Hillhouse High School

History

Established in 1859 as New Haven High School, Hillhouse High School is New Haven's oldest public high school. Originally located on Orange Street, it adopted its nickname, "The Academics", in acknowledgment of its close association with Yale University.

In 1863, the school was moved to a building at Orange and Wall Streets, which was replaced in 1871 by a new school.

The school is named in honor of James Hillhouse of New Haven, who represented Connecticut in the U.S. Congress in the early years of the United States' existence as a nation, serving as both a Representative and a Senator.

For many years, Hillhouse served not only New Haven but also suburban towns around the city that did not have high schools of their own. Its peak enrollment was nearly 5,000 students, when the school had to conduct double sessions to accommodate the large enrollment.

Statistics

The school includes grades 9 through 12 and enrolls approximately 1,000 students.

Athletics

Hillhouse became involved in athletic competition as early as 1866, when some boys formed a club to play a sport that is described as having "resembled rugby and soccer." By 1884, students were participating in several sports, including modern football, which had been invented by Walter Camp of New Haven. Team competition in baseball, tennis, ice hockey, indoor polo and yacht racing also had been established around this time. Basketball was introduced around the beginning of the 20th century.

Hillhouse football teams have won 17 state championships, ranking the school third in the state for football championships. The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have a combined total 33 state championships. 24 for the boys and 9 for the girls. The boys’ and girls’ track teams also have more than 25 state championships between them. The Academics also have won state championships in baseball, swimming, ice hockey and tennis.

In 1999, a grant was provided by the Connecticut Association of Schools to construct a fieldhouse for sports. Construction was finished in 2002, and it was named the New Haven Athletic Center, later to become the Floyd Little Athletic Center in 2011. The 115000 sqft Athletic Center houses events for basketball, indoor track, and tennis. It has a capacity of 3,500 seats.

In 2016, the school inaugurated a new football field, Bowen field.

The school's official colors are blue and white and the mascot is a bulldog due to the school's early close association with Yale University. The school competes in the Hammonasset Division of the Southern Connecticut Conference and the sports offered are:

Fall

• Football
• Boys' Soccer (co-op with Hill Regional Career High School)
• Girls' Soccer (co-op with Wilbur Cross High School)
• Cross Country
• Cheerleading
• Volleyball

Winter

• Boys' Basketball
• Girls' Basketball
• Indoor Track

Spring

• Baseball
• Softball
• Golf
• Outdoor Track

The school is known for having one of the best Basketball teams in the state winning the state championship many years.

Notable alumni

• Bob Barthelson, baseball pitcher
• Albie Booth, football player
• Ernest Borgnine, actor
• Raymond C. Bowen, president of LaGuardia Community College
• Joseph Payne Brennan, author
• Desmond Claude, basketball player
• John C. Daniels, mayor of New Haven
• Chad Dawson, boxer
• Lou DeFilippo (1916–2000), professional football player and coach
• Agnes G. Doody, professor of speech communication
• Pete Falsey, basketball player
• Harrison Fitch, basketball player
• Robert Giaimo, U.S. congressman
• John Francis Hackett, Catholic prelate
• Louis Harris, pollster
• Harry Mortimer Hubbell, classical scholar
• John Huggins, political activist
• Levi Jackson, first African-American to be captain of the football team at Yale University
• Joan R. Kemler, the first woman to serve as Connecticut state treasurer (1986–87)
• Richard C. Lee, mayor of New Haven
• Floyd Little, football player
• Paul McCracken, basketball player
• Kevin McKeown, mayor of Santa Monica, California
• Constance Baker Motley, civil rights activist
• Maurice Podoloff, first president of the National Basketball Association
• Judith Schiff, archivist
• Vincent Scully, architectural historian
• William Starkweather, artist
• Raymond St. Jacques, actor
• Dick Tettelbach, baseball player
• George Weiss, MLB executive
• Terrell Wilks, runner
• Zhan Tianyou, railroad executive

References

References

1. "James Hillhouse High School". National Center for Education Statistics.
2. [http://schools.nhps.net/hillhouse/ Hillhouse High School website], accessed February 11, 2010
3. Pamela McLoughlin, [http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2008/11/20/news/new_haven/a3-nehillhouse.txt "Hillhouse celebrates 150th anniversary"], ''[[New Haven Register]]'', November 20, 2008. {{webarchive. link. (February 15, 2012)
4. [http://www.hillhouseathletichalloffame.com/Athletic_History_5.htm James E. Hillhouse High School Athletic History] {{webarchive. link. (August 17, 2011 , Hillhouse Athletic Hall of Fame website, accessed February 11, 2010; archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20110817215132/http://hillhouseathletichalloffame.com/Athletic_History_5.htm here].)
5. [http://www.nhps.net/sites/default/files/NHMS-brochure1.pdf The 2010 New Haven Magnet School Catalog] (New Haven Public Schools), page 31{{Dead link. (March 2016)
6. "Hillhouse High School Sesquicentennial All-Class Reunion Banquet Saturday, May 16".
7. "About James Hillhouse High School".
8. [http://www.nhps.net/hillhousehigh James Hillhouse Comprehensive High School] {{Webarchive. link. (August 5, 2019 , New Haven Public Schools website, accessed February 11, 2010)
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10. , [http://www.conntact.com/component/resource/article/book-of-lists/business-entertainment/125-large-event-venuesstatewide/22850-new-haven-athletic-center.html "New Haven Athletic Center"]. {{webarchive. link. (November 4, 2013)
11. (November 16, 2014). "New Haven's Bowen Field has long history of problems".
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16. (19 April 2024). "Connecticut's Desmond Claude enters transfer portal after two seasons at Xavier".
17. Alex Pierpaoli, [http://www.doghouseboxing.com/A_Pierpaoli/Alex032805.htm Interview: Bad Chad Dawson goes back to school] {{Webarchive. link. (September 30, 2011 , Doghouse Boxing website, March 28, 2005)
18. Bohdan Kalinsky, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/hartford-courant-lou-defilippo-legendar/158317627/ "DeFilippo, 83, Legendary Coach,"] ''Hartford Courant,'' March 8, 2000, p. C6.
19. Agnes Grace Doody, Class of 1948 Hillhouse High School, Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
20. [http://www.mediafire.com/view/wagf3dt4pf491we/.jpg "Yale Faculty Bars Pete Falsey"]. ''The Buffalo Commercial''. Feb 19, 1913.
21. Amore, Dom. (2021-02-14). "'Honey' Fitch, UConn's first Black basketball player, endured racism in 1930s to blaze the trail for future Huskies".
22. (1990-05-31). "Most Rev. John F. Hackett, auxiliary bishop for 37 years". [[New Haven Register]].
23. (2020-08-14). "Death Notice: Joan R. Kemler". The Hartford Courant.
24. [http://hillhouseathletichalloffame.com/pastinductee.html Hillhouse Athletic Hall of Fame: Past Inductees] {{Webarchive. link. (January 29, 2016 (retrieved February 11, 2010).)
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