Posted on by davenanninga in Uncategorized
The History of Elgin Academy
Elgin (population: 101,903 as of 2007) is located in northeastern Illinois about 40 miles west of Chicago. The community is based primarily in Kane County, although some of it has now spilled over into Cook. The Fox River runs thru the city as does Illinois Routes 25 & 31, along with US 20, and Interstate 90.
Elgin’s founding took place after the the Black Hawk Indian War of 1832 as many soldiers and militarymen marched thru the area that had been vacated by Native Americans. Those that stopped to look around to notice the Fox River Valley decided to stake their land, and accounts of the area’s fertile soils and flowing springs soon filtered east to others. Two of those people came from New York State as James T. Gifford and his brother Hezekiah were interested in settling down in the Midwest. On a stagecoach ride from Chicago to Galena, their coach found a place where the Fox River could be crossed, and they were impressed enough that they established the city in 1836, in honor of a Scottish hymn, “The Song of Elgin.”
As the city grew, the stagecoaches were replaced by the railroads as the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad reached Elgin in 1849, and other railroads would be running along both banks of the Fox River to connect the town to Chicago and other urban centers. That connection to the Windy City was important to Elgin’s fame for the butter and dairy goods it sold to their denizens. The city also became the home of the Elgin Watch Company in 1866, and it was the largest producer of fine watches in the United States until its closure in 1964 when the company moved to Elgin, South Carolina.
Elgin Academy was granted a charter by the Illinois General Assembly in February of 1839. (https://www.elginacademy.org/about/our-history). In 1856 the Academy’s “Old Main” building was constructed. Laura Davidson became the Academy’s first official graduate in 1872. In 1918 the Academy added its’ first gymnasium. The school began housing male boarding students in 1920. In 1941 female boarding students were accepted. In 1984 the school expanded to include grade school-aged children. In 1987 the boarding of students was discontinued. The Elgin Academy added several buildings throughout its existence, the latest being a Media, Science, and Fine Arts Center in 2008.
Elgin Academy had a solid enrollment and was doing well financially in 2009. In 2014 the Academy celebrated its’ 175th anniversary. Due to many difficulties including the Covid pandemic, the Academy began to fall on hard times in 2020. In 2024 the Elgin Academy Board determined they could not continue to operate and made the decision to close the school permanently at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year. Elgin Academy existed for an incredible 185 years!
The Old Main Building was sold to the city of Elgin in the mid-1970s. The building now serves as the Elgin Historical Museum. Uses for the remainder of the Academy’s buildings are yet to be determined.
Elgin Academy High School Quick Facts
Year Opened: 1839
Year Closed: 2024
School Team Mascot: “Hilltoppers”
School Team Colors: Dark Blue & Orange.
School Motto: “Not How Much, But How Well.”
School Fight Song: Needed.
ATHLETICS
BOYS BASKETBALL
| 1979-80 | Pete Franco | ||||||
| 1980-81 | Pete Franco | ||||||
| 1981-82 | Pete Franco | ||||||
| 1982-83 | A | R | 23 | 5 | Pete Franco | ||
| Coach Total | 23 | 5 | 1 yr .821 | ||||
| 1983-84 | 18 | 9 | John Wolfenberg | ||||
| 1984-85 | 20 | 6 | John Wolfenberg | ||||
| 1985-86 | 10 | 13 | John Wolfenberg | ||||
| Coach Total | 48 | 28 | 3 yr .632 | ||||
| 1986-87 | 11 | 13 | Pete Franco | ||||
| 1987-88 | 11 | 13 | Pete Franco | ||||
| 1988-89 | 6 | 19 | Pete Franco | ||||
| Coach Total | 28 | 45 | 3 yr .384 | ||||
| 1989-90 | 3 | 22 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1990-91 | 7 | 20 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1991-92 | 13 | 12 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1992-93 | 13 | 13 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1993-94 | 5 | 19 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1994-95 | 12 | 13 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1995-96 | 19 | 9 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1996-97 | 23 | 4 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1997-98 | 20 | 7 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1998-99 | 12 | 13 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| 1999-00 | 19 | 8 | Kevin Orr | ||||
| Coach Total | 146 | 140 | 11 yr .510 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Everette Stephens | ||||||
| 2001-02 | Everette Stephens | ||||||
| 2002-03 | 4 | 22 | Everette Stephens | ||||
| 2003-04 | 9 | 15 | Everette Stephens | ||||
| 2004-05 | 0 | 26 | Everette Stephens | ||||
| 2005-06 | Everette Stephens | ||||||
| 2006-07 | 9 | 18 | Everette Stephens | ||||
| 2007-08 | 2 | 22 | Everette Stephens | ||||
| 2008-09 | 6 | 18 | Everette Stephens | ||||
| Coach Total | 30 | 121 | 6 yr .199 | ||||
| 2010-11 | 8 | 17 | David Vogt | ||||
| Coach Total | 8 | 17 | 1 yr .320 | ||||
| 2011-12 | 8 | 16 | Dewayne Robinson | ||||
| 2012-13 | 2 | 19 | Dewayne Robinson | ||||
| 2013-14 | 3 | 18 | Dewayne robinson | ||||
| 2014-15 | 3 | 19 | Dewayne Robinson | ||||
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BOYS GOLF
| 2020-21 | 1A | RS | Tom Schneider |
Boys Golf Individual Medalist
| Jon Ariano | 1988-89 | A | 15 |
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BOYS SOCCER
| 2010-11 | 6 | 14 | Aurelio Castillo | ||||
| Coach Total | 6 | 14 | 1 yr .300 | ||||
| 2011-12 | 7 | 9 | Juan Silva | ||||
| 2012-13 | 6 | 7 | 4 | Juan Silva | |||
| 2013-14 | 3 | 13 | 1 | Juan Silva | |||
| Coach Total | 16 | 29 | 5 | 3 yr .370 | |||
| 2014-15 | 6 | 10 | Kevin Talbot | ||||
| 2015-16 | 1A | R | Kevin Talbot | ||||
_______________________________________________
GIRLS TENNIS
| 2001-02 | 3 | 9 | Robert Fishman | ||||
| 2002-03 | 1 | 11 | Robert Fishman | ||||
| 2003-04 | 0 | 12 | Robert Fishman | ||||
| Coach Total | 4 | 32 | 3 yr .111 | ||||
| 2010-11 | 15 | 8 | Greg Repede | ||||
| 2011-12 | 14 | 7 | Greg Repede | ||||
| 2012-13 | 10 | 11 | Greg Repede | ||||
| 2013-14 | 11 | 17 | Greg Repede | ||||
| 2014-15 | 4 | 15 | 3 | Greg Repede | |||
| 2015-16 | 5 | 15 | Greg Repede | ||||
| 2016-17 | Greg Repede | ||||||
| 2017-18 | Greg Repede | ||||||
| Coach Total | 59 | 73 | 3 | 6 yr .448 | |||
| 2018-19 | 3 | 11 | 2 | Sterling Perez & Greg Rousey | |||
| Coach Total | 3 | 11 | 2 | 1 yr .250 | |||
| 2021-22 | 1A | Sterling Perez | |||||
| 2022-23 | 1A | Sterling Perez | |||||
| 2023-24 | 1A | Sterling Perez | |||||
______________________________________________
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
| 2015-16 | 9 | 17 | Dawn Gross & Ryan Randolph |
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GIRLS BASKETBALL
| 1995-96 | 22 | 3 | Mike Brand | ||||
| Coach Total | 22 | 3 | 1 yr .880 | ||||
| 1996-97 | 14 | 10 | Kristy (Campbell) Ross | ||||
| Coach Total | 14 | 10 | 1 yr .583 | ||||
| 1997-98 | 5 | 20 | Brittney Mincer | ||||
| 1998-99 | 6 | 18 | Brittney Mincer | ||||
| 1999-00 | 6 | 17 | Brittney Mincer | ||||
| Coach Total | 17 | 55 | 3 yr .236 | ||||
| 2000-01 | 2 | 22 | Duey Astling | ||||
| 2001-02 | 4 | 19 | Duey Astling | ||||
| Coach Total | 6 | 41 | 2 yr .128 | ||||
| 2002-03 | 0 | 24 | Diane Comer-Rabaza | ||||
| 2003-04 | 1 | 21 | Diane Comer-Rabaza | ||||
| 2004-05 | 1 | 22 | Diane Comer-Rabaza | ||||
| 2005-06 | 3 | 22 | Diane Comer-Rabaza | ||||
| 2006-07 | 11 | 13 | Diane Comer-Rabaza | ||||
| 2007-08 | 11 | 17 | Diane Comer-Rabaza | ||||
| Coach Total | 27 | 119 | 6 yr .185 | ||||
| 2009-10 | 1A | R | |||||
| 2013-14 | 4 | 18 | Bill Rodriguez & Jillian Thom | ||||
_____________________________________________
BOYS BASEBALL
| 2013-14 | 4 | 16 | Steve Shapiro | ||||
| 2014-15 | 9 | 18 | 1 | Steve Shapiro | |||
| 2015-16 | 1A | R | Steve Shapiro | ||||
| 2016-17 | 1A | R | Steve Shapiro | ||||
| 2017-18 | 1A | R | Steve Shapiro | ||||
| 2018-19 | 1A | R | Steve Shapiro |
_________________________________________________
GIRLS SOCCER
| 2006-07 | 12 | 9 | 1 | Greg Repede | |||
| 2007-08 | 12 | 10 | Greg Repede |
______________________________________________
GIRLS TRACK & FIELD
Individual State Meet Medalists
| Kaitlyn Pearson | 2013-14 | 1A | 3 | 100-meter dash |
| 2014-15 | 1A | 3 | 100-meter dash | |
| 6 | 200-meter dash | |||
| Caryce Porter | 2001-02 | A | 4 | 100-meter dash |
| 7 | 200-meter dash | |||
| 2002-03 | A | 4 | 100-meter dash |
__________________________________________________
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
Individual Medalist
| John Morse | 2003-04 | A | 4 | 400-meter dash |
__________________________________________________
SCHOLASTIC BOWL
| 2017-18 | 1A | R | 38 | 28 | Jorge Sanchez | ||
| Coach Total | 38 | 28 | 1 yr .576 | ||||
| 2018-19 | 51 | 17 | Jorge Sanchez & Susie Howe | ||||
| 2019-20 | 38 | 19 | Jorge Sanchez & Susie Howe | ||||
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WORK IN PROGRESS.
