Quincy Senior High School

Quincy Senior High School
File:Qhssign.jpg Quincy Senior High School
Location
3322 Maine St. Quincy, Illinois, USA
Information
Type	Public Secondary
Established	1864
School district	Quincy Public School District #172
Principal	Danielle Edgar
Grades	10-12
Enrollment	approx. 1550
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Blue and White
Athletics conference	Western Illinois Big 6
Mascot	Blue Devil
Website	http://www.qps.org/schools/senior_high/index.html

Quincy Senior High School is the regional public high school for Quincy, Illinois.

History

The Quincy Junior High School served as the senior high until 1957

The first school dedicated to high school students in Quincy, Illinois opened in 1891 at the corner of 12th and Maine. This "Pride of the Gem City" served students until 1933 when the "new" Quincy Senior High (10-12) opened at 14th and Maine in 1933. The building sits along Historic Maine Street in Quincy and is five stories tall, with mosaic details enscripted on the walls. In 1937, eighth and ninth graders were added to the building to relieve crowding at elementary schools. At this time Webster School and the former high school at 12th and Maine also housed students. As years went on, it was apparent that the 8-12 setup was not working and a change was needed. The school board decided to build a state of the art high school at 30th and Maine (the site of Baldwin Park) and to convert the current building into a 7-9 junior high school.

File:Quincy Senior High.jpg

The current Baldwin Intermediate School served as Quincy Senior High until 1973 and Quincy Senior High I until 1982.

The third Quincy Senior High opened at 30th and Maine in 1957. Enrollment again started to climb in the Quincy Schools and another building would be needed. It was decided to construct a second high school to the east of the current high school (the site of the former Gem City Drive In). The new school was named Quincy Senior High II and would house students in grades 11 and 12. The current high school would then house grades 9 & 10 and be renamed Senior High I, and the junior high would include just seventh and eighth graders. All of these changes happened in 1973. In the 1980s, the district experienced several finance problems and an enrollment decline. Because of this, the entire district was reorganized. Senior High I closed in 1982. Tenth grade was moved to Senior High II and ninth grade was moved back to Quincy Junior High. Senior High I was converted into Baldwin Intermediate School for grades 4-6 .

Sports programs

Basketball

History

Some have suggested that Blue Devil basketball is a great program in the state of Illinois. Quincy, in a 2004 statistical report, was the fourth-winningest high school basketball program in the country, with 1,809 wins since its first game on December 23, 1907 .

Quincy holds some Illinois state records, including state tournament appearances (29), regional titles (57), sectional titles (30), state tournament games won (44), tournament games lost (30), tournament games played (74), and state trophies won (13) . The Blue Devils have claimed two Illinois state championships in their history. The first was in 1934, capping off a 31-2 season with a 39-27 victory over Thornton High School in the championship. The second championship came in 1981. The Blue Devils were led by future Iowa standout Michael Payne and Illinois legend Bruce Douglas. The Devils compiled an astounding 33-0 record, winning their final four state tournament games by a staggering average of 28.25 points. The Blue Devils were also named the National Champions of high school basketball by USA Today that year. The Blue Devils didn't lose again until the state semifinal game in 1982, compiling a 64-game winning streak, which was a record at the time.

Tradition

On Friday and Saturday nights during basketball season, thousands of Gem Citizens flock to Blue Devil Gemnasium in Baldwin School to watch the games. Quincy's pregame ritual makes it one of the better places to play in the state of Illinois. Before the national anthem, all the lights in the gym are turned off. The visiting team's lineup is announced with a single light illuminating their team. After the fifth starter is announced, that light is extinguished, and the pep band begins to play an ominous medley of the theme from The Phantom of the Opera and Maynard Ferguson's "Conquistador." Then, a student clad in blue shorts, a blue cape, and blue devil horns, emerges from the locker room carrying a flaming trident. He runs around the perimeter of the court, inciting loud cheers from the crowd. The devil stands at mid-court while the starting lineup is announced. As he goes back to the locker room, the lights are turned back on, and the players are ready for the opening tip-off.

Recently, Quincy Herald-Whig sportswriter Matt Schuckman authored a book entitled "Stand Up and Cheer: A Century of Blue Devil Basketball," chronicling the history of the program.

Newspaper

The school's student newspaper is a monthly publication known as The Q-Review. The Q-Review is completely student-ran and assisted by the help of current advisor, Maranda Meyer. Miss Meyer took over the position after long-time journalism and English teacher Rachel Bergman accepted early retirement in 2008. Below you find a list of Editors-in-Cheif for the recent years.

2009: Katie McClain
2008:Emily Gallagher
2007: Julia Warren and Kayla Whatley
2006: Shain Bergan
2005: Felicia Deal and Jessica Bunch
2004: Stephanie Lulay and Amy Rowsey
2003: Shannon Hess, Molly Dedert and Angie Hodges
2002: Jason Koch
2001: Jason Koch

Fine Arts

Art

The many artists of QHS showcase their displays many times during the year. Various works of art can be seen throughout the lobby of A Building, in front of the auditorium.

Music

The music department is one of the largest departments in the school. The Music Department consists of Director of Music Education Kathleen Dooley, Band Directors - Christopher Beason, Debbie Johnson, and Gayle Tenhouse; Choir Directors - Dan Sherman, Paul Shelor, Lisa Whitley and Orchestra Directors - Marci Wentzel, Grant Van Den Berg and Cheri Hulsen. The Quincy Public Schools are fortunate to have very gifted general music teachers who work with the majority of students in the schools.

Theatre

The QHS Theatre Department presents 2 plays each year in the winter and spring. The Theatre Department combines with the Music Department to present a Fall Musical, Winter Play, Spring Play, and a Spring Variety Show entitled "New Faces" which has been presented since 1955 and originally conceived by Dan Perrino. Quincy Senior High offers drama classes to all QHS students and are taught by Meghan Parks.

Notable alumni

• Tad Hilgenbrink - Class of 2000
• Bruce Douglas

External links

• Official Web Site
• QHS Alumni Website
• Blue Devil Sports Hall of Fame