Dickinson High School
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Dickinson High School, located in Dickinson, North Dakota. In 1994, Dickinson adopted the "core system", a system where students attend only 4 courses a day, each 1.5 hours long, enabling students to earn more class credits than other schools (which mandate 7 courses per day).
There has been a noteworthy degree of controversy surrounding Dickinson's mascot, The Midget. During the mid 1990s the school became concerned that their 80-year-old mascot was not very politically correct and communicated that they were considering a change. [1] (http://www.praxagora.com/sierra/flum/9609.htm) NBC's The Today Show even featured a piece on the Little People of America [2] (http://www.lpaonline.org/) where the organization stated that they were not offended by it, influencing the school to keep their traditional mascot.
- Grade levels: 9-12
- Mascot: The Midget
- School colors: Orange and Black
- Year opened: 1909
History
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In 1909 the Community built Central High School, a two-story structure of 12 classrooms. The first floor contained the library and assembly hall, and the basement served as the gym. Central High possessed the latest in technological marvels when electric lights were installed in 1910. The School stood on the southwest corner of the school block where P.S. Berg Elementary stands today.
By the mid-1930s Dickinson's Schools suffered from overcrowding. The school board felt it was time to build a new high school, but despite information presented to the public, the city voted against the $100,000 bond issue necessary for construction. However the School Board applied for assistance from the Public Works Administration to build the high school and adjoining athletic field. Additions were made to this new Central High School in 1950. Central High School became more and more crowded and as the Model High at Dickinson State College closed in 1963, the need for a new high school was evident. The State Dept. of Vocational Education agreed to help with construction.
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In March of 1966, voters approved the $1,525,000 bond issue for construction. The new high school, named Dickinson High School, was designated as one of the two area vocational high schools in North Dakota. Several outbuildings and a new auditorium have been added over the years.
1981-1982 school year saw the largest student enrollment in the district's history with 1,041 students in the high school. The former Central High became A.L. Hagen Junior High in 1968, when the new Dickinson High School was built up on Empire Road north of town.
External link
Dickinson High School website (http://www.dhs.dickinson.k12.nd.us/)
- DHS educates an average of 890 students from grades nine through twelve each year, and employs 60 certified teachers and 35 classified staff members. Dickinson High School offers 328 different courses in a variety of subjects, as well as Advanced Placement courses and college dual-credit courses.