Hillhouse High School
Encyclopedia
James Hillhouse Comprehensive High School is the oldest public high school
in New Haven
, Connecticut
. It is a part of New Haven Public Schools
.
Hillhouse High School is New Haven's oldest public high school. Located on Orange Street, it adopted its nickname, "The Academics," in acknowledgment of its close association with Yale University
. In 1863, the school was moved to a building at Orange and Wall streets, which was replaced in 1871 by a new school. The school is named in honor of James Hillhouse
of New Haven, who represented Connecticut in the U.S. Congress in the early years of the United States' existence as a nation, serving as both a Representative
and a Senator
.
For many years, Hillhouse served not only New Haven but also suburb
an towns around the city that did not have high schools of their own. Its peak enrollment was nearly 5,000 students, when the school had to conduct double sessions to accommodate the large enrollment.
and soccer." By 1884, students were participating in several sports, including modern football
, which had been invented by Walter Camp
of New Haven. Team competition in baseball
, tennis
, ice hockey
, indoor polo
and yacht racing
also had been established around this time. Basketball
was introduced around the beginning of the 20th century.
In the school's history, Hillhouse football teams have won 17 state championships, ranking the school third in the state for football championships. The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have a combined total of more than 25 state championships. The boys’ and girls’ track teams also have more than 25 state championships between them. The Academics also have won state championships in baseball, swimming
, ice hockey and tennis
.
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....
in New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. It is a part of New Haven Public Schools
New Haven Public Schools
New Haven Public Schools is a school district serving the city of New Haven, Connecticut, United States.Wilbur Cross High School and Hillhouse High School are New Haven's two largest public secondary schools....
.
History
Established in 1859 as New Haven High School,Hillhouse High School is New Haven's oldest public high school. Located on Orange Street, it adopted its nickname, "The Academics," in acknowledgment of its close association with Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. In 1863, the school was moved to a building at Orange and Wall streets, which was replaced in 1871 by a new school. The school is named in honor of James Hillhouse
James Hillhouse
James Hillhouse was an American lawyer, real estate developer, and politician from New Haven, Connecticut. He represented Connecticut in both the U.S. House and Senate...
of New Haven, who represented Connecticut in the U.S. Congress in the early years of the United States' existence as a nation, serving as both a Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and a Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
For many years, Hillhouse served not only New Haven but also suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an towns around the city that did not have high schools of their own. Its peak enrollment was nearly 5,000 students, when the school had to conduct double sessions to accommodate the large enrollment.
Sports
Hillhouse became involved in athletic competition as early as 1866, when some boys formed a club to play a sport that is described as having "resembled rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and soccer." By 1884, students were participating in several sports, including modern football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, which had been invented by Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
of New Haven. Team competition in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, indoor polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
and yacht racing
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
also had been established around this time. Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
was introduced around the beginning of the 20th century.
In the school's history, Hillhouse football teams have won 17 state championships, ranking the school third in the state for football championships. The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have a combined total of more than 25 state championships. The boys’ and girls’ track teams also have more than 25 state championships between them. The Academics also have won state championships in baseball, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, ice hockey and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
.
Notable alumni
Among the school's notable alumni are:- Bob BarthelsonBob BarthelsonRobert Edward Barthelson was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Giants in 1944. The 6'0", 185 lb. right-hander was a native of New Haven, Connecticut, where he graduated from Hillhouse High School....
, professional baseball pitcher - David Beckerman, founder and CEO of the Starter Clothing LineStarter Clothing Line-Rise and expansion:Starter was founded in 1971 in New Haven, Connecticut by David Beckerman, a former basketball player for Southern Connecticut State University, to manufacture team uniforms for high school athletic programs....
- Albie BoothAlbie BoothAlbie Booth was an American football player. He was a star at Yale University from 1929 to 1931, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966....
- Ernest BorgnineErnest BorgnineErnest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
, actor - John C. Daniels, mayor of New Haven
- Chad DawsonChad Dawson"Bad" Chad Dawson is an American boxer from Hartsville, South Carolina, USA, and the former WBC & IBF light heavyweight champion. Dawson is rated by The Ring Magazine as the number four Light Heavyweight boxer in the world.-Early life:...
, professional boxer - Robert GiaimoRobert GiaimoRobert Nicholas Giaimo was a Democratic US Representative from Connecticut. He co-sponsored the legislation creating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities...
, U.S. Congressman - Louis HarrisLouis HarrisLouis Harris is an American opinion polling entrepreneur, journalist, and author. He ran one of the best-known polling organizations of his time, Louis Harris and Associates, which conducted the Harris Poll.-Life and career:...
, pollster - John HugginsJohn HugginsJohn Huggins was an American civil rights activist and leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party.-Biography:...
, leader in the Black Panthers - Levi JacksonLevi JacksonLevi Jackson , a football standout at Hillhouse High School , was the first African-American football captain at Yale University, and the first African-American executive at Ford Motor Company. He was a member of the Yale Class of 1950, and captained the 1949 football team, the election taken soon...
, first African-American to play football for Yale University - Richard C. LeeRichard C. LeeRichard Charles Lee was a Democrat and a longtime Mayor of New Haven and the youngest when he held the position in 1954 at age 37. Lee is best known for his leading role in urban redevelopment in the 1950s and '60s.-Biography:Richard Charles Lee was born on March 12, 1916...
, mayor of New Haven - Marvin Lender of Lender's BagelsLender's BagelsLender's Bagels is a brand and producer of bagels that pioneered the bagel industry in the United States. Established in 1927 in New Haven, Connecticut, it became a North American leader in the marketing, distribution and sales of bagels. Lender's introduced frozen bagels and sold the first...
- Floyd LittleFloyd LittleFloyd Douglas Little is a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, and was a three-time American football All-American running back at Syracuse University. In 1967 he was the 6th selection of the first common AFL-NFL draft...
- Constance Baker MotleyConstance Baker MotleyConstance Baker Motley was an African American civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, state senator, and President of Manhattan, New York City.-Early Life and Academics:...
- Eugene Pergament, geneticist and 1951 graduate of Hillhouse who has donated $1 million to the school to fund scholarships for graduates
- Maurice PodoloffMaurice PodoloffMaurice Podoloff was a U.S. lawyer and basketball and ice hockey administrator. He was the first president of the National Basketball Association...
, first president of the National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada... - Vincent ScullyVincent ScullyVincent Joseph Scully, Jr. is Sterling Professor Emeritus of the History of Art in Architecture at Yale University, and the author of several books on the subject...
, architectural historian - Terrell WilksTerrell WilksTerrell Wilks is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 metres. He is currently in his junior year at the University of Florida.A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Wilks attended Hillhouse High School....
, sprinter and All American at University of Florida