Doss High School

Doss High School is a high school located in southwestern Louisville, Kentucky. As of the 2015-2016 school year, there were 1,049 students at the school.

Initial naming

The school was originally proposed as Wisertown High School, in honor of the area of the county in which the school is/was located, but was, instead, named for a former member of the Jefferson County Board of Education. (At the time Doss was built, Jefferson County population was growing. The City of Louisville had a separate Board of Education, and the city's population was declining. The two school systems were merged in the mid-1970s.) Fairdale High School is Doss' rival school and as such always stirs up public and community interest when ever the two schools compete against each other in any sporting event.

Start up

The school was built to relieve overcrowding from Butler, Fairdale, Western, Pleasure Ridge Park and Valley High Schools. The building opened in the Fall of 1967 at 7601 Saint Andrews Church Road. It began with the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. The first graduating class was in 1971. The first class to complete grades 7 through 12 was in 1973.^[1]

Magnet programs

During the 1990s as the Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools moved their Career and Technical Education Programs into the local high schools Doss became the recipient of three magnet programs: Cosmetology, Early Childhood Education, and Pre-Engineering. Currently, Doss is a Business and Information Technology (BIT) themed school. Through its partnership with Class Act Federal Credit Union, the school has the first and only student-run credit union branch in the county. Students can major in accounting, banking and financial services, entrepreneur, and management in the "Class Act Academy of Business and Finance."

The new Information Technology program makes Doss the premier technology-themed school in Southwest Jefferson County. Doss currently has 10 computer labs and 7 technology teachers. Students can major in computer repair, help desk, programming, and structured cabling.

The addition to the BIT program, Advance Program and Advanced Placement programs at Doss have helped Doss establish a new vision for all graduates to be "technology proficient, business literate, and college ready."

On October 28, 2016, Doss High School announced a new Manufacturing Engineering Technology magnet program.^[2]

Athletics

The school athletic complex has three gymnasiums with the main gymnasium, the Leon Mudd Athletic Center, which seats a maximum of 1,800 people. Also, the Hayward Shartzer Stadium, the football stadium with a running track, which seats a maximum of 2,500 people. Also within the athletic complex are baseball and softball fields and tennis courts.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Doss High School include:

• Derek Anderson, basketball player
• Larry Birkhead, photojournalist, best known as the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby, Dannielynn
• LaVell Boyd, NFL, football player
• Steve Pence, Lt. Governor of Kentucky, Class of 1971
• Isaac Sowells, NFL, football player

See also

• Public schools in Louisville, Kentucky

References

External links

• Doss High School website

Coordinates: 38°09′10″N 85°48′46″W / 38.15280°N 85.81270°W / 38.15280; -85.81270