Dreher High School
Encyclopedia
Dreher High School is a co-educational four-year public high school in Richland County School District One
located in Columbia, South Carolina
. Dreher, established in 1938, is one of the oldest public high schools in the state. In 2009, Dreher was listed as the 702nd best school in the country by Newsweek
in their annual best-high school rankings.
The first principal, D. Leon McCormac, and five faculty members formulated the organization of the new school. Doors to the first facility opened on September 12, 1938, with a faculty of 30 and 651 students in grades 9-12. The first 123 students graduated later that school year, in 1939. A new auditorium, the south wing, was completed in 1954. With the completion of this wing, Dreher was an enclosed facility with a central courtyard. Through the efforts of several classes, the courtyard became a focal point of the school, complete with statuary and a fountain. From the air, the Dreher complex had a block “D” appearance. In 1962, Dreher became the first school in Columbia to offer Russian as a foreign-language class. Two years later the first black students to enroll at Dreher were Oliver Washington and Brenda Fruster, as part of the Freedom of Choice
plan in 1964. Both went on to graduated from Dreher in 1968.
, SCETV, began recording and airing productions in a studio at Dreher, through the efforts of R. Lynn Kalmbach. Kalmbach's student assistants were Henry J. Cauthen and Thomas Stepp, with Cauthen becoming SCETV's first president. The SCETV call letters WRLK were named for Kalmbach, as well as Dreher's original gymnasium until renaming in 2002. In one of the first broadcasts, Dreher teacher, Lucille Turney-High taught French over the radiowaves.
New construction began in June 2005. Construction continued for two years followed by the demolition of the old school from June 7 until August 8. Occupancy of the new facilities took place on August 16, 2007, with a new address of 3319 Millwood Avenue.
The new $42,000,000 complex has 80,000 more square feet of floor space, a large commons area, a 2,000-seat air competition gymnasium, spacious classrooms, numerous meeting facilities, a NJROTC suite, outstanding arts facilities, a state of the arts auditorium and media center. Beautiful modern athletic facilities were added at Memorial Stadium to support the athletic program. Ample parking for students and staff is now provided on campus. {Bias} The architecture reflects the tradition of the old school including an interior courtyard with the beloved dolphin fountain and other artifacts. The new school incorporated a covered seating area, a wall built from bricks of the old building with some of its seals and plaques and a lamppost donated by alumni.
Additional reminders of Dreher’s proud past include statuary and the extensive art gallery (professional and student works) that was accumulated through the efforts of various school organizations, graduating classes, and donations from many benefactors.
Today, the school currently has 1,302 enrolled student and is classified AAA by the SCHSL.
and ACT scores in the state.
In 2000 Dreher's feeder school, Hand Middle School
, was awarded by Time Magazine one of three Schools of the Year and was favorably covered in a feature article.
Palmetto Gold Award
Red Carpet School
Flagship School of Promise
Men's Sports at Dreher include Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track, and Wrestling.
Women's Sports at Dreher include Basketball, Bowling, Chearleading, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball, Tennis, and Wrestling.
In 2001 and 2003 the women's basketball team won the AAA Basketball State Championship at the Colonial Life Arena, while falling in the 2002 Championship to York
.
In winter 2008 and 2009, both men's and women's basketball
teams won the Region V AAA Championships on their way to undefeated Region seasons.
Dreher's football
and soccer teams play at Memorial Stadium located across the street from the Columbia Owens Downtown Airport
in the Rosewood neighborhood. Adjacent to Memorial Stadium are the newly built baseball and softball stadiums, along with a new track and field pitch. In September 2007 Dreher was defeated by its crosstown rival Lower Richland 35-21 in football snapping LR's 32-game losing streak.
Recently, men's and women's track and cross country teams have been runner-up at the state championships or been crowned champions for AAA. In 2003 the Dreher Track Team won the AAA State Championship.
Recently((when)), the men's and women's soccer teams have dominated regional soccer both winning 4 championships in a row. In 2003 the Dreher women's soccer team won the state championship and in 1999 and 2006 the boy's soccer team won the Lowerstate Final's but lost 1-0 and 2-1 in the State Championship game to the J.L. Mann Ptriots and Riverside Warriors
respectively.
Richland County School District One
Richland County School District One , is a school district with its headquarters in the Stevenson Administration Building in Columbia, South Carolina....
located in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. Dreher, established in 1938, is one of the oldest public high schools in the state. In 2009, Dreher was listed as the 702nd best school in the country by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
in their annual best-high school rankings.
History
In 1938, the third high school in Columbia was completed. It was built at 701 Adger Road on a ten-acre lot, which at one time was part of Governor Wade Hampton’s estate, for $25,000 from Burrell D. Manning. Construction of the new building was completed by the Mechanics Contracting Company at a cost of $239,306. The new school was named for Ernest S. Dreher, who served as the second superintendent of Columbia City Schools from 1895 to 1918. Mr. Dreher was also responsible for the building initiative that led to the construction of Columbia and Booker T. Washington High Schools.The first principal, D. Leon McCormac, and five faculty members formulated the organization of the new school. Doors to the first facility opened on September 12, 1938, with a faculty of 30 and 651 students in grades 9-12. The first 123 students graduated later that school year, in 1939. A new auditorium, the south wing, was completed in 1954. With the completion of this wing, Dreher was an enclosed facility with a central courtyard. Through the efforts of several classes, the courtyard became a focal point of the school, complete with statuary and a fountain. From the air, the Dreher complex had a block “D” appearance. In 1962, Dreher became the first school in Columbia to offer Russian as a foreign-language class. Two years later the first black students to enroll at Dreher were Oliver Washington and Brenda Fruster, as part of the Freedom of Choice
Freedom of Choice
Freedom of Choice is the third album by New Wave musicians Devo, released on May 16, 1980. It saw the band moving in more of an overt synthpop direction, even though guitars still played a prominent role....
plan in 1964. Both went on to graduated from Dreher in 1968.
SCETV
In 1958 South Carolina Educational TelevisionSouth Carolina Educational Television
South Carolina Educational Television is the statewide public television and public radio network in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It consists of all the Public Broadcasting Service member [television stations and National Public Radio member radio stations in the state...
, SCETV, began recording and airing productions in a studio at Dreher, through the efforts of R. Lynn Kalmbach. Kalmbach's student assistants were Henry J. Cauthen and Thomas Stepp, with Cauthen becoming SCETV's first president. The SCETV call letters WRLK were named for Kalmbach, as well as Dreher's original gymnasium until renaming in 2002. In one of the first broadcasts, Dreher teacher, Lucille Turney-High taught French over the radiowaves.
New Building
In November 2002, a $381 million bond referendum passed for school construction in Richland District One. The original Dreher High School complex had been in existence for sixty-four years. The condition of the physical plant, the inadequacies of space and classroom size, as well as the technological shortfalls of the old school made the decision to construct a new facility necessary.New construction began in June 2005. Construction continued for two years followed by the demolition of the old school from June 7 until August 8. Occupancy of the new facilities took place on August 16, 2007, with a new address of 3319 Millwood Avenue.
The new $42,000,000 complex has 80,000 more square feet of floor space, a large commons area, a 2,000-seat air competition gymnasium, spacious classrooms, numerous meeting facilities, a NJROTC suite, outstanding arts facilities, a state of the arts auditorium and media center. Beautiful modern athletic facilities were added at Memorial Stadium to support the athletic program. Ample parking for students and staff is now provided on campus. {Bias} The architecture reflects the tradition of the old school including an interior courtyard with the beloved dolphin fountain and other artifacts. The new school incorporated a covered seating area, a wall built from bricks of the old building with some of its seals and plaques and a lamppost donated by alumni.
Additional reminders of Dreher’s proud past include statuary and the extensive art gallery (professional and student works) that was accumulated through the efforts of various school organizations, graduating classes, and donations from many benefactors.
Today, the school currently has 1,302 enrolled student and is classified AAA by the SCHSL.
Historic Sizes
- 1938 - 651 students
- 1941 - 854 students
- 1957 - 1,278 students
- 2001 - 1,246 students
- 2009 - 1,302 students
- The smallest graduating class at Dreher came in 1948, when only 41 students graduated.
- The largest graduating class was 1960, when 453 students graduated from Dreher.
- In its first 60 years Dreher had graduated more than 15,000 students and produced more than 300 National Merit Scholarship Finalists.
Academics
Dreher prides itself on the three A's of Academics, Arts and Athletics, and annually boasts some of the best AP, SATSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
and ACT scores in the state.
In 2000 Dreher's feeder school, Hand Middle School
Hand Middle School
Hand Middle School is a middle school in Columbia, South Carolina, USA that educates around 950 students in grades 6-8. A Blue Ribbon school, it feeds into Dreher High School and it is one of Richland County School District One's oldest schools. Marisa Vickers is the Principal...
, was awarded by Time Magazine one of three Schools of the Year and was favorably covered in a feature article.
Academic Honors
America's Best High Schools by NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
- 2008, 2009, 2010
Palmetto Gold Award
- Winner: 2007-08
Red Carpet School
- 2005
Flagship School of Promise
- 2005
Athletics
The Dreher athletics mascot is the Blue Devil.Men's Sports at Dreher include Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track, and Wrestling.
Women's Sports at Dreher include Basketball, Bowling, Chearleading, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball, Tennis, and Wrestling.
In 2001 and 2003 the women's basketball team won the AAA Basketball State Championship at the Colonial Life Arena, while falling in the 2002 Championship to York
York High School
York High School may refer to:*York High School , York, England*York High School , George, South Africa*York High School , York, Maine*York High School , York, Nebraska*York High School , Yorktown, Virginia...
.
In winter 2008 and 2009, both men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams won the Region V AAA Championships on their way to undefeated Region seasons.
Dreher's football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and soccer teams play at Memorial Stadium located across the street from the Columbia Owens Downtown Airport
Columbia Owens Downtown Airport
Jim Hamilton - L.B. Owens Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles south of the central business district of Columbia, in Richland County, South Carolina, United States. In 2008, the airport was renamed in honor of former airport manager Jim Hamilton...
in the Rosewood neighborhood. Adjacent to Memorial Stadium are the newly built baseball and softball stadiums, along with a new track and field pitch. In September 2007 Dreher was defeated by its crosstown rival Lower Richland 35-21 in football snapping LR's 32-game losing streak.
Recently, men's and women's track and cross country teams have been runner-up at the state championships or been crowned champions for AAA. In 2003 the Dreher Track Team won the AAA State Championship.
Recently((when)), the men's and women's soccer teams have dominated regional soccer both winning 4 championships in a row. In 2003 the Dreher women's soccer team won the state championship and in 1999 and 2006 the boy's soccer team won the Lowerstate Final's but lost 1-0 and 2-1 in the State Championship game to the J.L. Mann Ptriots and Riverside Warriors
Riverside High School (South Carolina)
- History :The school opened in the fall of 1973 with 650 students on a campus.In Fall 2006, students began attending a brand new building on the same premises...
respectively.
Athletic Titles
- Men's Football
- State Champions: 1951, 1956, 1957, 1959
- Men's Basketball
- State Champions: 1956, 1957, 1961, 1963, 1979
- Region Champions: 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009
- Women's Basketball
- State Champions: 1969, 1994, 2001, 2003
- Runners-Up: 2002
- Region Champions:1969, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009
- Track and Field
- State Champions: 2003
- Women's Soccer
- State Champions: 2003
- Men's Soccer
- State Champions: 1968, 1980, 1982
- Runners-Up: 1999, 2006
- Region Champions: 1968, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988, 19991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Men's Baseball
- State Champions: 1969
- Men's Wrestling
- State Champions: 1988
Athletics
- Alex EnglishAlex EnglishAlexander English is a retired American basketball player and former assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association who played at the forward position...
, NBA Hall of Famer, Class of 1972 - Corey JenkinsCorey JenkinsCorey Jenkins was an American football player. He played quarterback at the University of South Carolina and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. He has seen limited playing time in the National Football League and Canadian Football League....
, former professional football player for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as well as playing baseball for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
minor league system, Class of 1994
Entertainment
- Henry J. Cauthen, founder and first president of SCETVSouth Carolina Educational TelevisionSouth Carolina Educational Television is the statewide public television and public radio network in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It consists of all the Public Broadcasting Service member [television stations and National Public Radio member radio stations in the state...
, Class of 1959 - Warren Edward Johnson, or Blue SkyBlue Sky (artist)Blue Sky is the legal name of an American painter and sculptor best known for his mural, Tunnelvision.- Biography :...
is a painter and artist famous for Tunnelvision, Class of 1966 - Michael FlessasMichael FlessasMichael C. Flessas , is the birth name of actor Michael Flessas. Flessas' most notable film role was Angry Man in the Cannes Film Festival 2000 Palme d'Or winning film Dancer in the Dark directed by Danish film director Lars von Trier. Originally, the director himself considered playing the role...
, Actor, Palme d'OrPalme d'OrThe Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
(Golden Palm) winning film Dancer in the DarkDancer in the DarkDancer in the Dark is a 2000 Danish musical drama film directed by Lars von Trier and starring Icelandic singer Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Cara Seymour, Peter Stormare, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and Joel Grey...
at the Cannes Film Festival - Sarah Gilbert Fox, National Best Selling Author, Class of 1976
- Chris PotterChris Potter (jazz saxophonist)Chris Potter is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Potter spent most of his childhood in Columbia, South Carolina where his mother taught psychology at the University of South Carolina...
, jazz saxophonist and composer, Grammy Award nominee, Class of 1989 - Anna CampAnna CampAnna Ragsdale Camp is an American stage and television actress. She is known for her role as Jill Mason in the 2008 Broadway revival of Equus and for her role as Sarah Newlin in the HBO television drama series True Blood....
, Actress; did not graduate, but attended for three years
Government
- John Martin, SC State Senator, Class of 1939/ Former Seventh Day Adventist and cobbler.
- J. Walter Bristow, State Representative and Senator, Class of 1941
- Crosby Lewis, House of RepresentatviesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, Class of 1952 - Jean H. ToalJean H. ToalJean Hoefer Toal is the first woman and the first Roman Catholic to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina....
, Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, Class of 1961 - Lonnie Randolph, SC President of the NAACP, Class of 1968
- Bob CobleBob CobleRobert D. "Bob" Coble is a former mayor of Columbia, South Carolina. Coble has been a resident of Columbia for most of his life having attended Dreher High School and graduating in 1971. He served as mayor from 1990 until 2010...
, Columbia Mayor for over 20 years, Class of 1971 - Darrell JacksonDarrell Jackson (politician)Darrell Jackson is a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 21st District since 1992.-External links:* official SC Senate website* profile*Follow the Money - Darrell Jackson** campaign contributions...
, SC State Senator, Class of 1975
Scholar/Education
- O'Neal Humphries, Dean USC School of MedicineUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, Class of 1949 - Kary MullisKary MullisKary Banks Mullis is a Nobel Prize winning American biochemist, author, and lecturer. In recognition of his improvement of the polymerase chain reaction technique, he shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Michael Smith and earned the Japan Prize in the same year. The process was first...
, Nobel Prize Laureate, Class of 1962 - Alex Sanders, 19th President of the College of CharlestonCollege of CharlestonThe College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
, Class of 1964