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91_HR0984
LRB9115237RHrh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives are
3 pleased to honor milestone dates in the history of education
4 in the State of Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, Joliet Township High School will be
6 commemorating its 100-year centennial anniversary, which will
7 take place in 2001; and
8 WHEREAS, Joliet Township High School program had its
9 beginning in 1858 in the old "Eastern Avenue School" with
10 grade teachers teaching the pupils; in 1874, the school
11 produced its first three graduates; in 1882, the first high
12 school was built on Chicago Street, where J.C. Penny Company
13 is currently located, and the top floor served with ample
14 capacity for ten years, this was known as the Central Junior
15 High School; in 1887, the west side residents insisted on
16 their own high school and the first "west side high school"
17 was built on Broadway which later was known as the "Old
18 Broadway School"; and
19 WHEREAS, The first proposition for a township high was
20 defeated in 1892 because of pressing grade school building
21 needs; resubmitted in 1899, it passed, resulting in the
22 erecting of the first sections of the present Joliet Township
23 Central High School Building; begun in 1901, it was dedicated
24 in September, 1903; and
25 WHEREAS, In the beginning, the opening enrollment was 581
26 students and since the original building was built to
27 accommodate over 1,000 students, it prompted a statement at
28 the dedication ceremony that "now we have a building suitable
29 to accommodate pupils for all time"; and
30 WHEREAS, Joliet Township High School's history in
31 education shows a trend of excellence which is credited to
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1 Superintendent Mr. J. Stanley Brown and the Assistant
2 Superintendent, Mr. C.E. Spicer for their excellent
3 leadership and great progress made in Joliet Township High
4 School's early years; and
5 WHEREAS, Joliet Township High School continued to advance
6 its academic program, and by 1930 it had become one of the
7 four best high schools in the nation; and
8 WHEREAS, Along with academics, Joliet Township perfected
9 a music program which by the late 1920's was known as the
10 best in the nation; the Joliet Township band and orchestra
11 have won numerous state and national championships since
12 1924; in addition to its national victories and concert tours
13 publicized by the school, Joliet Township brought the name
14 "City of Champions" to Joliet, Illinois; and
15 WHEREAS, Additional honors have come to Joliet Township
16 through its early fine vocational program for non-college
17 prep students; as a result of their broadened curriculum,
18 Joliet Township High School gained national recognition as a
19 truly comprehensive high school in 1926; in 1930, Joliet
20 Township High School was rated one of the four best high
21 schools in the country and has been the subject of many
22 nationwide studies; and
23 WHEREAS, Adult Education made its debut in 1912 with an
24 enrollment of 287 students; in recent years adult education
25 enrollments have been around 4,000 students annually; many of
26 the courses offered are hobby-type activities as well as
27 vocational subjects; credit courses are offered in both the
28 high school and college subjects; in 1967-1968, the college
29 and high school evening programs separated in preparation
30 for the moving of the junior college to a separate campus;
31 and
32 WHEREAS, Summer sessions are an integral part of Joliet
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1 Township's program; the first summer session was proposed in
2 1902 but was not approved until 1911; enrollments tend to be
3 near 2,500 in the summer; with soaring student enrollment
4 numbers in the 1960's, Joliet Township became the largest
5 high school in the United States; and
6 WHEREAS, Because of continuous growth at Joliet Township
7 High School, the original section built in 1901 has had
8 periodic additions such as: a Junior College Section in 1917,
9 shops and a boy's gym in 1921-22, the Auditorium in 1925, the
10 girls' gym in 1931, the boiler room in 1958, the technical
11 vocational facilities in 1958, and the East and West High
12 Schools in 1964; and
13 WHEREAS, The area served by Joliet Township High School
14 has increased over the years; the original township high
15 school law provided that one or more townships could join
16 together to provide high school education for rural pupils as
17 well as city children by combining financial resources beyond
18 what a small city could afford; the total area now covers 115
19 square miles including all of Joliet and Jackson Township
20 and parts of New Lenox, Chanahon, and Troy Township as well;
21 and
22 WHEREAS, By 1963 conditions had become so overcrowded
23 that teachers and students attended school from 7:30 a.m. to
24 5 p.m.; to alleviate the problem, the district built two very
25 modern schools, the East Campus on Mills Road and the West
26 Campus on Larkin and Glenwood Avenues; and
27 WHEREAS, On January 29, 2001, Joliet Township High School
28 will host a banquet to commemorate the kick-off of the
29 centennial celebration events which will take place
30 throughout the year 2001; therefore, be it
31 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
32 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
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1 we congratulate Joliet Township High School on its centennial
2 anniversary of excellence in education; and be it further
3 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4 presented to the Superintendent of Joliet Township High
5 School and the principals of Joliet Township's East Campus
6 and West Campus, as an expression of our esteem.