Danville High School (Illinois) Explained

Danville High School
Motto:Service
Streetaddress:202 East Fairchild Street
City:Danville
State:Illinois
Zipcode:61832
Country:USA
Coordinates:40.1381°N -87.6267°W
Schooltype:Public secondary
Opened:1870
District:Danville District 118
Superintendent:Alicia Geddis[1]
Principal:Tracy Cherry[2]
Staff:151[3]
Teaching Staff:82.50 (FTE)
Ratio:14.59
Grades:9–12
Gender:Coed
Avg Class Size:21.6[4]
Athletics:IHSA
Athletics Conference:Big Twelve
Mascot:Odin[5]
Team Name:Vikings/Lady Vikings[6]
Act:17.6
Newspaper:Maroon & White
Yearbook:Medley[7]
Campus Type:urban
Colors: Maroon
White
Enrollment:1,204 (2022–23)[8]

Danville High School (DHS) is a public high school located in Danville, Illinois, United States. It is part of Danville District 118, which also includes two middle schools and eight elementary schools.[9]

The school is perhaps best known for four of its alumni who went on to success in acting: Gene Hackman, Ned Luke, the brothers Dick and Jerry Van Dyke, Donald O'Connor; and one who became an important figure in popularizing early twentieth-century popular music, Bobby Short.

History

Principals

Charlotte "Tracy" Cherry, the current principal of Danville High School, is the school's 33nd principal since 1870.[5]

PrincipalYears
Belle Spillmen1870-1874
Cornelia Branch1874-1876
Annie Hoff1876-1878
M. A. Lapham1878-1879
Silas Y. Gillan1879-1886
E. C. Williams1886-1887
Lawrence A. McLauth1887-1891
Stratton B. Brooks1891-1892
S.A.D. Harry1892-1897
Dr. B. D. Billinghurst1897-1900
B. A. Sweet1900-1902
Edwin D. Martin1902-1905
Zora Mayo Smith1905-1909
Charles E. Lawyer1909-1912
A. W. Smalley1912-1916
William C. Baer1916-1930
John E. Wakeley1930-1934
Russell M. Duffin1935-1948
E. D. Milhon1948-1967
Richard L. Burrer1967-1969
Arthur F. Mathisen1969-1980
Blaine E. Bonynge1980-1989
Dr. Carl Esslinger (interim)1989-1990
Dr. Ellen S. Russell1990-1994
Dr. Carol A. Stack1994-1996
Nanette L. Mellen1996-2001
Mark Denman2001-2004
Gail Garner2004-2006
Marla Bauerle-Hill2006-2008
Mark A. Neil2008-2013
Phil Cox2013-2015
Kimberly Norton2015–2018
Tracy Cherry2019-2023

Academics

For the graduating class of 2016, DHS had an average composite ACT score of 17.6, and graduated 69.7% of its senior class.[4]

In September 2009 the school hosted several education administrators from Taiwan who were visiting to not only see how the school functions, but to participate in a learning opportunity for the school's Global House.[10]

School activities

Activities

The school offers approximately 30 clubs and activities ranging from service-oriented clubs to academic competition, to art appreciation.[11] Among the clubs which are chapters for more national organizations are Key Club, and National Honor Society.[11]

The choral music program supports a choir, show choir, and madrigal program.[12]

The instrumental music program supports two symphonic bands, a pep band (the Maroon Maniacs), percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble, madrigal brass band, marching band (Band of Vikings), a jazz combo (The Tenth Degree), madrigal strings, string orchestra and a symphony orchestra.[13]

In 2021 the school staged the musical Bye Bye Birdie, which (at its 1958 Broadway premier) had starred alum Dick Van Dyke in the role of Albert Peterson. For the 2004 production, Van Dyke returned to the school, and learned one of the numbers ("Put On a Happy Face") alongside the students, performing both nights of the show. Van Dyke, who joined the military before receiving his diploma, was also granted his high school diploma at a ceremony.[14]

Athletics

DHS competes in the Big Twelve conference and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA); the organization which organizes most interscholastic high school sports and competitive activities in the state of Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Vikings (or Lady Vikings for women's teams).

The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field.[15] Young men may participate in baseball, football, golf, and wrestling, while young women may compete in cheerleading and softball.[15] While not sponsored by the IHSA, the Athletic Department also sponsors a poms team (Pompettes).[15]

The following teams finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:[16]

Traditions

The school has two songs: a fight song and a cheer song. The cheer song's lyrics were borrowed from the cheer song written for Illinois Wesleyan University, substituting "Danville High" for "Wesleyan" and "maroon" for "green".[5] [17]

The school claims no knowledge as to why the school colors were chosen, though they date to at least 1906.[5] The school's teams were originally stylized as the "Maroons".[5] The school's teams briefly used the name "Silver Streaks" before adopting "Vikings" in 1960.[5] While the Vikings name stuck, an attempt to change the school's primary color from maroon to light blue failed to catch on.[5]

Dress code

As of the 2017–2018 school year, Danville District 118 had revised its old dress code into a new dress code that lets students dress freely as long as it is not vulgar or explicit.[18]

Notable alumni

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Superintendent - Danville School District No. 118. directory. Danville District 118. 15 Oct 2015.
  2. Web site: Principal - Danville High School. Danville High School. 15 Oct 2015.
  3. Web site: Staff - Danville High School. directory. Danville High School. 7 May 2015.
  4. Web site: Illinois School Report Card - Danville High School. Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). 2016. 13 August 2017.
  5. Web site: About Danville High School. Danville High School. 13 August 2017. 14 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170814100929/http://dhs.danville118.org/about_us/about_us. dead.
  6. Web site: Danville (HS). Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 30 October 2009. 31 October 2009.
  7. Web site: Danville High School Production Organizations. Danville High School. 8 October 2009. 31 October 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100117071407/http://www.danville.k12.il.us/Schools/DHS_Site/activities/clubs/clubs_organizations_production.htm. 17 January 2010.
  8. Web site: Danville High School. National Center for Education Statistics. August 6, 2024.
  9. Web site: District 118 Information - District Statistics. Danville District 118. 29 October 2009. 31 October 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20091021135640/http://www.danville.k12.il.us/about/about_us.htm. 21 October 2009.
  10. News: Herkamp. Anna. Global learning: Taiwanese educational dignitaries tour schools. The Commercial-News. Danville, IL, USA. 16 September 2009. 13 August 2017.
  11. Web site: Clubs and Organizations index. Danville High School. 13 August 2017.
  12. Web site: Danville High School Choral Music. Danville High School. 8 October 2009. 1 November 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152449/http://www.danville.k12.il.us/Schools/DHS_Site/academicdiv/dhschoirlindvahl/index.htm. 16 July 2011.
  13. Web site: Danville High School Instrumental Music. Danville High School. 8 October 2009. 1 November 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152457/http://www.danville.k12.il.us/Schools/DHS_Site/academicdiv/dhsbandleeb/index.htm. 16 July 2011.
  14. Web site: Danville High School Choral Music Historic Events. Danville High School. 8 October 2009. 1 November 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152511/http://www.danville.k12.il.us/Schools/DHS_Site/academicdiv/dhschoirlindvahl/historic_events.html. 16 July 2011.
  15. Web site: Danville High School Athletics. Danville High School. 8 October 2009. 31 October 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20091113003005/http://www.danville.k12.il.us/Schools/Dhs_site/activities/athletics/index.htm. 13 November 2009.
  16. Web site: IHSA season summaries. Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 6 October 2009. 31 October 2009.
  17. Web site: Freese. Ralph S.. Illinois Wesleyan Cheer Song. lyrics. fightsonglyrics.com. 8 July 2006. 1 November 2009.
  18. Web site: Student Dress Code - Danville School District No. 118. 2018-08-24.
  19. News: Bleill. Tony. Danville's Chuck Robinson, 14, has big-league aspirations. The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois, US. 10 July 2009. 13 August 2017. And by the time he enrolls at Danville High in August for his freshman year, he'll be carrying a reputation as one of the best up-and-coming baseball players in central Illinois ... That's high praise, considering the talent that has made Danville a home. The list includes Jason Anderson, a former Illini and major league reliever now pitching in Class AA.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170814104059/http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/prep-sports/baseball/2009-07-10/danvilles-chuck-robinson-14-has-big-league-aspirations.html. 14 August 2017.
  20. Web site: Jason Anderson. the baseball cube.com. 1 November 2009.
  21. Web site: Danville High School - Wall of Fame. Danville High School. 13 August 2017.
  22. Web site: Keon Clark. biographical sketch and statistics. basketballreference.com. 13 August 2017.
  23. Web site: Cookingham, Laurie Perry . Lucas . Ray F. . 2021-10-15 . . 2022-10-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221008170840/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cookingham-laurie-perry . 2022-10-08 . live.
  24. 'Illinois Blue Book 1961-1962,' Biographical Sketch of John P. Meyer, pg. 204-205
  25. Web site: Asmussen . Bob . At every Illini game, Danville grad has his own cheering section . The News-Gazette . 10 October 2023 . 19 February 2024.
  26. Bill Putnam: In His Own Words . Blakey . Larry . . . August 1983 . 1403-8927 . 24 August 2021.
  27. 'Illinois Blue Book 1941-1942,' Biographical Sketch of John W. Speakman, pg. 194-195

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