Louis E. Dieruff High School
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| Established | 1959 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public |
| Principal | James Moniz |
| Students | 1,846 |
| Mascot | The Husky |
| Colors | Blue and Grey |
| Location | 815 North Irving Street, |
| Website | Louis E. Dieruff High School web site |
Louis E. Dieruff High School (typically referred to as Dieruff High School) is a public high school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The school, which is located at 815 North Irving Street in Allentown, serves students in grades nine through 12 from the eastern and northern parts of the city. The school was founded in 1959.
Allentown's other public high school, William Allen High School (founded in 1858), serves students from the western and southern parts of the city. William Allen is the larger of the two schools.
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[edit] History
Dieruff High School was founded in 1959 with the first graduating class in 1960. The building opened in the 1950s as a Junior High School to serve the growing population of Allentown. It serves a poorer demographic of the city, with 62 percent of its students eligible for free or reduced lunches (10/2005), versus a 35 percent average for the state[1].
Deiruff is scheduled for a $28 million renovation and expansion as part of the Allentown School District's Comprehensive Facilities Plan[2].
[edit] Awards and achievements
[edit] Athletic accomplishments
- Football: Lehigh Valley Conference (tri-champions with Emmaus High School and Whitehall High School), 1981.
[edit] Individual student accomplishments
Dieruff High School has had many students who have won various individual awards and competitions, including:
- One "National Merit Scholar" (2006)
- Four "Pennsylvania State Advanced Placement Scholars" (2006)
- Back-to-Back 4th Place finishes in the Pennsylvania State "We The People" Competition in Philadelphia (2005 and 2006)
- Olympiad of the Mind runner-ups (2005)
[edit] Mascot
The school's mascot, an Alaskan husky, is an actual husky dog named "Kiska IV" (now the fourth dog mascot so named by the school since 1959). The husky is named in honor of the 10 men and women captured by the Japanese on Kiska Island in 1942, during World War II, some of whom were Allentown servicemen. Dieruff's is known as "The Huskies".
[edit] Planetarium
Amidst Cold War fears of science education inadequacy and a general interest in astronomy before the Moon landing, the Allentown School District erected a planetarium inside Louis E. Dieruff High School in 1965[3].
Following an acrimonious budget debate in 1991, wherein all programs that were deemed as "nonessential" were to be removed from the Allentown School District's budget, all funding for the continued operation and upkeep of the planetarium has come from private sources.
[edit] Athletics
Dieruff competes in the Lehigh Valley Conference in District XI of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). The conference is generally considered one of the most competitive in the state and nation and has produced many professional athletes.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills.
[edit] External links
- Louis E. Dieruff High School Official Web Site.
- District web page for Dieruff High School.
- Allentown School District Official Web Site.
- Louis E. Dieruff High School at Public School Review.
- Louis E. Dieruff High School athletics schedule and scores at HighSchoolSports.net.
- Louis E. Dieruff Page at Lehigh Valley Conference Official Web Site.
