Geneva Makes Newsweek's List of Top 1,000 High Schools in the U.S.

The magazine's 2013 report out this week recognizes 84 Illinois schools.

Newsweek has ranked Geneva High School at No. 926 among high schools in the country. For its rankings, Newsweek sent out a survey to more than 5,000 high schools in the U.S., with about 2,500 schools responding in 2013. You can see the details about GHS's ranking, and every other ranked high school by clicking on the markers in the interactive map above. The survey scores were then weighted and calculated using several criteria including on-time graduation and college acceptance rates. In addition, instead of averaging the number of courses offered, this year Newsweek considered the percentage of students enrolled in AP, IB or Advance International Certificate courses. The final scores then determined Newsweek’s final rankings. You can …

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John R

9:51 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013

@Ht I was thinking the same thing but it's still a feather in our cap.   more ›

Yard Project a Special Gift for Former GHS Coach Battling Breast Cancer

A summer project by the Geneva High School All Sports Boosters has created a tranquil place called home.

The last two years have brought great change and disruption to Gina Nolan's life. After nine years as a Spanish teacher at Geneva High School and the head girls varsity basketball coach of a winning team for seven years, Nolan had to leave all that behind to focus on a new challenge: breast cancer. Two years after her diagnosis, Nolan is looking fit and healthy and, well, enjoying life. While her attention was focused on more important things, her Geneva home had become somewhat neglected in sore need of a few repairs and weeds that overtook the yard like a jungle.  That's when the Boosters stepped in during the sweltering heat of July to spruce things up a bit (see Patch article from July 12). With the help of a rototiller and plenty of …

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Beth Bales

Seniors, Parents Prepare for GHS Graduation, 2012-Style

Graduation is Sunday, and this year's seniors have a busy week, and many emotions, ahead.

It’s graduation week for Geneva High School.  Yard signs declaring the home is the “Home of a GHS Graduate” are popping up all over town. (For those who’d like to purchase one, the blue and white signs are available in the main office for $5 each.)  Seniors’ last day of school is Wednesday.  The Jazz Concert and Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the cafeteria. The big Senior Breakfast, complete with debut of the class DVD and “most likely to” awards (most likely to be president, to be on Broadway, to be a millionaire and others) is Friday morning in Aurora, with graduation rehearsal to follow.  Baccalaureate, sponsored by the Geneva Ministerial Association, is Friday evening at First Baptist Church of Geneva (West Campus) on Keslinger…

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Bob McQuillan

10:18 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Congrats to all the seniors as they make plans to graduate and plan for the future. Take the time to thank your parents for the support they have given you over the last four years. The summer will fly by and soon you will move on to the next phase of adulthood, so make good choices be careful as you celebrate!   more ›

Lindenmuth, Swanson and Wehrmeister Will Be Inducted into GHS Athletic Hall of Fame Jan. 28

Class of 2012 inductees includes soccer star Katy Lindenmuth '02, running back and sprinter Derek Swanson '86 and veteran PA announcer Kurt Wehrmeister '75.

The class of 2012 inductees into the Geneva Community High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 30 include an all-state soccer star who went on to earn All-Big Ten honors in the same sport at the University of Wisconsin; perhaps the finest Viking running back of the second half of the 20th century; and the school’s varsity football and basketball public-address announcer for more than 30 years. They are, respectively, Katy Lindenmuth Green, Derek Swanson and Kurt Wehrmeister, all of whom have indicated they’ll be present to receive their plaques at the 12th annual induction ceremonies for the Vikings’ Athletic Hall of Fame, scheduled for Saturday evening, Jan. 28, in the school’s main contest gymnasium, during halftime of the Geneva-vs.-St…

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Beth Bales

8:24 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Great choices! Congrats to all.   more ›

Inside Geneva: Rick Nagel

GHS Lip Dub Is 'Footloose' on YouTube!

More than 600 students and 40 clubs participated in the making of this tour de force video.

It's a tour of Geneva High School, and it's a tour de force. Four stars from the reviewers. "I am so proud to be an alumni of this school! I wish we could've done stuff like this when I was there! I was part of the television program, and it just keeps getting better and better! WAY TO GO GENEVA! :) I actually am going to school now to be in the film industry ... " "I love the crow in the background at the beginning! Also the guy at 3:53 with the yugioh duel disk is totally awesome!" "Just one problem with this. I WASN'T IN IT! lol. Great Job GHS! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!" We're talking about the GHS Lip Dub, which is explained in the YouTube text as "a video with music, using one continuous shot, no edits" in which one student after another …

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Rick Nagel

10:00 am on Monday, November 28, 2011

Hi, Marci! Could you give me a call or shoot me an e-mail to explain this comment? I'm 630-208-1866, 630-886-0792 or rickn@patch.com.   more ›

Beth Bales: Time to Return to 'Kindergarten'

Geneva High School students will highlight the essential lessons of life learned at an early age as the school presents its fall play, "All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" this Friday through Sunday.

Remember the lessons of those early years of life, such as: Be nice? Share? Say you’re sorry? Clean up after yourself? And the countless other words of wisdom and sage advice absorbed in the kindergarten era? A talented Geneva High School cast will remind us this weekend as Geneva High School presents All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Curtain is 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Geneva High School auditorium, 416 McKinley Ave. The play is based on Robert Fulghum’s best-selling book of the same name and will feature 20 GHS students imparting, in a variety of humorous and heart-warming sketches, the wisdom of the sandbox set. Carrie Schafer of Batavia is directing.  Cast members include Mandy …

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Beth Bales

Beth Bales: It's Homecoming Spirit Day! Tonight Brings Barbecue, Crowning, Bonfire

Geneva High School is deep into Homecoming Week. Still to come: crowning of Homecoming royalty, among other events.

Homecoming Week is in full swing at Geneva High School. While some of the fun is over (including the ever-popular Powder Puff Football Game), much fun remains as Vikings attempt to “Conquer the Sea.”  Today, Thursday, is Viking Spirit Day, the day to wear the school’s blue and white colors. On the agenda tonight? The Homecoming Barbecue, sponsored by the PTO, which begins at 6 p.m. at Burgess Field. The “royalty” portion of Homecoming kicks off at 7:30 p.m., with the Pep Rally at Burgess Field, That’s when Homecoming Royalty will be announced, with class representatives at the freshman, sophomore and junior levels, plus the senior-year royalty. Announced will be the prince and princess, duke and duchess and king and queen. The traditional …

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Share Your Reunion and Homecoming News on Geneva Patch!

There are so many ways to make Homecoming special—And Geneva Patch can help you get the most joy from your Geneva hometown Homecoming celebration.

Homecoming is coming up on Oct. 8! (The game is Oct. 7 against Streamwood, and the dance and most reunions are Oct. 8.) And there are a lot of ways to make the event special on Geneva Patch. All you need to do is sign in with your name and e-mail address (no spam, no obligations), and you can ... 1. POST AN EVENT! Maybe the easiest way to get the word out on your Homecoming or reunion activitites—in addition of Facebook and other social media—is to POST THE EVENTS ON GENEVA PATCH! Do you have a 10-year, 15-year, 25-year, 35-year, 50-year reunion coming? Post your event so that others know when and where to show up. Include a photo and send me an e-mail at rickn@patch.com, and I'll make sure your event gets prime real estate on the home …

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SOPHS: Geneva Takes Its First Shutout Win, 41-0 Over Elgin

Vikings take out their frustration from two weeks of losses with easy win over the Maroons.

A giant economy sized first quarter help Geneva to an easy 41-0 win Friday over the Elgin Maroons at Burgess Field. The Vikings scored 28 first-quarter points, including two touchdowns for the defense, to take a 28-0 lead after the first 10 minutes. On defense, Donny Pannier scored on a 42-yard fumble recovery and Josh Sweet scored on a fumble in the end zone, both in the first quarter. Geneva had all facets of the game going well—defense, rushing and passing offense. TJ Millier led the running attack with 79 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. In the air, Dan Santacaterina threw seven times for 133 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Pace Temple led the receivers with 92 yards on three catches, and one TD. The sophs advance …

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Moms Talk

Mom's Talk: 'P-R-O-M?' High School Dance Proposals Have Become a MAJOR Production

There's a lot of hype over how to ask your date to the Homecoming dance this year, and it started with "P-R-O-M?"

P-R-O-M? No, it’s not a spelling test, and it’s not even a grammatically correct question. But it's a question that spread like wildfire through Patchland-area high schools this spring and is flowing over into the popular fall Homecoming dance. Now, if you don’t have a child in high school, I'm sure you have no idea what I am talking about. So I'll let you in on the secret. A date to the dance is not just an understanding if you are already dating. Asking your date to Prom or Homecoming is larger than a marriage proposal. It’s dramatic—in my opinion overdone—and it is how the guys are asking the girls to the school dances. My newfound discovery of this fad came last spring. I heard a story of a young man writing "P-R-O-M?" on a piece of …

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Terry Emma

3:18 pm on Wednesday, September 14, 2011

As a mom of three girls (the youngest now a senior at GHS) and as the former activities director who planned all the dances for the past ten years - I've witnessed many guys making the "ask" to a dance. Guys asked during a prom preview fashion show, at the Mr. GHS contest, live on the television announcements and even during a mock city council meeting from the podium at City Hall. In some cases …   more ›