Metea Valley High School
Encyclopedia
Metea Valley High School (Pronounced Ma-Tay-Uh) is a high school
in Aurora, Illinois
that opened in August, 2009 in DuPage County
. The school is one of three high schools operated by the Indian Prairie School District
; the others are Waubonsie Valley High School
, also in Aurora, and Neuqua Valley High School
, in Naperville.
, and opened for the 2009-2010 academic year for freshman and sophomore classes (grades nine and ten), Metea Valley cost $124.7 million to build, and can hold 3,000 students. The school met its full enrollment of students for grades 9-12 during the 2011-2012 academic year. The school began its first Prairie State Achievement Exams (used as a standardized testing measure of academic achievement) during the 2010-2011 academic year, and per Illinois High School Association Policy, the school was not fully recognized for interscholastic sports until that same academic year.
The school's namesake, a chief of the Potawatomi
tribe, was selected during 2006. The school's colors are black and gold (maintaining a tradition of ' and gold' in all three high schools) and the school's mascot is the 'Mustangs'. The colors were announced in February 2007, and the mascot selection in March 2007. Both were chosen by those middle school students who began attending the school in 2009, as well as the current Neuqua and Waubonsie students in 2007. The School joined the Upstate Eight Conference in the 2010-2011 school year.
Metea Valley High School's principal is Jim Schmid, formerly principal of Waubonsie Valley High School.
. The construction manager was Turner Construction Company.
Construction began on May 7, 2008. It began with an extensive earth moving operation. For months, as the landscape changed, there was no discernible structure, although one could see the flattened "footprint" where the building would be located and massive sewer pipes and basins dotting the land. Then, early in August 2008, steel structural beams started to rise up near the southwest corner of the property.
The musical hallway opened on January 4th, 2010. The auditorium was completed in early February of 2010.
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....
in Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
that opened in August, 2009 in DuPage County
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
. The school is one of three high schools operated by the Indian Prairie School District
Indian Prairie School District 204
Indian Prairie School District 204 serves students from the Illinois communities of Aurora, Bolingbrook, Plainfield and Naperville. Currently one preschool, twenty-one elementary schools, seven middle schools, three high schools, and one alternative high school are in the district...
; the others are Waubonsie Valley High School
Waubonsie Valley High School
Waubonsie Valley High School, or WVHS, is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ogden Avenue and Eola Road in Aurora, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
, also in Aurora, and Neuqua Valley High School
Neuqua Valley High School
Neuqua Valley High School, or NVHS is a public four-year high school located near the corner of Illinois Route 59 and 95th Street in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
, in Naperville.
Preparations
Serving Indian Prairie School District 204Indian Prairie School District 204
Indian Prairie School District 204 serves students from the Illinois communities of Aurora, Bolingbrook, Plainfield and Naperville. Currently one preschool, twenty-one elementary schools, seven middle schools, three high schools, and one alternative high school are in the district...
, and opened for the 2009-2010 academic year for freshman and sophomore classes (grades nine and ten), Metea Valley cost $124.7 million to build, and can hold 3,000 students. The school met its full enrollment of students for grades 9-12 during the 2011-2012 academic year. The school began its first Prairie State Achievement Exams (used as a standardized testing measure of academic achievement) during the 2010-2011 academic year, and per Illinois High School Association Policy, the school was not fully recognized for interscholastic sports until that same academic year.
The school's namesake, a chief of the Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
tribe, was selected during 2006. The school's colors are black and gold (maintaining a tradition of '
Metea Valley High School's principal is Jim Schmid, formerly principal of Waubonsie Valley High School.
District controversies
The school first had trouble getting land because they couldn't find the right size in the right location. They were in the process of taking the land at the intersection of 75th St. and Route 59, but the owner of the land increased the price and district 204 refused to buy. The administration took some more time to find suitable land. The school's parent district faced criticism centered on estimates of future enrollment numbers, which were used by supporters of the referendum to build Metea Valley. The court process, and attempts at receiving special powers from the state legislature for acquiring the remaining land required for the construction, has also been criticized in local letters to the editor.Construction
One of the companies contracted for the school's construction was Commercial Mechanical Inc (CMI) from Dunlap, Illinois. The school was designed by the Chicago office of DLR GroupDLR Group
DLR Group is an architectural design firm providing architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design to clients throughout the United States...
. The construction manager was Turner Construction Company.
Construction began on May 7, 2008. It began with an extensive earth moving operation. For months, as the landscape changed, there was no discernible structure, although one could see the flattened "footprint" where the building would be located and massive sewer pipes and basins dotting the land. Then, early in August 2008, steel structural beams started to rise up near the southwest corner of the property.
The musical hallway opened on January 4th, 2010. The auditorium was completed in early February of 2010.