- Dillon High School
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Dillon High School is a public high school in Dillon, South Carolina. It is located on 1730 Highway 301 North, approximately five miles from border of North Carolina and South Carolina, and it is the home of the Dillon Wildcats. The school was built in 1971, with the most recent additions to the school being made in 2000. Lynda Cottingham, after serving for years as guidance counselor, now serves the school as principal and Ray Rogers serves as the superintendent of the school’s district.[1] [1]
Contents
Recent Years
For the 2011-2012 school year the school has 939 students and 65 persons on faculty and staff. Dillon High School currently offers a range of classes from College Preparatory, Honors, and Advanced Placement, to Vocational School, J.R.O.T.C., and Dual Enrollment. In the spring of 2011 ground was broken on the campus of Dillon High School for the site of a new junior high school for Dillon, South Carolina. This middle school was proposed to replace J.V. Martin Jr. High School, which was featured in "Corridor of Shame" as one of many neglected schools in South Carolina. Attention was brought to the school after a eighth grade girl wrote a letter to President Barak Obama expressing her concerns about the school. Her letter reached the president and brought much national attention to the area. With the attention of this letter came the funding for the new junior high school.
Athletics
- Athletic Director: Jackie Hayes
Football
The Dillon High School football team is coached by Jackie Hayes, who also serves as a state representative. In his 20 years as head coach, he has led the Wildcats to twelve region titles, six lower state titles, and two state titles (including three consecutive appearances from 2008-2010). He has a record of 222 wins to 46 loses. The Wildcats play their home football games at Dillon Memorial Stadium on West Main Street in Dillon. They wear black and gold uniforms and run out of a black tunnel before every home game.
Other Sports
Dillon High School’s sports teams also include baseball, coached by Greg Dozier, Soccer, coached be Vontray Sellers, Tennis, coached by Patrick Grimsley, boys’ basketball, coached by Herald Wilson, track and field, and girls’ volleyball, basketball, and softball coached by Sheryl Carter. The gym at the high school is lined with banners that commemorate the many region championships that Dillon has won throughout its history.
While Dillon has a well-respected athletic program, it has only won three state championships in its history. All three of these championships were in football; one of which was awarded after the opposing team declined showing up to the game due to weather. The other two were won in 2008, when the Wildcats played Central Pageland in Death Valley, and again in 2009 when they also played Central Pageland although this game was played in Williams-Brice Stadium.
Notable Alumni
- Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve
- Robin Tallon, Former member of Congress
- Kevin Steele, Defensive Coordinator at Clemson University
- John Chavis, Defensive Coordinator at LSU
- Derrick Hamilton, football player
References
External links
Categories:- Schools in Dillon County, South Carolina
- High schools in South Carolina
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