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In January 1951, the Citizen's Council for Public Education was formed and as a result of their research and organization, High School District 231was established. The voters of Evergreen Park approved the recommended new high school district in April 1952 and elected the first Board of Education on May 16, 1952. On May 26, 1952, the seven-member Board of Education met for the first time. Over the course of the next 2 years, many meetings were held as the Board planned to make Evergreen Park Community High School a reality. Residents showed their strong support of their new high school by voting to increase taxes toward the purchase of land and construction of the building. An architect was employed in July 1953, and following the voters' approval of a $1,100,000 bond issue on October 10, 1953, construction began. A ground breaking ceremony was held on May 1, 1954 and a dedication ceremony on October 16, 1955. Prior to the opening of Evergreen Park Community High School, students attended 12 neighboring high schools on a tuition basis. However, for the Class of 1958, the 1954-55 school year began in the basement of Immanuel United Church of Christ. Even though the building was still under construction, the doors opened on April 25, 1955 for 176 freshmen and 9 teachers. In the fall of 1955, the building was ready for the juniors (Class of 1957) and freshmen (Class of 1959; the first class to attend all 4 years) to join the Class of 1958 in the new building. The teaching staff now numbered 26 and student enrollment was 520. On May 31, 1957, Evergreen Park Community High School graduated its first class of 132 students – the Class of 1957. As the village population continued to grow, so did enrollment. During the 5-year period from 1955 to 1960, the student enrollment jumped from 176 to 981, peaking during the 1973-74 school year with over 1,800 students enrolled. The rapidly climbing enrollment necessitated expansion of the building to accommodate the students. Additions were completed in 1959, 1963, 1967, and 1972 which included classrooms, an auditorium (since named for Dr. Marshall Batho), gym facilities, a new cafeteria and courtyard, a second gym, a swimming pool, and the Learning Resource Center and third floor. Various music and art classrooms, a specially equipped special education classroom, and a track and football field were part of the improvements. Since 2002, over $5 million has been dedicated to building renovations. Outstanding leadership has been a hallmark of District 231. The first superintendent, Dr. Marshall Batho, served the district from 1953 to 1965. Following Dr. Batho were Dr. Stephen Storkel (1965-1980), Dr. Omer Renfrow (1981 to 1988), Mr. Ray Novak (1988-1991), Dr. Michael Johnson (1991-2000), and Dr. James Gallagher (2001-present). During their tenures, each of the superintendents has initiated innovative programs and employed enthusiastic, creative staff to establish Evergreen Park Community High School as an exemplary high school. Evergreen Park Community High School District 231 celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years. Many events were planned to commemorate the anniversary, among them a concert by the Beatles tribute band American English and a dinner/fashion show featuring fashions from each of the five decades in EPCHS history. The culminating event was an all alumni reunion in September 2006 which was attended by over 1,600 people. In June 2007, the fiftieth class of 199 students was graduated from Evergreen Park Community High School. |
