Metamora Township High School
Encyclopedia
Metamora Township High School (often referred to as MTHS) is a public high school
located in Metamora, Illinois
with an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. The school's athletic teams compete in the Mid-Illini Conference. Its colors are red and white.
date back to 1836, a time which saw classes being held in a log house by Betty Page. The village's first public school was built in 1845. This building was sold in 1850 and a more substantial two-story building was constructed on the corner of Partridge and Hanover Streets, offering a one-year high school curriculum. This structure was used until 1872 when it burnt down and a new building was built in its place. Built at a cost of $8000 by Soloman E. Egbert, the two-story brick building featured 4 rooms, a grammar department being on the lower floor and a high school being on the second. With an enrollment of 32 students and 4 teachers in its first year of operation in its new building, the school added a second year to its secondary curriculum in 1878. In 1896, another teacher was added at the intermediate level and a third year was added to the high school program. During this time, the Sisters of Saint Francis operated an orphanage
on Madison Street in the village. When the orphanage moved to Peoria
in 1915, the Metamora school board purchased the grounds, added a fourth year and several additional classes to the secondary curriculum, and established Metamora Township High School District 122.
Metamora Township High School was established on October 11, 1915 and has functioned as a public high school
ever since. With an original enrollment of 60, the school has experienced much growth and expansion since then. Most recently, profound population growth in both Metamora
and neighboring Germantown Hills
saw a massive expansion of MTHS in 2000. In 2008, MTHS moved toward alternative energy with the construction of a 165-foot meteorological tower
adjacent to the school's grounds, aimed at educating students about weather science and assessing the possibility of a permanent wind turbine to power the school.
A large food fight
in May 2009, on the last day for senior students, involved about 75 students, 60 of which were seniors. Several students other than seniors were suspended. Seniors who were known to have participated were not allowed to participate in the formal graduation ceremony.
. To the north, the grounds comprise a large athletic complex, consisting of an outdoor track and football
stadium (known as Malone Field), baseball
and softball
fields, and concrete tennis
courts, along with practice fields for football and soccer.
The three-level building is divided into hallways and wings, each organized by the function it serves. The school's west portion houses three gymnasiums, a cafeteria, and an auditorium. The school's central portion, housing a library
along with most of its classrooms and administrative
offices, forms a two-story "H" with both levels following a similar layout. The building's east portion sits at a level between the first and second floors, resembling a split-level design, and houses metal, wood, and automotive shops. Two elevators make every classroom accessible to those with physical disabilities.
districts that feed into it: Riverview Community Consolidated School District 2, Metamora Community Consolidated School District 1, and Germantown Hills School District 69.
The graduating class of 2010 had an average ACT score of 22.2, an average class size of 19.0, and a graduation rate of 98.3%. For the 2009-10 school year, MTHS failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination
(PSAE), comprising the ACT and WorkKeys
examination, the assessment tool used in Illinois
to fulfill the No Child Left Behind Act
. However, the school has not been identified for School Improvement according to the AYP specification of the No Child Left Behind Act.
(IHSA), which governs most sports and activities in Illinois
. The school's teams are known as the Redbirds
, except for the men's and women's cross-country teams, which are known as the Runnin' Red.
MTHS sponsors both men's and women's teams in basketball
, cross-country
, golf
, soccer, tennis
, and track & field. The school also has men's baseball
, football
, and wrestling
teams, as well as women's cheerleading
, dance
, softball
, and volleyball
teams. Metamora also co-ops with Eureka High School
to form a coed swimming
& diving
team. Although not affiliated with the IHSA or the school, MTHS students may also compete on a men's rugby
team. The school also sponsors intramural basketball
and badminton
teams.
The following teams have qualified for their respective IHSA State tournament or meet:
The Metamora football program has several IHSA records, including most rushing yards by a team in a playoff game (633) and most State championship game losses (7). Head coach Pat Ryan owns the individual coaching record for State championship game losses (5).
(BOA) Regional and Grand National competitions, respectively. The choir program includes two full choirs, a vocal jazz choir, and a madrigal
group which puts on a full madrigal dinner
each year.
Metamora is also home to the "Fluorescent Light Orchestra" (not to be confused with the more well-known Electric Light Orchestra
), a popular group under the direction of Mike Damico. The FLO plays such hits as "The Stripper," and "Ain't Misbehavin'."
The following clubs and teams have qualified for their respective IHSA State competition or tournament:
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Metamora, Illinois
Metamora, Illinois
Metamora is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,700 at the 2000 census. Metamora is a growing suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
with an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. The school's athletic teams compete in the Mid-Illini Conference. Its colors are red and white.
History
Early records of education in MetamoraMetamora, Illinois
Metamora is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,700 at the 2000 census. Metamora is a growing suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
date back to 1836, a time which saw classes being held in a log house by Betty Page. The village's first public school was built in 1845. This building was sold in 1850 and a more substantial two-story building was constructed on the corner of Partridge and Hanover Streets, offering a one-year high school curriculum. This structure was used until 1872 when it burnt down and a new building was built in its place. Built at a cost of $8000 by Soloman E. Egbert, the two-story brick building featured 4 rooms, a grammar department being on the lower floor and a high school being on the second. With an enrollment of 32 students and 4 teachers in its first year of operation in its new building, the school added a second year to its secondary curriculum in 1878. In 1896, another teacher was added at the intermediate level and a third year was added to the high school program. During this time, the Sisters of Saint Francis operated an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
on Madison Street in the village. When the orphanage moved to Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
in 1915, the Metamora school board purchased the grounds, added a fourth year and several additional classes to the secondary curriculum, and established Metamora Township High School District 122.
Metamora Township High School was established on October 11, 1915 and has functioned as a public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
ever since. With an original enrollment of 60, the school has experienced much growth and expansion since then. Most recently, profound population growth in both Metamora
Metamora, Illinois
Metamora is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,700 at the 2000 census. Metamora is a growing suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and neighboring Germantown Hills
Germantown Hills, Illinois
Germantown Hills is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, approximately northeast of Peoria. Germantown Hills is the only incorporated community in Worth Township. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 3,438...
saw a massive expansion of MTHS in 2000. In 2008, MTHS moved toward alternative energy with the construction of a 165-foot meteorological tower
Measurement tower
A measurement tower is a free standing tower or a removed mast, which carries measuring instruments with meteorological instruments such as thermometers and wind velocity measurers. Measuring towers are an essential component of rocket launching sites, since one must know exact wind conditions for...
adjacent to the school's grounds, aimed at educating students about weather science and assessing the possibility of a permanent wind turbine to power the school.
Issues and controversies
The high school parking lot has a capacity of about 350 vehicles; about 100 additional vehicles have to park elsewhere. Each spring, the high school receives complaints that students have come too far into soft grass in private yards when parking on village streets, which have no curbs. , Solutions with cost estimates vary from $46,500 to $615,000.A large food fight
Food fight
A food fight is a form of chaotic collective behavior, in which food is thrown at others in the manner of projectiles. These projectiles are not made to harm or damage others, but to simply ignite a fight filled with spontaneous food throwing. Food fights may be impromptu examples of rebellion or...
in May 2009, on the last day for senior students, involved about 75 students, 60 of which were seniors. Several students other than seniors were suspended. Seniors who were known to have participated were not allowed to participate in the formal graduation ceremony.
Campus
The school is located on Madison Street in northern Metamora. It is bordered to the south by residential housing, to the west by a student parking lot, and to the east by McBride and Schoff, Inc. and Illinois Route 89Illinois Route 89
Illinois Route 89 is a rural, north–south state highway in central Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 34 in La Moille to Illinois Route 116 in Metamora. Routes 26 and 89 are the main north–south roads between Interstate 39/U.S. Route 51 and Illinois Route 29...
. To the north, the grounds comprise a large athletic complex, consisting of an outdoor track and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium (known as Malone Field), baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
fields, and concrete tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts, along with practice fields for football and soccer.
The three-level building is divided into hallways and wings, each organized by the function it serves. The school's west portion houses three gymnasiums, a cafeteria, and an auditorium. The school's central portion, housing a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
along with most of its classrooms and administrative
Academic administration
An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities...
offices, forms a two-story "H" with both levels following a similar layout. The building's east portion sits at a level between the first and second floors, resembling a split-level design, and houses metal, wood, and automotive shops. Two elevators make every classroom accessible to those with physical disabilities.
Academics
MTHS is the only school in Metamora Township High School District 122, independent of the three grade schoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
districts that feed into it: Riverview Community Consolidated School District 2, Metamora Community Consolidated School District 1, and Germantown Hills School District 69.
The graduating class of 2010 had an average ACT score of 22.2, an average class size of 19.0, and a graduation rate of 98.3%. For the 2009-10 school year, MTHS failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized...
(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination
Prairie State Achievement Examination
The Prairie State Achievement Examination is a two-day standardized test taken by all High School Juniors in the U.S. state of Illinois. On the first day, students take the ACT, and on the second day, a WorkKeys examination and Illinois State Board of Education-developed science examination....
(PSAE), comprising the ACT and WorkKeys
WorkKeys
WorkKeys is a job skill assessment system used in the United States. It was created in the late 1980s by ACT, Inc. It is used by businesses to measure workplace skills of employees and job applicants and by schools and colleges to help prepare students for the workplace.-Description:WorkKeys...
examination, the assessment tool used in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to fulfill the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. However, the school has not been identified for School Improvement according to the AYP specification of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Athletics
Metamora Township High School competes in the Mid-Illini Conference, in which it is the reigning All-Sports Champion (2008–2009). MTHS is a member of the Illinois High School AssociationIllinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
(IHSA), which governs most sports and activities in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The school's teams are known as the Redbirds
Northern Cardinal
The Northern Cardinal or Redbird or Common Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis. It can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico...
, except for the men's and women's cross-country teams, which are known as the Runnin' Red.
MTHS sponsors both men's and women's teams in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, soccer, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and track & field. The school also has men's baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
teams, as well as women's cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
teams. Metamora also co-ops with Eureka High School
Eureka High School (Illinois)
Eureka High School is a public secondary school located in Eureka, Illinois. The school is part of Eureka Community Unit District 140, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes...
to form a coed swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
& diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
team. Although not affiliated with the IHSA or the school, MTHS students may also compete on a men's rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
team. The school also sponsors intramural basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
teams.
The following teams have qualified for their respective IHSA State tournament or meet:
- Cross-Country (Men's): Qualified (1976–'77, '83–'84, '92–'93, '96–'97, '97–'98, 2003–'04, '04–'05, '05–'06, '06–'07); 9th Place ('09–'10); 7th Place ('07–'08)
- Cross-Country (Women's): Qualified (1970–'80, '91–'92, '94–'95, '95–'96, '96–'97, 2001–'02, '02–'03, '04–'05, '05–'06, '07–'08); 6th Place (2008–'09); 5th Place (2003–'04)
- Football: Qualified (1978–'79, '79–'80, '80–'81, '81–'82, '84–'85, '88–'89, '90–'91, '94–'95, '95–'96, '98–'99, 2001- '02, '02–'03, '03–'04, '04–'05, '05–'06, '06–'07); 2nd Place (1976–'77, '77–'78, '96–'97, '97'-98, '99–2000, '00–'01, '08–'09); State Champions (1975–'76, 2007–'08, '09–'10)
- Softball: Qualified (1977–'78, '81–'82); State Champions (2009-'10)
The Metamora football program has several IHSA records, including most rushing yards by a team in a playoff game (633) and most State championship game losses (7). Head coach Pat Ryan owns the individual coaching record for State championship game losses (5).
Fine Arts
Metamora boasts a strong fine arts program, with over half of all students being involved in fine arts as an extracurricular activity. Currently, ensembles at the high school include a Wind Ensemble, concert band, jazz band, two steel bands, and two marching bands. The competitive marching band regularly competes in national competitions, visiting St. Louis and Indianapolis for the Bands of AmericaBands of America
Bands of America , a division of Music for All, Inc., is an organization that promotes and organizes marching band competitions for high school students. Competitions include both Regional and Super Regional Championships as well as the Grand National Championships...
(BOA) Regional and Grand National competitions, respectively. The choir program includes two full choirs, a vocal jazz choir, and a madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
group which puts on a full madrigal dinner
Madrigal dinner
A Madrigal Dinner or Madrigal Feast is an American form of dinner theater often held by schools and church groups during the Christmas season. It is set in the Middle Ages and is generally comedic in nature. The meal is divided into courses, each of which is heralded with a traditional song...
each year.
Metamora is also home to the "Fluorescent Light Orchestra" (not to be confused with the more well-known Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
), a popular group under the direction of Mike Damico. The FLO plays such hits as "The Stripper," and "Ain't Misbehavin'."
Clubs and activities
Current :- Athletic Pep Band
- Bass FishingBass fishingBass fishing is the activity of angling for the North American gamefish known colloquially as the black bass. There are numerous black bass species considered as gamefish in North America, including largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , Spotted bass or Kentucky bass , Guadalupe bass Bass fishing is...
Club - Drama Club
- Environmental Club
- Fellowship of Christian AthletesFellowship of Christian AthletesThe Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
- Family, Career, and Community Leaders of AmericaFamily, Career, and Community Leaders of AmericaFamily, Career and Community Leaders of America , formerly known as Future Homemakers of America , is a nonprofit U.S. career and technical student organization for young men and women in family and consumer science education in public and private schools through grade 12 across the United States...
- National FFA OrganizationNational FFA OrganizationThe National FFA Organization is an American youth organization known as a Career and Technical Student Organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education...
- German Dancing
- Jazz Ensemble
- LANLAN partyA LAN party is a temporary, sometimes spontaneous, gathering of people with computers, between which they establish a local area network , primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer computer games. The size of these networks may vary from the very small to very large installations...
Club - Madrigal Brass
- MadrigalsMadrigal dinnerA Madrigal Dinner or Madrigal Feast is an American form of dinner theater often held by schools and church groups during the Christmas season. It is set in the Middle Ages and is generally comedic in nature. The meal is divided into courses, each of which is heralded with a traditional song...
- Martial Arts
- National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- Operation SnowballOperation snowballOperation Snowball is an international alcohol, tobacco and other drug use prevention program focusing on leadership development to empower youth to lead drug-free lives...
- Scholastic Bowl
- Science Club
- SkillsUSASkillsUSASkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 320,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations. Since 2010, SkillsUSA has had Thomas...
- Speech Team
- Student CouncilStudent councilStudent council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
- Techno Expo
- Visual Arts Club
- YearbookYearbookA yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
The following clubs and teams have qualified for their respective IHSA State competition or tournament:
- Bass Fishing: Qualified (2009-'10)
External links
- Metamora Township High School — official website