Deerfield High School (Illinois)

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Deerfield High School
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Motto A Commitment to Character.
Established 1959
Type Public secondary
Principal Sue Hebson
Faculty 120
Students 1,711
Grades 9–12
Location 1959 N. Waukegan Rd.
Deerfield, Illinois, USA
Campus Suburban
Colors Red, Gray
Mascot Warriors
Yearbook 'O*YAD'
Newspaper 'Deerprints'
Website www.dist113.org/dhs

Deerfield High School, or DHS, is a public four-year high school in Deerfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 113, which also includes Highland Park High School.

Contents

[edit] History and campus

The original building was constructed during the mid 1950s in response to the post-War nuclear threat. Construction was completed in 1959 and its first class graduated in 1963. As of 1999, DHS included 327,000 square feet (30,400 m²) of space.

In 2000, DHS and its sister school, Highland Park High School, underwent a two-year, $75 million renovation and expansion project. DHS received new science and arts wings for a total of 140,000 square feet (13,000 m²) added and 61,600 square feet (5,720 m²) renovated. The additions and renovations were designed by Legat Architects and executed by VACALA Construction, Inc. [1]

Beginning in 2004, the school ceased comparing the academic achievements of students, nor does it distribute students' class rank to colleges. The elimination of class rank aimed at creating a less stressfully competitive academic environment.[2]

The school's hallways are labeled with the letters A through R (skipping "O" to avoid confusion with zero) and X (this hall was added in a later addition to the school). A common prank upperclassmen play on incoming Freshmen is to ask them if they've bought their elevator pass for Z-hall (with the freshmen then attempting to purchase said elevator pass and finding out that Z-hall does not exist).[3] DHS's forty-some classrooms and seven gyms are labeled with their hall letter followed by a three digit number. The building is one story tall excluding X-hall and the athletic complex, both of which are two stories. The building has eight courtyards, one of which is used regularly by students and staff. (Until 1988, one of the courtyards was referred to as "The Pit" and was a designated smoking area for faculty and students 16 and older.)[3] There is one large cafeteria divided into three sections: the North Cafeteria, the South Cafeteria (formerly a separate TV lounge until 1993), and the Senior Cafeteria (which was originally limited to Senior-use only, but this practice ended in the late 1990s and the name was kept as it contains a large wall with previous year's seniors hand-prints on it). The school also has a large student library, seven student computer labs, a Foreign Language Lab, the Writing and English Resource Center Services (the WERCS), a Math Lab, a Bookstore, and three student common spaces: the Bookstore Lobby, the old Bus Lobby, and the Student Union.

Main Entrance to building
Main Entrance to building

The land surrounding the school is used as sports fields including six baseball diamonds, ten tennis courts, two soccer fields, one running track, one football field with large bleacher seating, and two soccer fields. All fields also serve the school's other 30 or so sports teams. Although not officially part of the campus, the Prairie Wolf Slough and forest preserve, just north of the campus has a long trail often used by classes and for extracurricular activities.

The DHS Auditorium is a proscenium style theater that seats 914 persons and is used for assemblies and productions of dance, musical theatre, and concerts by soloists and large ensembles. The Auditorium's stage house measures 3,200 square feet (300 m²) with a proscenium that is 35 feet wide, 18 feet high and a stage that is 30 feet deep to the cyclorama. The lighting grid is 30 feet high. The Studio Theatre is located immediately adjacent to the Auditorium and is used as a backstage area during Auditorium productions. The orchestra pit is located at house level and can contain up to thirty musicians. The stage house has a 7-line, manual, single purchase counterweight fly system, with 500-pound capacity per line-set. In addition, the Auditorium houses a walk-draw white cyclorama, moveable tormentors, four travelers, dead-hung teasers and a walk draw black scrim. Lighting and Sound operate from the control booth, located at the rear of the house.

The DHS Studio Theater is a 3,000-square-foot (300 m²) reconfigurable black box theater. Its various seating configurations can accommodate up to 200 persons in thrust, proscenium, stadium, or arena arrangements. The lighting pipe grid is eighteen feet above the stage floor. The Studio Theatre has a reconfigurable walk-draw curtain system with a dedicated inventory of black stage draperies and a sky blue cyclorama. During Studio Theater productions the Auditorium stage is used as backstage.

[edit] Safety Threat

On Tuesday April 29th, 2008 a student alerted the DHS staff of threatening graffiti in the one of the school's bathrooms. The threat read as follows: "Thursday, May 1st, DHS will never be the same. There will be guns. There will be explosions. There will be chaos." The administration sent letters to parents notifying them of the incident, and pledged to uphold the safety of the school lest anything happen with bag checks and investigations by the police department.[4]

[edit] Academics

In 2005, Deerfield had an average composite ACT score of 25.6, and graduated 100.0% of its senior class. The average class size is 19.3. Deerfield has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act.[5]

National and state testing has consistently placed it as one of the top public schools in Illinois[6]

A Detailed Layout of the DHS Block Schedule
A Detailed Layout of the DHS Block Schedule

During the 2004-2005 school year, Deerfield High School launched a new schedule format. This modified form of a block schedule was crafted through a research and development effort involving students, staff, teachers, administrators, and other stake holders. This schedule has nine class attendance periods. Eight of these periods cycle on a weekly rotation of four days with seven periods and one day with all nine periods. The ninth period (known as "Early Bird") meets every day. The primary goal of this new schedule was to align the school schedule and daily practice with the school district's guiding principles by providing each student a dedicated lunch period and a homeroom period, and extended classroom contact time. Under the previous schedule, students were able to attend classes during all potential lunch periods, leaving them with no meal or resource time. These new dedicated lunch periods are divided into five sections (labeled A-E) with slightly overlapping time periods.

Each fall, the College and Career Resource Center hosts "Beyond Ravinia," an on-site admissions program for seniors. Named for Ravinia Park where seniors graduate, the program allows seniors to apply to several schools ahead of time, meet with admissions officers from over 40 universities and colleges, and receive either acceptance or a deferral. According to the school's Counseling and Guidance Department, the program was discontinued in 2006.

[edit] Athletics

The Deerfield Warriors compete in the Central Suburban League's North Division alongside longtime rival Highland Park High School, as well as in the larger Illinois High School Association.

From the late 1970s to mid 1980s, DHS athletics excelled. Under the guidance of coach Paul Adams, the DHS varsity football team was Class 5A state champions in 1975, and runner up in 1977, 1981 and 1984 [7]. The football stadium was renamed in Adams' honor following his retirement after the 1992 season. The boys cross country program also excelled during that period, winning both the state and national championships in 1976 and 1977 [8].

In 1988 and 1989, the Varsity Hockey team made it to the Illinois State Frozen Four. In 1988, falling in the Championship game to Carmel High and finishing the year in 2nd place. Then in 1989 they returned to the Frozen Four and claimed 3rd place.

The boys' Tennis team also proved a yearly power house through the 70's with strong performances from many gifted players. Blair Nellar placed third in state in singles in 1970. Harrison Bowes placed fifth in State in 1973 and went on to play at the University of Texas. Robby White and Dane Nellar finished third in State in Doubles in 1974, just ahead of team mates Harrison Bowes and Ken Baritz at number four. In 1975 Robby White finished fifth in state in singles. Willie Davis and Jack McArdle finished seventh at State in Doubles. White went on to play at the University of Wisconsin/Madison.

The 80's saw the boys' tennis team again rise to prominence with four State singles titles going to Mike Morrison in 1984, 1985, 1986, and again in 1987, a feat otherwise accomplished only by Marty Riessen. The success of the boys tennis program was directly attributed to Coach Chuck Morrison.

Both the girls' and boys' tennis team won the Illinois High School Association's state championship in 2005. The boys' team placed third in 2006, with senior Scott Lieberman losing to an undefeated Dennis Nevolo in the ISHA singles final, while the girls' team placed second with Sophomore Rachel White winning the IHSA singles title. The boys' team took third place for the second consecutive year in 2007 under leadership from team captain Josh Gross who played number 1 doubles and took the 5th place in the Illinois State Tournament in 2007.

[edit] Activities

During the time after Thanksgiving break and before winter break, the student body participates in a fundraising initiative known as School Chest. Organized and run by the Student Council, School Chest has raised more than $120,000 almost every year for worthy charitable organizations including Chicago House, One Step at a Time Camp, Special Gifts Theater, and the Children's Heart Foundation, and most recently, Evans Life Foundation. The charity is selected by members of the Student Council with input from the student body. On the last day of school before winter break, the exact amount collected is announced after much excitement and anticipation. [9]

Every year the school sponsors a weekend trip titled Operation Snowball. The program is a school and community sponsored and facilitated prevention program offering the opportunity for youth to further develop healthy lifestyles. The weekend is filled with small group discussions and activities. [10]

The school newspaper is Deerprints. The newspaper is student-run and prints monthly. In 2006 Deerprints won a Pacemaker award, given by the National Scholastic Press Association.[11]

The school also has a satirical newspaper that comes out approximately every Thursday called The Flipside[12]

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ Renovation improves circulation
  2. ^ Letter to Junior Parents
  3. ^ a b O*YAD 1992. "Top Ten Pranks".
  4. ^ Deerfield High School
  5. ^ Illinois School Report Card
  6. ^ Top 50 High Schools.
  7. ^ IHSA High School Football Champions and Runners-Up
  8. ^ IHSA High School Cross Country Champions and Runners-Up
  9. ^ School Chest Press Release
  10. ^ Snowball Welcome Flyer
  11. ^ NSPA - Contest Winners
  12. ^ The Flipside | Real News

[edit] External links


v • d • e
Central Suburban League
North Division: Highland Park • Deerfield • Glenbrook North • Maine East • Maine West • Niles North
South Division: New Trier • Evanston • Waukegan • Maine South • Niles West • Glenbrook South