Bettendorf High School

Early history

Prior to its opening in 1951, there was no high school in Bettendorf. High school-age students living in the city had to go to Davenport High School or Le Claire High School to receive their secondary education.

The original BHS building was completed in 1951 at a site between 21st and 23rd streets south of Central Avenue. Previously, Bettendorf students attended grades 9–12 at Davenport High School or Le Claire High School. In its very early years, the high school housed seventh through 12th grade students, although junior high students were moved by the late 1950s.

The community of Bettendorf quickly grew during the 1950s and 1960s, and by the early 1960s, the district had outgrown the school due to increasing enrollment. Students walked to some classes in rented store fronts on State and Grant Streets, while an annex building (which later became Neil Armstrong Elementary) also helped serve students. By 1971, with enrollment still growing at a fast pace, plans were started to build a new high school along 18th Street in the northern part of the city, roughly 1½ miles north of Middle Road.

The former BHS building had a track/baseball field on the front side and a football field on the back side; both are still evident at the site. The old school's athletic facilities were used for a number of years after the opening of the new high school. The old football field was used on a varsity level until 1980, when Touvelle Stadium was completed, while the old BHS gymnasium was utilized by lower level teams until the mid-1980s. Today, the old BHS building is the headquarters for the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency District 9, which oversees public school education across east-central Iowa.

Current high school

The current high school building was completed in 1973, at a cost of roughly $3 million. (The old high school currently sees use as the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency headquarters, which oversees academic instruction at high schools in eastern Iowa.) At the time of its opening, BHS was on the edge of town, surrounded by mostly undeveloped land. A subsequent addition added a new industrial arts/locker room and an athletic stadium completed in 1980. The six-building, air-conditioned complex is highlighted by a landscaped inner courtyard, planetarium, library/media center, computer labs, a 405-seat auditorium, and a field house with a 6-lane, 25-yard swimming pool. In 2007, an addition to the music and drama area was completed.

A new 7,500-square-foot (700 m²) facility is attached to the east side of the high school and accessible to all athletic and physical education areas. The center houses weights and exercise and cardiovascular equipment.

A group of community members organized the BHS Fitness Education Center Committee and raised $300,000 in funds for the fitness education center at Bettendorf High School. The Bettendorf School Board matched $300,000 to fund the $600,000 project. The project was completed in the summer of 2002.

In 2010, copies of the student newspaper, The Growl, were confiscated by school administrators because of an article about inconsistent disciplinary action against students, specifically athletes.

Renovations to the high school took about three years to complete from October 2011 to March 2013, with an estimated cost of $16.2 million.

A $3.25 million renovation project to TouVelle Stadium began in May and finished in August, in time for the 2014 season. The upgrades replaced the stadium's grass field with synthetic turf, reconfiguration of the eight-lane track and a new lighting system among others.

Music

The music department has a marching band, symphonic band, orchestra, wind ensemble, jazz band, pep band, chorus, and a show choir named 'Surround Sound'. These performing groups have been involved in athletic intermission presentations, state contests, as well as department sponsored trips to contests. The Bulldog Marching Band has won 19 consecutive division 1 ratings at the state marching band competition since 1991. The current Band Directors as of 2016 are Mr. Saito for symphonic band and Mr. Dynes for concert band.

Athletics

Bettendorf participates in the Mississippi Athletic Conference, and athletic teams are known as the Bulldogs. School colors are black and gold. The school fields athletic teams in 21 sports, including:

The school also has a cheerleading squad and a competitive dance team.

Bettendorf is classified as a 4A school (Iowa's largest 48 schools), according to the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union; in sports where there are fewer divisions, the Bulldogs are always in the largest class (e.g., Class 3A for wrestling, boys soccer, and Class 2A for golf, tennis and girls soccer). The school is a member of the 10-team Mississippi Athletic Conference (known to locals as the MAC), which comprises schools from the Iowa Quad Cities, along with Burlington, Clinton and Muscatine high schools. Bettendorf's biggest rivalry is with Pleasant Valley High School.

In football, the Bulldogs have won seven state championships in 1981, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2004, and 2007. As well, prior to a playoff system in Iowa, the Bulldogs were named the "Mythical State Champions" by the U.P.I. in 1960. Bettendorf has also finished as the Runner-up three times (1980, 2000, 2002) and currently own a 58-17 (77%) playoff record. The Bulldogs frequently make it to the semi-finals at the Uni-Dome on the University of Northern Iowa's campus each fall. The campus hosts the top 4 teams in the playoffs each year. The Bulldogs have had four lengthy winning streaks: 25 games from 1958–60, 36 games from 1987–89, 30 games from 1991–1993, and 24 games from 2007-2008.

State Championships:

Notable alumni