Whitney M. Young Magnet High School facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Address
211 South Laflin Street Chicago , Illinois 60607 United States
Coordinates	41°52′42″N 87°39′49″W / 41.8782°N 87.6636°W / 41.8782; -87.6636
Information
School type	Public Secondary Magnet
Established	1970; 55 years ago (1970)
School district	Chicago Public Schools
CEEB code	141383
Principal	Rickey Floyd Harris
Grades	7–12
Enrollment	2,142 (2022–2023)
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Orange      Navy Blue
Athletics conference	Chicago Public League
Team name	Dolphins
Newspaper	The Beacon

Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is a public school in Chicago, Illinois. It is a special type of school called a magnet school for students from 7th to 12th grade. The school opened on September 3, 1975. It was the very first public magnet high school in Chicago!

The school is named after Whitney Moore Young Jr.. He was an important civil rights leader. The Chicago Public Schools district runs the school.

School History

The school is located near the University of Illinois Chicago campus. Construction on the school buildings finished in 1974. Whitney Young opened for students on September 3, 1975. Bernarr E. Dawson was the first principal.

At first, 300 students from nearby Crane High School also joined. This happened after people asked for Young to help local students. By 1979, the school returned to only accepting students who passed an entrance exam.

Rickey Harris is the current principal. He became principal in the 2022–2023 school year. He is only the fourth principal in the school's history.

How to Get In and Academic Programs

Admissions Process

To get into Whitney Young, students need to do well on an entrance exam. Their scores on other tests and their elementary school grades also matter. Any student living in Chicago, Illinois, can apply. The school is often ranked among the best high schools in the U.S. In 2009, Young received the Blue Ribbon Award. This award recognizes excellent schools.

Academic Center

The Academic Center is a special program for seventh and eighth graders. These students get an early start on high school classes. They take courses that count for high school credit. For example, seventh graders take Honors Algebra I and Honors Environmental Science. Eighth graders take Honors Geometry and Honors Biology.

Students can also choose up to two extra classes each year. The Academic Center has many after-school activities. These include basketball, cross country, track, and a math team.

A documentary called Selected was made in 2015. It shows how students are chosen for selective enrollment schools like Young.

Awesome Programs and Teams

Science Bowl and Math Team

The school's Science Bowl Team has won the Regional National Science Bowl Championship many times. They won in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024. This means they went to the National Finals in Washington, D.C. In 2016, they even placed first in a special challenge at the National Finals.

The Young Math Team competes in many local and national contests. These include the City of Chicago Math League and the American Mathematics Competitions. The team won the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) State Championship in 2013 and 2014.

Academic Decathlon

The Academic Decathlon team is super successful! They have been the Illinois State Champions for 34 out of the last 35 years. In 2012, they finished second in the nation.

In 1995, there was a problem with another school's team. That team was caught cheating. So, Whitney Young was given the state title instead. This story was even made into an HBO movie called Cheaters.

Young's Academic Decathlon team won its twentieth state title in a row in 2023. They also placed second in the nation that same year.

Debate Team

In 2010, a two-student debate team from Young won a national championship. They won the National Forensics League National Speech and Debate Tournament. This was the first time a team from an urban debate league won this big award.

TV Production

Since 2013, the school has offered a video production class. It is part of their Multimedia Literacy course.

Older students create a weekly show called DubTV. It is the school's official web-series and is on their website. The show is like a variety show. It has funny skits and ads for school clubs. A popular character is Mr. Beagler, a stuffed animal voiced by different students.

Sports Teams (Athletics)

Flip the Dolphin mascot at the Chicago Public High School League championship basketball game, 2014.

Young's sports teams are called the "Dolphins." They compete in the Chicago Public League (CPL). They are also part of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Young has 52 athletic teams across 12 different sports.

• The boys' basketball team has won the IHSA state championships four times.
• The girls' basketball team has won the state championship three times.
• The girls' tennis team won the state championship in 2017.
• The school's chess team has won the IHSA state championship six times!

A new athletics complex opened in 2019. It is named after Michelle Obama.

Clubs and Activities

The Whitney Young Streaming Radio Station, called WY Stream, started in 2004. It shares student and staff achievements. Stream TV was added in 2006. It has shows about the school and news clips.

The Whitney Young theater company is called "The Young Company." They have performed many famous shows. These include Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, and West Side Story.

In 1996, some students helped start the Gay Pride Club. One of the students who helped later became a member of the Chicago School Board. Some students were even put into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

Notable Alumni

Images for kids

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  Flip the Dolphin mascot at the Chicago Public High School League championship basketball game, 2014.