The front of the main building of Shepherd-Dixmor preparatory school.
Shepherd-Dixmor Preparatory School (S-DPS) is a coeducational college preparatory school for students in grades 9–12 in Sunrise Valley, Connecticut, United States of America. The school was founded on the 14th of September, 1962 and features both boarding and day program. The school also has its own coat of arms, which includes a clothing iron, a torch, an eagle, and an arm holding arrows. The school colors are blue, green, and bronze.
History[]
Shepherd-Dixmor Preparatory school was first opened on the 14th of September, 1962. Samuel Shepherd, the father of the current principle, and one of the founders of the school, was a soldier in the American Army, and war veteran. Shepherd wanted to open a school where all of the students would be Army Junior ROTC cadets. he believed that a school with military style discipline would give kids a better education, and would build better citizens for America.
Shepherd didn’t have enough money to build the school so he asked his wealthier, and more powerful friend, Donald Dixmor, for help. Donald Dixmor agreed to help Samuel Shepherd on a few conditions. Dixmor was interested in aviation, so one of his conditions was that the school had to have an Air Force Junior ROTC unit, and a flight training program. Shepherd agreed to all of Dixmor’s conditions.
Academics and activities[]
Air Force Junior ROTC cadets from Shepherd-Dixmor Prep wearing their service-dress uniforms with the pilot wings that they earned after passing the airplane pilot course. Ashley Lewis is the African-American female in the photo.
All studuents are required to participate in either the Air Force JROTC program, or Army JROTC program. The programs focus on teaching leadership skills, citizenship responsibilities, and the importance of community service. In addition, the school hosts one of the only two private in-house aviation program in the nation. The school owns one Cessna 172 (N951SP), a few advanced flight simulators, and the flight instructors are members of the Academy faculty. Army cadets train at a firing range with actual firearms.
Extracurricular opportunities at the school include band, chorus, drama, speech and debate, color guard and drill teams, air rifle team, and sixteen varsity sports.
Athletic teams from this school compete against other schools using the nickname of the “Spartans”.
Athletic Programs offered at Shepherd-Dixmor Preparatory School:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Cross Country
- Flag Football
- Football
- Ice Hockey
- Dance
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track & Field
- Volleyball
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
Dress and appearance[]
Member of the Air Force and Army JROTC are issued and wear the same standard uniforms worn by active duty personnel in the United States Air Force, and United States Army. respectively, with some distinguishing features like the grey army cadet shirt, grey army cadet berets, AFJROTC patches, and Unit patches. Instead of military uniforms, Students will spend most of their time wearing the school uniform.
Army JROTC cadets from Shepherd-Dixmor Prep standing in formation outside wearing the school uniform.
The school uniform is a collared (I.E. dress shirts, polo shirts) white or bronze shirt for all students, optional blue collared shirts for Air Force cadets, and optional green collared shirts for Army cadets, all shirts shall be worn tucked in. All students may wear Khaki or black trousers, shorts, skirts, skorts, or jumper, all trousers or shorts with belt loops shall be worn with a belt, and The hem of the girls’ skirts or dresses must be no shorter than mid-thigh. Denim is forbidden to be worn with the uniform, pajamas shall not be worn outside the dorms, and flip-flops shall not be worn outside of the dorms, showers, and pool area. Hats aka covers, are not allowed to be worn indoors, and If a student’s undershirt is visible it has to be either white, blue, bronze, or green in colour. The size of shirts and pants must be appropriate to the student’s body size and not oversized or undersized.
Clothing can be purchased from any retailer or vendor. Students can wear school-sponsored T-shirts on Fridays or school spirit days that the school principal designates. basketball players, football players, baseball players, cheerleaders etc., can also wear their team uniforms all day on Fridays or school spirit days.
For males hair must not exceed three inches in bulk. The hair must present a tapered appearance. A tapered appearance is one where the outline of the cadet’s hair conforms to the shape of the head, curving inward to the natural termination point at the base of the neck. Hair cannot touch the ears or eyebrows when groomed. Sideburns, when worn, must be neatly trimmed and tapered in the same manner as the haircut They must be straight, of even width (not flared), and end in a clean-shaven horizontal line. They will not extend below the lowest part of the exterior ear opening.
Beards or goatees of any type are not permitted. Mustaches, if worn, will not extend downward beyond the lip line of the upper lip or extend sideways beyond a vertical line drawn upward from the comer of the mouth.
For females, hair cannot extend below the bottom edge of the uniform collar. Hairstyles must allow proper wear of headgear and will not exceed 3 inches in bulk. Hair will not touch the eyebrows nor protrude below the front band of properly worn headgear. There is an exception for flight caps/garrison caps/side caps (whatever you wanna call them) thought. Hair may protrude in front of the flight cap/garrison cap/side cap.
For both sexes, If hair is dyed, the color should look natural, and not be of an unusual color or contrast with natural coloring. Females can wear small conservative earrings, but males CANNOT wear any earrings while in uniform.
Faculty[]
- Maxwell Morris Shepherd (Current headmaster/principal)
- Martin Dixmor (History teacher, transferred from Dixmor Academy, partner of Maxwell)
- Retired Colonel Charles Murray (Senior Aerospace Science Instructor Air Force JROTC)
- Retired Chief Master Sergeant Henry Hall (Aerospace Science Instructor Air Force JROTC)
- Retired Master Sergeant Grace Clara Martin (Aerospace Science Instructor Air Force JROTC)
- Retired Major Benson Davis (Senior Army instructor)
- Retired Master Sergeant Raul Sanchez-Ramirez (Army instructor)
- Retired Sergeant First Class John Burk (Army Instructor)
- Benjamin Brown (flight instructor)
- Spiritus Cornet (martial arts instructor)
- Mr. Larson (mathematics teacher)
- Mr. Swanson (science teacher)
- Amanda Quincy (english teacher)
- Mrs. Papkova (Italian and art teacher)
- Daiko Mishima (martial arts teacher)
- Graham Allen (athletics instructor)
- John Bush (substitute teacher)
(I will probably add more faculty members later)
Students[]
- Ethan Allen Fernandez (Air Force cadet)
- Candace Claire Baker (Air Force cadet)
- Justin Paul Florio (Army cadet)
- Carl Degrasse Dawkins (former army cadet, got “drummed out” (expelled))
- Hunter Jones (Army Cadet)
- Weatherly Scarlett Shepherd (Air Force cadet, daughter of Maxwell Shepherd)
- Deandre Drew Davis (Army cadet, son of Benson Davis)
- Wendy Wong (Air Force cadet)
- Jacob Schmitt (Army cadet)
- Samantha Sabbatini (Army cadets)
- Robert Snooker (Army cadet)
- Brett Harris (Air Force cadet)
- Daniel Croitoru (Air Force cadet)
- Ashley Lewis (Air Force cadet)
(I will probably add more students later)
Theme Song[]
Shepherd-Dixmor Prep’s unofficial theme song is Teenagers by the former American rock band My Chemical Romance.
