Rich East High School
Encyclopedia
Rich East High School or REHS, is a public four-year high school located in Park Forest, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The Rich East Campus serves the cities of Park Forest, Matteson,Olympia Fields,Chicago Heights, & Richton Park. It is a part of Rich Township District 227, which also includes Rich South High School
and Rich Central High School
.
Rich East High School was originally predominately white with some African Americans and it also held many Jewish students. Teachers were not allowed to give out homework or assign tests on Jewish holidays. Teachers were also very strict about boys and girls showing affection in school, if a boy and a girl were holding hands, some teachers would simply tell them to stop and others would pull their hands apart.
Rich East was a small football conference but was known to be a good team. The varsity record was 7-0-1 with seven wins, zero loses and only one tie. They won their conference which had also included Kankakee, Crete- Monee and Tinley Park.
In the 1970’s, students were very vocal and opinionated in their school newspaper, The Reveillier. The school board tried to censor the articles that were written but were told that could not do so.
(IHSA), which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Rockets.
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in: basketball
, cross country
, golf
, soccer, tennis
, and track & field. Young men may compete in baseball
, football
, and wrestling
, while women may compete in bowling
, cheerleading
, gymnastics
, softball
, and volleyball
. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors a flag corps and poms team.
The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:
Parents from Rich East are also expected to participate. They are welcome to join the school in receiving newsletters, attending parent-teacher conferences, participating in parent groups such as the PTA and social gatherings and events, going on field trips, organizing social events and fundraising for the school.
Rich South High School
Rich South High School or RSHS, is a public four-year high school located in Richton Park, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The Rich South Campus serves the cities of Matteson, Park Forest, Richton Park, Olympia Fields & University Park...
and Rich Central High School
Rich Central High School
Rich Central High School or RCHS, is a public four-year high school located in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The Rich Central Campus serves the cities of Olympia Fields, Matteson, Richton Park,...
.
History
Rich East High school was the first of its district to open in 1952, but was originally called Rich Township High school. This was the school’s name until the construction of Rich Central High School in 1961 and Rich South High School in 1972, which now make up the three schools of district 227. Rich East was originally held in the Faith United Church until Park Forest gave them the open land to build the school. The land was only open and given to them for free by the villagers of Park Forest because it was mostly composed of clay, which is not suitable to build upon. Many old students remember that for many years, cement had to be pumped underneath the school’s main gym so that it would not sink.Rich East High School was originally predominately white with some African Americans and it also held many Jewish students. Teachers were not allowed to give out homework or assign tests on Jewish holidays. Teachers were also very strict about boys and girls showing affection in school, if a boy and a girl were holding hands, some teachers would simply tell them to stop and others would pull their hands apart.
Rich East was a small football conference but was known to be a good team. The varsity record was 7-0-1 with seven wins, zero loses and only one tie. They won their conference which had also included Kankakee, Crete- Monee and Tinley Park.
In the 1970’s, students were very vocal and opinionated in their school newspaper, The Reveillier. The school board tried to censor the articles that were written but were told that could not do so.
Athletics
Rich East competes in the Southland Conference, and 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 competitive activities in Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Rockets.
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women 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. Young men may compete in 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
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
, while women may compete in bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, 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...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, 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...
. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors a flag corps and poms team.
The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:
- Football: semifinals (1985–86)
- Gymnastics (boys): 4th place (1962–63)
- Volleyball (girls): 2nd place (1974–75)
- Wrestling: 4th place (1970–71)
Activities
The activities included at Rich East are band, computer arts, chorus, dance, photography, ceramics/sculpture, drawing/painting, theater/drama, newspaper, yearbook, debate, science and technology and student council/government. They also hold academic contests.Parents from Rich East are also expected to participate. They are welcome to join the school in receiving newsletters, attending parent-teacher conferences, participating in parent groups such as the PTA and social gatherings and events, going on field trips, organizing social events and fundraising for the school.
Student Resources
Students with learning disabilities have the option of being in a self-contained room with other students with learning disabilities or they can be completely included in the general education classroom. Students who are English-learners also have two options. They may group together in one self-contained class all day, or they can be pulled out of the classroom as a group for only part of the day. Other student resources are the school nurses, guidance counselors, peer counselors, psychologists, tutors, the media center and the technology center.Notable alumni
- Kim ThayilKim ThayilKim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
(Class of '79) is the guitarist and founding member of the rock band SoundgardenSoundgardenSoundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
and Hiro YamamotoHiro YamamotoHiro Yamamoto is an American bassist who was a founding member of grunge band Soundgarden, along with Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell in 1984...
(also '79) is the founding and original bassist for the band. - Jon AsamoahJon Asamoah-External links:*...
is an offensive lineman for the University of Illinois. - Tom BerengerTom BerengerTom Berenger is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.-Early life:Berenger was born as Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago to an Irish Catholic family. Berenger's father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Berenger has a sister, Susan...
(Class of '67) is an Oscar–nominated actor, best known for his work in films (PlatoonPlatoon (film)Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
, Major LeagueMajor League (film)Major League is a 1989 American satire comedy film written and directed by David S. Ward, starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, James Gammon, and Corbin Bernsen. Made for US$11 million, Major League grossed nearly US$50 million in domestic release...
). - Craig HodgesCraig HodgesCraig Anthony Hodges is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 10 seasons and led the league in 3-point shooting percentage three times...
is a former NBA guard (1982–92) and collegiate coach. He won two NBA Championships with the Chicago BullsChicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
. - Larry McCarrenLarry McCarrenLaurence "Larry" Anthony McCarren is a former American football center who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers. He earned the nickname the "Rock" after he started 162 consecutive games, which is the team's fourth longest consecutive games start...
is a former All-ProAll-ProAll-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
NFL centerCenter (American football)Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
(1973–84), playing his entire career with the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. He is currently a radio sportscasterSportscasterIn sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for the Packers. - Tony LombardiTony LombardiTony E. Lombardi is an American football player and coach in the United States.-Playing career:Lombardi attended Rich East High School in his hometown of Park Forest, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago, graduating in 1980...
(class of 1980) is a former football player and coach. - Dawn UpshawDawn UpshawDawn Upshaw is an American soprano described as "one of the most consequential performers of our time" by the Los Angeles Times. The recipient of several Grammy Awards and Edison Prize-winning discs, Upshaw is at home both in opera and art song, and in repertoire from Baroque to contemporary...
(Class of '78) is a multi–Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
. - Ryan YarboroughRyan YarboroughRyan Kenneth Yarborough is a former professional American football wide receiver who was selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft...
(Class of '89) is a former NFL wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(1994–98). - Brian Yuska Class of 1990 and three sport athlete.(Football, Basketball, Baseball). Member of the infamous "TURTLES" corp of receivers.
- Brian Middleton is a local Chicago radio personality.
- Tim SpahnTom SpahnThomas G. Spahn is a three-time Emmy Award winner and nominee as well as 1996 Grammy Award nominee American composer and musician born in Park Forest, Illinois and currently residing in New York City...
, Emmy Award winning, Grammy Award nominee.
Notable staff
- Steve FisherSteve FisherSteve Fisher is an American college basketball coach currently at San Diego State University.Fisher attended Illinois State University, where he helped lead the Redbirds to the 1967 Division II Final Four. After school, he became a high school coach in Park Forest, Illinois. In 1979, he accepted...
was the school's head boys basketball coach (1971–79). He later coached at the college level, which included leading the University of MichiganMichigan Wolverines men's basketballThe Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Wolverines play home basketball games at the...
to the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1989, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Seattle, Washington...
. - Craig Hodges was an assistant basketball coach with the school.