Thomas Jefferson High School (commonly referred to as Jefferson High School, Rockford Jefferson, or JHS) is a public coed four-year high school, in Rockford, Illinois, United States. The Rockford Public School District 205 (RPS 205) serves the city of Rockford and the neighboring villages of Cherry Valley, Illinois, New Milford, Illinois and unincorporated parts of south Winnebago County. The school is named after the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. The naming tradition for junior high schools in RPS 205 was to name them after American presidents.
Jefferson High School History
Jefferson High School, located at 2525 Ohio Parkway, initially was called Thomas Jefferson Junior High School from 1956-1969. It housed seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students from the south and southeast parts of Rockford and Winnebago County. It was a feeder school to Rockford East High School. Jefferson began transitioning into a senior high school to include ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades during the 1969-70 school year. The inclusion of each ascending high school grade was gradual with each school year. Students of the Class of 1972, 1973, and 1974 spent six years in the building, instead of transferring to a high school building after junior high school as was typically done.
During the inaugural high school year, school traditions for the new high school were created with elections for school rings, motto, mascot (keeping the J-Hawk mascot from the junior high school), and school colors (originally only red and white with gold added in 1988-89). The formation of a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) battalion was added and the new high school joined the Big 9 Conference (now called the Northern Illinois Conference or NIC-10) for competitive athletics. Though there were two upperclass and three underclass cheerleading squads and a large Pom-pon squad, the only competitive athletic venue for girls was the intramural Girls Athletic Association (GAA) and boys’ sport team management. The first class to graduate from Jefferson High School was the Class of 1972.
Because of the manner Jefferson started, there has always been a casual feeling connected to “Old” (Ohio Pkwy. location) Jefferson memories. The school averaged a population of 2400+ high school students crowded into a building built for 1800 junior high students. The schedule was a ten-hour split day. Upperclassmen were encouraged to start school at 7:00 a.m. and underclassmen at noon until 5:00 p.m. Because of lunchroom crowding there were three lunch hours and open campus was allowed, with students leaving campus and returning at will. There was no study hall and little hallway oversight. Students commonly milled around or sat in the floor of the hallways waiting for class, eating lunch or studying. The first three classes, 1972, 1973, and 1974 shared the building exclusively for three years and became very close.
In 1973, Rockford Public School District 205 Superintendent Robert Gardner Salisbury announced the need for a new high school in light of the overcrowding that Jefferson High School and other district schools were facing. A tax referendum was accepted in 1976 to allow funds for the construction of a new high school building in southeast Rockford. In 1978 the new Jefferson High School opened on Samuelson Road. The former building was returned to junior high school/middle school status and named after Barney Flinn, after the generous donor that made the new building transition possible. Wikipedia
Jefferson Class of 1974 Alumni Reunions
The Class of 1974 reunion tradition began with the 5th class reunion in 1979 at the Clock Tower Inn. The 10th reunion was held at the Hoffman House Restaurant. We have had class reunions every five years except for the 15th class reunion. James (Jim) Ridgeway was a catalyst for beginning the reunions. Sadly, he passed away from a brain tumor in 1988. The reunion committee started anew for 1994 20th reunion, held at Forest Hills Lodge on IL 173. The 25th Reunion was a dressy affair held at the Mau-nau-tee-see Country Club in 1999. The 30th reunion in 2004 was dressy-casual at Lino’s Restaurant. The 35th reunion in 2009 was a casual cookout and potluck picnic at the Forest Preserve with class members from 1972 and 1973 invited. The 40th reunion in 2014, held in the newly-opened Nicholas Conservatory, featured a tour of exotic plants. The 45th reunion in 2019 was casual and friendly, again, at Lino’s Restaurant.
We plan to celebrate our 50th class reunion, Friday, September 27, 2024 at a Downtown Rockford supper club known for a jazzy-blues feel and delicious food, Ambiance Cuisine, at 307 South Main Street. Looking out at the Rock River, is it close enough to the BMO Center (MetroCentre) that you can hear the Ice Hogs make a goal (or at least the goal-horn). It is katty-corner to the Hilton Embassy Suites.
