Niles East High School
Encyclopedia
Niles East High School was a public secondary school operated by Niles Township High Schools District 219 in Skokie, Illinois
between 1938 and 1980. Its sister schools Niles West High School
and Niles North High School
remain open.
The school was known as Niles Township High School until Niles West High School opened in 1959. The school sports teams were named the Trojans.
The school's greatest claims to fame are its two Nobel Laureate
alumni -- perhaps even more notable because the school was open for only 42 years. It ranks high among schools around the world on the list "Nobel Prize laureates by secondary school affiliation
."
On the evening of November 2, 1978, then President Jimmy Carter
attended a "Get out the Vote" Rally at Niles East, where he was given an honorary diploma from the school.
moved from their original Morton Grove
campus to Des Plaines
, Oakton opened a branch campus in the former Niles East building. District 219 administrative offices were temporarily located in the shuttered Niles East. Centre East for the Performing Arts was located in the former Niles East Auditorium until their current facility opened near Golf Road and Skokie Boulevard.
Oakton Community College demolished the original high school buildings in stages as new buildings opened. The only remaining structures of Niles East as of 2007 are the courtyard flagpole and the basement under the gymnasium that is now used for storage.
Some scenes in the film Risky Business
and the John Hughes films Sixteen Candles
and Weird Science
were filmed during the 1980s at Niles East after it closed.
Go out and win this game,
We'll help you try.
The Trojans were a mighty race,
They fought with lots of vim.
Let's keep our fighting spirit and we'll win!
Let's go now!
Gold and Blue,
We're true to you,
We'll stand behind you always to a man.
Let's keep our colors flying high,
Our motto is to do or die,
Let's win this game, Nilehi!
Let's go, Nilehi!
Let's go, Trojans!
Fight hard, Nilehi!
VICTORY IS OURS!!
Gold and Blue we sing to you
To you we bring our hearts so true
When we go off to College, we will think of you old school
Where we gained lots of knowledge and learned the golden rule
Though years may come and years may go
Deep in our hearts we'll always know
That there's only one real high school
And so we sing anew
We love you Gold and Blue
from 1972 until its closing in 1980. It was always a member of the Illinois High School Association
(IHSA), which governs most athletic competition in Illinois. The IHSA currently recognizes Niles West High School as the caretaker of Niles East's competitive history.
The following teams finished in the top four of their respective IHSA state championship tournament:
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
between 1938 and 1980. Its sister schools Niles West High School
Niles West High School
Niles West High School, or NWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It is part of Niles Township Community High School District 219, which also includes Niles North High School. Its school teams were originally the Indians, but...
and Niles North High School
Niles North High School
Niles North High School, or NNHS, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Niles Township Community High School District 219, which also includes Niles West High School. It is also home to several...
remain open.
The school was known as Niles Township High School until Niles West High School opened in 1959. The school sports teams were named the Trojans.
The school's greatest claims to fame are its two Nobel Laureate
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
alumni -- perhaps even more notable because the school was open for only 42 years. It ranks high among schools around the world on the list "Nobel Prize laureates by secondary school affiliation
Nobel Prize laureates by secondary school affiliation
The following is a list of Nobel Prize laureates by secondary school affiliation. To be listed, a high school must have at least one Nobel Prize laureate among its alumni....
."
History
In 1975 Niles Township High School District 219 announced that Niles East would be closed in 1980 and all students and faculty were moved to Niles West and Niles North.On the evening of November 2, 1978, then President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
attended a "Get out the Vote" Rally at Niles East, where he was given an honorary diploma from the school.
After closure
After Oakton Community CollegeOakton Community College
Oakton Community College is a two-year community college with campuses in Skokie, Illinois and Des Plaines, Illinois. District 535 serves 450,000 residents in northeast Cook County, Illinois...
moved from their original Morton Grove
Morton Grove, Illinois
Morton Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,451 at the 2000 census.The Village President of Morton Grove since April 27, 2009, is Daniel J...
campus to Des Plaines
Des Plaines, Illinois
Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It has adopted the official nickname of "City of Destiny." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,720. It is a suburb of Chicago, and is next to O'Hare International Airport...
, Oakton opened a branch campus in the former Niles East building. District 219 administrative offices were temporarily located in the shuttered Niles East. Centre East for the Performing Arts was located in the former Niles East Auditorium until their current facility opened near Golf Road and Skokie Boulevard.
Oakton Community College demolished the original high school buildings in stages as new buildings opened. The only remaining structures of Niles East as of 2007 are the courtyard flagpole and the basement under the gymnasium that is now used for storage.
Some scenes in the film Risky Business
Risky Business
Risky Business is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut. It stars Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. The hit film launched Cruise to stardom.-Plot:...
and the John Hughes films Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
and Weird Science
Weird Science (film)
Weird Science is a 1985 American teen comedy film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock...
were filmed during the 1980s at Niles East after it closed.
Fight Song
Nilehi, Nilehi,Go out and win this game,
We'll help you try.
The Trojans were a mighty race,
They fought with lots of vim.
Let's keep our fighting spirit and we'll win!
Let's go now!
Gold and Blue,
We're true to you,
We'll stand behind you always to a man.
Let's keep our colors flying high,
Our motto is to do or die,
Let's win this game, Nilehi!
Let's go, Nilehi!
Let's go, Trojans!
Fight hard, Nilehi!
VICTORY IS OURS!!
Alma Mater
Gold and BlueGold and Blue we sing to you
To you we bring our hearts so true
When we go off to College, we will think of you old school
Where we gained lots of knowledge and learned the golden rule
Though years may come and years may go
Deep in our hearts we'll always know
That there's only one real high school
And so we sing anew
We love you Gold and Blue
Athletics
Niles East competed as a member of the Central Suburban LeagueCentral Suburban League
The Central Suburban League is an IHSA-recognized high school extracurricular conference comprising 12 public schools located in the northern suburbs of Chicago...
from 1972 until its closing in 1980. It was always a member of the Illinois High School Association
Illinois 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 athletic competition in Illinois. The IHSA currently recognizes Niles West High School as the caretaker of Niles East's competitive history.
The following teams finished in the top four of their respective IHSA state championship tournament:
- Baseball: 2nd place (1957–58)
- Gymnastics (boys): 4th place (1961–62, 67–68, 74–75); 3rd place (1968–69); 2nd place (1962–63, 63–64)
- Swimming & Diving (boys): 4th place (1952–53)
- Tennis (boys): 3rd place (1960–61)
- Wrestling: 2nd place (1960–61)
Notable alumni
- Robert Horvitz (class of 1964) was the co–recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
for discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death. - Martin ChalfieMartin ChalfieMartin Chalfie is an American scientist. He is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University, where he is also chair of the department of biological sciences. He shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien "for the...
(class of 1965) was the co–recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in ChemistryNobel Prize in ChemistryThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent proteinGreen fluorescent proteinThe green fluorescent protein is a protein composed of 238 amino acid residues that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to blue light. Although many other marine organisms have similar green fluorescent proteins, GFP traditionally refers to the protein first isolated from the...
, GFP.