired later for no cause.[1]
Activities
edit| Activity |
|---|
| A-Club |
| Art Club |
| Chess Club |
| Choir |
| Culinary Club |
| Drama Club / Thespians |
| Environmental Club |
| French/Spanish Honor Society |
| Freshman Class Board |
| Golden Fleece Play |
| Instrumental Music |
| International Club |
| Junior Class Board |
| Mathletes |
| National Hispanic Institute (NHI) |
| National Honor Society |
| Newspaper (Maroon) |
| Radio (WARG) |
| Scholastic Bowl |
| Senior Class Board |
| Sophomore Class Board |
| Special Olympics |
| Speech Team |
| Spring Musical Theater Director |
| Spring Musical Vocal Director |
| Spring Musical Instrumental Director |
| Student Council |
| STRIIVE |
| Winter Guard |
| Winter Percussion |
| Yearbook (Argolite) |
Athletics
editArgo competes as a member of the South Suburban Conference. It also competes in state championship series sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). School colors are Maroon and White. Teams are called the Argonauts. Argo sponsors interscholastic teams for men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. There are men's teams in baseball and football and women's teams in badminton and softball.[6]
Notable alumni
edit- Bob Bercich, a former NFL safety for the Dallas Cowboys.
- Bill Damaschke, an animator and producer who was formerly an executive at DreamWorks.
- Kyle Hill, a former professional basketball player in Europe. He was the second-round draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2001 NBA draft.[7]
- Johnny Karras, a halfback for the Illinois team that won the 1952 Rose Bowl. He was the second-round choice of the Chicago Cardinals in the 1952 NFL draft.
- Ted Kluszewski, an MLB first baseman (1947–61) who played most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. In 1998 the Cincinnati Reds retired his number. 1954 He hit three home runs for the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series.[8][9]
- Damon R. Leichty (Class of 1990), district judge
- Sheldon Mallory, a former MLB outfielder for the Oakland Athletics.
- Milan Mrksich (class of 1985), Vice President of Research and Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University
- Dick Portillo (class of 1957), a restaurateur and founder of the Portillo Restaurant Group, the most notable business of which is Portillo's.[9][10]
- Mamie Till, the fourth black graduate of Argo and mother of Emmett Till, whose murder served as a catalyst in the Civil Rights Movement.
- Louis Till, estranged ex-husband of Mamie Till and father of Emmett Till.
- Saul White Jr., a professional basketball player who is currently a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
- Mike York (class of 1982), a former MLB pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Indians.[9][11]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Argo Community High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ Class of 2021 school report card
- ^ Class of 2008 school report card
- ^ "Argo Community High School in Summit, IL - US News Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23.
- ^ Chicago Sun-Times
- ^ Argo Athletics:List of sports teams; accessed 28 March 2009
- ^ NBA Draft Profile for Kyle Hill; accessed 28 March 2009
- ^ "Erardi, John; Fans still cherish Big Klu; 16 July 1998; Cincinnati Enquirer; accessed 28 March 2009". Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
- ^ a b c Clark, Mike (17 November 2009). "Argo". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
- ^ History of the Portillo Restaurant Group, accessed 28 March 2009
- ^ Hertzel, Bob; Argo grad defeats big-league problem; 15 September 1990; Chicago Tribune; accessed 28 March 2009