Louis E. Dieruff High School
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Louis E. Dieruff High School, typically referred to as Dieruff High School, is a large, urban public high school in
Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
. It is located at 815 North Irving Street in Allentown. The school serves students in grades nine through 12 from the eastern and southern parts of the city and is part of the Allentown School District. As of 2021-22, the school had 1,880 students, according to
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
data. Dieruff High School students may choose to attend
Lehigh Career and Technical Institute Lehigh Career and Technical Institute (LCTI) is a career and technical institute located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is one of the largest career and technical institutes in the United Sta ...
for vocational training in the trades. The Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit IU21 provides the district with a variety of specialized education services, including education for disabled students and hearing, speech and visual disability services and professional development for staff and faculty. The school is named after Louis E. Dieruff, a noted educator in the Allentown School District. The school mascot is an Alaskan husky named "Kiska" in honor of ten men and women captured by the Japanese on the island of Kiska in 1942 during World War II, some of whom were Allentown servicemen.


History

Construction on Louis E. Dieruff High School began in 1958. The building was initially intended to serve as an Allentown School District
junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
ntown's growing population. It opened in 1959. In 1965, the Allentown School District
planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...
was added to the building. Additional classrooms and the East Branch of the Allentown Public Library (later closed and converted to classrooms) were built and added in 1970. On September 7, 2008, just before 3pm, an EF1 about 50 yards in width touched down near the school, causing minor damage. In 2009, under the Allentown School District's Comprehensive Facilities Plan, the school launched a $28 million renovation that included the addition of the Michael P. Meilinger wing in 2009, used mostly for freshman classes.


Student demographics

The school's class size is 19.28 students per teacher as of 2021-22 versus a Pennsylvania high school average of 15 students per teacher. The student ethnicity is 60% Hispanic, 22% White, 15% Black, 2% Asian & Pacific Islander, and less than 2% and Native American & Native Alaskan. 79% of students are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch with the state average 33%. Dieruff is one of two public high schools in Allentown and primarily serves students from the eastern part of the city. Allentown's other public high school,
William Allen High School William Allen High School is one of two large, urban public high schools of the Allentown School District in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The school provides public education for grades 9 through 12. William Allen High School is located at 106 North 17 ...
, was founded in 1858 as Allentown High School and serves students from the western and central parts of the city. Dieruff is the smaller of the two schools.


Student accomplishments

Dieruff High School has had many students who have won various individual awards and competitions, including: *First place, ''
Scholastic Scrimmage ''Scholastic Scrimmage'' is a high school quiz bowl game show, launched in 1975. It airs on WLVT-TV, the PBS affiliate for the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania. The long-running show is hosted by writer and producer David Graf. Prior to fal ...
'': 1975 *Second place, ''
Scholastic Scrimmage ''Scholastic Scrimmage'' is a high school quiz bowl game show, launched in 1975. It airs on WLVT-TV, the PBS affiliate for the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania. The long-running show is hosted by writer and producer David Graf. Prior to fal ...
'': 1987 *Three straight fourth place finishes in the Pennsylvania State "We The People" Competition in Philadelphia: 2005, 2006, and 2007 *Olympiad of the Mind runners-up: 2005 *Three straight first place finishes in the Midwest Regional JROTC Drill Competition in
Galloway, Ohio Galloway is an unincorporated community west of the city of Columbus in southern Prairie Township, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 43119 ZIP Code, however (which carries a Galloway mailing address) covers a significant portion of rural ...
* Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Drill Midwest Region Champions: 2004, 2005, and 2006 *Two straight first place finishes in the Eastern Regional JROTC Drill Competition in
Sewell, New Jersey Sewell ( ) is a census-designated place and unincorporated community within Mantua Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. It is named for United States Senator William Joyce Sewell. Sewell is served as U.S. Postal Service ZIP Code 08080.< ...
: 2005 and 2006 *AFJROTC Drill Northeast Region Champions: 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006 *Second place, Group 1A Marching Band, U.S. Scholastic Band Association's Yamaha Cup. "Best Percussion," and "Best Music" awards at
Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...
in
East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.
: 2006 *First place, Group 1A Marching Band, U.S. Scholastic Band Association's Yamaha Cup.
Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...
in
East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.
: 2009 *Dieruff's 2009 yearbook, ''The 'L Edition'', was selected as a national sample and distributed to other schools as a sample of a good yearbook, and was also featured in a book displaying the best of the best from Taylor Publishing *Air Force National JROTC Drill Championship, 2nd place, Armed Regulation Drill: 2013 *Air Force National JROTC Drill Championship, 3rd place, Commanders Trophy, George Lopez, Sean Lee, and Alexander Gómez: 2013


Planetarium

Amidst
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
fears of science education inadequacy and a general interest in astronomy before the Moon landing, the Allentown School District erected a
planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...
inside Dieruff High School in 1965. Following an acrimonious budget debate in 1991, all programs that were deemed as "nonessential" were to be removed from the Allentown School District's budget, and public funding for the planetarium ended with its continued operation and upkeep left to private funding sources. In 2010, the planetarium was closed. The Allentown School District board approved a 2016-17 spending plan that added a number of teacher positions, including a planetarium director to reopen the shuttered planetarium at Dieruff High School, however the position was never filled and the Planetarium was never reopened. After an evaluation in September, the district administration determined it would have cost too much to reopen the planetarium and get it up and running.


Athletics

Dieruff High School competes athletically in the
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (known informally as EPC, EPC18 and East Penn Conference) is an athletic conference consisting of 18 large high schools from Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Pike counties in the Lehigh Valley and Pocono M ...
(EPC) in the District XI division of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, one of the premier high school athletic divisions in the nation. The school plays its home
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, and field hockey games at
J. Birney Crum Stadium J. Birney Crum Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the largest high school stadium in Pennsylvania and the 14th largest in the nation with a capacity of 15,000. The stadium serves as the home football field for eac ...
, a 15,000 capacity stadium in Allentown that is the second largest high school stadium in Pennsylvania.


Athletic accomplishments

Boys basketball *1966: District XI Champions/East Penn Conference champions *1967: District XI Champions/East Penn Conference champions *1968: District XI Champions/East Penn Conference champions *1969: District XI champions *1974: East Penn Conference *1977: District XI champions/East Penn Conference champions *1978: East Penn Conference champions *1987: East Penn Conference champions *1988: East Penn Conference champions *1997: East Penn Conference champions Girls basketball *1975: District XI champions - PIAA state champions *1976: - PIAA state champions *1983: District XI champions Football:: *1961: Lehigh Valley Big 6 champions *1964: Lehigh Valley Big 6 champions *1969: Lehigh Valley Big 8 tri-champions *1971: Lehigh Valley Big 6 champions *1977: East Penn Conference champions *1979: Undefeated champions (10-0-1), East Penn Conference. *1981: Tri-champions with ( Emmaus High School and Whitehall High School), East Penn Conference *1992: East Penn Conference champions Boys track and field *1982: undefeated champions (12-0) *1983: undefeated champions (12-0)


Mascot

The school's mascot, an Alaskan husky, is an actual husky dog named "Kiska VI" (now the sixth dog mascot so named by the school since 1959). The husky is named in honor of the ten men and women captured by the Japanese on Kiska Island in 1942 during World War II, some of whom were Allentown servicemen. Dieruff's teams are known as "Huskies".


Notable alumni

*
Joseph Atiyeh Joseph Atiyeh ( ar, جوزيف عطية, born October 8, 1957) is a retired Syrian wrestler and the winner of Syria's first Olympic medal. Early life Atiyeh was born in Amar al-Husn, Homs Governorate, Syria. His parents immigrated to Allent ...
, former Olympic silver medalist, wrestling,
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
*
Jeff Bleamer Jeff Bleamer (born June 22, 1953) is a former American football tackle and guard. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1975 to 1976 and for the New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Ne ...
, former professional football player,
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
and Philadelphia Eagles * Rick Braun, smooth jazz musician *
Eddie Mast Eddie Mast (October 3, 1948 – October 18, 1994) was an American professional basketball player who played for the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Mast played collegiately for Temple ...
, former professional basketball player, Atlanta Hawks and
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
*
Sally McNeil Sally McNeil (born September 30, 1960) is an American former professional bodybuilder, who was convicted for the murder of her husband Ray McNeil, a Mr. Olympia competitor. Early life and education McNeil was born Sally Dempsey in Allentown, Penns ...
, former amateur bodybuilder, erotic wrestler, and murderer *
Andre Reed Andre Darnell Reed (born January 29, 1964) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Kutztown and was selected b ...
, former professional football player,
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
and Washington Redskins, and Pro Football Hall of Fame member *
Bob Riedy Robert F. Riedy (born August 26, 1945) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. Riedy played high school basketball at Dieruff High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania and then collegiately at Duke ...
, former professional basketball player,
Houston Mavericks The Houston Mavericks were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in the upstart league's first two seasons, from 1967 to 1969. Their home arena was the Sam Houston Coliseum. In 1947–48, there was an unrela ...
* Roman Urbanczuk, former professional soccer player, Cleveland Force,
Pennsylvania Stoners The Pennsylvania Stoners were an American soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007, the team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in ...
, and Philadelphia Fever


Notable faculty and coaches

*
Eddie Mast Eddie Mast (October 3, 1948 – October 18, 1994) was an American professional basketball player who played for the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Mast played collegiately for Temple ...
(head basketball coach from 1983 to 1985), former professional basketball player, Atlanta Hawks and
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...


Alma mater

''Dieruff High School, be our stay, wearing proudly Blue and Gray! May we for thy spirit yearn; Help us e’er to seek and learn.'' ''Now, hail our Alma Mater strong And may we proudly say: To you we ever will belong! We salute you, Blue and Gray!'' ''Though our days we'll ne'er forget, standards you have firmly set! Hon'ring you we'll always try to live alright o Dieruff high.'' ''Now, hail our Alma Mater strong And may we proudly say: To you we ever will belong! We salut you, Blue and Gray!''


References


External links


Official website

Dieruff High School athletics
official website
Dieruff High School
on Facebook
Dieruff High School
on Twitter
Dieruff High School profile
at
Niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

Dieruff High School sports coverage
at '' The Express-Times'' {{authority control 1959 establishments in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1959 Public high schools in Pennsylvania Schools in Allentown, Pennsylvania