B.M.C. Durfee High School

This article is about the present high school. For the historic building, see B.M.C. Durfee High School (1886 building).
B.M.C. Durfee High School
Address
360 Elsbree Street
Fall River, Massachusetts, 02720
United States
Coordinates 41°42′55″N 71°7′16″W / 41.71528°N 71.12111°W / 41.71528; -71.12111Coordinates: 41°42′55″N 71°7′16″W / 41.71528°N 71.12111°W / 41.71528; -71.12111
Information
Type Public High School
Established 1887
Opened 1978
School district Fall River Public Schools
Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown
Principal Paul Marshall
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 2249 (2014-2015)
Campus Urban
Color(s) Red & Black         
Athletics conference MIAA Big Three League
Nickname Hilltoppers
Rivals New Bedford, Taunton, Brockton
Accreditation New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Average SAT scores 453 verbal
463 math
444 writing
1360 total (2014-2015)[1]
Newspaper The Hilltop
Website DHS Website
[2][3][4][5]

B.M.C. Durfee High School is a public high school located in the city of Fall River, Massachusetts. It is a part of Fall River Public Schools and is the city's main public high school, the other being Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School. Durfee is one of the biggest high schools in Massachusetts, and is also the 3rd biggest high school in Southeastern Massachusetts behind Brockton and New Bedford. These three high schools make up the Big Three League, the conference in which all their athletic teams compete.

Buildings

The school has been located in two buildings. From its opening in 1886 until the new building was completed in 1978 the school was located in the historic B.M.C. Durfee High School building on Rock Street, The iconic building, with its tall red-capped clock tower and red-domed observatory tower, overlooks the Taunton River and gives rise to the Fall River school district's seal, the school's athletics nickname, the Hilltoppers, their school colors of black and red (for the two roof colors), the school newspaper, the Hilltop, and their school alumni newspaper, the Chimes. For several decades prior to moving, the school also occupied the former Technical High School building across the street.

Since 1978 the school has been located on Elsbree Street in the city's north end. Located in former swamp land, the school was built both to modernize the district and to alleviate the overcrowding at the former sites. The school also moved its athletic fields, which were nearby to the new school, to its new campus, as well as building the on-campus Luke Urban Field House, as the school had formerly used the Fall River Armory for indoor athletics. Since 2011, there has also been a modern recreation of the Durfee clock tower located at the new site.

Athletics

Durfee's athletic teams are known as the Hilltoppers, a nod to the location of the old school building atop the Highland neighborhood hills overlooking the Taunton River, and their school colors are black and red. The school does not have a mascot. The school fight song is sung to the tune of the Notre Dame Victory March. The school's chief rival has always been New Bedford High School, as the two cities share a deep rivalry in general. The school also has rivalries with Brockton High School, Taunton High School and, to a lesser extent, many of the other local school districts.

Fall

Winter

Spring

Clubs and activities

Notable alumni

Many of the below are considered distinguished alumni of Durfee[6]

See also

Sources

External links

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