Growing up on South Bend’s east side directly connected you with John Adams High School. With the addition of the IB Program in the mid 2000s, students from all over the city began flocking to the Tower. No matter why you attended Adams, there are a few universals we all experienced. Here are nine things all students and alumni of John Adams know to be true.

1. Adams is the Mock Trial capital of Indiana (and a national powerhouse).

Adam’s first mock trial State championship came in the late 1990s. Since then, the school has dominated competition in the Hoosier State, winning the State championship almost every year since 1998 (17 times as of 2016)! Along with all those State championships are a pair of National Championships (2009 and 2011), which makes Adams High School, not only the best mock trial program in Indiana, but one of the best mock trial programs in the whole of the United States.

2. The top graduates flock to the highest ranking universities in the world.

In my graduating class alone (the class of 2015), we had two Ivy League bound students (Harvard and Yale), a student bound for a program where she would finish medical school within seven years, eight future Notre Dame students, a couple students going to a top ranking university in Ireland, a handful going to Northwestern and Loyola Chicago Universities, and the majority of the other top half of the class staying intate to go to Indiana University or Purdue University.

We had a record 10 valedictorians in my graduating class, with at least the top third of the class having Cum Laude status (minimum of 3.5 GPA), or higher! For being a public school, Adams sure does crank out some good, college-ready freshmen.

3. Many alumni end up across the street at IUSB.

Just on the other side of Mishawaka Ave. from John Adams High School is a regional campus of Indiana University: Indiana University South Bend, or IUSB. IUSB gives its students the opportunity to earn an IU degree at a lower cost than going to the main campus in Bloomington. Granted, IUSB doesn’t have as many degree programs as Bloomington, but for the hundreds of programs they do have, it allows Northern Indiana Hoosiers the flexibility of saving on college while getting the benefits of students who reside on Bloomington’s campus.

About a fifth of every Adams graduating class (about 80 students) decides to stay close to home for college, and take advantage of what IUSB has to offer (lower tuition, the perks of not living on campus, the perks of living on a smaller campus, smaller class sizes, more personalized relationships with professors who are prominent leaders in their fields, and closer networking opportunities with future employers).

As a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Adams High School (3.85 GPA), I believe I can say with a high degree of certainty that I was the highest ranking member of my high school class to decide on IUSB. Not only that, I may be one of the highest ranking Adams alumni ever to choose a regional campus over a university’s mother campus. I have noticed a very positive shift in this regard. More people are beginning to shed their previously negative view of IUSB being an “inferior regional campus,” to adopting a more accurate view of all the positives IUSB has to offer. Namely, it allows for those wanting to go on to graduate school to get out of undergrad debt-free, or close to it. Regardless of the student’s intention, it is clear that there is a direct pipeline between Adams High School and IUSB.

4. We’ve all marveled at the living legend that is Mr. Longenecker.

Whether you’ve recently graduated or haven’t been in high school for decades, every Adams alumni and student knows who Mr. Longenecker is. This man is a local legend, having taught high school science for…well, we’re not exactly sure how long, but it’s been quite a few decades (he is one of the most tenured, if not the most tenured employee in the entire school corporation). Even though he could comfortably retire and spend his years living on his lake, which he enjoys talking about a lot, Mr. Longenecker returns every year to impart his wisdom upon new students.

This man even has a minor planet named after him! His addition of the science research program for students has also made John Adams High School one of the leading science programs in the state, which have helped many students advance at a rapid pace (including the young lady who should be finishing medical school six years from now, mentioned earlier). Mr. Longenecker’s dedication to his field, and teaching is a remarkable testament to the human spirit. This leaves us wondering if he ever will retire. No matter what he chooses to do going forward, we hope Mr. Longenecker continues to enjoy life to the fullest.

5. Mr. Wilson’s pep talks are the stuff of legend.

If you’ve been lucky to have attended Adams in the last decade or so, then you’ve probably been to a pep rally or two, with Mr. Wilson’s iconic “Hey Eagles…” chant sending a roar through the student body. As much as we’d like to boo the underclassmen, Mr. Wilson’s uniting voice reminds us that we are all Eagles, and Eagles fly as one. Mr. Wilson is also a classic example of an IUSB alum giving back to his community in an immeasurable way. It’s just another example of how intertwined the university is with John Adams High School.

6. Adams has become quite crowded; and some shade for Penn High School.

At the time of my graduation over a year ago, Adams had around 1800 enrolled students. In case you were wondering, that’s a fairly large number. We can already hear the Penn alumni saying “but we’ve got 3000 students.” Well, sure Penn has a larger number, but considering that it's the only high school in the Penn-Harris Madison School District, it’s not like those students have much of a choice. John Adams has to compete with three other public high schools: Riley, Clay, and Washington. Not to mention that we also have to compete with private schools like Marion, Trinity, and St. Joe. So sure, Penn is the third largest school in Indiana by enrollment, but that’s because it has a virtual monopoly on its students. Adams is forced to compete with up to six schools for students. So many students go to John Adams, not because they’re forced to, but because they want to. And no, you don't compete with Mishawaka High School for students. Since Mishawaka doesn't have a bus system, students have to live relatively close to make attendance feasible. By the way, we even dip into Penn’s student base a little bit by drawing kids from Granger, Indiana with the International Baccalaureate Program, so there.

7. Since the mid 2000s, Adams feels like two different schools in one.

Going to Adams today, you can make a clear distinction between the IB kids, and the non-IB kids. It’s one of those weird distinctions you make when observing the two cultures side-by-side. IB kids can often be seen working on homework in the cafeteria, trying to stay awake due to sleep depravity, and crying in the corner for fear of looming IB assessments. Non-IB kids don’t seem to be nearly as stressed out, which is funny seeing as their courseload is a cakewalk by comparison. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, the top graduating students are often IB students. If only non-IB students knew how good they really had it…

8. Everybody knows where the Rudy room is.

The classic movie "Rudy" starring Sean Astin tells the story of a learning-disabled, football-loving young man whose dream is to play for the University of Notre Dame. He gets into Holy Cross College, a junior college at the time, and eventually gets high enough marks to transfer to Notre Dame. Once at the school, he works his way from the practice football team to the dress list for the last game of his career. Long story short, it’s an emotional triumph that will bring every Notre Dame fan, and South Bend resident to tears.

What many people don’t know is that the classroom scenes of "Rudy" were shot locally at John Adams High School. One current room in particular was the main sight of shooting. If you’re an Adams student/alumni, then you should already know which room I’m talking about.

9. Going up in the Tower is a rite of passage.

It’s the iconic part of the building. The Tower that stands tall over the main entrance to the building is a symbol of Eagle Pride (as it is often called ‘The Eagles’ Nest’). People know it’s there, but the entrance is so hidden, that freshmen undoubtedly begin to wonder exactly how one gets to the high reaches of the Tower.

The door to the Tower blends in so well with the hallway in which it resides, that even a lot of upperclassmen have a tough time pointing it out. But if you’re lucky, a teacher will take your class on a tour of the Tower. From the top, you can look west and see the iconic skyline of downtown South Bend.