Mendota Township High School

Mendota Township High School is a secondary school located at 2300 W. Main Street, Mendota, Illinois. It currently educates, as of August 2010, 619 students. The school lies within School District No. 280, and MHS is the only school that the district operates. The district superintendent is Jeff Prusator who has been serving in that position since 2004. Denise Aughenbaugh is the principal, with Joe Masini serving as vice-principal.[2]

Mendota Township High School
Address
Map
2300 West Main Street

,
61342

Coordinates41°34′02″N 89°08′16″W / 41.56733°N 89.13791°W / 41.56733; -89.13791
Information
TypePublic High School
School districtMendota Township School District 280
SuperintendentDenise Aughenbaugh
PrincipalJoe Masini
Staff35.40 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Number of students556 (2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio15.71[1]
Color(s)Purple and Gold   
Athletics conferenceThree Rivers Conference
MascotTrojan
WebsiteSchool website

History edit

Before Mendota High School existed, there were two high schools in the city of Mendota, East Mendota High School and Blackstone High School. Both were founded in the 1870s. The two united in 1911 and held classes in Blackstone. East Mendota then became Lincoln School.[3] In 1917, a new brick high school was constructed in the northern section of town to accommodate a growing student enrollment, and it went through several additions in later years. That building served the community until 2002,[4] when a new high school was constructed on the northwest side of the city. The new building was constructed because a restroom on the second floor of the 1917 building collapsed onto the floor below it. The current high school is located along U.S. Route 52 near the corner of it and N. 44th Road. From 1929-2011, Mendota was a part of the North Central Illinois Conference (NCIC). In 2011, Mendota joined the Big Northern Conference (BNC) in all sports, except for football. From 2012-2021, Mendota was in the BNC for all sports. As of 2022, Mendota has been a part of the Three Rivers Conference.

Academics edit

On the 2010 Prairie State Achievement Exam, 58% of Mendota High School 11th graders met or exceeded standards in Reading. 56% met or exceeded standards in Mathematics, and 50% met or exceeded standards in Science.[5]

Activities edit

MTHS includes many extra-curricular activities. Among these are Band, Choir, Drama, Scholastic Bowl, Academic Challenge, FFA, Math Team, Interact Club, Student Council, Spanish Club, Yearbook Club, Spanish National Honor Society, National Honor Society, and several others.

The band has four annual concerts a year: the Fall Concert, Winter Concert, Symphony Concert, and Graduation Concert.

The Mendota drama department puts on dramatic productions, a play every fall, one every summer, and a musical every other spring.

The fine arts department also has a group of madrigal singers.

Band edit

Sports edit

The school's teams are known at the Mendota Trojans, and compete in the Three Rivers Conference.

List of Athletics edit

Fall edit
  • Golf
  • Cross Country
  • Football
  • Football Cheerleading
  • Girls' Tennis
  • Boys' Soccer
  • Volleyball
Winter edit
  • Bowling
  • Boys' Basketball
  • Cheerleading
  • Girls' Basketball
  • Freshman Girls' Basketball
  • Freshman Boys' Basketball
  • Wrestling
Spring edit
  • Freshman Baseball
  • Sophomore Baseball
  • Varsity Baseball
  • Girls' Soccer
  • Sophomore Softball
  • Varsity Softball
  • Boys' Tennis
  • Boys' Track
  • Girls' Track

Geography edit

The school district has area in three different counties, nine townships, and over 150 square miles (390 km2).

The eight townships fully or partially within the school district are Mendota Township, LaSalle County, Troy Grove Township, LaSalle County, Meriden Township, LaSalle County, Ophir Township, LaSalle County, Waltham Township, LaSalle County, Westfield Township, Bureau County, Clarion Township, Bureau County, Brooklyn Township, Lee County, Sublette Township, Lee County, and Wyoming Township, Lee County. Though the town of Mendota remains at a stable population, the high school population continues to grow. This is possibly due to the amount of small towns encompassed within the boundaries of the district. Among these are Troy Grove, Triumph, Meriden, Compton, and West Brooklyn.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Mendota Twp High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  2. ^ [1] Archived August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Tracks of Time: Mendota, Illinois 1853-1978 p.139-140
  4. ^ Mendota High School – Home
  5. ^ "Interactive Illinois Report Card - Mendota TWP High School - Test Results". iirc.niu.edu. Retrieved 2011-04-25.