From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Stark County High School
Stark County High School
Stark County High School History
The history of Stark County High School is also the histo-
ry of its preceding component schools:
• Toulon High School
Type Public secondary • Toulon Township High School
• LaFayette High School
Principal Mr. Michael Domico • Toulon-LaFayette High School
Students 322 • Wyoming High School
• Bradford High School
Grades 9–12
Location 418 S. Franklin Street Toulon and Toulon Township High
Toulon, Illinois, USA
Schools
Campus Rural, fringe The origins of the Toulon High School system dates to
Colors Red, Black, White 1847 when a public educational program was established.
Various locations around Toulon have served as the
Mascot Rebels school between 1847 and 1875. In 1874, a new school
Website Stark County High School building was constructed and opened in February, 1875
which housed both the elementary and high schools of
Stark County High School or SCHS is a public four-year
School, SCHS, Toulon until 1912.[5]
high school located at 418 S. Franklin Street in Toulon, The Toulon Academy was organized in 1883 which of-
Illinois, a village in Stark County, Illinois, in the Midwest- fered college preparatory classes beyond the high school
ern United States. SCHS is part of Stark County Commu- courses. In 1884, the Academy and Toulon High School
nity Unit School District 100, which also includes Stark merged, but separated again 1 year later. In 1896, the
County Junior High School, and Stark County Elementary Academy Association purchased 6.67 acres (27,000 m2) of
School.[1] The campus is 33 miles (53 km) northwest of land at Prairie Avenue and Franklin Street for the pur-
Peoria, Illinois and serves a mixed village and rural resi- pose of constructing a new Academy building and sports
dential community. The school is the only high school in facilities for football and track. This structure opened in
the village of Toulon, and lies within the Peoria metro- February, 1897 and continued as the Academy until 1912,
politan statistical area.[2] when the Academy permanently closed.[5]
The Franklin Street property and building was of-
fered by the Academy Association to the Toulon High
Academics school board which accepted in mid-1912. The high
Academic departments include:[3] school transferred locations from the 1875 school build-
• Fine Arts ing to the Academy building, leaving the entire use of
• Language Arts the 1875 school for the grade school’s use. During this
• Math transfer, the high school was reorganized and renamed
• Physical Education, Health, & Driver’s Education Toulon Township High School and its first class graduat-
• Science ed in 1913.[5]
• Social Science By 1922, increased enrollment at the high school pre-
• Vocational cipitated the construction of a new and larger high
school building which was located next to the 1896 Acad-
Athletics emy structure. The new facility was first occupied in Fe-
bruary, 1923 and continues in use today as Stark County
Stark County High School competes in the Lincoln Trail High School.[5]
Conference and is a member school in the Illinois High On June 2, 1970 Toulon Township High School gradu-
School Association. Its mascot is the Rebels. The school ated its fifty-eighth and last class. Toulon Township and
has no state championships on record in team athlet- LaFayette Highs were consolidated beginning with the
ics.[4] 1970-71 school year. Toulon-LaFayette High continued
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Stark County High School
utilizing the Township High school building in Toulon County’s and Toulon’s school history. One result was a
until 1992 when Stark County High School was formed proposal to eliminate many of the rural one room school-
from the Toulon-LaFayette, Wyoming, and elective stu- houses in surrounding townships. Township voters
dents from Bradford High schools.[5] passed this consolidation measure with the exception of
West Jersey township.[6]
School buildings Construction plans began for a Toulon Consolidated
The current high school building in Toulon was built in Elementary School to be located adjacent to the high
the 1920s by a man by the name of Oscar Schneider. school at Franklin Street. The high school sold 4 acres
The transformation of the current school facilities (16,000 m2) east and north of its building for $1.00 and
in Toulon began one hundred and thirteen years ago in the exchange of the then grade school property. West
1896. The desire for a new Academy school building was Jersey township residents procurred funding for con-
expressed during a June 18, 1896 graduation ceremony. struction of their new consolidated grade school a month
Three weeks later, the Executive Committee of the Acad- later. The chosen site was across from the West Jersey
emy Association chose a site at the intersection of Prairie Methodist church on Route 78.[6]
Ave. and Franklin St. as the location.[6] Completion of Toulon’s grade school occurred in Feb.
An agreement between the Association and landown- 1950. Classes commenced Feb. 20, 1950 and the previous
ers Mrs. R. A. Turner and son, Chester M. Turner (first school building which had served as the combined high
Toulon High graduate 1879), exchanged 62⁄3 acres for school and grade school prior to 1912 was closed. It was
$667. The Turners then donated $350 of this amount to located at the intersection of N. Olive and E. Thomas
the Academy for the land purchase with the $317 balance streets until it was demolished in late 1956.[6]
provided by community citizens.[6] West Jersey’s new grade school neared completion
Quick funding for this project allowed construction to 2 months later and on April 23, 1950 a dedication was
begin immediately on the new Academy building. By Jan. performed. This building was the West Jersey 1-8 grade
1897, plans were in place to transfer school locations. A school from 1950 to 1970, then the 5th and 6th grades of
’for sale’ ad appeared in the Jan. 1, 1897 issue of The Stark Toulon-LaFayette consolidated during 1970-79, and final-
County News for the old Academy building and lot. The ly the Toulon-LaFayette Junior High from 1979 to 1985.
transfer was completed and a dedication ceremony per- The 35 year use of this building ended in June 1985 when
formed on Feb. 4, 1897.[6] it permanently closed as a school. Bryton Technology,
The Academy, organized in 1883, discontinued oper- Inc. now utilizes the structure.[6]
ating in the spring of 1912. Discussions about the proper- As part of the 4 acres (16,000 m2) sold to the grade
ty transfer from the Academy to Toulon High School con- school board, Toulon High School’s football field, dirt
tinued for several weeks prior to a 1912 vote on the issue. track, and baseball field had to be relocated. Construction
A favorable vote in July enabled the transfer and Toulon began on the new sport arenas in Aug. 1948 with avail-
High was renamed Toulon Township High School. Specu- ability expected in 1 year. The new baseball field was
lation occurred in early September about the possibility ready in May 1949. The football field and cindered track
of an athletic program.[6] were completed during that summer and dedicated on
The Academy building became overwhelmed for Sept. 30, 1949.[7]
classroom space when enrollment at TTHS increased. Paul Unruh (TTHS Class of ’46) and Jack Winans were
Downtown buildings supplemented for the required speakers at this ceremony. Asked about the track having
classrooms which emphasized the need to construct a been under construction again in 1957, Carl Bland stated
new high school building. In 1922, the new Township " It wasn’t reconstructed, but the original 1949 cinders
High School building was completed and classes began were of such poor quality they had to be replaced. " New
in Jan. 1923. A dedication was held on May 31, 1923 as cinders were put down in early ’57 and allowed to settle
the school year finished. Demolition of the 1896 Academy for a year. The track was usable the following spring of
building of only twenty-seven years began the next ’58 for the new track and field season.[7]
month and by July was nearly completed. In Feb. 1950, with the new grade school being utilized,
In early 1948, William E. Lehman [1886–1970], grand- the next construction project discussed was a gymnasi-
father of Jeanne (Al) Harland, Mary (Tim) McMillen, Carol um to be located between the high and grade schools. It
(Sam) Rice, and the late William C. Lehman, sold 9.9 acres was noted that the new gym should be larger than the
(40,000 m2) of farmland to the high school for $5,000. This one inside of the 1923 high school which had a limited ca-
land runs from Franklin St. on the west to the fence line pacity for spectators. Additionally, strategically located
east of the present school facilities, and from the fence entrances would allow both schools access, thus reducing
line south of same to the north conjoining with the orig- the need and cost of separate gyms.[7]
inal 6.67 acres (27,000 m2).[6] These discussions and plans did not come to fruition
Mr. Lehman’s decision to sell this land initiated a se- and for decades there remained an open space of unused
quence of events and construction that altered Stark land between the schools. This failure to agree upon a
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Stark County High School
singular facility generated plans to build separate gym- thirteen years. The pasture land of 1896 and 1948 has
nasiums.[7] nearly reached its capacity for more additions to the
The grade school gym was completed in late 1955 school property. As these structures age, additional land
and the ’all-purpose’ (gym) room at the grade school was will be sought or demolition will be required to construct
first used on Dec. 9, 1955. This additional structure to the new buildings of the future.[7]
the grade school became derisively known as "the crack- When this future change does occur, perhaps the di-
er box" due to its approximate 3/4 size of a standard agonal sidewalk, which runs from the street corner to
gym. A cafeteria hot lunch program was also begun at the high school’s north entrance, will be preserved. Pho-
this time according to Chris McMillen. An annex room off tos show this section of sidewalk traversing to the 1896
of the gym served as the first kindergarten beginning in Academy building’s front entrance. If it remains, this
January, 1958 with Mrs. Jeanette (Johnson) Slygh (TTHS would be a tribute to our ancestors who realized the val-
Class of ’35) as the new teacher.[7] ues of education and provided us with the means to ob-
The high school’s first add-on construction since 1923 tain that knowledge in suitable surroundings.[7]
began in 1959 with its new gym. It was completed in time
for the 1960-61 school year. The spectator capacity in- LaFayette High School
creased to twelve hundred from the old gym’s several The first classes at LaFayette High School were held in
hundred. This new gym and agricultural shop were locat- 1891 in a building downtown. The high school moved to a
ed on the ground where the Academy building had stood location on the southern edge of the town in 1899, where
from 1896 to 1923.[7] that building still stands today.[8]
Major additions to both schools stagnated for nearly LHS was deactivated in 1970 when LaFayette merged
35 years, although there were numerous reconfigura- with Toulon, along with the grade school in West Jersey,
tions of existing rooms. An example was modifying the to create Toulon-LaFayette High School. The LaFayette
1923 gym into a band-music room. A tennis court was in- High School building was home to the grade school kids
stalled south of the high school parking lot during the from the area until 1978. Toulon LaFayette High School
mid-1960s, but has since been removed to extend the merged with Wyoming High School in 1992 to create
parking lot.[7] Stark County High School located in Toulon. The
In the past decade, an above ground ’tunnel’ was LaFayette High School building still stands tall and is
added which connected both schools. It was located be- owned by the LaFayette Park District, where it is rented
tween the 2 gyms to allow students dry passage from out for family reunions and alumni dinners.[8]
building to building. Unfortunately, a recurring leak
prone roof bombarded students with a gauntlet of drops Toulon-LaFayette High School
as they travelled its length. This problem made the tun-
The school districts of Toulon and LaFayette agreed to
nel expendable for a recent project.[7]
consolidate their educational resources in the spring of
Relocation of the 1949 baseball field, made possible
1970. This arrangement led to the renaming of Toulon
through community volunteers of time and services,
High School to Toulon-LaFayette High School. The
commenced in 2003. The field has been offset approxi-
LaFayette school served as a grade school for the district
mately 20 yards to the northeast. This extensive project
until 1978 when all classes were moved to Toulon. The
was completed in 2005 and 1 game in May inaugurated
Toulon High School building became the Toulon-
the updated facility. Its first full season of use occurred
LaFayette High School building in 1970. Toulon-
in the spring of 2006. Added amenities included infield
LaFayette High School continued to serve the two com-
grass, raised pitching mound, a warmup bullpen, a fence
munities for 22 more years. It was in 1992 that the school
enclosing the outfield, and a scoreboard behind it in left
districts of Toulon-LaFayette and nearby Wyoming
field.[7]
agreed to consolidate their resources. This effort resulted
One of the latest construction ventures at the schools
in the forming of Stark County High School. Stark County
began in the 2005-06 school year. The void between the
High School is located in the Toulon-LaFayette High
2 gyms has been filled by a 2 story brick structure which
School building.[9]
functions as the new cafeteria and music room. It was
ready for use in the 2006-07 school year. The 2 schools
are now merged into 1 contiguous conglomeration. This
Wyoming High School
addition replaced the leak plagued tunnel. Plus, the old The village of Wyoming, Illinois is situated in the center
grade school cafeteria has been converted into a library. of Stark County and has a great tradition dating back to
The 1923 high school continues as Stark County High, the 1920s regarding its educational system. For various
while the grade school building is now the Junior High. reasons the school districts in Wyoming and Toulon con-
The grade school is currently located in Wyoming.[7] solidated in 1992. The new school district is known as
Toulon’s school facilities at Franklin Street have gone Stark County High School. It is there that the great suc-
through many changes during the past one hundred and cess of education continues for the Wyoming children.
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Stark County High School
The old Wyoming High School building served its last [4] http://www.ihsa.org/school/schools/2014.htm
classroom full of children in the spring of 2006. The orig- [5] ^ http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id39.html
inal main high school building now sits vacant. The gym- John A. Ballentine, The History of Toulon Township
nasium and agriculture building are still utilized howev- High School, Accessed February 1, 2010
er. These buildings were constructed in the 1950s. The [6] ^ http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id39.html
original building was constructed in the 1920s.[10] John A. Ballentine, The Schools at South Franklin
Street in Toulon 1896–1950, Accessed February 1,
Bradford High School 2010
The village of Bradford, Illinois supported its own high [7] ^ http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id39.html
school until low enrollment finally took its toll. Bradford John A. Ballentine, The Schools at South Franklin
High School was deactivated in 2001 with the students Street in Toulon 1950–2007, Accessed February 1,
given their option of attending nearby Bureau Valley 2010
High School, Henry-Senachwine High School, or Stark [8] ^ http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id37.html
County High School. The high school building still stands Illinois High School Glory Days, La Fayette High
in town. Bradford still supports its own elementary School, Accessed February 1, 2010
school for grades K-8. The 6-8 grades still compete in [9] http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id830.html
sports.[11] Illinois High School Glory Days, Toulon-LaFayette
High School, Accessed February 1, 2010
Timeline [10] http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id40.html
Illinois High School Glory Days, Wyoming High
• 1847 - Toulon public education program established
School, Accessed February 1, 2010
• 1912 - renamed to Toulon Township High School
[11] http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id5.html
• 1970 - Toulon Township High School and LaFayette
Illinois High School Glory Days, Bradfod High
High School consolidate to form
School, Accessed February 1, 2010
• 1992 - Toulon-LaFayette High School and Wyoming
• Interactive Illinois Report Card
High School consolidate to form
• 2001 - Bradford High School deactivates and some
elective students attend Stark County High School External links
• Stark County High School
References • Stark County Community Unit School District #100
• Toulon High School history
[1] http://stark100.com/
Coordinates: 41°5′22″N 89°51′48″W / 41.08944°N
[2] http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/
89.86333°W / 41.08944; -89.86333
app2.pdf
[3] http://www.stark100.com/highschool/
index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=15
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stark_County_High_School&oldid=432000208"
Categories:
• High schools in Illinois
• Schools in Stark County, Illinois
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