Danville High School (Illinois)


Danville High School is a public high school located in Danville, Illinois. DHS is part of Danville District 118, which also includes two middle schools and eight elementary schools. This also includes The Kenneth D. Bailey Academy, previously Holy Family Catholic School, the new home for Danville School District 118's alternative programs.
The school is perhaps best known for four of its alumni who went on to success in acting: Gene Hackman, 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

Tracy Cherry, the current principal of Danville High School, is the school's 33nd principal since 1870.
PrincipalYears
Belle Spillman1870-1874
Cornelia Branch1874-1876
Annie Hoff1876-1878
M. A. Lapham1878-1879
Silas Y. Gillan1879-1886
E. C. Williams1886-1887
Lawrence A. McLauth1887-1891
Stratton B. Brooks1891-1892
S.A.D. Harry1892-1897
Dr. B. D. Billinghurst1897-1900
B. A. Sweet1900-1902
Edwin D. Martin1902-1905
Zora Mayo Smith1905-1909
Charles E. Lawyer1909-1912
A. W. Smalley1912-1916
William C. Baer1916-1930
John E. Wakeley1930-1934
Russell M. Duffin1935-1948
E. D. Milhon1948-1967
Richard L. Burrer1967-1969
Arthur F. Mathisen1969-1980
Blaine E. Bonynge1980-1989
Dr. Carl Esslinger 1989-1990
Dr. Ellen S. Russell1990-1994
Dr. Carol A. Stack1994-1996
Nanette L. Mellen1996-2001
Mark Denman2001-2004
Gail Garner2004-2006
Marla Bauerle-Hill2006-2008
Mark A. Neil2008-2013
Phil Cox2013-2015
Kimberly Norton2015–2018
Tracy Cherry2019

Academics

For the graduating class of 2016, DHS had an average composite ACT score of 17.6, and graduated 69.7% of its senior class.
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.

School activities

Activities

The school offers approximately 30 clubs and activities ranging from service-oriented clubs to academic competition, to art appreciation. Among the clubs which are chapters for more national organizations are Key Club, and National Honor Society.
The choral music program supports a choir, show choir, and madrigal program.
The instrumental music program supports two symphonic bands, a pep band, percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble, madrigal brass band, marching band,a jazz combo, madrigal strings, string orchestra and a symphony orchestra.
In 2004 the school staged the musical Bye Bye Birdie, which 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 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.

Athletics

DHS competes in the Big Twelve conference and is a member of the Illinois High School Association ; the organization which organizes most interscholastic high school sports and competitive activities in the state of Illinois. Teams are stylized as the Vikings.
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field. Young men may participate in baseball, football, golf, and wrestling, while young women may compete in cheerleading and softball. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the Athletic Department also sponsors a poms team.
The following teams finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:
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".
The school claims no knowledge as to why the school colors were chosen, though they date to at least 1906. The school's teams were originally stylized as the Maroons. The school's teams briefly used the name Silver Streaks before adopting Vikings in 1960. While the Vikings name stuck, an attempt to change the school's primary color from maroon to light blue failed to catch on.

Dress Code

As of the 2017-2018 school year, Danville District 118 has revised their old dress code into a new dress code that lets students dress freely as long as it is not vulgar or explicit.

Notable alumni