- Deerfield High School (Illinois)
-
Deerfield High School 
Address 1959 N. Waukegan Rd.
Deerfield, Illinois, 60015
USACoordinates 42°11′15″N 87°51′08″W / 42.1874°N 87.8523°W Information School type public secondary Opened 1959 School district Township High School District 113 Superintendent George Fornero[1] Principal Audris Griffith[2] Staff 287[3] Grades 9–12 Gender coed Enrollment 1,754[4] Average class size 18.5[4] Campus suburban School Colour(s) red
gray[5]Athletics conference Central Suburban League Nickname Warriors[5] Average ACT scores 26.0[4] Publication Troubadour[6] Newspaper 'Deerprints[7] Yearbook 'O*YAD[8] TV station WDHS[9] Website http://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
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.[10]
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 stressful competitive academic environment.[11] The school also spends the most in the state of Illinois on each student over the course of a year. The current amount is over $22,000 for each student, each year. This was one of the reasons that Deerfield was ranked second in the top ten towns in which to raise a family in 2007.
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 in the early 1990s saw 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 neither Z-hall, nor elevators, exist. [12] DHS's rooms 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.)[12] There is one large cafeteria divided into four sections: the North Cafeteria, the South Cafeteria (formerly a separate TV lounge until 1993), 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), and the Student Union (which was formerly a separate room next door to the Senior Cafeteria, but was joined with the Senior Cafeteria in the summer of 2010 to accommodate the new schedule, which would have four lunch periods instead of five). 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 a student common space, the Bookstore Lobby.
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 theater, 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 (11 m) wide, 18 feet (5.5 m) high and a stage that is 30 feet (9.1 m) deep to the cyclorama. The lighting grid is 30 feet (9.1 m) 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, movable 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.
Academics
In 2008, Deerfield had an average composite ACT score of 26.0, and graduated 99.8% of its senior class. Deerfield has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which with the ACT comprises the assessment tools used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[4]
Deerfield High School was in the top 500 public U.S. high schools in 2006 and in the top 1000 in 2007[13]
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. In the 2009-2010 school year, the E lunch period was removed, resulting in changes to the rest of the schedule.
Athletics
The Deerfield Warriors compete in the Central Suburban League, and counts its in-district sister school Highland Park High School as a longtime rival. The school's teams compete in state championship series tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).
The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Men may also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Women may compete in badminton and softball.
The 1977 Deerfield boys cross country team is regarded by at least one publication as one of the single greatest prep cross country teams of all-time. Recognized by Marc Bloom's Harrier Report and the National High School Archives (xcnation.com).[14]
While no longer sponsored by the IHSA, the school still has a women's field hockey team. While never sponsored by the IHSA, the school sponsors lacrosse for men and women.[15]
A co-ed ice hockey team also competes against teams from surrounding schools, however it is not sponsored by the school or the IHSA. The team is supported entirely by private donations and players must purchase their own jerseys and equipment. In the 2007-2008 season, the Warriors defeated New Trier High School to win the State title in the White Division by a score of 3-1.[16]
The school has won the following IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments or meets[17]
- badminton: 1987–88
- cross country (boys): 1977–78
- football: 1975–76
- tennis (boys): 1983–84, 94–95, 2004–05
- tennis (girls): 2005–06
The football stadium is named for former coach Paul Adams, who coached the football team from 1966 to 1992, an era which included four appearances, with one win in the state championship game.
In addition to the team's success, tennis player Mike Morrison was the second of two players in Illinois mens high school history to win four state singles titles (1984–1987). The only other player to accomplish this was Marty Riessen.[18]
The school also sponsors cheerleading, fencing, pom-pons, and a dance team at the club level.[19]
Dance company is a popular activity at the school. Attendance at the dance company show in April is extremely common because they are very good.
Activities
Between 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, the Children's Heart Foundation, Evan's Life Foundation, Camp Heartland, Saving Tiny Hearts Society, and most recently, Bear Necessities. 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.[20]
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.[21]
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.[22]
Also, the school has a television station that comes out with bi-weekly, and sometimes weekly 12-minute news shows. A link can be found at http://dist113.org/dhs/depts/Multimedia/dhstv/calendar0809.htm
Deerfield won the IHSA championship in Drama in 1970–71.[17]
Another activity is the Deerfield Hockey Program, considered a club by the school. The Warrior hockey program finished first in the white division of the state championship in 2008 and 2011.[citation needed]
The Congressional Debate team (Student Congress) won the state championship in 2003.[citation needed]
Notable alumni
- Hub Arkush is publisher of Pro Football Weekly and served as color commentator for the Chicago Bears (1987–2004). He is currently the senior football expert for WSCR–670 AM radio in Chicago.[23]
- Dean Bernardini is a rock musician for the band Chevelle.[24]
- Scott Colton is a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestler, working under the ring-name "Colt Cabana"[25]
- Cory Everson was Miss Olympia, 1984–1989. She is an author and actor, hosted a fitness show on ESPN for seven years, and was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.[26][27]
- Bryan Jurewicz was an NFL lineman and a standout player for the Wisconsin Badgers.
- Lindsay Knapp was an NFL offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl XXXI champions).[28]
- Christina Loukas is a 2008 US Olympic team member in diving. She was the first female high school diver in Illinois to score over 500 points in state competition, and won multiple Big Ten championships.[29][30][31]
- Aaron Moorehead is a former NFL wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI champions).[32]
- The Redwalls (Logan Barren, Justin Baren, and Andrew Langer) is a rock band composed of Deerfield HS graduates[33]
- Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling young adult author of books such as Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise.[34][35]
- Lou Manfredini is a television/radio personality and a home improvement expert on House Smarts TV, WGN (AM) Chicago and a regular contributor on NBC's Today Show. [36]
Notable Staff
- Doug Kay was the head football coach (1962–65). He later coached at the college and professional levels, including the Arena Football League.[37]
References
- ^ Superintendent's home page; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ Staff Directory for Deerfield HS; accessed 27 March 2010
- ^ Staff Directory for DHS; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ a b c d 2008 Illinois School Report Card; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ a b School information for DHS; ihsa.org; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ Troubador description; List of Student Activities; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ Deerprints description; List of Student Activities; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ O*YAD description; List of Student Activities; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ WDHS homepage; accessed 21 June 2009
- ^ Renovation improves circulation
- ^ Letter to Junior Parents
- ^ a b O*YAD 1992. "Top Ten Pranks".
- ^ America's Top Public High Schools.
- ^ "DEERFIELD 101: The Greatest Story Never Told". historic rankings. XCNation: The Cross County Chronicle. http://www.xcnation.com/xcexcellence.html. Retrieved 14 July 2011. "DEERFIELD, Illinois: Perhaps no team in recorded history has been so deep with talent as the Deerfield squad of 1977. Featuring five sub 9:15 two-milers the team was deep. Back-to-back national champions and a streak of 400-0 ... It is undeniable that in the list of top ten programs in US history, of the greatest, the best of all-time … But who was the best? ANSWER: 1977 DEERFIELD."
- ^ Deerfield HS interscholastic teams
- ^ Warriors Claim State Championship
- ^ a b IHSA record page for Deerfield HS
- ^ IHSA multiple state boys tennis titles
- ^ Deerfield HS: list of activities
- ^ School Chest Press Release
- ^ Snowball Welcome Flyer
- ^ NSPA - Contest Winners
- ^ Hub Arkush bio @670thescore.com
- ^ O*YAD 1993. "Seniors".
- ^ Greg Colton bio @tv.com, noting his brother, Greg
- ^ Cory Everson bio @FitnessModelWorld.com
- ^ Cory Everson bio @directsportslink.com
- ^ Lindsay Knapp stats & bio @databasefootbal.com
- ^ Indiana University Olympians with Loukas listing Deerfield HS
- ^ Diver Christina Loukas ready for Olympics July 13, 2008 @chicagotribune.com
- ^ IHSA Girls Swimming & Diving record page
- ^ Aaron Moorehead bio & stats @nfl.com
- ^ The Redwalls ready to rock Arlington Park July 17, 2008 Arlington Heights Post
- ^ Simone Elkeles: Author Revealed accessed January 1, 2011 @simonandschuster.co.uk
- ^ New York Times Bestsellers: Week of September 19, 2010 accessed January 1, 2011
- ^ [1]
- ^ Season Summaries for Deerfield HS; ihsa.org; accessed 24 April 2009
External links
Central Suburban League North Division: Deerfield • Glenbrook North • Highland Park • Maine East • Maine West • Niles North
South Division: Evanston • Glenbrook South • Maine South • New Trier • Niles West • WaukeganCategories:- High schools in Illinois
- Deerfield, Illinois
- Schools in Lake County, Illinois
- Blue Ribbon schools in Illinois
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