Rochester High School (Illinois)

Rochester High School of Rochester, IL is a public high school located five miles (8 km) east of Springfield, IL. As the only high school serving District 3A, Rochester High School accommodates students from Rochester, Buckhart, portions of eastern Springfield, and other surrounding areas. Rochester has grown rapidly over the past few years. In 2008, the enrollment was 699 students, which was up from 589 in 2004.[1]

Rochester High School
Address
3 Rocket Drive

Rochester
,
Illinois
62563

United States
Coordinates39.753°N 89.539°W / 39.753; -89.539
Information
School typePublic Secondary
MottoIt’s a Great Day to be a Rocket
School districtRochester CUSD 3A
SuperintendentDr. Thomas Bertrand
PrincipalBrent Ashbaugh
Grades9–12
Gendercoed
Enrollment781 (2017)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)     Navy blue
     Orange
SloganGo Rockets
Fight songGo You Rochester
Athletics conferenceCentral State Eight
Team nameRockets
Website

Building and campus

The campus of Rochester High School is located on the north side of Illinois Route 29 in Rochester. The high school shares the campus and a building with Rochester Junior High School. The campus contains not only the school building and parking, but also a track and field/football stadium, a baseball fields,a softball field, six tennis courts, and an indoor athletic complex. The high school soccer fields are on the campus of Rochester Elementary 2–3 School.

Recent construction
Construction of the new fieldhouse as of October 2009

Rochester has added a field house and athletic complex on their campus. The new field house is approximately 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) and be able to seat 2,500 people. The complex contains a main competition gym floor, retractable bleachers, two side courts, a three-lane track, a wrestling area, weight and locker rooms, and a team meeting room. Also, the complex has a geothermal heating and cooling system for maximum energy efficiency. Construction began in March 2009, and is now complete. District residents approved a $26 million bond referendum in 2007 to pay for this complex, and also a new intermediate school in the district.[2]

History

Rochester schools have existed since 1823. There have been many changes throughout the years to get to what the school is today. The following is a historical time line of the Rochester school system:[3]

  • 1823-The First log school house in the territory that would later become Rochester was built.
  • 1826-The log house burned down.
  • 1831-A new 18x30 feet log school house was built.
  • 1837-An improved building replaced the 1831 log house.
  • 18??-A new stone school was built 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Rochester near the present South Fork Bridge.
  • 1865-The stone building was replaced with a new two story school house at a cost of $3,600. This new building measured 26x40 feet.
  • 1880-The 1865 building burned down.
  • 1881-A new brick building was constructed on Main Street where the Masonic Temple is today. The new building was 32x50 feet and cost $5,000 to construct. Due to increased enrollment, the 5th and 6th grade classes were held in the town hall next door.
  • 1920-A new brick building was constructed on North Walnut. At the time, the building held 11 grades, and any student wishing to attend a 4th year of high school had to go to Springfield. This building was recently demolished and at the time of demolition was used as the junior high.
  • 1937-The Rochester Community HS District #182 was formed and a new two-story building was constructed on the same campus as the 1920 building. The new building faced Route 29, and cost $76,153 to construct. It contained 8 rooms and was the first building used only for the high school. This building was recently demolished and at the time of demolition it was used as administrative offices.
  • 1939-An Ag Shop and storage room were added to the high school building.
  • 1951-A three-story south wing containing 10 classrooms and a cafeteria was added to the grade school on North Walnut. The new addition cost $125,000.
  • 1959-A new high school building was opened on the same campus as the 1920 and 1937 buildings. This building is what is now known as the J-wing on the current high school building.
  • 1967-An Ag Shop and Industrial Arts facility, 15 more classrooms, a gym, and a cafeteria were added to the Route 29 campus.
    Fine Arts Auditorium constructed in 2008
  • 1976-The main wing and library of the existing high school were added to the high school. The high school moved into the new addition and the junior high moved into the old high school(J-wing). Also, an addition was added to the North Walnut building.
  • 1991-A new elementary school was opened on a new campus on West Main.
  • 1998-A transportation facility was built on the West Main campus.
  • 1999-Science labs were added to the existing high school.
  • 2000-A new middle school was completed on the West Main campus.
  • 2005-An eight-room addition to the Elementary school was completed.
  • 2008-The high school and junior high combined into the high school building. Fourteen new classrooms, a fine arts auditorium, and a cafeteria were added to the existing high school. Also, a bond referendum was passed to build a new middle school and fieldhouse.
  • 2010-The Rochester Athletic Complex was opened on the Route 29 campus.
  • 2011-The Rochester Intermediate School opened for students in January.

Academic status

Rochester High School ranked as the 43rd best high school out of 650 ranked in Illinois based on 11th grade Prairie State Achievement Examination(PSAE) reading and math scores in 2008.[4] All students in Illinois are required to take the ACT examination during their junior year of high school. The SAT examination is optional, and few students elect to take this test. 2008 academic averages are:[5]

ACT

  • Composite: 22.0
  • English: 22.1
  • Math: 21.5
  • Reading: 22.3
  • Science: 21.4

PSAE Meets/Exceeds in 2010

  • Reading:68%
  • Math: 71%
  • Science: 68%
  • Writing: 70%

Rochester High School had 100% graduation rates in 2005 and 2007.[1]

Student life

Grade Point Averages (GPA) at Rochester High School are based on a 4.0 scale. However, students have the option to take weighted classes, so it is possible for them to have a GPA higher than a 4.0. Also, students have the option to take dual credit classes through Lincoln Land Community College(LLCC) and earn college credit for select classes they are taking at Rochester. Classes available to take for dual credit are Calculus, English, Spanish, Statistics, Cisco, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Physics, Chemistry II, and American Studies.

Athletics

All of Rochester High School's sports teams currently compete in the CS8. Rochester High School is also a member of the Illinois High School Association(IHSA), which governs most interscholastic athletics and competitions in Illinois.

Rochester athletic teams are known as the Rockets, and their colors are Navy and Orange. The team colors used to be purple and gold, but in the fall of 1937 the colors were changed to the modern day navy and orange.[3] Rochester has athletic teams for both men and women in basketball, track and field, golf, soccer, tennis, and cross country. There are also men's teams for baseball, football, and wrestling, while there are women's teams for volleyball, softball, cheerleading, and a pom pom dance team.[6]

The following teams have placed in the top five of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments or meets:

  • Boys Golf: 5th place (1980–1982); 4th place (1994–1995); 3rd place (1998–1999); 2nd place (1980–1981); State Champion (1999–2000)
  • Boys Soccer: 4th place (2008–2009); 3rd place (2006–2007, 2007–2008)
  • Boys Track and Field: 4th place (2002–2003); 3rd place (1978–1979, 1989–1990); 2nd place (1981–1982, 2009–2010)
  • Boys Football: State Champions (2010–2011) (2011–2012) (2012–2013) (2013–2014) (2014–2015) (2016–2017) (2017–2018) (2019-2020)
  • Girls Basketball: 2nd place (2006–2007, 2007–2008)
  • Girls Cross Country: 4th place (2005–2006); 3rd place (2012–2013); 2nd place (2013–2014)
  • Girls Soccer: 3rd place (2006–2007); 1A State Champions (2008–2009); 1A Runner Up (2014–2015); 1A State Champions (2015–2016); 2A State Champions (2016–2017)
  • Girls Track and Field: 5th place (1992–1993); 3rd place (1991–1992); 2nd place (1994–1995); State Champions (1993–1994)

Rochester also has a scholastic bowl team who placed 4th in state in the 2007–2008 school year.[7]

Fine arts

Rochester has several choirs. They include one non-auditioned concert choir and two auditioned choirs- a jazz choir and the Madrigals. They also have several bands which include one auditioned band—the jazz band—and a non-auditioned band. In the fall the band is referred to as the marching band, and in the spring it is referred to as the concert band. All the bands and choirs perform at various concerts and community events throughout the year. The marching band performs at the home football games, local parades, and other competitions. The Madrigals perform an annual dinner theatre type show. Every four years during spring break, the bands and choirs take a trip to Walt Disney World where they compete in a nationwide competition. Each student raises money for the trip by selling citrus fruit each year, usually starting in fifth or sixth grade. Each spring the Rochester Fine Arts Department puts on either a play or a musical.

Demographics

Racial/Ethnic Background (2010):[5]

  • White: 97.2%
  • Black: 1.2%
  • Hispanic: 0.9%
  • Asian: 0.6%
  • Native American: 0.0%
  • Multi-Racial/Ethnic: 0.1%

Other Data (2010):

  • Low-Income Rate: 4.2%
  • Limited English-Proficient Rate: 0.0%
  • Dropout Rate: 0.3%
  • Chronic Truancy Rate: 0.5%
  • Mobility Rate: 4.2%
  • Attendance Rate: 95.1%

Administrators
  • Superintendent: Dr. Lance Thurman
  • Principal: Brent Ashbaugh
  • Assistant Principal: Kim Poole
  • Activities Director: J.R. Boudouris
gollark: Perhaps it is possible to make a program to automatically relate anything to anything.
gollark: It might be, it might not be, who knows.
gollark: Nobody, but that doesn't mean it's nondeterministic.
gollark: Who says it has nondeterminism?
gollark: <@!258639553357676545> knows, really.

References
  1. Rochester High School in Illinois, accessed October 21, 2009
  2. Rochester school, field house construction could begin this month, sj-r.com, Debra Landis, March 2, 2009, accessed October 21, 2009
  3. Old School and New School: 2008 Rochester High School Rocket, Volume 51
  4. Top Ten Illinois High Schools, schooldigger.com, accessed October 21, 2009
  5. 2008 Rochester High School Illinois School Report Card, accessed October 21, 2009
  6. IHSA Rochester, ihsa.org, last updated October 20, 2009, accessed October 21, 2009
  7. IHSA Season Summaries – Rochester, ihsa.org, October 6, 2009, accessed October 21, 2009
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