West Prairie High School
Encyclopedia
West Prairie High School, also known as Sciota West Prairie, or WPHS, is a public four-year high school
located at 18575 East 800th Street near Sciota, Illinois
, a village
of McDonough County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States
. WPHS is part of West Prairie Community Unit School District 103, which serves the communities of Blandinsville
, Colchester
, Fandon
, Good Hope
, Sciota, and Tennessee
; and includes West Prairie Middle School, North Elementary School, and South Elementary School. The campus is located just south of Sciota, Illinois
, 10 miles northwest of Macomb, Illinois
, and serves a mixed village
and rural
residential community. The school is in the Macomb
micropolitan statistical area. West Prairie High School was formed by the consolidation of Colchester High School and Northwestern High School in 2003.
and is a member school in the Illinois High School Association
. Its mascot is the Cyclone. The school has no state championships on record in team athletics and activities. They form a cooperative agreement in 2009-2011 with nearby Macomb High School
for boys swimming and diving, and Avon
and Bushnell-Prairie City
high schools for boys and girls track and field.
area school was begun in the late 1830s. The town was not actually platted until 1842 and began to develop from there. A school building was erected for the town's children in 1868. Due to the growing population of school-aged children, a new school building was erected in 1905. An addition which included a gymnasium was built onto the stricture in 1924. Tragedy struck the town when the school building burned to the ground in 1934. Plans to build a new school were immediately begun and set in motion. The children went to class in several builidngs around town as the new school was being erected. The building was completed in time for the Class of 1936's graduation ceremony. The State of Illinois' consolidation movement of the late 1940s caught up to the towns of northwest McDonough County. In 1959 the towns of Blandinsville, Good Hope, and Sciota agreed to join forces to create one large school district. This occurrence created the Northwestern School District. The high school was located in Sciota. Blandinsville's school building continued to serve the Northwestern School District through 1975 as a grade school. A new building was built in Good Hope, allowing for the closing of the Blandinsville school. The building was given to the town of Blandinsville.
Shortly after the Blandinsville School building was given to the city it was converted into an emergency fallout shelter in which the nuclear fallout shelter signs still hang outside. In the 90's the roof began to fail and was contracted and replaced. The building was partially renovated with the intention of being transformed into a community center. The district that Blandinsville originally consolidated into (Northwestern) later consolidated again to include the towns of Colchester and Tennessee to create West Prairie which held their spring plays in the Blandinsville gymnasium for several years. However, only a few years after the roof was re-done it failed again, and the contractor that did the job was nowhere to be found. With everyone discouraged and insufficient funds to fix the roof again it was sold to a private citizen for $1.00. The private citizen currently rents a few of the still decent rooms inside for storage. The roof still leaks and the gap constantly grows larger. Due to interior ceiling collapse the southwest stairwell is for the most part impassable as well as the classrooms on the southwest side on the 3rd floor. The southwest corner of the gymnasium has begun to warp and buckle due to water damage. The doors and windows outside and inside remain mostly intact and the large cast iron boiler in the basement still remains. There are still a few desks, chairs, and tables in the basement in what is left of the old boys locker room (partially destroyed when the plans for renovating the school were still in play). The folding seats in the gymnasium remain except for the balcony (upper deck area) in which the seating has been removed. All the lockers have been removed. All the fire, electrical, water, and plumbing systems have been disconnected.
traces its roots of child education back to the late 19th century. The first graduating class from Colchester High School received their diplomas in 1891, or possibly 1892. The original high school building closed in 1969. The new building graduated its first senior class in 1970. Colchester High School reached enrollments as high as 230 students in the "baby-booming" mid-1970s. Enrollments in the 200 to 250 range were the norm for the late 1950s and 1960s with Colchester High School's largest graduating class occurring in 1961. In the late 1940s (approximate) the students from nearby Tennessee High School joined the Colchester school system. Colchester built a new grade school building in 1955 and were joined by the kids of Tennessee Grade School in 1956. The school system existed through the early 21st century, but consolidation talks began between Colchester and Sciota Northwestern High School during this time. The consolidation became a reality after the 2003 school year with the creation of the West Prairie School District.
The Colchester school building serves the West Prairie system as there are two West Prairie Schools located in Colchester, the Middle and Elementary schools. The West Prairie Middle School served as Colchester High School from 1970 until its closing in 2003, along with the original high school building.
residents supported a school in their town for many years. A school system began in Good Hope in the late 19th century, possibly early 20th century. The Good Hope High School joined a consolidation effort of several small towns including its neighbors to the west, Sciota and Blandansville in 1959. The consolidated school district was known as the Northwestern School District with the high school located in Sciota. Good Hope school remained open as host to the Northwestern School District Grade School. The Northwestern School District recently consolidated with Colchester to form the West Prairie School District. Sciota remained home of the high school and Good Hope now hosts a Middle School for the West Prairie School District.
, Good Hope
, and Sciota
undertook a consolidation effort regarding the education of their children. The result was the creation of the Northwestern School District in 1959. A building for the new school district was located on Route 9 just south of Sciota. The Northwestern School District served the three communities and the surrounding farm kids for about 44 years. In 2003 the neighboring town of Colchester agreed to join forces with the Northwestern School District. This new effort created the West Prairie School District. The high school for the West Prairie School District remained located in the Northwestern high school building south of Sciota.
continued to offer a grade school (grades 1 - 5) for the town and surrounding country kids. The grade school closed in 1956 after Colchester built a new grade school in their town. The students of Tennessee attended school as part of the Colchester school system after the Tennessee deactivation. The students of Tennessee now attend West Prairie High School in Sciota. The grammar school students attend school in Colchester.
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 at 18575 East 800th Street near Sciota, Illinois
Sciota, Illinois
Sciota is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 58 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sciota is located at at an elevation of 758 ft...
, a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of McDonough County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. WPHS is part of West Prairie Community Unit School District 103, which serves the communities of Blandinsville
Blandinsville, Illinois
Blandinsville is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 777 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blandinsville is located at ....
, Colchester
Colchester, Illinois
Colchester is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,493 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the provincial town of Colchester, England.-Geography:Colchester is located at ....
, Fandon
Fandon, Illinois
Fandon is an unincorporated community in Chalmers Township, McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The community is also known as Middletown. The nearest city to Fandon is Colchester. Fandon does not have its own post office and is part of Colchester's ZIP code.-History:Fandon was established...
, Good Hope
Good Hope, Illinois
Good Hope is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 415 according to the 2000 census.-Geography:Good Hope is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
, Sciota, and Tennessee
Tennessee, Illinois
Tennessee is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 144 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tennessee is located at ....
; and includes West Prairie Middle School, North Elementary School, and South Elementary School. The campus is located just south of Sciota, Illinois
Sciota, Illinois
Sciota is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 58 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sciota is located at at an elevation of 758 ft...
, 10 miles northwest of Macomb, Illinois
Macomb, Illinois
Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg. The population was 18,588 at the 2000 census. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.- Geography :...
, and serves a mixed village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
residential community. The school is in the Macomb
Macomb, Illinois
Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg. The population was 18,588 at the 2000 census. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.- Geography :...
micropolitan statistical area. West Prairie High School was formed by the consolidation of Colchester High School and Northwestern High School in 2003.
Academics
West Prairie High School offers courses in the following academic departments:- Agriculture
- Art
- Band and Chorus
- Business
- Drivers Education
- English
- Health
- Home Economics
- Math
- Physical Education
- Science
- Social Studies
- Spanish
- Western Area Career System
Athletics
West Prairie High School competes in the West Central ConferenceWest Central Conference (Illinois)
The West Central Conference is a high school conference in western central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association...
and is a member school in 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...
. Its mascot is the Cyclone. The school has no state championships on record in team athletics and activities. They form a cooperative agreement in 2009-2011 with nearby Macomb High School
Macomb High School
Macomb High School, or MHS, is a public four-year high school located at 1525 S. Johnson Street in Macomb, Illinois, a city in McDonough County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. MHS is part of Macomb Community Unit School District 185, which also includes Macomb Junior High School, Edison...
for boys swimming and diving, and Avon
Avon High School (Illinois)
Avon High School, or AHS, is a public four-year high school located at 320 East Wood Street in Avon, Illinois, a village in Fulton County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. AHS is part of Avon Community Unit School District 176, which serves the communities of Avon, St. Augustine, and...
and Bushnell-Prairie City
Bushnell-Prairie City High School
Bushnell-Prairie City High School, or BPCHS, is a public four-year high school located at 845 North Walnut Street in Bushnell, Illinois, a small city in McDonough County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States...
high schools for boys and girls track and field.
History
The history of West Prairie High School includes the history of its preceding component schools:- Blandinsville High School
- Colchester High School
- Good Hope High School
- Northwestern High School
- Tennessee High School
Blandinsville High School
The first Blandinsville, IllinoisBlandinsville, Illinois
Blandinsville is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 777 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blandinsville is located at ....
area school was begun in the late 1830s. The town was not actually platted until 1842 and began to develop from there. A school building was erected for the town's children in 1868. Due to the growing population of school-aged children, a new school building was erected in 1905. An addition which included a gymnasium was built onto the stricture in 1924. Tragedy struck the town when the school building burned to the ground in 1934. Plans to build a new school were immediately begun and set in motion. The children went to class in several builidngs around town as the new school was being erected. The building was completed in time for the Class of 1936's graduation ceremony. The State of Illinois' consolidation movement of the late 1940s caught up to the towns of northwest McDonough County. In 1959 the towns of Blandinsville, Good Hope, and Sciota agreed to join forces to create one large school district. This occurrence created the Northwestern School District. The high school was located in Sciota. Blandinsville's school building continued to serve the Northwestern School District through 1975 as a grade school. A new building was built in Good Hope, allowing for the closing of the Blandinsville school. The building was given to the town of Blandinsville.
Shortly after the Blandinsville School building was given to the city it was converted into an emergency fallout shelter in which the nuclear fallout shelter signs still hang outside. In the 90's the roof began to fail and was contracted and replaced. The building was partially renovated with the intention of being transformed into a community center. The district that Blandinsville originally consolidated into (Northwestern) later consolidated again to include the towns of Colchester and Tennessee to create West Prairie which held their spring plays in the Blandinsville gymnasium for several years. However, only a few years after the roof was re-done it failed again, and the contractor that did the job was nowhere to be found. With everyone discouraged and insufficient funds to fix the roof again it was sold to a private citizen for $1.00. The private citizen currently rents a few of the still decent rooms inside for storage. The roof still leaks and the gap constantly grows larger. Due to interior ceiling collapse the southwest stairwell is for the most part impassable as well as the classrooms on the southwest side on the 3rd floor. The southwest corner of the gymnasium has begun to warp and buckle due to water damage. The doors and windows outside and inside remain mostly intact and the large cast iron boiler in the basement still remains. There are still a few desks, chairs, and tables in the basement in what is left of the old boys locker room (partially destroyed when the plans for renovating the school were still in play). The folding seats in the gymnasium remain except for the balcony (upper deck area) in which the seating has been removed. All the lockers have been removed. All the fire, electrical, water, and plumbing systems have been disconnected.
Colchester High School
Colchester, IllinoisColchester, Illinois
Colchester is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,493 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the provincial town of Colchester, England.-Geography:Colchester is located at ....
traces its roots of child education back to the late 19th century. The first graduating class from Colchester High School received their diplomas in 1891, or possibly 1892. The original high school building closed in 1969. The new building graduated its first senior class in 1970. Colchester High School reached enrollments as high as 230 students in the "baby-booming" mid-1970s. Enrollments in the 200 to 250 range were the norm for the late 1950s and 1960s with Colchester High School's largest graduating class occurring in 1961. In the late 1940s (approximate) the students from nearby Tennessee High School joined the Colchester school system. Colchester built a new grade school building in 1955 and were joined by the kids of Tennessee Grade School in 1956. The school system existed through the early 21st century, but consolidation talks began between Colchester and Sciota Northwestern High School during this time. The consolidation became a reality after the 2003 school year with the creation of the West Prairie School District.
The Colchester school building serves the West Prairie system as there are two West Prairie Schools located in Colchester, the Middle and Elementary schools. The West Prairie Middle School served as Colchester High School from 1970 until its closing in 2003, along with the original high school building.
Good Hope High School
Good Hope, IllinoisGood Hope, Illinois
Good Hope is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 415 according to the 2000 census.-Geography:Good Hope is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
residents supported a school in their town for many years. A school system began in Good Hope in the late 19th century, possibly early 20th century. The Good Hope High School joined a consolidation effort of several small towns including its neighbors to the west, Sciota and Blandansville in 1959. The consolidated school district was known as the Northwestern School District with the high school located in Sciota. Good Hope school remained open as host to the Northwestern School District Grade School. The Northwestern School District recently consolidated with Colchester to form the West Prairie School District. Sciota remained home of the high school and Good Hope now hosts a Middle School for the West Prairie School District.
Northwestern High School
In the late 1950s the three towns of BlandinsvilleBlandinsville, Illinois
Blandinsville is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 777 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blandinsville is located at ....
, Good Hope
Good Hope, Illinois
Good Hope is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 415 according to the 2000 census.-Geography:Good Hope is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
, and Sciota
Sciota, Illinois
Sciota is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 58 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sciota is located at at an elevation of 758 ft...
undertook a consolidation effort regarding the education of their children. The result was the creation of the Northwestern School District in 1959. A building for the new school district was located on Route 9 just south of Sciota. The Northwestern School District served the three communities and the surrounding farm kids for about 44 years. In 2003 the neighboring town of Colchester agreed to join forces with the Northwestern School District. This new effort created the West Prairie School District. The high school for the West Prairie School District remained located in the Northwestern high school building south of Sciota.
Tennessee High School
Tennessee High School was established in the late 19th century. The school deactivated in the late 1940s (approximate). Tennessee, IllinoisTennessee, Illinois
Tennessee is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 144 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tennessee is located at ....
continued to offer a grade school (grades 1 - 5) for the town and surrounding country kids. The grade school closed in 1956 after Colchester built a new grade school in their town. The students of Tennessee attended school as part of the Colchester school system after the Tennessee deactivation. The students of Tennessee now attend West Prairie High School in Sciota. The grammar school students attend school in Colchester.
Timeline
- 1868 - Blandinsville High School established
- Late 19th century - Colchester High School, Good Hope High School and Tennessee High School established
- 1948 (unverified) - Tennessee High School consolidates into Colchester High School
- 1959 - Blandinsville High School and Good Hope High School cosonlidate to form Northwestern High School in Sciota
- 2003 - Colchester High School and Northwestern High School consolidate to form West Prairie High School