Newsweek High School Rankings Map: CHS D99 North at No. 885

The magazine's 2013 report out this week recognizes several Illinois schools.

On mobile? You can see interactive map here. Newsweek has ranked North High School at No. 885 among high schools in the country, with a "Newsweek Score" of 3.06. For its rankings, Newsweek sent out a survey to more than 5,000 high schools in the U.S., with about 2,500 schools responding in 2013. You can see the details about CHS D99 North's ranking, and every other ranked high school by clicking on the markers in the interactive map above. The survey scores were then weighted and calculated using several criteria including on-time graduation and college acceptance rates. In addition, instead of averaging the number of courses offered, this year Newsweek considered the percentage of students enrolled in AP, IB or Advance International …

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U.S. News: Downers Grove High Schools Rank Among Best in State

Downers Grove North ranked 36th out of 667 Illinois high schools, while South High placed 52nd, according to the annual list published by U.S. News and World Report.

U.S. News: Downers Grove High Schools Rank Among Best in State

Downers Grove North ranked 36th out of 667 Illinois high schools, while South High placed 52nd, according to the annual list published by U.S. News and World Report.

Both schools in Downers Grove's Community High School District 99 are among the best in state, according to annual rankings published Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report. Downers Grove North ranked 36th out of 667 public high schools in Illinois, up one spot from 2012. Downers Grove South ranked 52nd, up five spots from last year. The 2013 U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools rankings are based on data collected from more than 21,000 public U.S. high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia. The rankings are designed to capture how well high schools educate all of their students and prepare them for college-level work, a press release from U.S. News said. Schools are evaluated based on overall student performance on …

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Downers Grove North Instructors Earn National Teaching Certification

Fine arts teacher Bill Miller and English teacher John Waite were recently recognized by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Two teachers at Downers Grove North High School have been recognized by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as National Board Certified teachers. Bill Miller, a teacher in the fine arts department, and John Waite, a teacher in the English department, both received the recognition, according to district officials. National Board Certification is an advanced teaching credential that acknowledges effective and accomplished teachers, officials said. It is a volunteer program. As part of the rigorous and lengthy certification process, candidates complete 10 assessments that are reviewed by trained teachers in their certificate areas. Assessments measure candidates’ knowledge of their subject areas as well as their teaching …

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District 99 Board Member Keith Matune Named High School Teacher of the Year

Matune, a social studies teacher at Lake Park High School in Roselle, was named the winner of the Barbara O'Donnell Teacher of the Year Award by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago.

Keith Matune, a school board member in Community High School District 99, has been recognized as the High School Teacher of the Year by Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, non-profit dedicated to civic education. Matune, who teaches "Law and American Society" and U.S. History at Lake Park High School in Roselle, was presented the Barbara O'Donnell Award on Oct. 26 during the 2012 Illinois Law-Related Education Conference in Oak Brook. The CRFC said everyone who reviewed Matune's nomination letters was moved by their content. One former student wrote: "Mr. Matune’s teaching style commanded my attention, like no other teacher I had in high school, by engaging his students with in-depth conversations about important or controversial …

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12 District 99 Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

Downers Grove North and South high school students are among 16,000 nationwide will be considered for a National Merit Scholarship next spring.

Twelve Community High School District 99 students have been named 2012-2013 National Merit semifinalists, district officials announced Wednesday. Seven of those students attend Downers Grove North High School. Five attend Downers Grove South High School. “All of us at District 99 congratulate these students on their achievements, and we are proud of their recognition in this prestigious program,” District 99 Superintendent Dr. Mark McDonald said in a statement. To qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program, students must rank among the top scorers in the state on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.  Of the 1.5 million eligible students, only 16,000 students nationally have been named semifinalists, …

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Residents Continue to Voice Concerns at Council Meeting

Proposed Walgreens location and redevelopment at North High target of ire.

The Valentine’s Day council meeting was short, and aside from public comments about the recent Downers Grove North High School redevelopment plans and the proposed new Walgreens on 63rd Street, the discussions were few. During the public comment portion of the meeting a couple of residents reiterated their concerns from last week regarding the potential construction of a Walgreens on 63rd and Woodward. One woman said she was opposed to the idea, but if it did pass, she wanted certain restrictions implemented from the get-go, such as never allowing liquor to be sold and no possibility of the drive-through ever becoming 24 hours. Mayor Martin Tully said it’s already the case that Walgreens would need a special use permit build a business …

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Dukes Spoil Downers North's Homecoming

Lucca throws for three touchdowns, runs for another in York's 41-0 rout.

It was Downers Grove North’s homecoming Friday night, but York did all the celebrating. The visiting Dukes used their high-powered offense, which has scored 249 points this season, to rout the Trojans 41-0 at Carstens Field in Downers Grove and remain unbeaten in West Suburban Conference Silver Division action with two weeks to go before a much-anticipated showdown with Glenbard West that likely will determine the league championship. York (5-1, 3-0) amassed 465 yards of offense, 304 of which came on the ground. Running back Ken Boesenberg, an often-overlooked cog in the Dukes’ well-oiled machine, didn’t score but rushed for 134 yards on 13 carries. “We like to establish the run game first and then evidently that opens up the passing game…

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Downers North Welcomes New Boys Cross Country Coach Who's a Familiar Face

John Sipple, the Trojans' boys track coach, takes over the program. He replaces longtime coach Will Kupisch, who retired at the end of the 2010-11 school year.

For several years, Downers North boys cross country was synonymous with coach Will Kupisch, who led the Trojans to six top 20 finishes at the state meet—including top-five showings in 1999 and 2000--during his tenure. Now, the DGN cross country team is John Sipple’s. Sipple, recently named the Trojans’ new head coach, takes over for Kupisch, who retired from Downers North last spring after 33 years as a coach and guidance counselor. Sipple is already very familiar with the personnel on this year’s team. In addition to assisting Kupisch with the cross country team the past few years, Sipple is head coach of the Trojan boys track team. Several runners from the cross country squad move over to the track team come springtime and compete for …

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DGN Soccer Team Goes 2-1-1 in Italy

Fourteen players, two coaches and seven family members spent 10 days in northern and central Italy.

Kicking off the 2011 soccer season in Italy?  Non c'è male. (Not bad.)  Two coaches, 14 players and seven family members from the Downers Grove North boys soccer team flew 4,000 miles this summer, spending 10 days in central and northern Italy. The team played four friendly matches with local Italian clubs who were also preparing for their fall seasons, building a 2-1-1 record over the trip. Milan, Florence, Rimini, Pisa, Venice and San Marino were all on the itinerary. The trip started with training with three national team coaches at the Italian National Team Headquarters in Florence. From there, the team traveled to Pisa and earned a 2-2 draw with U-17 Polisportiva Palazzi.  Junior Cullen Cummings scored the Trojans' first Italian goal, …

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