The History of Tolono High School Tolono (population 2,700) is located in east-central Illinois about seven miles south of Champaign. Tolono sits in the south-central portion of Champaign County on U.S. Route 45. Two railroad lines cross in the heart of Tolono, the Illinois Central Gulf and the Norfolk & Western. The Hackett Branch Creek flows through the southside of town. According to the web address http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilchampa/towns-townships/tolonotwnshp.html the first settlement of Tolono Township in Champaign County was established in 1848. The first school in this township was built in 1863. The town of Tolono developed quickly after the Illnois Central Railroad built a line through town. More on Tolono and its particulars can be read at the web address of http://www.cu-today.com/tolono.html . We believe the residents of Tolono likely had a high school established by the late 1800s, though we currently cannot verify this. Tolono High School served the residents and students of the town on a solo basis for at least five decades. The late 1940s saw an immense consolidation push for the smaller school districts of Illinois. Several towns and school districts south of Champaign, including the “Glory Days” high schools of Sadorus, Pesotum, Philo, and Sidney, discussed the possibility of consolidating during this time. This effort was realized in either 1949 or 1950 with the creation of the Unity School District. The high school for the newly created district was located in Tolono. Unity High School maintains a Tolono address to this day. Tolono High School Quick Facts Year opened: late 1800s Year consolidated: 1949 or 1950 Consolidated to: Unity School District (Tolono) Tolono HS team nickname: unavailable Tolono HS team colors: unavailable School Fight Song: unavailable |
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