Druid Hills High School
Encyclopedia
Druid Hills High School is a high school
operated by the DeKalb County School System
. It is located at 1798 Haygood Drive, in the Druid Hills CDP
in unincorporated
DeKalb County
, Georgia
, United States. It serves the Druid Hills CDP, the North Druid Hills CDP
, and the North Decatur CDP
.
-12
.
. Emory University
founded Druid Hills School in the Fishburne Building on the Emory Campus in 1919 as a school for faculty children. In 1928, the K-11 school moved to its current site at 1798 Haygood Drive. In 1959, the elementary students were moved to the then new Fernbank Elementary School and Druid Hills then housed grades 8–12.
) program. With the merger of Shanrock High School with Druid Hills High the decision was made to maintain Shamrock's NJROTC program and it moved to Druid Hills High School, thus becoming Druid Hills NJROTC. Today Druid Hills houses grades 9–12.
, a Druid Hills alumnus
from 1954.
Judges for Baron’s Hall use a tally sheet to determine the awards. The judges give one tally mark for every year that a student participated in an activity. (Example: Football = 1 tally mark in the designated box). If a student has achieved letters/bars or has had a leadership position, one point is appointed for each. (Example: Captain of football = 1 tally mark, a letter and 2 bars in Cross Country = 3 tally marks). The tally sheet is arranged by category; by the end, it is obvious which seniors deserve awards. Four to eight seniors are chosen per category.
Boys Lacrosse
Druid Hills will begin it's very first sanctioned Varsity Lacrosse games in the schools history. The team is forming off of the previous Druid Hills Lacrosse club which catered to all high school students in the surrounding area. The team will compete in GHSA Section AAA Varsity Lacrosse.
Druid Hills Middle School, formerly known as Shamrock Middle School, is Druid Hills' only feeder middle school.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
operated by the DeKalb County School System
DeKalb County School System
DeKalb County School System is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States...
. It is located at 1798 Haygood Drive, in the Druid Hills CDP
Druid Hills, Georgia
Druid Hills is a community which includes both a census-designated place in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, as well as a neighborhood of the city of Atlanta. The CDP's population was 14,568 at the 2010 census...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States. It serves the Druid Hills CDP, the North Druid Hills CDP
North Druid Hills, Georgia
North Druid Hills, known alternatively as Briarcliff, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,947 at the 2010 census. The center of the area is the intersection of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills roads...
, and the North Decatur CDP
North Decatur, Georgia
North Decatur is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 16,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:North Decatur is located at ....
.
Schedule
Druid Hills runs on a block schedule, meaning that students normally take four classes per semester. Some classes last two semesters because of curriculum requirements, such as many Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Higher Level classes. First and second period classes at Druid Hills are 90 minutes long. Third and fourth period are slightly longer because of lunch and the afternoon announcements. All lunches are 25 minutes long. Because lunch is during third period, which lunch a student goes to is determined by what class they have during third period.Enrollment
Enrollment for the current 2009–2010 school year is 1,421 students in grades 9Ninth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
-12
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
.
Accreditation
Druid Hills is accredited by the Southern Association for Secondary Schools and Colleges and the Georgia High School Accrediting Commission.School media
Druid Hills has three primarily student-run media outlets: The Spotlight, the school newspaper; ‘‘SAGA’’, the school's yearbook; and WDHS, the in-school news network. The Spotlight, founded in 1938, is the oldest school newspaper in DeKalb County and is published monthly during the school year, funded mostly by advertising revenue and the PTSA. SAGA publishes yearly. The publications are run by classes rather than extracurricular clubs.The School's Founding
Druid Hills High School is one of the oldest schools in the DeKalb County School SystemDeKalb County School System
DeKalb County School System is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States...
. Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
founded Druid Hills School in the Fishburne Building on the Emory Campus in 1919 as a school for faculty children. In 1928, the K-11 school moved to its current site at 1798 Haygood Drive. In 1959, the elementary students were moved to the then new Fernbank Elementary School and Druid Hills then housed grades 8–12.
Briarcliff High School Merger
Briarcliff High School graduated its first class in 1962 and was closed in 1987. In the 1987–1988 school year, the student body of Briarcliff High School merged with Druid Hills High School. The tradition of Baron's Hall, which was established in 1962 at Briarcliff High School, was maintained when the two schools merged. Today the old Briarcliff High School building and campus houses Open Campus and the DeKalb School of the Arts.Shamrock High School Closure
In the spring of 1996, Shamrock High School graduated its last class as a high school and is closed to be converted into a middle school. In the fall of the same year, Shamrock High School merged with Druid Hills and the former building reopened as Shamrock Middle School. In 1993 Shamrock High School acquired its NJROTC (Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training CorpsJunior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
) program. With the merger of Shanrock High School with Druid Hills High the decision was made to maintain Shamrock's NJROTC program and it moved to Druid Hills High School, thus becoming Druid Hills NJROTC. Today Druid Hills houses grades 9–12.
Alfred Uhry Theater
When the Druid Hills Theater was renovated under the non-profit Uhry Theater project organization, the modernized theater became known as the Alfred Uhry Theater after the playwright Alfred Fox UhryAlfred Uhry
Alfred Fox Uhry is an American playwright, screenwriter, and member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He is one of very few writers to receive an Academy Award, Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for dramatic writing....
, a Druid Hills alumnus
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
from 1954.
The Joseph C. Faulkner Library Media Center
The Joseph C. Faulkner Library Media Center was dedicated May 24, 2004 in honor of Joe Faulkner's retirement after 33 faithful years of teaching English and coaching cross country at Druid Hills.Baron's Hall
Baron's Hall is a tradition that was established in 1962 at Briarcliff High School and was maintained when Briarcliff High School merged with Druid Hills High School. This traditional ceremony is held for the purpose of honoring seniors who have excelled in the areas of athletics, leadership, service, the arts, academics, and foreign languages. The National Beta Club of Druid Hills sponsors Baron's Hall. Three anonymous judges then judge their applications.Judges for Baron’s Hall use a tally sheet to determine the awards. The judges give one tally mark for every year that a student participated in an activity. (Example: Football = 1 tally mark in the designated box). If a student has achieved letters/bars or has had a leadership position, one point is appointed for each. (Example: Captain of football = 1 tally mark, a letter and 2 bars in Cross Country = 3 tally marks). The tally sheet is arranged by category; by the end, it is obvious which seniors deserve awards. Four to eight seniors are chosen per category.
Cross country
The Druid Hills cross country team enjoyed success in the 2008 season. Both the girl's and boy's teams made the state championship, placing 8th and 5th respectively. Druid Hills' Nabil Hamid won the AAA state championship with a time of 15:49.82.Boys Basketball
Druid Hills high school has won three boys basketball state championships: 1953, 1954, and 1957.Boys LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
Druid Hills will begin it's very first sanctioned Varsity Lacrosse games in the schools history. The team is forming off of the previous Druid Hills Lacrosse club which catered to all high school students in the surrounding area. The team will compete in GHSA Section AAA Varsity Lacrosse.Boys Gymnastics
Druid Hills high school has won three boys gymnastics state championships: 1956, 1964, and 1965.Boys Track
Druid Hills high school has won seven boys track state championships: 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1960, and 1963. Long-time WSB-TV news anchor John Pruitt was a member of the 1960 state champion team.Renovation
Druid Hills High School recently underwent a major renovation. The renovation was originally scheduled to be completed in August 2009, but due to many delays, the date was pushed back into October 2009. The changes made during the renovation include:- New restrooms on the second floor of the main building.
- Updates to the media center
- Expansion of the girls’ locker room
- A new two-story building to house science classes
- Increased wheelchair accessibility
- New HVAC system
Notable alumni
- Sam MassellSam MassellSam Massell, a life-long resident of Atlanta, has had successful careers in real estate brokerage, elected office, the field of tourism, and association management....
, Former Mayor of Atlanta. Class of 1944 - Ron BlombergRon BlombergRonald Mark Blomberg , nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder...
, Major League Baseball Player for New York Yankees. Class of 1966 - Brenda BoozerBrenda BoozerBrenda Boozer is an American opera singer. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, the mezzo-soprano spent thirteen seasons as a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.-Biography:...
. NYC Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano. Class of 1966 - Herman TalmadgeHerman TalmadgeHerman Eugene Talmadge was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. He served as governor of Georgia briefly in 1947 and again from 1948 to 1955. His term was marked by his segregationist policies. After leaving office Talmadge was elected to the U.S...
, Former Georgia Governor (1947, 1948–1954) and Former Georgia Senator (1956–1980). - Alfred UhryAlfred UhryAlfred Fox Uhry is an American playwright, screenwriter, and member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He is one of very few writers to receive an Academy Award, Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for dramatic writing....
, Playwright. Class of 1954 - Ray StevensRay StevensRay Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
, Award winning recording artist. Class of 1957 - Hermann FlaschkaHermann FlaschkaHerman Flaschka is a well-known Austrian born mathematical physicist and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Arizona, known for his important contributions in completely integrable systems .- Childhood :...
Award winning mathematician (Class of 1962) - John Pruitt, WSB-TV (Channel 2) News Anchor
- Josh AriehJosh AriehJoshua Arieh is an American professional poker player. Arieh has been competing in poker competitions since 1999...
(Class of 1992) World Series of Poker Champion
Feeder schools
The following elementary schools feed into Druid Hills:- Briar Vista
- Fernbank
- Laurel Ridge
- McLendon
- Sagamore Hills (partial, about 80% feeds into Druid Hills)
Druid Hills Middle School, formerly known as Shamrock Middle School, is Druid Hills' only feeder middle school.