Rockford Auburn High School
Encyclopedia
Auburn High School is a public high school located in Rockford
, Illinois
, USA. The school is divided into two campuses: one a campus for freshmen and the other for upperclassmen.
In addition to serving the west side of Rockford for grades 9-12, it houses the high school portions of the Gifted Program (Academy), the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Program, and the only Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
program left in Rockford.
state finals for the past seven years, including a 3rd place finish in 2007, a 1st place finish in 2008, and a 2nd place finish in 2009. The Academy program is selective, and along with Washington School, which serves grades 1 through 8, forms the Gifted Program in Rockford, with admittance based on testing.
The CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) program is also a K-12 program, and the high-school portion is housed at Auburn, where CAPA students can take academic subjects in regular, honors, or Academy courses while continuing training in art, music, dance, or drama.
The only Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
at a Rockford school is housed at Auburn. Many of the top students in the program are a part of the Rifle Team, which is among the top teams in the state, the Drill Team, which has placed at Purdue University in the past few years, the Color Guard, or the program's new Drum and Bugle Corps.
The gymnasium is named for hall of fame coach Dolph Stanley
. For 10 seasons Stanley coached the Knights to four regional and three sectional titles, advancing to the state quarterfinals in 1963. Though his teams didn’t make the finals of the IHSA tournament, Stanley's Auburn teams produced 176 wins to 78 losses.
Around 1970 a football stadium was built next to Auburn High school. Originally, and for many years, the stadium was called "Westburn stadium", and was used by both Auburn and the then West High school which had no field of its own. Currently, Auburn shares the field with Jefferson High School, as Jefferson also has no home field of its own. The football field is surrounded by a new track.
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
, 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,...
, USA. The school is divided into two campuses: one a campus for freshmen and the other for upperclassmen.
In addition to serving the west side of Rockford for grades 9-12, it houses the high school portions of the Gifted Program (Academy), the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Program, and the only Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
program left in Rockford.
Academics
The Academy program is the high school component of the Rockford Public Schools' enriched program for bright students. This "special education" program continually ranks high in the state with respect to test scores. In fact, with Academy and Non-Academy test scores separated, the Academy ranked number one in the nation. The Academy-dominated quiz bowl team has placed in the Final Four in 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...
state finals for the past seven years, including a 3rd place finish in 2007, a 1st place finish in 2008, and a 2nd place finish in 2009. The Academy program is selective, and along with Washington School, which serves grades 1 through 8, forms the Gifted Program in Rockford, with admittance based on testing.
The CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) program is also a K-12 program, and the high-school portion is housed at Auburn, where CAPA students can take academic subjects in regular, honors, or Academy courses while continuing training in art, music, dance, or drama.
The only Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
at a Rockford school is housed at Auburn. Many of the top students in the program are a part of the Rifle Team, which is among the top teams in the state, the Drill Team, which has placed at Purdue University in the past few years, the Color Guard, or the program's new Drum and Bugle Corps.
Facilities
Auburn's school complex is located across Pierpont Avenue from McIntosh Elementary school and between School and Auburn Streets. A school board decision combined the Auburn and Wilson Junior High campuses into "North Campus" and "South Campus," with the freshmen housed at the South Campus and the rest of the student body remaining at the North Campus. Cottonwood Airport is located adjacently to the South of the school, and has a north-south grass strip aligned approximately with the current football field.The gymnasium is named for hall of fame coach Dolph Stanley
Dolph Stanley
Dolph Stanley was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the ”Silver Fox”, Stanley is best known for holding the "unbreakable" record of guiding five different Illinois High School Association schools into the state tournament...
. For 10 seasons Stanley coached the Knights to four regional and three sectional titles, advancing to the state quarterfinals in 1963. Though his teams didn’t make the finals of the IHSA tournament, Stanley's Auburn teams produced 176 wins to 78 losses.
Around 1970 a football stadium was built next to Auburn High school. Originally, and for many years, the stadium was called "Westburn stadium", and was used by both Auburn and the then West High school which had no field of its own. Currently, Auburn shares the field with Jefferson High School, as Jefferson also has no home field of its own. The football field is surrounded by a new track.
Activities
The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament:- ChessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
: 4th place (1995–96); 2nd place (1988–89, 90–91, 93–94); State Champions (1991–92, 92–93) - Scholastic BowlQuizbowlQuiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
: 4th place (2001–02); 3rd place (2003–04, 04–05, 05–06, 06–07); 2nd place (2002–03, 08–09, 09-10); State Champions (2007–08)
Notable alumni
- Adam Arling is a guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
for the band The Last VegasThe Last VegasThe Last Vegas are a hard rock band from Chicago whose style draws from glam, punk, and sleaze metal. Composed of Chad Cherry , John Wator , Adam Arling , Danny Smash , and Nate Arling , the band released the album Whatever Gets You Off, in April 2009, on Eleven Seven Music. The album was produced...
. - Charles BoxCharles BoxCharles Box was elected mayor of Rockford, Illinois, USA in 1989. A Democrat, Box was the first African-American Mayor elected in Rockford. Box was elected to three terms as mayor before choosing not to run in 2001. In 2006, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Box as head of the Illinois...
is a former mayor of Rockford; the first African American to hold that office. - Michael ElstonMichael ElstonMichael Elston , is a United States lawyer.He is currently the Chief Counsel for Appellate & Commercial Litigation in the Office of the General Counsel, United States Postal Service, in Washington, D.C. From November 2005 to June 2007, he was a political appointee in the administration of...
, Chief of Staff & Counselor, Office of the Deputy Attorney General, United States Department of Justice. - Donald A. ManzulloDonald A. ManzulloDonald A. Manzullo is the U.S. Representative for . Since January 2011, he has served as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. He is a member of the Republican Party and was first elected in 1992....
is a U.S. Representative, representing Illinois' 16th congressional districtIllinois' 16th congressional districtThe 16th Congressional District of Illinois covers a part of northern Illinois, including the cities of Rockford, Crystal Lake, Machesney Park, Belvidere, Freeport and Galena, and all or parts of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb, and Whiteside counties.For...
. - Robert NardelliRobert NardelliRobert Louis "Bob" Nardelli was the chairman and chief executive officer of Chrysler. He had earlier served in a similar capacity at The Home Depot from December 2000 to January 2007. Prior to that, Nardelli had risen to become one of the top four executives at General Electric...
is the former CEOChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of ChryslerChryslerChrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
and Home Depot. - Rick VenturiRick Venturi-External links:...
is a football coach who was head football coach for Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern Wildcats footballThe Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
(1978–80) before briefly serving as head coach for the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
(1991) and New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
(1996). He has also been a defensive coordinatorDefensive coordinatorA defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. - Shawn Wade is a former bass player for the band 12 Stones12 Stones12 Stones is a rock band that was formed in 2000 in Mandeville, Louisiana. They have collectively sold more than 2 million records.-History:The four band members met in Mandeville, Louisiana, a small suburb north of New Orleans, and within 15 months were signed to a record deal with Wind-up Records...
. - Michelle Williams is a former member of the band Destiny's ChildDestiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
. - Kimberla Lawson Roby is a New York Times Bestselling Author that published 16 novels. Her novels have frequented numerous bestseller lists, including The New York Times and those in USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Essence Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Emerge Magazine, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, The Dallas Morning News, and The Austin Chronicle to name a few.