D. W. Daniel High School

D. W. Daniel High School (or Daniel High School) is a comprehensive public high school serving students in grades nine through twelve in the town of Central, South Carolina, United States. Besides Central, it also serves Clemson and Six Mile. It is in Pickens County and is the one of four high schools administered by the School District of Pickens County (SDPC) (or Pickens 01).

D. W. Daniel High School
Blue and gold crest of D. W. Daniel High School
Address
140 Blue and Gold Boulevard

Central
,
South Carolina
29630

United States
Coordinates34°44′20.5″N 82°49′48.4″W
Information
School typePublic (government funded)
MottoE Tribus Unum
(one, out of three)
OpenedAugust 1955 (1955-08)
StatusOpen
School districtPickens County School District (SDPC)
NCES District ID4503330[1]
AuthoritySouth Carolina Department of Education (SCDE)
NCES School ID450333000899[2]
PrincipalShannon Sharkey
Vice-principalsRicky Evans
Weston Lazear
Teaching staff56.20 (FTE)[3]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,119 (2018–19)[3]
ClassesRegular and
Advanced Placement
Student to teacher ratio19.91[3]
Classes offeredRegular,
Advanced Placement
Campus size92.78 acres (37.55 ha)
Color(s)  Columbia Blue
  Gold
Athletics conferenceAAA Upper State
MascotLion
Team nameDaniel Lions
AccreditationAdvancED (1966–)
USNWR ranking  Silver Award
#692 (USA)
#3 (SC)[4]
Communities servedCentral, Clemson, Six Mile
AffiliationSouth Carolina High School League
Websitedhs.pickens.k12.sc.us/

History

D. W. Daniel High School was named for educator David Wistar Daniel (1867–1961), who taught in public schools for nine years and then taught English for 49 years at Clemson College and eventually served as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences there.[5]

Daniel High was established in 1955 to consolidate three rural high schools:[6] Central, Clemson and Six Mile. Hence arose the school's motto of E Tribus Unum (Latin: one, out of three).

A new school building replaced the old one in 2012.

Campus

The original 64.7 acres (26.2 ha) campus site served the community until construction of new US$36,691,453 facilities that began in June 2010. The new 227,950 square feet (21,177 m2) academic facilities and its 92.78 acres (37.55 ha) campus opened for the start of the 2012–13 school year at the same campus location as the old facility. The new Daniel High School is built with administration and guidance areas, cafeteria and kitchen, media center, gymnasiums, auditorium and fine arts facilities designed to handle expected growth and to allow for constructing more classrooms if the projected growth occurs.[7] A new Daniel High School Stadium was opened August 2011 on a 23 acres (9.3 ha) tract next to the original Daniel High School. The new football stadium will seat approximately 5,300 people.

Academics

The assumed course of study follows the curriculum developed the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), which requires students to complete 24 credit units before graduation. Students engage in regular and Advanced Placement (AP) coursework and exams. The school is accredited by the SCDE and has been accredited by AdvancED (formerly Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) since 1966.[8][9]

In 2012, D. W. Daniel High School was nationally recognized with the Silver Award by the U.S. News & World Report in its ranking of Best High Schools across the nation. Daniel was ranked the No. 3 high school in South Carolina and No. 692 in the United States.[4]

Daniel is ranked No. 1191 (2011) and No. 2027 (2013) in the nation of schools evaluated in the Challenge Index, with index scores of 1.620 and 1.062, respectively.[10]

Extracurricular activities

The Daniel High School mascot and athletic emblem is the lion with school colors of Columbia blue and gold.

Athletics

The Daniel Lions participate in various interscholastic activities in the AAA League (Upper State) administered by the South Carolina High School League SCHSL). The school athletic activities include baseball, basketball (boys/girls), competitive cheer, cross country (boys/girls), football, golf (boys/girls), soccer (boys/girls), softball, swimming and diving (boys/girls), tennis (boys/girls), track and field (boys/girls), and volleyball.[11]

The Lions have won numerous state championships and runner-up titles throughout its history, including:[11]

  • Football: The Daniel Lions football team is one of the most historic programs in the state of South Carolina. They are six-time football state champions (1966 (AA); 1991, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2020 (AAA)) and three-time runner-up (1988, 1997, 2013 (AAA)) and an Upper State Finalist six times (1990, 2008, 2009, 2012 (AAA); 1973, 2018 (AAAA)). Games are played at Singleton Field named for Dick Singleton, who served as coach and athletic director for nearly 30 years and is a member of the school's inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.[12] The Lions have had five Head Coaches in school history. Howard Bagwell (1955-1959), Dick Singleton (1960-1989), Allen Sitterle (1990-2005), Randy Robinson (2006-2015) and Jeff Fruster (2016-present).
  • Basketball: In 1965–66 and 1966–67, the Daniel Lions boys' basketball team won consecutive Class AA State Championships. In 2009–10, Daniel won its first Class AAA boys' basketball state title. In 1996–97 and 2009–10, the girls' basketball team was a Class AAA state finalist.
  • Baseball: In 1968, the Daniel Lions baseball team captured the Class AA State Championship after making the finals the previous year.
  • Cross country: The boys' cross country team is a two time Class AAA state champions (1998 and 2012) and three-time runner-up (1991, 1996, 2000) with individual titles in 1998, 2004, 2012, 2013, and 2014. The girls' cross country team is a seven-time Class AAA state champion (1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2017, 2018) and five-time state runner-up (1997, 1998, 2004, 2009, 2016) with individual titles garnered by student-athletes in 1980, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
  • Competitive cheer: In 1998, the Daniel competitive cheer team took home its first Class AAA state championship, followed by a 2007 trip to the state finals where they placed second.
  • Golf: The boys' golf team was the Class AAA state runner-up in 1995.
  • Girls Golf: The Lady Lions golf team won the Class AAAA state championship in 2018 and 2019. In 2017 they were the Class AAAA state-runner up.
  • Soccer: The boys' soccer team is a four-time Class AAA state champion (1980, 1982, 1997, 2003), a State Championship runner-up (1981), and an Upper State Finalist (2005, 2006)
  • Softball: An Upper State Finalist in 2011, the softball team won the Class AAA Upper State Softball Tournament Championship in 2012 and pitcher Carley Hoover was honored as the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
  • Tennis: The boys' tennis team was the Class AAA state champion in 1981 and runner-up in 1982. The girls' tennis team is a four-time Class AAA state champion (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982) and four-time runner-up (1978, 1985, 1998, 2001).
  • Track & Field: The boys' track and field team is a three-time state champion (1956, 1959 (Class A) and 2013 (Class AAA)); and five-time runner-up (1957, 1958 (Class A); 1964 (Class AA); 1996, 2010, 2014 (Class AAA)). The girls' track and field team is a Class AAA state champion (2005 and 2013 ) and four-time runner-up (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2014).
  • Volleyball: The volleyball team is a five-time state champion (1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2009) and a five-time runner-up (1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2003).
  • Marching Band: The Lion's Pride Marching Band won the SCBDA 3A 2019 state championship under director Chaz Paxton.

Clubs and traditions

Beyond athletic activities, students participate in a full range of clubs and organizations including band and ensembles, Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AF JROTC), Beta Club, Chess Club, Drama Club, the Lion's Pride E-Sports Organization, German Club, Interact Club, Junior Academy of Science, Photography Club, Relay for Life, Roar (literary magazine); Spanish Club, Student Council, Role Playing club, Mainstage club (theatre), and Varsity Club.

Notable people

The following are notable people associated with D. W. Daniel High School. If the person was a D. W. Daniel High School student, the number in parentheses indicates the year of graduation; if the person was a faculty or staff member, that person's title and years of association are included.

Students (Athletic)

Students (Non-Athletic)

  • Walter T. Cox III (1960)—South Carolina state and United States federal judge.
  • Maurice "Butch" Ferree (About 1961)—Horticulture expert. Named "Mr. Peach" by the Georgia Peach Council. Received the Distinguished Achievement in Public Service Medal from the University of Georgia.
  • James C. Cook III (About 1966)—Mayor of Clemson, South Carolina (2012–present).
  • Lindsey Graham (1973)—Politician; U.S. Senator (2003–) and U.S. Congressman (1995–2003).
  • Dan Seaborn (ca. 1977)—Religious leader; traveling non-denominational Christian evangelist and marriage and family expert.
  • Joy Laskar (1981)—Co-founder of 3 start-up companies and has 52 issued or pending patents. Helped pioneer the development of integrated high efficiency integrated Power Amplifier (PA) technology and investigated aggressive mixed-signal communication architectures. Pioneered the development of low power millimeter wave gigabit wireless circuits. Advanced degrees from Clemson University and the University of Illinois.
  • Benjy Bronk (1985)—Cast member on The Howard Stern Show.
  • Eric Underwood (1986)—Actor; Mail call soldier in the movie Forrest Gump.
  • Benjamin D. "Ben" Byrd (2000) - attorney practicing in Roanoke, Virginia.[13] Ben has had two cases included in Virginia Lawyers Weekly's list of "Virginia's Largest Verdicts." One was in 2013[14] and one was in 2015.[15]
  • Tim Cook (1985) - Co author of the Waterfalls of South Carolina field guide, residing in Atlanta, Georgia[16] Tim has also published two stories in the Bitter Southerner [17]

Fictional student

  • Harry Fitz (N/A)—A fictional character in the late-1970s television show "Project U.F.O." The show had frequent references to his childhood in Six Mile, South Carolina which would presumably make him a graduate of D. W. Daniel High School.

Faculty & Staff

  • Richard Singleton (1960–1989)—Football coach, 191-125-8 record. Member of D.W. Daniel Athletic Hall of Fame.
  • Hal Garrett (19??-2009)—Only PA announcer at Singleton Field. Member of D.W. Daniel Athletic Hall of Fame.
  • Liz Smith-Cox (19??-1986)—Art teacher. 1976 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. 2003 Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Arts in Education Award. Her art has been exhibited throughout South Carolina.
  • Elizabeth Lashley (1971–1986)—Mathematics teacher. 1983 First Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching.
  • Andy Demori (1977–1997)—Coach for Boys' Soccer (248-88-15 record), Boys' Tennis and Girls' Tennis. Member of D.W. Daniel Athletic Hall of Fame.
  • Allen Sitterle (1990–2005)—Football Coach, 168–40 record. Member of D.W. Daniel Athletic Hall of Fame.

References
  1. "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Pickens 01". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  2. "Search for Public Schools - D. W. Daniel High (450333000899)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  3. "D. W. Daniel High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  4. "2012 Best High Schools, D. W. Daniels High School". U.S. New & World Report. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  5. Brochure distributed at the inauguration of the new school building, 2012.
  6. "2011 SC Annual Report Card Summary, D. W. Daniel High School" (PDF). SC Department of Education. September 11, 2012.
  7. "Facts About The New DHS" (PDF). School District of Pickens County. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  8. "School Profile, D W Daniel High School". AdvancED. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  9. "D. W. Daniel High School". South Carolina Department of Education. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  10. "America's Most Challenging High Schools: D.W. Daniel High School". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  11. "South Carolina High School League". SCHSL.org. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  12. "D W Daniel High School Announces Inaugural Class for Athletic Hall of Fame" (PDF). D. W. Daniels High School. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  13. Benjamin "Ben" D. Byrd
  14. http://valawyersweekly.com/2014/01/21/virginias-largest-verdicts-of-2013/
  15. http://valawyersweekly.com/2016/01/18/virginias-largest-verdicts-of-2015/
  17. https://bittersoutherner.com/folklore-project/the-leader-of-the-band
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