Buffalo Grove High School
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Buffalo Grove High School (BGHS) is a public high school located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. It is one of six four-year comprehensive high schools in Township High School District 214, serving portions of the villages of Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, and Wheeling. Feeder schools are Cooper Middle School, Thomas Middle School, and London Middle School.
History
Buffalo Grove High School opened in 1973, drawing students and staff from Wheeling and John Hersey High Schools. Dr. Clarence M. "Chick" Miller, formerly assistant principal at Wheeling High School, was named the school's first principal.
On March 12, 1976, President Gerald Ford, during his campaign against former California Governor Ronald Reagan, made a March primary appearance in the gymnasium of Buffalo Grove High School.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2003, new classrooms, a foyer, and offices opened as part of a six-million dollar renovation. The "Circle Drive" on the west side of the school was greatly reduced in size to make room for the new classrooms and foyer. The new classrooms included new science labs and special-ed facilities. Additionally, room was made in old storage space on the second floor of the south side of the building for new foreign-language classrooms.
On August 27, 2004, the Bison hosted their first Friday night game under new lights at Bison Stadium. They were the final team in the Mid-Suburban League to switch from Saturday afternoons to Friday night games.
Academics
Buffalo Grove High School won a 1999–2000 Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence, presented by the United States Department of Education.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2008, the average ACT score was 23.3, and 95.5% of the class of 2008 graduated on time. BGHS failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act because of scores below the minimum target on the Prairie State Achievement Examination and ACT in two student subgroups.<ref name="Class of 2008 school report card">Class of 2008 school report card; accessed June 15, 2009Template:Dead link</ref>
Athletics
A renovation of the school in 2014 added a multimillion-dollar pool area. Teams from Buffalo Grove HS compete in the Mid-Suburban League (MSL). Buffalo Grove is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), the governing body for most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for boys and girls in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Boys may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Girls may compete in badminton, bowling, and softball. In 2011 the school inducted a co-ed competitive cheerleading team to perform at athletic games and compete in the winter and spring.
State championships
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- Basketball (Girls): 1999–00
- Bass fishing: 2016–17
- Football: 1986–87
- Soccer (Boys): 1988–89
- Competitive Co-Ed Cheerleading: 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2022–23<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Activities
Buffalo Grove supports 47 student clubs and activities, an entire and updated list of which can be found at the school's website.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These include music, the arts, culture and language, social/political action, and student government. Buffalo Grove also has a nationally recognized Speech and Debate team, boasting the 99th best Lincoln Douglas Debate team in the National Forensics League.
Among the clubs are chapters of these more nationally notable groups: NJROTC, SADD, Scholastic Bowl, Science Olympiad (which won the Illinois State Championship in 1989, 1990 and 2024), and Mathletes.<ref>Student Activities at BGHS; accessed June 15, 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref>
In March 2012, the Scholastic Bowl Team qualified for the IHSA State Meet in Peoria, Illinois by beating William Fremd High School in the Sectional Final at North Chicago High School. They were also the Regional Champions and MSL Conference Champions, beating Fremd in dramatic fashion 485-480.
Another prominent group at Buffalo Grove was its show choir, The Expressions. This mixed competition show choir was composed of 38 singer-dancers, 12 band members and 4 crew members.<ref name="Buffalo Grove HS Choir">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Similar to the hit television show Glee, the group met as a class and competed throughout the country at various show choir competitions. They attended the Dekalb Indiana Show Choir Invitational Competition, the Chicagoland Showcase Competition, and the Nashville Show Choir Nationals Competition.<ref name="Buffalo Grove HS Choir"/>
Notable alumni
- Tim Bogar Template:Mdash Major League Baseball infielder (1993–2001), primarily for New York Mets and Houston Astros, First Base Coach of Washington Nationals, former interim manager of Texas Rangers<ref>Tim Bogar stats & bio; baseballcube.com; accessed June 15, 2009</ref>
- Melanie Chandra Template:Mdash actress, Code Black
- Larry Doyle Template:Mdash comic writer who worked on The Simpsons (1997–2001); first novel, Thurber Prize-winning I Love You, Beth Cooper, is set at Buffalo Grove High School.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Lindsey Durlacher Template:Mdash Greco-Roman wrestler who competed for U.S.
- Doug Ghim PGA professional golfer.
- Felice Herrig (2003) Template:Mdash professional Mixed Martial Artist, current UFC Strawweight<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Brett Lebda Template:Mdash professional ice hockey defenseman, member of 2008 Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings<ref>Wilcox, George M.; BG native brings Stanley Cup to suburbs; August 28, 2008; Buffalo Grove Countryside</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Mike Marshall Template:Mdash Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman (1981–91), primarily with Los Angeles Dodgers; member of 1988 World Series champions<ref>Mike Marshall stats & bio; baseballcube.com; accessed June 15, 2009</ref>
- Brian McBride Template:Mdash professional soccer player, first overall selection in inaugural MLS draft in 1996; has since played in three FIFA World Cups for the US men's national soccer team<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Usurped</ref><ref>Wilcox, George M.; McBride heading home, via China; August 7, 2008; Buffalo Grove Countryside accessed June 15, 2009 Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
- Josh Paul Template:Mdash Major League Baseball catcher (1999–2007), primarily with Chicago White Sox<ref>Josh Pau stats & bio; baseballcube.com; accessed June 15, 2009</ref>
- Jessy Schram Template:Mdash actress; among notable roles are Hannah Griffith in Veronica Mars, Rachel Seybolt in Life, Karen in Falling Skies and Cinderella/Ashley Boyd in Once Upon a Time
- Judd Sirott Template:Mdash radio broadcaster, nationally for NHL, locally with Chicago Wolves, Chicago Blackhawks, and WGN (AM) with Chicago Cubs<ref>Judd Sirott biography; wgnradio.com; accessed June 16, 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Judd Sirott bio; Chicago Blackhawks homepage; accessed June 16, 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Judd Sirott Named Host of WGN Radio's Cubs Central Pregame; wgnradio.com; accessed June 16, 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref>
- Don Thorp Template:Mdash defensive lineman in NFL (1984, 1987–88)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Tom Zbikowski Template:Mdash special teams for NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, as well as professional boxer<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
References
External links
- Template:Official website
- Template:Usurped
- Windows Live Local satellite photo of school campus with labels
Template:High schools in suburban Cook County, Illinois Template:Mid-Suburban Conference