Urbana High School (Illinois)

Urbana High School is the only public high school in Urbana, Illinois and was established in 1872.

Urbana High School
Address
1002 S. Race Street

Urbana
,
Champaign-Urbana
,
Illinois
61801

United States
Coordinates40°06′14″N 88°12′34″E
Information
School typePublic, High School
Established1872
StatusOpen
School district116
CEEB code144-185
PrincipalMitchell Berenson (interim)[1]
Teaching staff93.00 (FTE)[2]
Enrollment1,210 (2018–19)[2]
Student to teacher ratio13.1[2]
Campus typeUrban
School color(s)     Orange
     Black
AthleticsIHSA
Athletics conferenceBig Twelve
SportsBaseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Volleyball, Wrestling
MascotTiger
Team nameTigers / Lady Tigers
PublicationLoophole - UHS Literary Magazine
NewspaperEcho
YearbookRosemary
Nobel laureatesRobert W. Holley, Edwin G. Krebs
Websitehttp://www.usd116.org/uhs/

History

Urbana High School's current building was built in 1914. It was designed by architect Joseph Royer who also designed many other buildings in the area including the Urbana Free Library and the Champaign County Court House. The architecture of Urbana High School is of the Tudor style, defined primarily by the towers over the main entrance and the flattened point arches over the doors.

An addition was built in 1916 which included a gymnasium and swimming pool. Due to increasing enrollment, further additions were built in 1955 and 1965.

In 1988, an enclosed athletic area was added while the old gymnasium/pool wing was converted into classrooms. The entire building was also renovated to meet safety codes. During the renovation, areas that had been sealed off during previous construction revealed graffiti dating back to around the 1950s.

The Urbana Park District Indoor Aquatic Center was built in 2003. Being adjoined to Urbana High School, it brings the building to its current state.

Beginning in 2011, the Urbana School District (USD) #116 began construction on several projects to update the older facilities. The school demolished its football and soccer fields in the spring of 2011 and combined them into a new state-of-the-art football/soccer field with artificial turf and several bleachers. It was called the Urbana Tigers Athletic Complex and the project cost an estimated $4.3 million.[3] Cobb Memorial Auditorium underwent a complete renovation in 2012 which restored and reincorporated the historical features of its earlier design. Its estimated cost was $4.6 million.[4] Additional improvements to the facilities were finalized at the end of 2012.[5]

Notable alumni

Notable faculty
  • J.C. Caroline, a former NFL player for the Chicago Bears, taught physical education at Urbana and was the head football coach for four seasons.
  • Charles Carpenter (Lt. Col.), a highly decorated Second World War artillery observation pilot nicknamed "Bazooka Charlie"; destroyed several German armored vehicles in his bazooka-equipped Piper L-4 Cub/Grasshopper light observation aircraft, christened Rosie the Rocketeer.[11][12] Carpenter became seriously ill and he returned to work as a history teacher at Urbana High School until his death in 1966 at the age of 53.[13]
  • Timothy V. Johnson was a former Illinois legislator.
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gollark: ++delete <@543131534685765673> twice and for all

References
  1. "About Urbana High School". Urbana High School. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  2. "Urbana High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  3. http://www.usd116.org/files/boardmin0910/100406architect.pdf
  4. "School Facilities Improvements 2007-12 | Urbana School District 116". Usd116.org. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  5. "UHS". Usd116.org. July 27, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  6. "Milestones in the life of Roger Ebert". The News-Gazette. Champaign, IL. April 5, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  7. Wurth, Julie. "Urbana native a recipient of MacArthur Foundation's 'genius grant'". news-gazette.com. The News-Gazette. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  8. Archived August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "City of Urbana" (PDF). City.urbana.il.us. May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  10. Archived November 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  11. What's New in Aviation: Piper Cub Tank Buster, Popular Science, Vol. 146 No. 2 (February 1945) p. 84
  12. Carpenter, Leland F., Piper L-4J Grasshopper Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine, Aviation Enthusiast Corner, retrieved 21 October 2011
  13. In Memoriam, Urbaha High School Class of 1962, retrieved 23 October 2011


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