Danville High School (DHS) is a public high school located in Danville, Illinois, United States. It is part of Danville District 118, which also includes two middle schools and eight elementary schools.[9]
The school is perhaps best known for four of its alumni who went on to success in acting: Gene Hackman, Ned Luke, the brothers Dick and Jerry Van Dyke, Donald O'Connor; and one who became an important figure in popularizing early twentieth-century popular music, Bobby Short.
History
Principals
Charlotte "Tracy" Cherry, the current principal of Danville High School, is the school's 33rd principal since 1870.[6]
For the graduating class of 2016, DHS had an average composite ACT score of 17.6, and graduated 69.7% of its senior class.[5]
In September 2009 the school hosted several education administrators from Taiwan who were visiting to not only see how the school functions, but to participate in a learning opportunity for the school's Global House.[10]
School activities
Activities
The school offers approximately 30 clubs and activities ranging from service-oriented clubs to academic competition, to art appreciation.[11] Among the clubs which are chapters for more national organizations are Key Club, and National Honor Society.[11]
In 2021 the school staged the musical Bye Bye Birdie, which (at its 1958 Broadway premier) had starred alum Dick Van Dyke in the role of Albert Peterson. For the 2004 production, Van Dyke returned to the school, and learned one of the numbers ("Put On a Happy Face") alongside the students, performing both nights of the show. Van Dyke, who joined the military before receiving his diploma, was also granted his high school diploma at a ceremony.[14][15]
Athletics
DHS competes in the Big Twelve conference and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA); the organization which organizes most interscholastic high school sports and competitive activities in the state of Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Vikings (or Lady Vikings for women's teams).
The following teams finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:[17]
Basketball (boys): 3rd place (1970–71, 1992–93); 2nd place (1935–36, 1949–50)
Football: 2nd place (1976–77); semifinals (1978-1979) (2009–10); semifinals (2010–2011)
Golf (boys): 4th place (1938–39); State Champions (1981–82)
Swimming & Diving (boys): 3rd place (1939–40, 1940–41)
Tennis (boys): 4th place (1952–53, 1958–59, 1966–67); 3rd place (1946–47, 1947–48, 2002–03); 2nd place (1951–52, 1959–60); State Champions (1945–46, 1953–54)
Track & field (boys): 3rd place (1983–84, 1989–90); State Champions (1924–25)
JROTC drill (Chicago): 2nd place
Traditions
The school has two songs: a fight song and a cheer song. The cheer song's lyrics were borrowed from the cheer song written for Illinois Wesleyan University, substituting "Danville High" for "Wesleyan" and "maroon" for "green".[6][18]
The school claims no knowledge as to why the school colors were chosen, though they date to at least 1906.[6] The school's teams were originally stylized as the "Maroons".[6] The school's teams briefly used the name "Silver Streaks" before adopting "Vikings" in 1960.[6] While the Vikings name stuck, an attempt to change the school's primary color from maroon to light blue failed to catch on.[6]
Dress code
As of the 2017–2018 school year, Danville District 118 had revised its old dress code into a new dress code that lets students dress freely as long as it is not vulgar or explicit.[19]
Bobby Short, singer and musician known for his interpretations of early 20th-century American music, and for promoting the compositions of African American composers[22]
^"Dick Van Dyke comes Home to Danville High School"(PDF), Maroon & White, 2 (2): 2–3, June 2004, archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-16, Choreographed by Michael Weaver and arranged by Robert Hills, the highlight of the production occurred when Mr. Van Dyke himself came out to perform "Put On a Happy Face" with the cast ... Since Dick Van Dyke left Danville High School before the end of his senior year to enter the army, Superintendent Gary Tucker, board members David Groves and Leon Parker, and DHS Registrar Nancy Van Vickle presented him with his Class of 1944 diploma.
^Bleill, Tony (10 July 2009). "Danville's Chuck Robinson, 14, has big-league aspirations". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois, US. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017. And by the time he enrolls at Danville High in August for his freshman year, he'll be carrying a reputation as one of the best up-and-coming baseball players in central Illinois ... That's high praise, considering the talent that has made Danville a home. The list includes Jason Anderson, a former Illini and major league reliever now pitching in Class AA.
^"Jason Anderson". the baseball cube.com. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
