Deerfield High School (Illinois)

Completed in 1959, its first class graduated in 1963. As of 1999, DHS included 327,000 square feet (30,400 m²) of space.

In 2000, DHS and its sister school, Highland Park High School, underwent a two-year, $75 million renovation and expansion project. DHS received new science and arts wings for a total of 140,000 square feet (13,000 m²) added and 61,600 square feet (5,720 m²) renovated. The additions and renovations were designed by Legat Architects and executed by VACALA Construction, Inc.[10]

Beginning in 2004, the school ceased comparing the academic achievements of students, nor does it distribute students' class rank to colleges. The elimination of class rank aimed at creating a less stressful competitive academic environment.[11]

The DHS Auditorium is a proscenium style theater that seats 934 persons and is used for assemblies and productions of dance, musical theater, and concerts by soloists and large ensembles. The Auditorium's stage house measures 3,200 square feet (300 m²) with a proscenium that is 35 feet (11 m) wide, 18 feet (5.5 m) high and a stage that is 30 feet (9.1 m) deep to the cyclorama. The lighting grid is 30 feet (9.1 m) high. The Studio Theatre is located immediately adjacent to the Auditorium and is used as a backstage area during Auditorium productions. The orchestra pit is located at house level and can contain up to thirty musicians. The stage house has a 7-line, manual, single purchase counterweight fly system, with 500-pound capacity per line-set. In addition, the Auditorium houses a walk-draw white cyclorama, movable tormentors, four travelers, dead-hung teasers and a walk draw black scrim.

The DHS Studio Theater is a 3,000-square-foot (300 m²) reconfigurable black box theater. Its various seating configurations can accommodate up to 220 persons in thrust, proscenium, stadium, or arena arrangements. The lighting pipe grid is eighteen feet above the stage floor. The Studio Theatre has a reconfigurable walk-draw curtain system with a dedicated inventory of black stage draperies and a sky blue cyclorama. During Studio Theater productions the Auditorium stage is used as backstage.

In 2012, Deerfield had an average composite ACT score of 27.1, and graduated 97.2% of its senior class. It was also ranked as the top high school in Lake County, IL. Deerfield has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which with the ACT comprises the assessment tools used in Illinois to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[4]

Deerfield High School was in the top 500 public U.S. high schools in 2006 and in the top 1000 in 2007.[12]

In its over fifty years of existence, Deerfield High School has won many awards.

In 2009, the high school was named a National Blue Ribbon School. This prestigious award is awarded by the United States Department of Education to high performing, and improving schools.[13]

The Deerfield Warriors compete in the Central Suburban League, and counts its in-district sister school Highland Park High School as a longtime rival. The school's teams compete in state championship series tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Men may also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Women may compete in badminton and softball.

The 1977 Deerfield boys cross country team is regarded by at least one publication as one of the single greatest prep cross country teams of all-time. Recognized by Marc Bloom's Harrier Report and the National High School Archives (xcnation.com).[14]

While no longer sponsored by the IHSA, the school still has a women's field hockey team. While never sponsored by the IHSA, the school sponsors lacrosse for men and women. Deerfield also sponsors a joint fencing team with Highland Park High School for men and women.[15]

A co-ed ice hockey team also competes against teams from surrounding schools, however it is not sponsored by the school or the IHSA. The team is supported entirely by private donations and players must purchase their own jerseys and equipment. In the 2007–2008 season, the Warriors defeated New Trier High School to win the State title in the White Division by a score of 3–1.[16]

The school has won the following IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments or meets[17]

• Badminton: 1987–88
• Cross Country (boys): 1976–1977, 1977–78
• Football: 1975–76
• Tennis (boys): 1983–84, 1994–95, 2004–05
• Tennis (girls): 2005–06

The football stadium is named for former coach Paul Adams, who coached the football team from 1966 to 1992, an era which included fifteen appearances in the State playoffs, four appearances in the State Championship game, and one State championship title.

In addition to the team's success, tennis player Mike Morrison was the second of two players in Illinois men's high school history to win four state singles titles (1984–1987). The only other player to accomplish this was Marty Riessen.[18]

The school also sponsors cheerleading, fencing, pom-pons, and a dance team at the club level.[19]

The school newspaper is Deerprints; it won a Pacemaker award, given by the National Scholastic Press Association.[20] Also, the school has a television station called DHS-TV that comes out with bi-weekly, and sometimes weekly 12-minute news shows during the homeroom period.

The Congressional Debate team (Student Congress) won the Illinois Congressional Debate Association (ICDA) state championship in 2003.[21]

The Scholastic Bowl team qualified for the Class AA IHSA State Championship in 2004 and 2005 by winning its regional and sectional tournaments.[22] The team also advanced to sectionals by winning regionals in 2006 and 2010.[23][24]

• Hub Arkush is publisher of Pro Football Weekly and served as a radio color commentator for the Chicago Bears (1987–2004) and for Westwood One. He is currently the senior football expert for WSCR–670 AM radio in Chicago.[25]
• Dean Bernardini is a bass player in rock band Chevelle.[26]
• Donald Blome is a United States diplomat
• Mark Carlson, former Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback.[27]
• Scott Colton is a professional wrestler, working under the ring-name "Colt Cabana"[28]
• Ross Golan is a songwriter, multi platinum award-winning songwriter.
• Duje Dukan is a professional basketball player.
• Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling young adult author of books such as Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise.[29][30]
• Cory Everson was Miss Olympia, 1984–1989. She is an author and actor, hosted a fitness show on ESPN for seven years, and was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.[31][32]
• Bryan Jurewicz was an NFL lineman for the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts.[33]
• Lindsay Knapp was an NFL offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl XXXI champions).[34]
• Christina Loukas is a 2008 and 2012 US Olympic team member in diving. She was the first female high school diver in Illinois to score over 500 points in state competition, and won multiple Big Ten championships.[35][36][37]
• Lou Manfredini is a television/radio personality and a home improvement expert on House Smarts TV, WGN (AM) Chicago and a regular contributor on NBC's Today Show.[38]
• Kevin McCollum, Broadway producer of Rent (musical), In the Heights, and Avenue Q
• Aaron Moorehead is a former NFL wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI champions).[39]
• The Redwalls (Logan Barren, Justin Baren, and Andrew Langer) was a rock band composed of Deerfield HS graduates.[16]
• Todd Reirden is a former NHL player with the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes and Atlanta Thrashers. He played collegiately from 1990 to 1994 at Bowling Green; currently an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals.
• Carol Roth, author, radio and TV host.
• Andrea Sanke, journalist
• Radhanath Swami, spiritual guru
• Chris Hirata is an astrophysicist and Ohio State University professor. Formerly considered a child prodigy, he won the gold medal in the 1996 International Physics Olympiad at 13 and graduated from DHS at 14.[40][41][42]

• Paul Adams – head football coach 1966–1992.[27]
• Doug Kay – head football coach (1962–65), later coached at the college and professional levels, including the Arena Football League[43]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deerfield High School (Illinois).

• Official Website
• Map of DHS
• Profile from greatschools.net