NILES TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 219
Showing the Nation that Public Schools Work
Niles Township High School District 219 serves the communities of Lincolnwood, Skokie, Morton Grove and Niles.
Niles North and Niles West High Schools are public, four-year comprehensive high schools with a combined enrollment of approximately 4,800 students.
Over 60 percent of students report that they speak a language other than English. More than 90 languages are spoken, with the most common being Urdu, Spanish, Assyrian and Arabic.
Extracurricular programs help students expand their academic and social skills, meet new friends and engage in positive experiences. There are 27 athletic teams and more than 90 clubs and activities in which students can participate.
For more information, visit www.niles219.org
Recognitions
Recognized as the No. 1 Fine and Performing Arts Education Program in the Nation in 2007 by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Niles West
• LEED-EB: O&M certified
• LEED for Schools Silver certified
(classroom addition)
• LEED for Schools registered at Gold
(Athletic Training Center)
Niles North
• LEED Gold (Aquatics Center)
RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• There are 335 full time teachers, of which 86 percent hold a master’s degree or beyond. The average number of teaching years is 15. The ratio of students to teachers is 16:1.
• D219 was named to College Board’s annual AP Honor Roll for increasing access to AP exams and improving student performance in 2014 and 2015. It validates the important work the district is doing to make its schools more equitable by advancing all students into more rigorous courses and by working to eliminate disproportionate enrollment in our classes by race.
Student Accomplishments
• In 2017, D219 Robotics won the state championship. This was the fourth straight title for Niles North, which shared the championship with first-time winner Niles West.
• Niles North had the Illinois state diving champion in 2017.
•Four D219 students were selected to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. A Niles West student won a third place grand award at the fair in 2016.
• A Niles West student won the “Exceptional Genius” award at the IJAS regional fair in 2016, and qualified as a GENIUS Olympiad finalist.
• Two D219 students were honored with Bridgebuilder Awards for their efforts to promote diversity within their community in 2016.
• In 2016, a Niles North student was named a Gates Millennium Scholar.
• Niles West AP Art and Digital Art students were offered more than $3 million in scholarships on the basis of their art portfolios in 2016.
• The Niles West Boys Gymnastics Team won the state championship in 2016.
• Over the last five years, D219 Dance Marathon has raised almost $430,000 for charity. Beneficiaries include Hope Jr., Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, The Daniel Horyn Foundation, CROSO, Rustic Falls Nature Camp and the Education Foundation.
•Niles West News was named NSPA Pacemaker Finalist for the fifth time in six years (2016).
• Niles North’s Shakespeare theater troupe won the Battle of the Bard, Chicago’s ultimate high school Shakespeare Slam in 2016.
• The “Take One” vocal jazz group won Downbeat Award for High School Outstanding Performance in 2017.
• The Relay for Life team has raised more than $1million in the fight against cancer.
• A Niles West artist won the American Visions Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest in 2016.
• Niles West News had a story selected for the Best in High School Journalism magazine in 2016.
• Niles West singing group Echo Effect won the Best Arrangement award at the International Championship of High School A Cappella Competition in 2016.
Faculty
• In 2017, the Niles West Counseling Department was awarded the Recognized ASCA Model Program designation, by implementing comprehensive, data-driven programs aligned with the criteria in the ASCA National Model to achieve improved student outcomes.
• A Niles West teacher was named the Illinois Art Association’s Art Educator of the Year in 2017.
• A Niles North teacher was the recipient of a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016, and a Niles West teacher was named a finalist. There have been three Golden Apple Award recipients at Niles North (three winners in the last seven years.)
• A Niles West teacher was the Outstanding Chemistry teacher in Illinois in 2016.
• A Niles West teacher was named Illinois Physics Teacher of the Year in 2016.
Facilities
• State-of-the-art gymnasium at Niles West, dedicated by Olympic Gold Medalist Bart Conner (W’76)
• LEED Gold-certified Aquatic Center at Niles North
Student volunteer hours
• Students who accumulate 200 hours of community service receive a special recognition at commencement.
• In October 2017, more than 120 students and 15 adults gave 400 hours of community service to community partners in Niles Township during the first annual Wolf Pack Gives Back Community Service Day.
Pride in community partnerships
District 219 works closely with other government agencies, social services agencies, businesses and other partners in the township.
Coming Together
The Coming Together project started in 2010 to spotlight the cultural diversity of our community. It is supported by institutions throughout Niles Township. Each year, over an eight-week period, Coming Together studies a different culture, with an emphasis on literacy. District 219 has been involved since the beginning and prides itself on facilitating this program within the community. In 2018, Coming Together is celebrating Muslim American Cultures, to highlight Muslim contributions to science, literature, arts, education and more. The past cultures are: Asian-Indians, Filipinos, Greeks, Assyrians, Koreans, Chinese, Latinos/Hispanics and “Voices of Race.”
Skokie Public Library provides library cards to all District 219 teachers.
The Education Foundation (Supporting the Students of Niles Township) provides education-related financial support to students in need. D219 provides administrative support for the Foundation.
The Education to Careers Program partners students with businesses in the community. Students have opportunity to participate in Job Shadow days, and business partners come to school to give presentations for students on their various professions on career days.
Notable alumni:
• Martin Chalfie, (E’65), Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2008
• Bart Conner, (W’76), Olympic Gold Medalist
• Judge Merrick Garland, (W’70), President Barack Obama’s nominee for Supreme Court Justice
• Bob Horvitz, (E’64), Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine 2002
• Jewell Lloyd, (W’12), rising star of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm
• Rashard Mendenhall, (W’05), NFL running back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, television writer
• Marc Silverman (N’89), Radio Sportscaster and Co-Host of “The Waddle & Silvy Afternoon Show” on ESPN 1000 Chicago