Delta High School (Muncie, Indiana)

Delta High School, also known as the University of Delta High School, is a public high school located in Muncie, Indiana. The school serves about 800 students in grades 9 to 12. The towns of Eaton, Albany, DeSoto and Royerton are also serviced by Delta High School.

History

Delta High School was created in June 1967 when DeSoto, Eaton, and Royerton High Schools consolidated to form Delaware Metropolitan School District.

A committee of students from each school met to decide the school's name, colors, mascot, and to write the school's song.

Delta, was chosen for it was the Greek letter "D" which was written as a triangle. The students felt that this symbol was appropriate for the three consolidated schools. The name Delta also contained the word Delaware which the students also felt was important to have in the name.

The Eagle mascot was also chosen following the Greek motif by choosing Zeus's symbol of power and strength. Navy blue and gold were chosen for the school colors. An original school song written by Mary Jolliffe Kraack, 1968, was selected by the committee.

Albany High School joined the Delaware Metropolitan School District in 1968 and the school district's name was changed to Delaware Community School Corporation.

In 1968, the DARE Eagle was designed and became the official mascot for Delta because the students of Delta High School DARE to be outstanding in all areas. The letters in the word DARE were from the first letter in each of the four consolidated schools. D for DeSoto, A for Albany, R for Royerton, and E for Eaton.

The ground was broken for the new school building in March 1972. In September 1974 the new Delta High School was opened.

Delta High School was remodeled in 1992. It was once again remodeled in 2007 due to a mold problem.^[2] It also had many structural issues (leaks in the ceilings, etc.) and mold problems circa 2004-2007, but recent remodeling has hopefully helped to remedy this issue.

As of 2012 the principal is Chris Conley.^[3]

Competitions won

• 2009 Class 3A State Volleyball Champions
• 2009 National Volleyball Player of the Year Darcy Dorton
• 2009 Class 3A Final Four Team in Basketball
• 2009 State Runner-Up Interpretive Dance Squad
• 2005 Ergonomic Salvia Agricultural Experimentation Winner
• 2002 3A State Champions in Basketball
• 1997 State Runner-up in Single-Class Basketball
• 1981-1985 Wrestling Team State Champions
• 1995-2009 Fifteen Consecutive Regional Boys Tennis Championships
• 42 All-State Players in Boys and Girls Tennis
• Technology Engineering Program - Project Lead the Way
• Only School in the County with an FFA program and greenhouse
• 2009 Academic Team Runner-up of 16 schools in Ball State's Cardinal Quiz Bowl
• 2005 Winner of Milken Educator Award, Lance Brand
• 25 Hours of Dual-Credit College Courses
• 2001 Class 4A State Football runner-up
• Three Time State Title Holder in 100-meter dash, Christina Poulson
• 2001 and 2002 Class 3A State Volleyball Champions

Athletics

Delta High School is a member of the IHSAA. The school's mascot is the Eagle and the school's colors are Navy Blue, Gold, and White.^[4][5]

Delta High School is part of the Hoosier Heritage Conference. Their rivals are the Yorktown Tigers located in nearby Yorktown, Indiana.

Extracurricular activities

Agriculture Department

Delta High School is the only school that has an Agriculture Department in Delaware County. There are more than 200 students that participate in the Ag Department.

It includes classes such as Greenhouse, Ag Mechanics, Animal Science, Landscaping, Natural Resources, Small Engines, and Welding. Agriculture Department teacher Nancy Kunk co-sponsor the FFA, which involves about 50 students. These students participate in National FFA week petting zoo, county fair young McDonalds Farm, Adopt a Highway, and Albany Halloween parade. FFA members also participate in contests such as soil judging, small engines, welding, Horse and Pony, Crops, Forestry, landscaping, mechanics, livestock, and dairy.

The Ag Department provides opportunities for students who want to be in agriculture-related careers the experience they need to go to college and other places. The department maintains its own greenhouse, which helps with the flowers and landscaping of the school.

Dual Credit Classes

Delta High School offers 25 hours of dual credit classes. Dual credit classes are courses that give students a credit for both high school and college. The dual credit classes that will be offered in Fall 2008 are Anatomy 201, Biology 100, Math 165, Physics 110, English 103, History 150. In the Spring 2009, the classes will include Physics 112 and English 104.The college credits are for Ball State University, and the credits can be transferred to most other colleges in Indiana, with the exception of the University of Notre Dame and Wabash College. A typical college class is one semester long, but three of the dual classes (English 103 and 104, Physics 110 and 112, and History 150) actually follow that protocol. Others are full-year courses.

Student Publications

The Eagle's Eye Magazine

The Eagle's Eye newsmagazine is the Delta High School newspaper. It has a full-color cover and 28+ pages, including sections of color. The magazine includes stories on students and about topics that appeal to students. The staff makes 5 to 6 magazines a year. Delta is one of the only schools in East Central Indiana to produce a magazine. The Eagle's Eye staff also often writes the news for the school's webpage.

WWDS and Eagle Zone News

WWDS is the name of the former radio station of Delta High School. It is now the name taken over by the television news crew that writes, produces, and performs its own news cast for the daily announcements. The station is currently advised by teacher Tim Cleland. The production group that works inside the studio is known as the Eagle Zone News team.

Alumni

• Matt Painter - Head basketball coach at Purdue University.^[6]
• Zach McIlwain, national veteran advocate.^[7]

See also

• List of high schools in Indiana
• Hoosier Heritage Conference
• Muncie, Indiana

References

External links

• Delta High School website