William L. Dickinson High School is a four-year comprehensive community

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in Jersey City,

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States, serving students in ninth through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s as part of the

Jersey City Public Schools The Jersey City Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant ...

. Dickinson occupies a prominent location on

Bergen Hill Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet. Rai ...

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 Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1929.William L. Dickinson High School
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 13, 2022. As of the 2020–21 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,878 students and 131.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.3:1. There were 1,123 students (59.8% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with th ...

and 79 (4.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for William L Dickinson High School
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.

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 The Siemens Competition was a science competition for US high school students funded by the Siemens Foundation, which was administered by the College Board from 1999-2013 and by Discovery Education from 2014–2017. The Siemens Foundation releas ...

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 Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

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.Dickinson High School
Accessed January 6, 2007. 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 Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

. The original school was expanded with the construction of a second building in 1912 to further industrial skills education. This building contained a

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

, print shop, and vocational classrooms.Goodnough, Abby
"Once Upon a Time, When High Schools Were Palaces"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', October 6, 1996. Accessed August 20, 2014. "Ninety years ago, an enormous Beaux Arts building went up on a hill overlooking the Hudson River. It had Corinthian columns, terrazzo floors and a vestibule lined with English marble. It could have passed for a palace, or at least a palatial estate. But it was neither. It was, in fact, William L. Dickinson High School, the first public secondary school in Jersey City." In 1913, the school was renamed William L. Dickinson High School for the

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

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. That same year, Lincoln High School was opened as the second high school in the district, as part of an effort to provide additional capacity outside of Dickinson. The rear of the building is the site of a late 1800s-era cannon mount built to protect the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

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 RamsWilliam L. Dickinson High School
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the

Hudson County Interscholastic League The Hudson County Interscholastic League (formerly known as the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association) is a New Jersey high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Asso ...

, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Hudson County and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). With 1,342 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Ivy Red division of the

North Jersey Super Football Conference The North Jersey Super Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in New Jersey. The 115-team league was formed in 2016. History The NJSFC consists of nearly all of the football playing members of four conferences that w ...

, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The football team is one of the 12 programs assigned to the two Ivy divisions starting in 2020, which are intended to allow weaker programs ineligible for playoff participation to compete primarily against each other. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2022–2024. In 1930,

Walt Singer Walter Wallace Singer (December 6, 1911 – February 5, 1992) was an American college football player at Syracuse University, and a professional football player in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was also a sub-novice Int ...

(as an end) and his identical twin brother Milton (at running back) led the Dickinson football team to a 9–0 record as it became the second-ever

Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association The Hudson County Interscholastic League (formerly known as the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association) is a New Jersey high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Asso ...

champion. The Dickinson Rams football team had been led by head coach

Rich Glover Richard Edward Glover (born February 6, 1950) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska under head c ...

who had played 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 team was re-established in 2012 after a few years in hiatus; the varsity was scheduled to 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' cross country team won the Group IV state title 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 boys track team won the indoor relay championship in Group IV in 1966 and 1967 The boys' basketball team won the 2000 North I, Group IV sectional title, 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 principal is Gekson Casillas. His core administration team includes four vice principals.About Us
William L. Dickinson High School. Accessed February 13, 2022.

Notable alumni

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

(born 1973), recording artist. *

Paul Berezney Paul Lawrence Berezney (born September 25, 1915 – March 29, 1990) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He played 31 games for the Green Bay Packers between 1942 and 1944, starting in 23. Berezney was the st ...

(1915–1990), offensive tackle who played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers between 1942 and 1944. *

Pete Berezney Peter James Berezney (November 14, 1923 – October 13, 2008) was an American football tackle who played two seasons in the All-America Football Conference with the Los Angeles Dons and Baltimore Colts. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the ...

(1923–2008), tackle who played two seasons in the All-America Football Conference with the

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first pr ...

and Baltimore Colts. * Bob Bessoir (1932–2020),

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach who spent his career at the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...

, where he won 552 games and two

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...

national championships. * Al Blozis (1919–1945), player for the New York Giants killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. * Nate Borden (born 1932),

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the Green Bay Packers and the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

of the NFL from 1955 to 1962. * John Matthew Cannella (1908–1996), offensive lineman for the New York Giants, later United States federal judge. *

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...

(1910–1975), actor in more than 100 films. * Dominick V. Daniels (1908-1987, class of 1925) politician who represented New Jersey's 14th congressional district from 1959–1977. *

The Duprees The Duprees are an American musical group of doo-wop style who had a series of top-ten singles in the early 1960s. Their highest-charting single, " You Belong to Me" reached No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1962. In 1970, they recorded as ...

, 60s group formed by students from the school. * Michael P. Esposito (1913-1988), politician who served five terms in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

. *

Dom Flora Dominick Anthony Flora (June 12, 1935 – July 5, 2021) was an All-American college basketball standout at Washington and Lee University (W&L), located in Lexington, Virginia. Flora played for the W&L Generals from 1954–55 to 1957–58. Dom F ...

(born 1935), basketball player for

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

from 1954 to 1958 who graduated as

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I's fifth–highest scorer. *

Ed Franco Edmondo Guido Armando Franco (April 24, 1915 – November 18, 1992) was a professional American football player. He earned fame as one of the legendary Seven Blocks of Granite and played professionally for the Boston Yanks. He was inducted int ...

(1915–1992), played football on the 1936 Fordham University team as one of the "

Seven Blocks of Granite The Seven Blocks of Granite were the Fordham University football team's offensive line under head coach "Sleepy" Jim Crowley and line coach Frank Leahy. The individuals identified among the Seven Blocks of Granite were Leo Paquin, Johnny Druze ...

". * James J. Galdieri (1900–1948), served in the

. *

Jason Genao Jason Genao (born ) is an American actor. He is best known for his appearance as the character Ruby Martinez on the Netflix show '' On My Block''.Contreras, Russell"Netflix's 'On My Block' hits race, poverty with teen humor" ''The Santa Fe New Me ...

(born 1996), actor. *

Archimedes Giacomantonio Archimedes Aristedes Michael Giacomantonio (January 17, 1906 – October 19, 1988) was an American sculptor. He was also known as Jock Manton, a corruption of his surname. During his career he was commissioned to create works in Hudson County, New ...

(1906–1988), sculptor who was best known for his busts of noted figures. * Don Holder (1928-2015, class of 1946),

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

who competed in eight events at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

. * Johnny Kucks (1932-2013), MLB pitcher for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

and

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 sea ...

. * George McAneny (1869-1953), newspaperman and municipal reformer, who served as Manhattan Borough President from 1910 to 1913 and

New York City Comptroller The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...

in 1933. * Lillian Morrison (1917-2014), poet, author and librarian. *

Mary Teresa Norton Mary Teresa Norton (née Hopkins; March 7, 1875 – August 2, 1959) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented Jersey City and Bayonne in the United States House of Representatives from 1925 to 1951. She was the first woman ...

(1875–1959), served 13 consecutive terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, from 1925 to 1951. * Ralph Peduto (1942–2014), film, theater and television actor, who was inducted into the Dickinson High School Hall of Fame in 2000. *

Randolph Perkins Randolph Perkins (November 30, 1871 – May 25, 1936) was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1936. Early life and caree ...

(1871-1936), politician who represented

New Jersey's 6th congressional district New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Democrat Frank Pallone, who has served the district in Congress since 1993. The district includes the northern and eastern portions of Middlesex County and the coastal areas of Monmou ...

from 1921 to 1936. *

Mary Philbrook Mary Philbrook (1872-1958) was the first female attorney in New Jersey, and the first female to be admitted to the bar association in New Jersey. The New Jersey Supreme Court initially refused Philbrook's petition in 1894 on the grounds that no ...

(1872–1958), first female attorney in New Jersey. * Eliu Rivera, politician who served on the Hudson County

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

. *

Michelle Rodriguez Mayte Michelle Rodriguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress. Rodriguez began her career in 2000, playing a troubled boxer in the independent sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), where she won the Independent Spirit Award and Gotha ...

(born 1978), actress who dropped out in ninth grade, later calling Dickinson "a terrible school!" *

Eddie August Schneider Eddie August Henry Schneider (October 20, 1911 – December 23, 1940) was an American aviator who set three transcontinental airspeed records for pilots under the age of twenty-one in 1930. His plane was a Cessna Model AW with a Warner-Sca ...

(1911–1940), pilot who set the transcontinental air speed record in 1930 for pilots under the age of 21. * Alexander Simpson (1872–1953), politician who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. *

(1911–1992), end for the New York Giants of the NFL from 1935 to 1936. * Joe Sulaitis (born 1921),

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

for the New York Giants of the NFL from 1943 to 1953. * Kenneth A. Walsh (1916-1998, class of 1933),

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

lieutenant colonel and a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

recipient. *

Alex Weyand Alexander Mathias "Babe" Weyand (January 10, 1892 – May 10, 1982) was an American football player, Olympic Games, Olympian, United States Army, Army Officer (armed forces), officer and sports historian. He was elected to the College Football H ...

(1891-1982), college football player, Olympic wrestler,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer and sports historian. *

Henry Wittenberg Henry Wittenberg (September 18, 1918 – March 9, 2010) was an American wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling. He won two Olympic medals and was the first American wrestler after 1908 to achieve this feat. Wittenberg at one ...

(1918–2010), Olympic gold (1948) and silver (1952) medalist in

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestli ...

Notable faculty

* John C. White (born 1975), the

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

state education superintendent since 2012, taught English at Dickinson from 1998 to 2001.Meyer, Peter
"The New Superintendent of Schools for New Orleans; Education Next Issue Cover: A conversation with John White"
''

Education Next The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, an ...

'', Fall 2011. Accessed August 20, 2014. "TFA sent White to Jersey City, to 3,000-student Dickinson High School, overlooking the Holland Tunnel, where he taught English for three years and learned that 'there are a lot of challenges and we shouldn't kid ourselves....'"

References

External links

William L. Dickinson High School

Jersey City Public Schools
*
Data for William L. Dickinson High School
National Center for Education Statistics
DHS January 1955 48th Reunion Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickinson, William L. 1906 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1906 High schools in Jersey City, New Jersey Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools National Register of Historic Places in Hudson County, New Jersey Public high schools in Hudson County, New Jersey School buildings completed in 1906 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places