All About Argo

The Argo Higher Education Foundation (AHEF), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, provides financial assistance to deserving Argonauts to continue their post-secondary education. Each year, graduating students are awarded scholarships, some of which are renewable.

The foundation is funded solely on individual donations and profits made from our fundraisers. All donations are tax deductible, to the extent allowed by law, and checks can be made to the Argo Higher Education Foundation.  An investment in our youth of today is an investment in the future.  We thank you for your continued support of our Argonauts.

Visit the Argo Higher Education Foundation website here.

Argonauts Bridge Past and Present for the Future

Argo Community High School is proud to announce the formation of Argo Communities Historical Society; a committee organized to preserve and memorialize the outstanding heritage and traditions of Argo Community High School and the surrounding communities.

The steering committee members include:

Dave Brady ’69

Michael Kirksy ’53

Helen Mallis ’53

Terrence Pappas ’82

Frank Stout ’68

William Toulios ’97

Our goal is to preserve the heritage and educate future generations of Argonauts in the traditions and legacies of Argo High School and District 217.

We are currently accepting donations in the form of trophies, jerseys, playbills, film, pictures, and any other general mementos that will become an interactive gallery for the education of students and nostalgia for alumni. Contributors will be recognized for their donations. To assist with our planning, we are requesting that the initial phase of donations be submitted throughout the summer months. 

DISCLOSURE OF FEDERAL PARTICIPATION (Stevens Amendment) 

Projects or programs funded in whole or in part with Federal grant money must credit the Federal Government for the Federal Government’s portion of the financial support.

This web page citation informs the public that the use of Federal dollars in Argo Community High School, District 217, meets the Stevens Amendment requirement. Staff development opportunities, resource purchases, and personnel have been funded in whole or in part with Federal entitlement dollars. 

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act ensures the educational rights and protections of homeless children and youth so that they may enroll in school, attend regularly, and be successful. The legislation requires a local homeless education liaison in every school district to assist children and unaccompanied youth in their efforts to attend school.

Children who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime abode are eligible for McKinney-Vento services. In general, children or youth living in motels, transitional housing, shelters, the street, cars, abandoned buildings, and other inadequate accommodations may be considered eligible for McKinney- Vento services. 
 

This Act guarantees homeless children and youth the following:

• The right to immediate enrollment in school, even if lacking paperwork normally required for enrollment
• The right to attend school in their school of origin or in the school in the attendance area where the family or youth is currently residing
• The right to receive transportation to their school of origin
• The right to services comparable to those received by housed schoolmates, including transportation and supplemental education services
• The right to an "equal playing field" and the removal of all barriers to receiving educational services
• The right to attend school along with children not experiencing homelessness. Segregation based on a student's status as homeless is strictly prohibited

School Environment Matters: Argo Community High School Administers Ninth Illinois 5Essentials Survey to Improve Student Learning

Students, teachers, and parents weigh in on school climate and learning conditions

Argo Community High School, District 217 will join the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in the statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions. The survey provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to have a voice in improving their schools. From January 24 through March 31, students and teachers will be asked to take a 25 -minute research-based survey to help identify strengths and weaknesses in their school’s learning environment. The parent survey supplement will also be administered during the same survey window. These surveys will serve as an opportunity for schools to reflect on progress since the last statewide implementation.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey provides a comprehensive picture of a school’s organizational culture in an individualized report measuring five “essentials” critical for school success:
 

• Effective Leaders
• Collaborative Teachers
• Involved Families
• Supportive Environment
• Ambitious Instruction
   

Twenty years of research at the University of Chicago in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of the 5Essentials were 10 times more likely to make substantial gains in improving student reading and math than schools that were weak on three or more of the Essentials. Those differences remained true even after controlling for student and school characteristics, including poverty, race, gender, and neighborhood characteristics. Strength on components within the Essentials also correlated with increased teacher retention, student attendance, college enrollment, and high school graduation.