Alexis I. duPont High School is a public high school located in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. It is one of the five high schools in the Red Clay Consolidated School District. There were 1,062 students enrolled in the fall for the 2016-2017 school year. http://www.edline.net/pages/RCAIMS/History
Founded in 1893, Alexis I. duPont (A.I.) moved to its current location in 1966, when the old high school was re-purposed as a middle school to handle grades 5 through 8. The students of A.I. come from Wilmington and its suburbs, including Hockessin, Centreville, Elsmere, Greenville, and Newport.
Academics
AI DuPont High School presents Little Shop of Horrors - Description.
In 2008, A.I. ranked #388 in Newsweek's top 1300 high schools, which uses a ratio of the number of AP, IB and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school divided by the number of graduating seniors.
Every year before graduation, an awards night honors A.I.'s top students. The highest award presented is the prestigious Kuespert Excelsior Award, given to a graduating senior who best exemplifies the ideals of the school, through excellence in academics, leadership, community service, and athleticism.
A.I. is the only school in the state of Delaware with a working observatory, which is used by the earth sciences class and the astronomy club.
Athletics
A.I., a member of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association, participates in Flight A of the Blue Hen Conference. The school competes in many sports. In 2007, A.I. sent four Spring Track women athletes, three seniors and a sophomore, to the National Track and Field Championships in North Carolina for the 4x400 meter race. In 2009, the A.I. football team went 10-0, outscoring opponents 380-20. In 2010 the A.I. boys' track team became 2010 Division One State Champions. In 2011 the girls soccer team defeated rival Charter School of Wilmington to win the State Championship.
A.I. participates in the following DIAA sports:
- Cross country
- Soccer
- Football
- Field hockey
- Volleyball
- Basketball
- Swimming
- Diving
- Wrestling
- Indoor track
- Baseball
- Tennis
- Track and field
- Lacrosse
- Softball
- Golf
A.I. also has an ice hockey team, although it is not an official DIAA sport. The team participates in the Delaware Scholastic Hockey Association league, which plays at the Pond Ice Arena.
Clubs
- Academic Bowl
- Amnesty International
- Anime Club
- Astronomy Club
- Book club
- Bowling Club
- Blue/Gold Club
- Class Boards
- Drama Club
- Environmental Action Club
- Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America
- Fencing Club
- Gay-Straight Alliance
- Habitat for Humanity
- International Club
- Journalism: Tiger Pause
- Key Club
- Literary Magazine: Roar
- Math League
- Mock trial
- Multicultural Dance Club
- National Honor Society
- Nature and Garden Club
- Photography Club
- Science Olympiad
- Student Council
- Yearbook: The Alexis
- Young Republicans
Music
The 210 member (as of the 09-10 school year) Tiger Marching Band has a history of participation in musical, cultural and sports events across the nation and the globe. The Tigers appeared in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004, and 2008; they are one of three bands outside California to take part five times. Other notable appearances by the Tiger Marching Band include parades for the inauguration of Jimmy Carter, the Inauguration of Barack Obama; the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl (2006, 2010); the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland (1993, 1997, 2000, and 2003); and New Year's Day Parades in London (1989, 1992, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2012, and 2017) and Rome (2007). The Tiger Marching Band has attended the 6abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia and the Latin American and Christmas Parades in Wilmington for many years. The band is a student-run organization in which students, specifically an executive board of seniors, make nearly all of the governing decisions.
Vocal music at A.I. comprises several different ensembles, including a concert and a chamber choir, designed to meet the variety of needs, talents, and interests of high school vocalists. The program has evolved from what was once an after-school, Tuesday night elective as recently as 1996 to a formidable collection of high school ensembles.
The band director, Paul L. Parets, who taught band at the high school since 1976, retired in the spring of 2012. The band is now directed by Richard F. Weaver III.
Notable alumni
- Jim Bundren, NFL player
- Vincenza Carrieri-Russo (2003), Miss Delaware USA 2008
- Mangesh Hattikudur (1997), co-founder of mental floss magazine
- Henry Milligan (1977), professional boxer
- Jamie Natalie (1997), alternate to the 2000 U.S. Men's Olympic gymnastic team
- Jeremy O'Keefe (1998), filmmaker
- Judge Reinhold, actor, attended A.I. for 9th and 10th grade
- Leo E. Strine, Jr. (1982), Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Delaware
- Melody Woodin (2004), model
- CJ Jones (2010), college football player
- Quadree Henderson (2015), college football player
References
External links
- School website
- Tiger Bands website
- Tiger Athletics homepage
History: http://www.edline.net/pages/RCAIMS/History