Steinmetz College Prep High School has an 84-year tradition of serving the students of the Northwest side of Chicago. In the current era of competition from selective enrollment, charter, and private high schools, Steinmetz – home of the Silver Streaks – remains a neighborhood gem, the “Best in the West.”

Since July, 2018, Jaime Jaramillo has been principal. He followed Stephen J. Ngo, who followed Dr. Eunice Madon, the first woman to run the school. Prior to Dr. Madon, Dr. Constantine. P. Kiamos was principal.

The Steinmetz Alumni Association is one of the largest in the country. The Alumni Association honored five graduates in its newly created “Hall of Fame” at the June 8, 2014, annual alumni picnic.

For the Star, the most important Steinmetz graduate is Playboy editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner, ’44, whose generosity enabled the Star to transition from an in-house Riso-copied newsletter to a full-sized, full-color newspaper printed professionally. Mr. Hefner also provided cameras, computers, and other equipment essential for the production of the newspaper. His notes of support were regularly printed in our letters to the editor section of the newspaper.

When the high school was planned for the Northwest side of Chicago in the 1920’s, the largely German-American neighborhood influenced the Board of Education to name the school after scientist Charles P. Steinmetz.

In addition to the article about Charles Steinmetz linked from this page, a 2015 PBS documentary also provides excellent information. See http://video.wmht.org/video/2365246534/.