News & Events

Celebration – The Sixth Grade Social

Every spring the Amity sixth graders prepare to leave the school they’ve known since kindergarten and excitedly look forward to beginning the next school year at the Junior High School.  This rite of passage is celebrated with the Sixth Grade Social.  The PTA/PTO has hosted this dance since at least the 1960s.

During the 1970s, the social was typically a square dance, called by a school principal with prizes being awarded for the best square dancers.  In later years, students enjoyed dancing in the school gym which was decorated in a theme of their choosing.  We hope the Sixth Grade Social photos bring to mind fond memories of your own school dances.

1973 – Sixth Grade Social Square Dance at Amity Gym

The caption that accompanied the above 1973 news clipping read: “The Deer Park Elementary School PTA hosted a ‘farewell’ Square Dance for the Amity School Sixth Graders on Friday evening June 1^st in the Amity School gym.

“Mr. Robert Bowersox, Howard Elementary principal, was the Caller and Amity teachers assisted the boys and girls as they learned how to participate in the popular American folk dance.

“In the final ‘dance off’ judged by Rev. George Siddall, Mrs. Bernice Sudman, Amity primary teacher, and Mr. Joseph Powell, Deer Park High School science teacher, the winning square members were Stephanie Kinnett, Ronnie Satterfield, Gary Tubbs, Doug Lyons, Debbie Ward, Robin Roth, Ricky Raab, and Gary Breezely.

“Mr. Bowersox provided these dancers with their individual prizes.  An enthusiastic good time was had by all and fond memories were in the making as the sixth graders ‘do-si-doe’d’ and ‘promenaded’ off to the Junior High School.”

In later years, students had fun dancing, socializing and enjoying refreshments in the school gym which was decorated in a festive theme.

Students compete in the limbo, 2000

Students enjoy the Chicken Dance, 2000

Before there were selfies - friends pose for photographer, 2007

Having fun cheering on the dancers, 2007

Having a great evening with friends, 2007

Posing for a best buddies photo.

Friends excited to be going to the dance.

2026 Sixth Grade Social

Under the Sea theme, 2026

Congratulations to the 2026 Amity Sixth Graders as they head off to Deer Park Junior High School in a few weeks.  Best wishes that your junior and senior high school years are filled with great experiences and wonderful memories.

“The past has taught its lesson, the present has its duty and the future its hope.”

A sincere effort has been made to convey the history as accurately as possible from artifacts, documents and personal narratives in the district’s archives.

Learn More

Community members, alumni, and supporters are encouraged to stay connected as the celebration approaches by signing up for Bicentennial updates on the district website.

Sign Up Here

Don't Trash It, Donate It Instead!

Deer Park Schools is also asking alumni and community members to help preserve the district’s history. If you have Deer Park memorabilia — such as yearbooks, photographs, letterman jackets, uniforms, or other school items — please consider donating them back to the district so they can be featured during bicentennial celebrations.

Alumni & Community Story Submission

As Deer Park Schools prepares to celebrate its 200th Anniversary in 2026, we are collecting memories, photos, and memorabilia from alumni and community members to help tell the story of Deer Park Schools.

If you have a favorite memory, historic photo, or item connected to Deer Park Schools, we would love to hear from you.

Your submission may be featured in Bicentennial displays, district publications, social media features, or community events throughout the celebration.

Submit a Story

In 1797, Daniel Schenck traveled by horseback and flatboat from New Jersey to this part of the Ohio Country.  He bought hundreds of acres of wilderness land in an area then known as Deer Lick.

In 1826, Schenck called a meeting of neighboring pioneers and asked them to support the building and funding of a school.  They agreed, and Schenck donated the land upon which a small log schoolhouse was built.

From this humble beginning grew what is today Deer Park Schools. We are forever grateful to Daniel Schenck for the duty he felt to the pioneer youth and for his vision for the future.  We could never truly measure the full impact our schools have had on the lives of the many thousands of students who have passed through our halls over the last two centuries.

Eighth Grade Pomp and Circumstance

In the early decades of Deer Park Schools, the area was rural. There was no local high school, and families often needed their children’s help on the family farm so it wasn’t uncommon for students to complete their education at the end of the eighth grade. The Commencement Exercises for the graduates were an important event in these students lives.

The first graduations occurred when Amity was still a small schoolhouse. At that time, eighth grade students took the Boxwell Examination. This was a test the state of Ohio required of pupils who attended rural and village schools in order for them to show they were academically prepared. Many rural townships at the time did not have their own high schools so students who passed the exam were granted a diploma that allowed them to enroll in any high school.

Many Boxwell graduates were celebrated with local commencement ceremonies. The 1898 Boxwell program shown above was for pupils from Amity, Blue Ash, Montgomery and Concord Schools who passed the exam. On the evening of commencement, graduating pupils read essays, gave speeches and presented musical numbers before receiving their diplomas.

The exam was phased out by 1914, and the graduation evolved into a ceremony for all Deer Park students completing the eighth grade. The graduating classes were initially small with only eight graduates in 1914, but as farmland was increasingly sold to make way for homes, the number of graduates increased to forty-two by 1930.

Eighth Grade Commencement was a significant moment in the students’ lives as it was the end of formal education for some and signaled a time others would leave our school to further their education at Norwood or Sycamore High Schools. As the following photos show, the graduates were very proud of their accomplishments and undoubtedly their parents were as well.

Eighth Grade Graduation, Deer Park Village School

Eighth Grade Graduation, Deer Park Village School, 1938

Eighth Grade Graduation programs

Eighth Grade Graduation, Deer Park Village School, 1938

“The past has taught its lesson, the present has its duty and the future its hope.”

A sincere effort has been made to convey the history as accurately as possible from artifacts, documents and personal narratives in the district’s archives.

Learn More

Community members, alumni, and supporters are encouraged to stay connected as the celebration approaches by signing up for Bicentennial updates on the district website.

Sign Up Here

Don't Trash It, Donate It Instead!

Deer Park Schools is also asking alumni and community members to help preserve the district’s history. If you have Deer Park memorabilia — such as yearbooks, photographs, letterman jackets, uniforms, or other school items — please consider donating them back to the district so they can be featured during bicentennial celebrations.

Alumni & Community Story Submission

As Deer Park Schools prepares to celebrate its 200th Anniversary in 2026, we are collecting memories, photos, and memorabilia from alumni and community members to help tell the story of Deer Park Schools.

If you have a favorite memory, historic photo, or item connected to Deer Park Schools, we would love to hear from you.

Your submission may be featured in Bicentennial displays, district publications, social media features, or community events throughout the celebration.

Submit a Story

DP Graduations Through the Decades

Congratulations to the class of 2026! Deer Park Schools and the community are proud of you for your accomplishments in the classroom and beyond. We wish you all the best as you embark on the next chapter of your lives.

As we look forward to what lies ahead for our 2026 graduates, we also reflect upon all the Wildcat graduates who have come before them.

Prior to 1936, Deer Park students wishing to continue their education beyond eighth grade needed to attend high school in neighboring school districts such as Norwood or Sycamore. In 1936, our first high school was constructed when a west wing was added to the Amity building. Deer Park students finally returned home for high school, and two years later Deer Park High School graduated its first class of seniors.

Enjoy a look through the decades as past students celebrate the end of their high school days.

1930s

Class of 1938, first graduating class of Deer Park High School

1940s

1950s

Gradaution 1955

Gradaution 1957

1960s

1970s

Graduation 1973

Gradaution 1974

1980s

Graduation 1983

Graduation 1983

Graduation 1987

1990s

1992 Salutorian Tiffany Hammond and Valedictorian Donna Hammer

Graduation 1992

Graduation 1992

2000s

Graduation 2001

Graduation 2008

2010s

Graduation 2014

Graduation 2015

2020s

COVID-19 Drive Through Graduation 2020

Graduation 2024

“The past has taught its lesson, the present has its duty and the future its hope.”

A sincere effort has been made to convey the history as accurately as possible from artifacts, documents and personal narratives in the district’s archives.

Learn More

Community members, alumni, and supporters are encouraged to stay connected as the celebration approaches by signing up for Bicentennial updates on the district website.

Sign Up Here

Don't Trash It, Donate It Instead!

Deer Park Schools is also asking alumni and community members to help preserve the district’s history. If you have Deer Park memorabilia — such as yearbooks, photographs, letterman jackets, uniforms, or other school items — please consider donating them back to the district so they can be featured during bicentennial celebrations.

Alumni & Community Story Submission

As Deer Park Schools prepares to celebrate its 200th Anniversary in 2026, we are collecting memories, photos, and memorabilia from alumni and community members to help tell the story of Deer Park Schools.

If you have a favorite memory, historic photo, or item connected to Deer Park Schools, we would love to hear from you.

Your submission may be featured in Bicentennial displays, district publications, social media features, or community events throughout the celebration.

Submit a Story

DP Wildcats Win State Baseball Title:

Where It All Started - In the words of Coach Estes:

Despite the cold and mud, the spring of 1977 brought excitement to the baseball diamond as Deer Park High School won the state championship for their class. The following are excerpts of articles in local papers chronicling this unforgettable moment in Deer Park sports history.

Congratulations, State Champs!
Move aside Cincinnati Reds, we have a championship baseball team in Deer Park. The high school team, coached by Hank Estes, won the State Class AA Baseball Championship on the Ohio State University diamond on Saturday, June 4. The Wildcats defeated Coldwater High School 6 to 0 to claim the title.

The remarkable two-hit shutout hurled by Jim Gross, came on the day following his pitching and batting a 5 to 4 win in the semi-final game against a good Medina team. Bob Boyce provided all the runs Gross needed in the title game when he blasted a home run in the first inning with two mates on base. Gross and Boyce were named to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s “All-City” team along with Coach Estes who was named “Coach of the Year” by the Enquirer.

En route to the State Championship, the “Cats” won the Eastern Hills League title, the District title, and the Southwest Ohio Regional Championship. The Wildcats completed the season with a 30 and 2 record. (1)

Proudly displaying the State Championship Trophy and the individual plaques are seniors Jeff McNulty, Jim Gross, Derby Garrett, Dan Holle and Frank Thorman.

Hail the Champs: The Deer Park Wildcats
By John Perin

The Deer Park Wildcats are the 1977 Ohio Class AA State Baseball Champions.  The Wildcats locked up the crown with victories in the semi-final and final games last weekend in Columbus. 

Deer Park captured the final game with a 6-0 shutout over Coldwater on Saturday afternoon, after taking a 5-4 verdict over Medina Buckeye on Friday afternoon in the semi-finals.

Righthanded pitcher Jim Gross hurled both games, going the distance in each and getting two hits in each contest.  The victories gave him a final won-lost record of 19-1.

Saturday Afternoon – Jim Gross’s first warm-up pitch before the start of the game sailed past catcher Frank Thorman and carried to the backstop causing the Coldwater fans to cheer loudly. 

For the rest of the afternoon, Gross’s pitches sailed right past the Coldwater batters and their fans sat quietly and watched.

Gross struck out eleven of the Cavaliers and limited them to only two hits, both singles.

In the bottom of the first, Deer Park opened-up their sizzling offense.  Before the inning was over, the Wildcats had given Gross more runs than he needed for the triumph. 

With one out, Deer Park got two men on base.  That brought up third baseman Bob Boyce who promptly clubbed a towering fly ball down the leftfield line.  The drive carried over the fence for a three-run homerun.  That broke the scoring ice for the Wildcats and put an immediate damper on the Coldwater hopes. 

Just to make certain, Deer Park drove two more runs across before the inning ended.  That sent them out to a 5-0 advantage.

With the five runs glaring on the scoreboard behind him, Gross kept the pressure on and the Coldwater bats off.  He struck out nine of the first 13 Cavaliers’ batters. 

Gross had a perfect game going into the fourth inning when he gave up a single to Coldwater’s Jeff Geier.  Geier then stole second base, but that was as far as he got. 

Following this, the Wildcats went scoreless through the next three innings before tallying another run in the fifth inning.  It was merely icing on the cake.

Other hitting stars in the game were Derby Garrett and Frank Thorman who each had two hits in three at bats. 

The game ended on a familiar note as Gross struck out the final Coldwater batter.  That brought the entire Wildcats’ squad onto the field to celebrate the win and the state championship as their fans cheered. (2)

Moments after the Wildcats clenched the State Championship

Bob Boyce, team’s top hitter with a .525 season batting average.

Pitcher Jim Gross: Cincinnati Enquirer’s high school player of the year.

Jeff McNulty prepares for his turn at bat.

“The past has taught its lesson, the present has its duty and the future its hope.”

1. News article clipping from unknown local paper
2. News article clipping from possibly the Cincinnati Enquirer
3. Antlers, 1977 yearbook
4. Hank Estes binders of sports clippings, articles, photos etc.

A sincere effort has been made to convey the history as accurately as possible from artifacts, documents and personal narratives in the district’s archives.

Learn More

Community members, alumni, and supporters are encouraged to stay connected as the celebration approaches by signing up for Bicentennial updates on the district website.

Sign Up Here

Don't Trash It, Donate It Instead!

Deer Park Schools is also asking alumni and community members to help preserve the district’s history. If you have Deer Park memorabilia — such as yearbooks, photographs, letterman jackets, uniforms, or other school items — please consider donating them back to the district so they can be featured during bicentennial celebrations.

Alumni & Community Story Submission

As Deer Park Schools prepares to celebrate its 200th Anniversary in 2026, we are collecting memories, photos, and memorabilia from alumni and community members to help tell the story of Deer Park Schools.

If you have a favorite memory, historic photo, or item connected to Deer Park Schools, we would love to hear from you.

Your submission may be featured in Bicentennial displays, district publications, social media features, or community events throughout the celebration.

Submit a Story