Decatur High School (Alabama)

Last updated

Decatur High School
DecIndian.jpg
Address
Decatur High School (Alabama)
910 Somerville Road SE

Decatur, Alabama
35601

United States
Coordinates 34°35′35″N86°58′16″W / 34.593°N 86.971°W / 34.593; -86.971
Information
School type Public
MottoPride, Tradition, Excellence.
Established1950(74 years ago) (1950)
School district Decatur City Schools
CEEB code 010860
PrincipalJeremy Mitchell
Teaching staff61.50 (FTE) [1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment1,040 (2022-23) [1]
Student to teacher ratio16.91 [1]
Color(s)Red and black
  
Nickname Red Raiders
Website dhs.dcs.edu

Decatur High School is a public high school in Decatur, Alabama, United States. It is one of two high schools in the Decatur City School District. Decatur High offers technical, academic, and Advanced Placement (AP) programs, as well as dual enrollment with the John C. Calhoun Community College System.

Contents

Decatur High, along with southwestern Decatur's Austin High School, were the first International Baccalaureate schools in Alabama north of Birmingham. [2] Starting in the 2017-2018 school year, Decatur High will no longer continue the IB program.

In 2018, the Decatur City Schools, in a massive realignment of school districting, opened a new DHS campus across Somerville Road Southeast from its location of several decades on Prospect Drive. The new Decatur High was built on the site of the former Somerville Road Elementary School, whose students were eventually moved to the old Oak Park Middle School (subsequently renamed Oak Park Elementary). Students who formerly attended Oak Park Middle were moved into the old DHS campus, which was renovated and renamed Decatur Middle. A similar process occurred with schools on Decatur's western side at the same time.

Athletics

Ogle Stadium Ogle Stadium in Decatur, Alabama.jpg
Ogle Stadium

Decatur High's football and soccer programs play at the 9,000-seat Ogle Stadium at the southern end of the former Decatur High campus, also located near Decatur Morgan Hospital. The stadium, owned by the school system, [3] is named for Alabama Sports Hall of Famer and former Decatur High coach H. L. "Shorty" Ogle, who led the Red Raiders from 1933 to 1963. The high school's sports teams often use the field for practice.

Prior to 1949, the Decatur football team played at the 3,000-person capacity Benson Field, now a part of Rhodes Ferry Park along the shores of the Tennessee River, located next to the now-closed Riverview High School, Decatur High's predecessor.

Prior to 2018, when Austin High School relocated and got a stadium of its own (at the same time of Decatur High's physical relocation across Somerville Road), both of the high schools in Decatur played their home games in the stadium, with their schedules arranged accordingly; occasionally, that meant that one of the teams had to play a home game on a Thursday night, instead of Friday as is customary in Alabama high school athletics. The one exception was the Decatur-Austin game. In that case, one team occupied the away side while the other manned the home side. The schools alternated hosting each year, despite the game occurring on Decatur High property, akin to the practice of Alabama and Auburn college football in the years when the "Iron Bowl" was held at Legion Field in Birmingham. This football game usually sold out the stadium, and brought in crowds of over 10,000, in a city of perhaps 40,000 to 50,000 population, to watch the intra-city rivalry.[ citation needed ]

Football

Decatur High has produced many players that went on to play at the collegiate and professional levels, including Jerraud Powers and Rolando McClain.

Other long-tenured Red Raider coaches, other than Ogle, are Earl Webb and Steve Rivers, father of famed NFL quarterback Philip Rivers. However, the younger Rivers played his high school ball at Athens High School in nearby Athens, Alabama, where his father was coaching at the time. As of 2021, Jere Adcock, Steve Rivers' successor, is the current head coach at DHS. [4]

The Decatur High School Football Team won the 1971 State 4A Football Championship under the leadership of Coach Earl Webb and coaches Wally Burnham, Paul Glover and Jimmy Holley. (Alabama High School Football Historical Society)

Basketball

Decatur High School has won one boys' state championship under coach Earl Morris and five girls' state championships under coach Mike Smith. The 1948 basketball team was the first Decatur High team to go to the state tournament; however, it did not win the county tournament.

Soccer

The Decatur High School girls' soccer team defeated Briarwood Christian of Birmingham in the class 5A Alabama State Championship game on May 10, 2008. [ citation needed ]

Visual arts

Decatur High School's Visual Arts department offers a wide range of art courses that include Drawing and Painting (Art I – IB/AP Studio Art), Ceramics, Graphic Design, and Photography. A scaffolded curriculum is in place to prepare students for portfolio coursework in IB (International Baccalaureate) Visual Art or AP Studio Art classes. In addition to ongoing competition exhibitions, student work is exhibited throughout the year at Decatur Morgan Hospital, in the fall at the All City Music and Art Festival, and at Decatur High during its spring art exhibit. Students in the IB Archived June 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine and AP Art courses have scored above the world average for the past two years.

Students who excel in the visual arts at Decatur High School and who exhibit exemplary character and meet academic requirements are invited to join the National Art Honor Society (NAHS). NAHS was created by the National Art Education Association for the purpose of inspiring and recognizing those students who have shown an outstanding ability in art. NAHS members at Decatur High School complete art-related service hours for the Carnegie Visual Arts Center and to create ceramic bowls to raise money for North Alabama food pantries. Decatur High School students participate annually in various city, state, and national competitions. In 2011−12 students placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the citywide PTA Reflections competition. A DHS senior was awarded a regional Gold Key in the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Award competition, a regional Blue Ribbon in the district 5 VAA competition, and also earned one of three portfolio scholarships in the Alabama State Council on the Arts Visual Arts Achievement Program that are annually adjudicated by college professionals from the Southeast according to AP College Board guidelines.

The Decatur High School art department actively promotes the success of its students through participation in state and nationally-recognized competitions and assists students in applications for portfolio and academic merit scholarships. During the 2011–12 school year, students received over $140,000 in visual art scholarships.

Band

The Decatur High School's Chorus and Concert Bands have consistently received superior ratings in both district and state festivals.

Decatur High has the longest string of District Festival Superior Ratings in Alabama, dating back to the festival's formation in 1947, never receiving anything less than a superior rating.

Decatur High also continues to lead in total number of Alabama Bandmasters State Festival Superior Ratings at 58, more than any other high school in state history. [5]

The Decatur Red Raider Marching Band won the Tennessee Valley Invitational at Muscle Shoals High School in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 2006. Since then, the band has won its class twice at the Vanderbilt Marching Invitational. During its undefeated 2010 season, the Red Raider Marching Band became the first ever band from the state of Alabama to win a class at the prestigious Contest of Champions in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Contest of Champions is the oldest marching contest in America, with 49 straight years of competition. In 2013, the band once again won the Tennessee Valley Invitational.

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) is a public high school in Carlsbad, California. It is an International Baccalaureate World School and is part of the San Dieguito Union High School District, serving northwestern San Diego County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hannah (American football)</span> American football player (born 1951)

John Allen Hannah, nicknamed "Hog", is an American former professional football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at the University of Alabama, where he twice received All-American honors, and was selected fourth overall by the Patriots in the 1973 NFL draft. Named by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1981 as "the best offensive lineman of all time", Hannah received nine Pro Bowl and seven first-team All-Pro selections. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. In 1991 he became the inaugural inductee of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homewood-Flossmoor High School</span> Public secondary school in Flossmoor, Illinois, United States

Homewood-Flossmoor High School (H-F) is a comprehensive public high school in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Garland High School is a high school located in Garland, Texas, which serves grades 9-12. It is a part of the Garland Independent School District. The school is a member of the AP program, the IB program, and is known for its football team, the Garland Owls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn High School (Alabama)</span> Public high school in Auburn, Alabama, United States

Auburn High School is a public high school in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is the only high school in the Auburn City School District. Auburn High offers technical, academic, and International Baccalaureate programs, as well as joint enrollment with Southern Union State Community College and Auburn University. Auburn High School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGill–Toolen Catholic High School</span> Private / coeducational / secondary school in Mobile, Alabama, United States

McGill–Toolen Catholic High School, founded as the McGill Institute and sometimes called "McT" for short, is a private co-educational high school operated by the educational system of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeside High School (DeKalb County, Georgia)</span> Public high school in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States

Lakeside High School is a public high school in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The school is a part of the DeKalb County School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millbrook High School (North Carolina)</span> Public school in North Carolina, United States

Millbrook Magnet High School, commonly known as Millbrook High School (MHS), is a public magnet high school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is one of thirty-two high schools in the Wake County Public School System. In 2006, Millbrook finished the renovation of its campus which includes a new three-level building, a courtyard for students, and a larger cafeteria making MHS one of the largest and up to date facilities in the area. In 2009, Millbrook High School was granted International Baccalaureate status by the North Carolina Board of Education. The school was named a Magnet School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America in 2020 and 2024 for its innovative curriculum, strong community building, and success in removing barriers to student success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vestal High School</span> Public school in Vestal, New York

Vestal High School is a public high school that operates as part of the Vestal Central School District which encompasses 57 square miles (150 km2) just west of Binghamton in the Southern Tier of New York. It is a four-year comprehensive school which annually receives both national and state recognition for excellence in education. The high school offers Varsity and Junior Varsity sports as well as musical opportunities in orchestra, band, and chorus. Clubs and student organizations accommodate a wide range of interests, from the physical sciences to martial arts. The mascot of Vestal High School is the Golden Bear named Bruin. Vestal High School holds an annual dance named after the mascot called the King Bruin dance, or KB. Unlike most high schools, Vestal High School does not have a Homecoming dance, but instead a football game and later in the year the King Bruin dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decatur City Schools</span> School district in Alabama

The Decatur City Schools is a school system located in the city of Decatur, Alabama, and is home to seven of Alabama's International Baccalaureate schools. The school system is also the second largest employer in Decatur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Henry Dow High School</span> Public high school in Midland, Michigan, United States

Herbert Henry Dow High School is a public high school located in Midland, Michigan, United States. The school, a part of Midland Public Schools, is a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and in 2008 was named one of the top 20 High Schools in Michigan in a study commissioned by U.S. News & World Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decatur metropolitan area, Alabama</span> Statistical Area in Alabama

The Decatur, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area is a moderately urban region of North-Central Alabama. The 2020 Census put the population of the metropolitan area at 152,740, of which one-third resides within the boundaries of its core city, Decatur, Alabama, It is also considered to be part of the North, Northwest, and North-Central regions of Alabama.

Austin High School is located in Decatur, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Decatur City Schools system and enrolls over 1,400 students. Since its establishment in 1962, Austin has been one of two high schools in the Decatur area. It boasts a variety of programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decatur High School (Georgia)</span> Public school in Decatur, Georgia, United States

Decatur High School (DHS) is a high school in Decatur, Georgia, United States. It is City Schools of Decatur's sole high school and was established in 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee High School (Georgia)</span> Public high school in Douglas, Georgia, United States

Coffee High School is a public high school in Douglas, Georgia, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee High School (Huntsville, Alabama)</span> Public school in Huntsville, Alabama, United States

Lee High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in grades 9–12 from Huntsville, in Madison County, Alabama in the United States, as a part of Huntsville City Schools.

Port St. Lucie High School (PSLHS) is a high school in the U.S. city of Port St. Lucie, Florida. It is located in the southeast area of St. Lucie County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolando McClain</span> American football player (born 1989)

Rolando Marquise McClain is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2009 and winning the 2010 BCS National Championship. He was selected eighth overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2010 NFL draft, and also played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys.

Siegel High School is a public high school in the Rutherford County School System in Tennessee. The Principal, Mr. Larry Creasy, has been the head of the administrative staff since 2014.

Homewood High School (HHS) is a public high school, serving grades 9–12, in the Homewood, Alabama suburb of Birmingham. It is the only high school in the Homewood City School System. The principal is Joel Henneke. In the summer of 2007, the front of the school was remodeled, and a new building, Pathways Alternative School, was constructed in the upper level of the student parking lot. The front office and lobby were also remodeled in the summer of 2008. In the summer of 2018, construction on a new fine arts wing began.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Decatur High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Decatur City Schools IB Brochure" (PDF). Decatur City Schools. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
  3. ↑ "Decatur Sports Facilities". Decatur Convention and Visitors Bureau. 2006. Archived from the original on November 2, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Staff – Football – Decatur High School". dhs.dcs.edu. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Decatur City Schools Highlights to Cheer". Decatur Daily Newspaper. July 11, 2006. Archived from the original on May 22, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.