| Dreher High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 3319 Millwood Avenue Columbia, South Carolina, USA |
|
| Information | |
| Type | High school |
| Established | 1938 |
| Principal | Jeanne Stiglbauer |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,302 |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Blue Devil |
| Newspaper | The Blueprint |
| Affiliation | Public |
| Website | http://dreher.richlandone.org/ |
Dreher High School is a co-educational four-year public high school in Richland County School District One located in Columbia, South Carolina. Dreher, established in 1938, is one of the oldest public high schools in the state.[1] In 2009, Dreher was listed as the 702nd best school in the country by Newsweek in their annual best-high school rankings.[2]
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In 1938, the third high school in Columbia was completed. It was built at 701 Adger Road on a ten-acre lot, which at one time was part of Governor Wade Hampton’s estate, for $25,000 from Burrell D. Manning. Construction of the new building was completed by the Mechanics Contracting Company at a cost of $239,306. The new school was named for Ernest S. Dreher, who served as the second superintendent of Columbia City Schools from 1895 to 1918. Mr. Dreher was also responsible for the building initiative that led to the construction of Columbia and Booker T. Washington High Schools.[3]
The first principal, D. Leon McCormac, and five faculty members formulated the organization of the new school. Doors to the first facility opened on September 12, 1938, with a faculty of 30 and 651 students in grades 9-12. The first 123 students graduated later that school year, in 1939. A new auditorium, the south wing, was completed in 1954. With the completion of this wing, Dreher was an enclosed facility with a central courtyard. Through the efforts of several classes, the courtyard became a focal point of the school, complete with statuary and a fountain. From the air, the Dreher complex had a block “D” appearance. In 1962, Dreher became the first school in Columbia to offer Russian as a foreign-language class. Two years later the first black students to enroll at Dreher were Oliver Washington and Brenda Fruster, as part of the Freedom of Choice plan in 1964. Both went on to graduated from Dreher in 1968.[4]
In 1958 South Carolina Educational Television, SCETV, began recording and airing productions in a studio at Dreher, through the efforts of R. Lynn Kalmbach. Kalmbach's student assistants were Henry J. Cauthen and Thomas Stepp, with Cauthen becoming SCETV's first president. The SCETV call letters WRLK were named for Kalmbach, as well as Dreher's original gymnasium until renaming in 2002. In one of the first broadcasts, Dreher teacher, Lucille Turney-High taught French over the radiowaves.
In November 2002, a $381 million bond referendum[5] passed for school construction in Richland District One.[6] The original Dreher High School complex had been in existence for sixty-four years. The condition of the physical plant, the inadequacies of space and classroom size, as well as the technological shortfalls of the old school made the decision to construct a new facility necessary.
New construction began in June 2005. Construction continued for two years followed by the demolition of the old school from June 7 until August 8. Occupancy of the new facilities took place on August 16, 2007, with a new address of 3319 Millwood Avenue.
The new $42,000,000[7] complex has 80,000 more square feet of floor space, a large commons area, a 2,000-seat air competition gymnasium, spacious classrooms, numerous meeting facilities, a NJROTC suite, outstanding arts facilities, a state of the arts auditorium and media center. Beautiful modern athletic facilities were added at Memorial Stadium to support the athletic program. Ample parking for students and staff is now provided on campus. {Bias} The architecture reflects the tradition of the old school including an interior courtyard with the beloved dolphin fountain and other artifacts. The new school incorporated a covered seating area, a wall built from bricks of the old building with some of its seals and plaques and a lamppost donated by alumni.[8] Additional reminders of Dreher’s proud past include statuary and the extensive art gallery (professional and student works) that was accumulated through the efforts of various school organizations, graduating classes, and donations from many benefactors.[9]
Today, the school currently has 1,302 enrolled student and is classified AAA by the SCHSL.
Dreher prides itself on the three A's of Academics, Arts and Athletics, and annually boasts some of the best AP, SAT and ACT scores in the state.
In 2000 Dreher's feeder school, Hand Middle School, was awarded by Time Magazine one of three Schools of the Year and was favorably covered in a feature article.[11]
America's Best High Schools by Newsweek[12]
Palmetto Gold Award
Red Carpet School
Flagship School of Promise
The Dreher athletics mascot is the Blue Devil.
Men's Sports at Dreher include Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track, and Wrestling.
Women's Sports at Dreher include Basketball, Bowling, Chearleading, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball, Tennis, and Wrestling.
In 2001 and 2003 the women's basketball team won the AAA Basketball State Championship at the Colonial Life Arena, while falling in the 2002 Championship to York. In winter 2008 and 2009, both men's and women's basketball teams won the Region V AAA Championships on their way to undefeated Region seasons.
Dreher's football and soccer teams play at Memorial Stadium located across the street from the Columbia Owens Downtown Airport in the Rosewood neighborhood. Adjacent to Memorial Stadium are the newly built baseball and softball stadiums, along with a new track and field pitch. In September 2007 Dreher was defeated by its crosstown rival Lower Richland 35-21 in football snapping LR's 32-game losing streak.
Recently, men's and women's track and cross country teams have been runner-up at the state championships or been crowned champions for AAA. In 2003 the Dreher Track Team won the AAA State Championship.
Recently((when)), the men's and women's soccer teams have dominated regional soccer both winning 4 championships in a row. In 2003 the Dreher women's soccer team won the state championship and in 1999 and 2006 the boy's soccer team won the Lowerstate Final's but lost 1-0 and 2-1 in the State Championship game to the J.L. Mann Ptriots and Riverside Warriors respectively.