Dedham High School

1800s As early as 1827, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts required all towns with more than 500 families to establish a free public high school. Classes began at 140 Whiting Avenue in 1959, and continue to the present. The building cost $2 million to construct, but even before the building opened town officials knew that it would be too small to house all of the students of the post-war baby boom. An addition to this building was constructed in 1967, which consisted of a new academic wing with 28 new classrooms and an additional gymnasium. Plans also included the construction of a new athletic practice field and tennis courts along High Street. Land was taken by eminent domain for the expansion, including the mansion once owned by R.O. Storrs. In 1976 a new library, a larger cafeteria, modern science laboratories, swimming pool, and more classrooms were added. The old cafeteria was converted into an auto body shop, and is currently the home of the town's Facilities Department. The library was renovated and expanded in 1999, and the C-Wing of the school was renovated with state-of-the-art new science labs in 2002. The superintendent and other central administrators have offices in renovated classrooms in the B-wing, and the town's Youth Commission has offices in the A-wing. Principals There have been 18 principals of Dedham High School, a position currently held by James Forrest. The longest serving was Carlos Slafter, who served for 40 years, and who hired his own daughter as a teacher. Peter Smith served twice, from 1976 to 1987 and from 1997 to 2000. MCAS Between 2006 and 2013, scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System improved 20%. In 2012, 91% of students scored proficient or higher on the English Language Arts portion. For the math and science portions, the numbers were 89% and 79%, respectively, both of which were at least 10% higher than the state as a whole. In the biology subject exam, Dedham High School has ranked as one of the best in the state, with three students earning perfect scores. College courses Students taking some honors or AP courses can dual-enroll for college credit at the nearby Massachusetts Bay Community College. The three credits can then be transferred to another state college or some private colleges, allowing students to place out of those classes in college. Courses eligible for dual enrollment include English 4, calculus, pre-calculus, world and U.S. history, psychology, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and environmental earth science. Mass Math + Science Initiative More than 260 sophomores, juniors, and seniors, which amounts to nearly half of those classes, are taking at least one Advanced Placement course. In 2009 the school joined the Mass Math + Science Initiative, a program sponsored by Mass Insight Education, and by 2012 the number of students who have scored a qualifying score on the exam had risen by 57%. By 2013, the number of qualifying scores had risen 68% to 141. During the 2015–16 school year, 26.6 percent of students took at least one AP exam. Technology The town of Dedham has made a substantial commitment to making sure every student has access to the latest educational technology. Beginning in 2011, each incoming freshman was provided with a new netbook computer to use in class and take home at night. While the computers remain the property of the school district, students are responsible for them. As the district has a policy of replacing computers every five years, and since one of the machines would be nearly depreciated by the time a student is graduated four years later, the district allows students to keep the computers after commencement. The original plan was to provide each new freshman with a netbook until, four years later, the entire school would be outfitted with them. In the 2012–2013 school year freshmen were given netbooks, while sophomores received iPads. The schedule was accelerated beginning with the 2013–2014 school year, when freshmen received netbooks while all sophomores, juniors, and seniors received iPads. Eventually all students will be issued iPads. Parents are asked to pay a $100 technology fee to help cover the cost of the equipment. However, for students who receive free or reduced price lunch, the fee is waived. The program may be extended in future years to include middle school students as well. Dedham Storytellers In 2017, the Dedham Storytellers initiative was founded as a collaboration between students in Michael Mederios' history class at Dedham High School, the Dedham Rotary Club, the Dedham Historical Society, the Dedham Council on Aging, and the Dedham High School Alumni Association. Students interviewed senior citizens who grew up in Dedham over a series of three lunches and a trip to the Historical Society. They then wrote three essays: an autobiography, a biography of the senior citizen they interviewed, and an essay about how their lives compare to those who grew up in town generations earlier. In 2025, the fifth collection of essays, which is stored at the Historical Society, was produced. ==Athletics==