Darien High School
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| Darien High School | |
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| Location | |
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| Darien, Connecticut, United States | |
| Information | |
| Principal | Dan Haron |
| Students | 1,149 (October 1, 2006) |
| Type | Public |
| Mascot | Blue Wave |
| Established | 1927 |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Homepage | http://www.darienps.org/dhs/ |
Darien High School is a public high school located in Darien, Connecticut, open to students in grades 9 through 12. Located in a wealthy community with many high-achieving parents, the student body regularly has high scores on state academic tests, and the vast majority of students at the school go on to attend four-year colleges.
The school's sports teams have won numerous state championships in their class or division. Darien is known for their elite lacrosse and volleyball teams.
A tradition at the school's graduation ceremonies is to present honorary diplomas to school teachers or administrators who are retiring. In 2007, for instance, they were presented to a guidance counselor and school librarian.[1]
The Latin motto on the school seal (Veritas vos liberabit) means "The truth will set you free" or "The truth will make you free." The motto is shared by other institutions, including Johns Hopkins University.[2]
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[edit] Academic achievement
In the 2004-2005 school year, Darien had the highest SAT math score in the state, the second highest CAPT score in the state and the highest Advanced Placement scores in the schools history, with a 100-percent pass rate on AP math exams and more than 85 percent of students getting the top score of "5". About one out of every three students in the high school takes an AP math course.[3]
Of the 200 graduating seniors in June 2005, 24 won national recognition in the National Merit Scholarship program, with 20 as "commended scholars" and four as National Merit Scholars.[4]
For the purpose of comparison with the achievement levels of similar schools, the state Department of Education classifies schools and communities in "District Reference Groups", defined as "districts whose students' families are similar in eduation, income, occupation and need, and that have roughly similar enrollment".[5] Darien is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (others are Easton, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton).[6]
[edit] Academic statistics
Class of 2007 average SAT scores:
- Critical Reading 577
- Math 598
- Writing 579
Class of 2006 average SAT scores:
- Critical Reading 576
- Math 603
- Writing 588
[edit] The Building
The original high school building opened in 1927. A new high school building was built in 1960, and the former high school structure became Mather Junior High School. Upon the closing of Mather Junior High, the building became Darien's Town Hall.
The second high school building, on a 40-acre site at 80 High School Lane, opened in 1960 and was torn down in 2005. The current high school was constructed from 2003 to 2005, opening in the fall of 2005. The project cost roughly US$76 million. Among the major innovations were the introduction of a campus-wide wireless network and fiber-optic networking to all classrooms. Construction costs of the new building significantly exceeded the original budget, mostly due to the cost of asbestos removal from the old building. The high school's artificial turf field is one of the largest in the state and its cost of $1 million was raised in only 6 weeks by parents of the town. Because the field is so expensive, town officials canceled the annual Independence Day fireworks which previously were held on it. Instead of fireworks, the town holds a "Darien Days" carnival at Hindley School near July 4.
[edit] Principal
Dan Haron of Stamford became the new principal in the summer of 2007. He previously worked at the school for a decade as a math teacher, chairman of the math department and assistant principal. Before that he was founder and managing director of an educational consulting company. A graduate of Westhill High School in Stamford, Haron has a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated summa cum laude, and a master's degree from Columbia University. He was chosen from a group of 25 candidates.[7]
The previous school principal, Dr. Jerome Auclair, was named "Connecticut High School Principal of the Year" for 2004 by the Connecticut Association of Schools.[8] DHS electronics teacher Lee Strecker was awarded an American Star of Teaching Award in 2006. [8] Auclair officially retired in 2005 but remained in the job because it was difficult to find a replacement with a shortage of school administrators across the state. In 2007, after five years as principal, he was replaced by Haron.
[edit] Athletics
More than 72 percent of the student body participated in at least one of the school's 59 teams in the 2004-2005 school year.[3] DHS is part of the FCIAC, the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The school's main sports rival is New Canaan High School. Darien has one of the best high school lacrosse teams in the country, winning eight of the last 11 FCIAC titles, the 2005 Boys Division I state championship, and the 2006 and 2007 CIAC Class M state championship. The girls lacrosse team won the 2007 and 2008 CIAC Division I state championship. The school also has a highly successful girl's volleyball team, which maintains a 100+ game winning streak in addition to numerous FCIAC and state championships. The Boys Track Team has also had much success, winning back to back State Class Championships for the Indoor 2005 and 2006 seasons. The school mascot is the Blue Wave, and its colors are blue and white. Their secondary team mascot is the Douche Bag, which nearly all of Darien seems to be.
These freshman (F), junior varsity (JV) and varsity (V) sports are offered at the school:[8]
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FALL Cheerleading (V) |
WINTER Basketball — boys and girls (F, JV, V) |
SPRING Baseball (F, JV, V) |
[edit] Synthetic turf baseball field
A synthetic turf baseball field was installed at the high school in the summer of 2007. The DHS Baseball Field Project raised almost $1 million for the field (along with $1.08 appropriated by the Representative Town Meeting, $306,000 provided by the school district and $20,000 donated by the Darien High School Building Committee). As of early summer 2007, project organizers were hoping to raise another $60,000 to install a scorers' box and stadium seating behind the plate. Between the time the new high school building was constructed and the end of the 2006-2007 school year, the baseball field was unfit for use because of drainage problems and use of the field by other sports teams. The school's baseball teams had been playing on fields at Middlesex Middle School and at the Town Hall. [9]
[edit] Extracurricular activities
These nonsports extracurricular activities are offered at the school (subject to change based on student interest):
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[edit] Darien-China Student Exchange Program
The high school's exchange program with China has Chinese students visiting the high school for two weeks in the fall and a DHS delegation of students traveling to China in the spring. In June 2007, HSBC bank, which was about to open a branch in town, donated $12,000 to the program.[11]
[edit] Student body
| Ethnicity[12] | School 2004-2005 |
State Avg. 2004-2005 |
| White, non-Hispanic | 96% | 46% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3% | 34% |
| Hispanic | 1% | 20% |
Reflecting its location in a wealthy community, only 1 percent of students at the school are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, compared with 26 percent across the state in the 2004-2005 school year.[12]
[edit] Darien chapter of A Better Chance
Some out-of-town minority students attend Darien High School through the local chapter of A Better Chance Inc., a national organization. The Darien chapter, formed in 1982, has a house ("ABC House") on Brookside Road where a small number of girls live as they attend the high school. The house is owned by the First Congregational Church in Darien, which rents it to the program for a dollar a year. In May 2007, a total of seven students were in the program and lived at the house. Most of the girls are from New York City, but others come from Massachusetts, and they generally go back home for visits once a month. Each year a selection committee narrows down a list of 30 freshman candidates provided by the national organization. Each student in the program must maintain a certain academic average, and tutors help them with tests or homework. On school nights, students all have dinner together, then study for two hours. Students often stay with local families for a weekend break from staying in the ABC House. As of May 2007, every student who has graduated since the Darien program’s start has gone on to a four-year college.[13]
[edit] Alumni
- Actress, Chloë Sevigny attended the high school.
- Actor, Garett Maggart attended the high school.
- Musician, Moby attended the high school.
- Novelist Joanna Scott graduated from the school (Class of 1978), was in Post 53 and wrote for the school literary magazine.
- Christopher Shays — Republican congressman representing Connecticut's Fourth District; a 1964 graduate[14]
- Television Producer/Director, Mark Tinker attended the high school.
- Major League Lacrosse Player, Jamie Hanford attended the high school.
[edit] See also
- Darien EMS – Post 53 — an organization independent of the school, but with about 50 high-school volunteers, almost entirely from DHS
[edit] References
- ^ Romanello, Kimberly, "Darien High School/ Students, Principal leave as one" article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, June 21, 2007, page A9, Stamford edition
- ^ [1]Web page titled "College and University Latin" at the "Able One Education Network / Classics Technology Center" Web site, accessed July 27, 2007
- ^ a b Revitalization: Town of Darien Annual Report, 2004-2005, page 5
- ^ Revitalization: Town of Darien Annual Report, 2004-2005, page 4
- ^ [2] state "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006" for Wilton High School, accessed March 25, 2007
- ^ [3]Web page titled "Find a Community: By Educational Reference Group (DRG)" at the "Discovery 2007 / An initiative of the William Caspar Graustein Fund" Web site, accessed March 25, 2007
- ^ Clark, Stephen P., "Stamford man named to lead Darien High: Assistant principal is promoted to top post", news article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, May 3, 2007, pp A11, A12
- ^ a b c Darien Answerbook, 2006, published by the Darien Times weekly newspaper, page 26
- ^ Amoroso, Austin, "New field has Major League feel", news article in The Darien Times, July 5, 2007, pp 1, 11A
- ^ Darien Answerbook 2006, page 28
- ^ "China Exchange Program / HSBC teams up with DHS" article (no byline) in The Darien Times, June 21, 2007, page 6C
- ^ a b [4]Darien High School teacher/student statistics page, Great Schools Web site, accessed March 6, 2007
- ^ Amoroso, Austin, "Darien’s ABC House turns 25", article in The Darien Times, May 17, 2007
- ^ [5]Christopher Shays Web page at "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress" Web site of the U.S. Congress, accessed November 16, 2007
[edit] External links
- Darien High School Official Website
- The Darien High School Alumni Website
- state "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006" for Darien High School
- Darien High School Web page at the Great Schools website
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