150 Years of OPRF
Founded as a one-room school at the corner of Lake and Forest Avenue in 1873, Oak Park and River Forest High School has become a community cornerstone. Today, the school spans a million-square feet over several buildings. It is home to over 3,400 students. Thousands of alumni fondly remember their days at the school. This…
The History of the OPRF Crest
The school crest is the readily identified symbol of Oak Park and River Forest High School. However, the history behind Ta Garista, the phrase that appears on the crest, is much less known—and has led to its meaning being greatly misunderstood. In 1900, Principal John Hanna proposed a motto for the school which would encompass…
The school before the village
This fall, the community celebrates a century and a half of its public high school, making OPRF older than Chicago’s “L” system, 13 of the 50 United States, and, surprisingly, the villages of Oak Park and River Forest. In the 1850s, Illinois was divided into 36-square-mile townships. Today’s Oak Park was part of Cicero Township,…
Ode to Papa
A 1917 Oak Park High School yearbook shows the grinning photo of a future Pulitzer and Nobel prize winner—a prankster, a self-described “class prophet,” and a storyteller like the world had never seen. “None are found to be more clever than Ernie,” reads the tribute quote for Ernest Miller Hemingway, who (probably to no surprise…
OPRFHS War Veterans
Ernest Hemingway is unquestionably the most famous OPRFHS veteran, but the school has produced a number of alumni who have made distinctive contributions to war efforts and lived exemplary lives upon their return. Hemingway, who graduated in 1917, actually did not serve as a soldier in WWI. After being turned away by the Army because…
A look at how a progressive approach to education has shaped OPRF
When Central School, the precursor to what we now call Oak Park and River Forest High School, was founded in 1873, “progressive education” was not a buzzword among educators. Yet a progressive approach to education has shaped Oak Park and River Forest High School since early on, largely due to two pioneering educators—John Hannah, principal…
Photos: Historic Homecoming
OPRF High School alumni from several decades march on the football field on Friday, Sept. 22 before the Homecoming game, celebrating the school’s 150th anniversary.
Essay: Addressing race and equity at OPRF
One can see much continuity in the 150-year history of Oak Park and River Forest High School, especially when it comes to excellence, but in thinking about its racial history, it makes sense to identify two distinct periods, even two distinct schools. The first period lasted about 100 years, a period with no racial integration…
Oak Park River Forest Museum’s Exhibit: Ever Changing, Yet the Same OPRF High School at 150 opens
The grand opening of the exhibit dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of OPRF High School will be held on Oct. 4 at 6 p.m., and the exhibit will be open until the end of 2025. The new exhibit will feature memorabilia, yearbooks, school spirit wear from throughout the decades, photos, dance bids, scrapbooks, and a…
A Documentary that Captured a Moment in Time
Throughout its 150 year history there has probably been no time that Oak Park and River Forest High School received more attention nationwide than during the fall of 2018 when the 10-part docuseries America to Me aired on Sunday nights on the Starz network. America to Me was directed by then Oak Park resident Steve…
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