Argo Community High School

Argo Community High School is a public four-year high school located in Summit, Illinois. The district draws students from the communities of Summit, Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Justice, Willow Springs, and a portion of Hickory Hills. The school was named for the area surrounding the large corn processing plant located near the school, which manufactured Argo corn starch and is currently owned by Ingredion. In 2014 and 2016, Argo was awarded a bronze medal by U.S. News & World Report for outstanding academic performance, the only school in the South Suburban Conference to receive such recognition.[3]

Argo Community High School
Address
7239 W. 63rd Street Summit , Illinois 60501 United States
Coordinates	41.776°N 87.8046°W
Information
Opened	1920
School district	Argo Community High School District 217
Superintendent	Dr. Jill Kingsfield
Dean	Denise Ghaowi, Vince Loizzo and Nicole Wasko
Principal	Dr. Christopher Covino
Faculty	123.50 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,909 (2017–18)[1]
Average class size	21.2[2]
Student to teacher ratio	15.46[1]
Color(s)	Maroon   White
Athletics conference	South Suburban Conference
Nickname	Argonauts
Newspaper	The Maroon
Yearbook	Argolite
Website	www.argohs.net

On March 11, 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held a campaign rally at Argo that was attended by several thousand people.[4]

Sports

The school competes as a member of the South Suburban Conference. It also competes in state championship series sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Argo sponsors interscholastic teams for men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. There are men's teams in baseball and football and women's teams in badminton and softball.[5]

Notable alumni

• Bob Bercich, a former NFL safety for the Dallas Cowboys.
• Bill Damaschke, an animator and producer who was formerly an executive at DreamWorks.
• Kyle Hill, a former professional basketball player in Europe. He was the second-round draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2001 NBA draft.[6]
• Johnny Karras, a halfback for the Illinois team that won the 1952 Rose Bowl. He was the second-round choice of the Chicago Cardinals in the 1952 NFL draft.
• Ted Kluszewski, a MLB first baseman (1947–61) who played most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit three home runs for the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series.[7][8]
• Damon R. Leichty (Class of 1990), district judge
• Sheldon Mallory, a former MLB outfielder for the Oakland Athletics.
• Milan Mrksich (class of 1985), Vice President of Research and Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University
• Dick Portillo (class of 1957), a restaurateur and founder of the Portillo Restaurant Group, the most notable business of which is Portillo's.[8][9]
• Mamie Till, the fourth black graduate of Argo and mother of Emmett Till, whose murder served as a catalyst in the Civil Rights Movement.
• Saul White, a professional basketball player who is currently a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
• Mike York (class of 1982), a former MLB pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Indians.[8][10]

References

1. "Argo Community High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
2. Class of 2008 school report card
4. Chicago Sun-Times
5. Argo Athletics:List of sports teams; accessed 28 March 2009
6. NBA Draft Profile for Kyle Hill; accessed 28 March 2009
7. "Erardi, John; Fans still cherish Big Klu; 16 July 1998; Cincinnati Enquirer; accessed 28 March 2009". Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
8. Clark, Mike (17 November 2009). "Argo". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
9. History of the Portillo Restaurant Group, accessed 28 March 2009
10. Hertzel, Bob; Argo grad defeats big-league problem; 15 September 1990; Chicago Tribune; accessed 28 March 2009