William L. Dickinson High School


William L. Dickinson High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school located in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Jersey City Public Schools. Dickinson occupies a prominent location on Bergen Hill overlooking lower Jersey City and the New York Harbor. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1929.
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,792 students and 138.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1. There were 1,125 students eligible for free lunch and 83 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 304th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 302nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 308th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 295th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 291st in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
In 1999, student Samir Kapadia placed fourth at the Annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his project "Identification and Targeting Multiple Myeloma Cancerous Tumors."
In 2002–03, students Juliet R. Girard and Roshan D. Prabhu won the team competition of the Siemens Westinghouse Competition for "Identification and High Resolution Mapping of Flowering Time Genes in Rice." The duo shared a $100,000 scholarship with their victory.
In 2007, Abdullah Anwar, a student was recognized as a semi-finalist in the 2007 New Jersey Business Idea Competition conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University.

History

Originally named Jersey City High School, the property was purchased in 1904 and the new building opened on September 6, 1906, in an attempt to relieve overcrowding in the city's public schools. It was the first public secondary school in the city. When the school opened, it housed a 2,000 seat auditorium that saw extensive public use, and hosted such events as a lecture by Helen Keller and political rallies for United States Presidents Taft, Wilson, and Roosevelt. The original school was expanded with the construction of a second building in 1912 to further industrial skills education. This building contained a foundry, print shop, and vocational classrooms. In 1913, the school was renamed William L. Dickinson High School for the superintendent who had advocated for creation of the school during his term from 1872 to 1883. The school was expanded again in 1933 with the addition of an annex containing a swimming pool, cafeteria, and gymnasium.
The rear of the building is the site of a late 1800s-era cannon mount built to protect the Hudson River shoreline from early invaders. Given the location of the cannon and the associated technology of the time, it is doubtful that the cannon would have ever been effective as a defensive emplacement. While the cannon has since been removed, the original mounting was reused as the site of a black-granite monument to the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In 1946, students went on strike to protest a proposal by the city's board of education to extend the end of the school day from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, with striking students arguing that the longer school day would interfere with their part-time jobs.

Athletics

The William L. Dickinson High School Rams compete in the Hudson County Interscholastic League, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 1,649 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015–16 school year as North II, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,114 to 4,800 students in that grade range.
In 1930, Walt Singer and his identical twin brother Milton led the Dickinson football team to a 9–0 record as it became the second-ever Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association champion.
The Dickinson Rams football team had been led by head coach Rich Glover who used to play as a defensive lineman for the New York Giants.
In February 2010, the Jersey City Public Schools cut funding for interscholastic sports and ended the football program at Dickinson. The Dickinson football tram was re-established in 2012 after a few years in hiatus; the varsity will be back for the 2014 season.
The boys indoor track team was the state public school champion in both 1937 and 1938, and won the Group IV state championship in 1966. The boys track team won the indoor relay state championships in 1966 and 1967.
The boys cross country team won the Group IV state championships in 1948 and 1955. The team won the North I Group IV state championship in 1967.
The boys' baseball team won the North I Group IV state sectional championship in 1966, the only time that the team has won a state title in the post-1958 playoff era.
The Dickinson High School boys' basketball team won the 2000 Public Sectionals – North I, Group IV, edging Memorial High School 43–41 in the tournament final.
In 2009, the boys soccer team went on to the state tournament, losing to Ridge High School by a score of 2–0 in the tournament final, finishing with a record of 17–8–0 and marking the first time in Dickinson history that the boys varsity soccer team made it to state finals, under the coaching of Rene "Toro" Portillo and Tom Worley.

Administrators

The school's Acting Principal is Gekson Casillas. His core administration team includes three assistant principals.

Notable alumni

The school requires its students to wear school uniforms, consisting of a burgundy Dickinson High School polo, black or khaki pants, and sneakers or shoes.