Upper Darby High School (UDHS) is a four-year public high school located in

Upper Darby Township Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth most populous city as of 2020 with 1.6 million residents. As of the 2020 cen ...

, Delaware County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States, as part of the

Upper Darby School District Upper Darby School District (UDSD) is a large public school district of approximately 12,000 students in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It consists of an area including Upper Darby Township, Clifton Heights borough, an ...

. UDHS is also the oldest high school in Delaware County, having been established in 1895. As of the 2019-2020 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,845 students and 233.23 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 16.49. The population is diverse, with over 55 nationalities of students. It has a long-established football rivalry with

Monsignor Bonner High School Monsignor Bonner High School was an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Bo ...

, located less than a block away. Upper Darby High School was a part of the inspiration for Upper Darby alumna

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...

's movie comedy ''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fe ...

''. The mascot of Upper Darby High is the Royal, which is portrayed as a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

. In previous years, it was a court jester. The school emblem is the royal oak tree, the yearbook is named the Oak, and the newspaper is called the Acorn. An Acorn award is rewarded every year at the UDAEF Sweet Night Out Foundation Ball in February. Upper Darby Senior High School is one of the largest high schools in Pennsylvania by enrollment. The High School is also home to the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, and the Summer Stage program.

Campus

The campus is adjacent to, but not within, the

Drexel Hill Drexel Hill is a neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) located in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The population was 29,181 at the 2020 census, up from 28,043 at the 2010 census, and accounting for over a third of Upper Darby's population. G ...

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

. It has a Drexel Hill postal address.

Demographics

Arts

Upper Darby High School is home to the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, a nearly 1,800-seat theater that hosts not only school functions, but also between 200 and 400 events annually. During the summer, the arts center hosts the largest summer theater group in Delaware County: Summer Stage, with over 200 participants in multiple musicals. Harry Dietzler founded the Summer Stage program in 1976.

Extracurriculars

Upper Darby High School offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive sports program.

Sports

Upper Darby sports teams compete in the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

. The District funds: *Boys Sports: **Baseball – AAAA **Basketball – AAAAA **Cross Country – AAA **Football – AAAA **Golf – AAA **Indoor Track and Field – AAAA **Lacrosse – AAAA **Soccer – AAA **Swimming and Diving -AAA **Tennis – AAA **Track and Field – AAA **Wrestling – AAA *Girls Sports: **Basketball – AAAA **Cheerleading – AAAA **Cross Country – AAA **Field Hockey – AAA **Golf – AAA **Indoor Track and Field – AAAA **Lacrosse – AAAA **Soccer (Fall) – AAA **Softball – AAAA **Swimming and Diving – AAA **Girls' Tennis – AAA **Track and Field – AAA **Volleyball – AAA According to PIAA directory July 2012

Notable alumni

Upper Darby High School's Wall of Fame committee recognizes individuals who have become leaders in their industries. Wall of Fame members are noted by WoF after their information. Jim-Croce-r01

Lloyd Alexander Lloyd Chudley Alexander (January 30, 1924 – May 17, 2007) was an American author of more than 40 books, primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults. Over his seven-decade career, Alexander wrote 48 books, and his work has been tran ...

; Class of 1940: Fantasy writer, author of the books forming the basis for Disney's '' The Black Cauldron''. WoF *

Keith Andes Keith Andes (born John Charles Andes, July 12, 1920 – November 11, 2005) was an American film, radio, musical theater, stage and television actor. Early life The son of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Andes, Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

; Class of 1938: Broadway and film actor. * Mario J. Civera, Jr.; Class of 1965: Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives WoF *

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pa ...

; Class of 1960: Singer-songwriter, one Number 1 album. WoF first Wall of Famer *

Mark Cronin Mark Cronin is an American television producer and writer. Biography Cronin grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Upper Darby High School and the University of Pennsylvania. At the former, he earned ...

; Class of 1982: Creator and producer of many VH1 shows, including Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, Rock of Love Charm School, I Love Money, The Surreal Life, etc. WoF *

Heather Donahue Rei Hance (born Heather Donahue; December 22, 1974) is an American writer, businesswoman, and retired actress. She is known for her roles as Heather in the 1999 film ''The Blair Witch Project'' and Mary Crawford in the miniseries '' Taken.'' Hanc ...

; Class of 1991: Star of ''

The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez (director), Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Mic ...

'' and '' Taken''. *

; Class of 1988: Senior writer, ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

''. Scriptwriter and co-star, ''

'' and the TV show

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...

. Notable player in the 2008 presidential campaign because of her impersonation of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

. WoF *

D'or Fischer D'or Anthony Naheem Fischer (born October 12, 1981) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Elitzur Eito Ashkelon of the Israeli National League. He has also represented the senior Israeli national team. Standing at , he plays ...

(born 1981), Israeli-American basketball player in the Israeli National League *

Derek Frey Derek Frey (born April 23, 1973) is an American film producer and director who is the current head of Tim Burton Productions and Lazer Film Productions. He has been a producer on numerous Tim Burton-directed films including ''Miss Peregrine's H ...

, Class of 1991, film director and producer, produced several

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...

films. * D. Barry Gibbons; member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, Delaware County from 1961 to 1962 *

Kermit Gordon Kermit Gordon (July 3, 1916 – June 21, 1976) was Director of the United States Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget) (December 28, 1962 – June 1, 1965) during the administration of John F. Kennedy. He continued to serve ...

; Class of 1933: President of the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ec ...

, a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, and former Director of the United States Bureau of the Budget WoF *

Jeff LaBar Jeffrey Philip LaBar (March 18, 1963 – July 14, 2021) was an American guitarist in the glam metal band Cinderella (band), Cinderella, in which he replaced original guitarist Michael Schermick. During Cinderella's temporary break-up in the mid- ...

; best known for being the guitarist for the band

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

Simoni Lawrence Simoni Lawrence (born February 1, 1989) is an American-born Canadian football linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Minnesota. Professional career St. Louis Rams Lawrence was ...

; Class of 2006: Professional football player. Currently plays with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the Canadian Football League * Bob Lloyd; Class of 1963; NCAA First Team All-American and then

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

player * F. Joseph Loeper; Class of 1962: Former majority leader of the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

WoF *

David MacAdam David Lewis MacAdam (July 1, 1910 – March 9, 1998) was an American physicist and color scientist who made important contributions to color science and technology in the fields of colorimetry, color discrimination, color photography and televisi ...

; Class of 1928: Discoverer of

MacAdam ellipse In the study of color vision, a MacAdam ellipse is a region on a chromaticity diagram which contains all colors which are indistinguishable, to the average human eye, from the color at the center of the ellipse. The contour of the ellipse therefore ...

s; former head of image structure at

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

Research Laboratory, former President of

Optical Society of America Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...

Shannon Meehan Shannon P. Meehan is a public speaker, author of a critically acclaimed memoir and spokesman for veterans' issues. He is a retired captain in the United States Army. He was a tank platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division. He served with the U ...

; Class of 2001:

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

veteran, author, disabled Veterans activist. WoF * Terrence J. Nolen; Class of 1981: Artistic director of the

Arden Theatre Company (Philadelphia) The Arden Theatre Company is a full-service professional regional theatre located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offering theatrical and educational productions and programs to artists, audiences, and students of the greater Philadelphia region. ...

Dorothy Germain Porter Dorothy Germain Porter (April 3, 1924 – July 20, 2012) was an American amateur golfer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dorothy Germain began playing golf at 11. She graduated from Arcadia University, Beaver College (now Arcadia University), ...

; Class of 1943: Amateur golfer, winner – U.S. Women's Amateur in 1949, U.S. Senior Women's Amateur in 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983. WoF * Jack Ramsay; Class of 1942:

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

coach,

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

1992, seventh-winningest coach in NBA history WoF *

Maaly Raw Jamaal Talib Henry (born September 26, 1994), known professionally as Maaly Raw, is an American record producer and songwriter. He gained prominence in 2016 as the architect behind some of fellow Philadelphia native Lil Uzi Vert's most popular s ...

; Professional hip hop producer. Having worked with Lil Uzi Vert, Kur and others *

Todd Rucci Todd Rucci (born July 14, 1970) is a former professional American football player who played guard for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1993 to 2000. He was a starter in Super Bowl XXXI for the New England Patriots. R ...

; Class of 1988: Played for the

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Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

; Class of 1966: Musician and award-winning record producer * Alvin Sargent; Class of 1945: Two-time Academy Award winner for screenplays (''

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

'' and ''

Ordinary People ''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of an upper ...

''). WoF *Jerome Socolovsky; Class of 1982: journalist, radio correspondent formerly with National Public Radio

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

and currently with

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

(VOA). * "Uncle" Marty Stern; Class of 1954: Coach, best known for his success with the women's cross country team at Villanova. WoF *

George Wackenhut George Russell Wackenhut, (September 3, 1919 December 31, 2004) was the founder of the Wackenhut private security corporation. Biography George Russell Wackenhut was the son of William and Frances (Hogan) Wackenhut. He grew up in Upper Darby, o ...

; Class of 1937: Founder of Wackenhut Corp, major security contractor WoF * Floyd Wedderburn; Class of 1994: Played for the

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* Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh; Class of 1961:

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

. One of only 22 female sheriffs in the US WoF * William Wharton; Class of 1943: Writer, best known for his first novel '' Birdy'', which was also successful as a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. WoF

References

External links

*
Upper Darby Performing Arts CenterDelaware County IU 25Delaware County Technical High SchoolDelaware County Workforce Investment Board
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1895 Public high schools in Pennsylvania Schools in Delaware County, Pennsylvania 1895 establishments in Pennsylvania