Darien High School
Encyclopedia
Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut
, in the United States.
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
.
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.
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.
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 education, income, occupation and need, and that have roughly similar enrollment". Darien is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (others are Easton, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton).
The school's sports teams have won numerous state championships in their class or division. Darien is known for their competitive lacrosse, football 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.
The second high school building, on a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) 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.
, from which he graduated summa cum laude, and a master's degree from Columbia University
. He was chosen from a group of 25 candidates.
The previous school principal, Dr. Jerome Auclair, was named "Connecticut High School Principal of the Year" for 2004 by the Connecticut Association of Schools. DHS electronics teacher Lee Strecker was awarded an American Star of Teaching Award in 2006. 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.
, 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, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 CIAC Class M state championship. Darien's Boys lacrosse team was also ranked #4 in the country by the STX/Inside Lacrosse National High School Lacrosse Rankings in 2008 http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=65840&cat=67366&hidecontent=yes&id=190854.The girl's field hockey team has won four consecutive FCIAC and state championships in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 and maintained the longest winning streak and undefeated streak in the nation. They are ranked #2 in the country by topofthecircle.com this year. The girls lacrosse team won the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 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. They also have a highly successful girl's swim team, which has won over nine state championships and won FCIACs this past year. 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.
These freshman (F), junior varsity (JV) and varsity (V) sports are offered at the school:
FALL
Cheerleading (V)
Cross country (JV, V)
Field hockey (F, JV, V)
Football (F, JV, V)
Soccer — boys and girls (F, JV, V)
Swimming — girls (V)
Volleyball — girls (F, JV, V)
Rugby (V)
WINTER
Basketball — boys and girls (F, JV, V)
Cheerleading (V)
Gymnastics — girls (V)
Ice hockey — boys (JV, V)
Ice hockey — girls (V)
Indoor track — boys and girls (JV, V)
Skiing — boys and girls (JV, V)
Squash — boys and girls (V)
Swimming — boys (V)
Wrestling — boys (JV, V)
SPRING
Baseball (F, JV, V)
Golf — boys and girls (JV, V)
Lacrosse — boys and girls (F, JV, V)
Outdoor track — boys and girls (V)
Sailing (V)
Pom Pon - boys (V)
Softball (JV, V)
Tennis — boys and girls (JV, V)
Volleyball — boys (JV, V)
Rugby (V)
•Ping Pong Club
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.
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
, in the United States.
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
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
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.
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.
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 education, income, occupation and need, and that have roughly similar enrollment". Darien is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (others are Easton, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton).
The school's sports teams have won numerous state championships in their class or division. Darien is known for their competitive lacrosse, football 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.
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 acres (161,874.4 m²) 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
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
removal from the old building. The high school's artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
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.
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 PennsylvaniaWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
, from which he graduated summa cum laude, and a master's degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He was chosen from a group of 25 candidates.
The previous school principal, Dr. Jerome Auclair, was named "Connecticut High School Principal of the Year" for 2004 by the Connecticut Association of Schools. DHS electronics teacher Lee Strecker was awarded an American Star of Teaching Award in 2006. 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.
Athletics
DHS is part of the FCIACFCIAC
FCIAC, the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, was established in 1961 and is made up of high schools throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA...
, the Fairfield County
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The school's main sports rival is New Canaan High School
New Canaan High School
New Canaan High School is a public high school in New Canaan, Connecticut.- History :Construction on the school was finalized in 1971. The school is located on grounds donated by the Lapham family, carving off approximiately 46 acres of Waveny Park....
. 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, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 CIAC Class M state championship. Darien's Boys lacrosse team was also ranked #4 in the country by the STX/Inside Lacrosse National High School Lacrosse Rankings in 2008 http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=65840&cat=67366&hidecontent=yes&id=190854.The girl's field hockey team has won four consecutive FCIAC and state championships in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 and maintained the longest winning streak and undefeated streak in the nation. They are ranked #2 in the country by topofthecircle.com this year. The girls lacrosse team won the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 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. They also have a highly successful girl's swim team, which has won over nine state championships and won FCIACs this past year. 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.
These freshman (F), junior varsity (JV) and varsity (V) sports are offered at the school:
FALL
Cheerleading (V)
Cross country (JV, V)
Field hockey (F, JV, V)
Football (F, JV, V)
Soccer — boys and girls (F, JV, V)
Swimming — girls (V)
Volleyball — girls (F, JV, V)
Rugby (V)
WINTER
Basketball — boys and girls (F, JV, V)
Cheerleading (V)
Gymnastics — girls (V)
Ice hockey — boys (JV, V)
Ice hockey — girls (V)
Indoor track — boys and girls (JV, V)
Skiing — boys and girls (JV, V)
Squash — boys and girls (V)
Swimming — boys (V)
Wrestling — boys (JV, V)
SPRING
Baseball (F, JV, V)
Golf — boys and girls (JV, V)
Lacrosse — boys and girls (F, JV, V)
Outdoor track — boys and girls (V)
Sailing (V)
Pom Pon - boys (V)
Softball (JV, V)
Tennis — boys and girls (JV, V)
Volleyball — boys (JV, V)
Rugby (V)
Synthetic turf baseball field
A synthetic turf baseball field was installed at the high school in the summer of 2007. Darien resident Paul Voigt created the idea of the turf field in 2006. 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. In 2008 the turf was completed and played on for the first time. The field received so much praise that UCONN and Sacred Heart University staged a NCAA Division 1 game at the high school.Extracurricular activities
These nonsports extracurricular activities are offered at the school (subject to change based on student interest):- Art Club,
- Women's and Men Barbershop Quartet
- Blue Wave News
- Book Club
- Building with Books Club
- Chamber Choir
- China Care Club
- Commit Club
- Community Council
- Concert Band
- Concert Choir
- Contemporary Strings
- Culture Club
- Current Literaty Magazine
- Dance Dance Revolution Club
- Dariannus yearbook
- Debate Club
- Diversity Day
- Film Club
- Fishing Club
- Free Thinker's Club
- French Club
- Fuel Cell Project
- Future Problem Solvers
- Gay Straight Alliance
- Guitar Club
- JETS
- Kids Giving Back
- Literary Magazine (Current)
- Marching Band
- Math Team
- Model United Nations Club
- National Honor Society
- Neirad student newspaper
- Nutmeg Express
- Outdoors Club
•Ping Pong Club
- Rugby Club
- Science Club
- Set Crew
- Ski Club
- Spanish Club
- Squash Club
- Student Council
- Support Our Soldiers
- Swing Choir
- Technology Club
- Theatre 308
- Tri-M Advisory
- Tudor Singers
- Ultimate Frisbee Club
- Wave TV
Darien-China Student Exchange Program
Chinese students visit the high school for two weeks in the fall and a DHS delegation of students travel to China in the spring through the school's student exchange program. In June 2007, HSBC bank, which was about to open a branch in town, donated $12,000 to the program.Theater Program
Darien High School has a state renowned theater program, Theater 308. They produce two productions a year, and have performed a wide array of shows, including Midsummer Night's Dream, Kiss Me Kate, and Anything Goes. In 2008 they performed Dead Man Walking, written by Tim Robbins, and in spring of 2009 Les Misérables. Fall of 2009 they performed The Curious Savage by John Patrick. You may access their website here: http://www.darienps.org/308/Student body
| Ethnicity | School 2004-2005 |
State Avg. 2004-2005 |
| White, non-Hispanic | 96% | 46% |
| Asian Asian people Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :... /Pacific Islander Pacific Islander Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:... |
3% | 34% |
| Hispanic Hispanic Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ... |
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.
Notable alumni
- Alex Kelly convicted rapist and one-time fugitive
- Actress, Chloë SevignyChloë SevignyChloë Stevens Sevigny is an American film actress, fashion designer and former model. Sevigny gained reputation for her eclectic fashion sense and developed a broad career in the fashion industry in the mid 1990s, both for modeling and for her work at New York's Sassy magazine, which labeled her...
attended the high school. - Actor, Garett MaggartGarett MaggartGarett Maggart is an American actor. He is the son of fellow actor Brandon Maggart and half brother of singers Fiona Apple and Maude Maggart.- Filmography :* The World According to Garp - Kid in Gym...
attended the high school. - Musician, MobyMobyRichard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
attended the high school. - Novelist Joanna ScottJoanna ScottJoanna Scott is an American author and Roswell Smith Burrows Professor of English at the University of Rochester.Scott has received critical acclaim for her novels...
graduated from the school (Class of 1978), was in Post 53 and wrote for the school literary magazine. - Christopher ShaysChristopher ShaysChristopher H. Shays is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and represented the 4th District of Connecticut....
— Former Republican congressman representing Connecticut's Fourth District; a 1964 graduate - Television Producer/Director, Mark TinkerMark TinkerMark Tinker is an American television producer and director. Tinker was an executive producer and regular director on the HBO original series, Deadwood. Prior to Deadwood, Tinker served as a director/producer on NYPD Blue which was co-created by Deadwood writer, David Milch. Tinker has also...
attended the high school. - Topher GraceTopher GraceChristopher John "Topher" Grace is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Eric Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, Eddie Brock/Venom in the Sam Raimi film Spider-Man 3, and Edwin in the 2010 film Predators....
-actor* - Anthony Valentine - New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
* - Film director Gus Van SantGus Van SantGus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
attended the high school
See also
- Darien EMS – Post 53Darien EMS – Post 53Darien EMS – Post 53 is a nationally recognized ambulance service staffed mostly by teenagers in the town of Darien, Connecticut.It operates with the cooperation of local police, hospitals and the high school...
— an organization independent of the school, but with about 50 high-school volunteers, almost entirely from DHS