Lancaster High School (Ohio)

Lancaster High School
Address
1312 Granville Pike
Lancaster, Ohio, (Fairfield County) 43130
United States
Coordinates 39°43′58″N 82°35′10″W / 39.73278°N 82.58611°W / 39.73278; -82.58611Coordinates: 39°43′58″N 82°35′10″W / 39.73278°N 82.58611°W / 39.73278; -82.58611
Information
Type Public, Coeducational high school
Established 1849
Opened 1963 (current location)
School district Lancaster City Schools
Superintendent Steve Wigton[1]
Principal Jack Greathouse[1]
Grades 9–12
Color(s) Blue and gold [1]         
Athletics conference Ohio Capital Conference[1]
Mascot Golden Gales, personified as Taz from the Looney Tunes cartoon series
Team name Golden Gales[1]
Accreditation North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [2]
Athletic Director Pam Bosser[1]
Website www.lancaster.k12.oh.us

Lancaster High School is a secondary-level public high school located in Lancaster, Ohio, and is the only high school within the Lancaster City Schools district. The current building was opened during the fall of 1963, at a cost of $69,420,666.21. Currently, the building houses grades 9–12, a recent change due to the failure of multiple bond and levy issues voted down in local elections, forcing the closure and conversion of the freshmen-only Stanbery Campus of the high school to house additional career and technical education programs and alternative education facilities. Lancaster High School offers college prep, honors, AP, average, and lower-level classes and houses its own career and technical education (vocational) center.

History

The first high school in Lancaster, Ohio was founded in 1849 and was housed in a building at the corner of Broad and Allen streets, in what was known then as the North Building. In 1856, the high school was moved to a South School due to overcrowding at the North Building. Enrollment continued to increase and in 1872 the school board had to provide additional classrooms at another building until 1873, when a new three-story North School building was opened. This building eventually became overcrowded, and in 1906 the high school was moved to a new building at the corner of Mulberry Street and Pearl Avenue (the current location of the Stanbery Campus). According to board of education minutes from 1908, the new building already was overcrowded, and in 1914 a bond issue was passed to allow an extension to be added to the existing building. This annex was completed in 1917. Overcrowding continued, and in 1930 another addition to the building was completed. In 1950, the final addition to the high school was completed to the east side of the building, which today houses administrative offices.

In 1963, a state fire marshal ordered that the 1906 and 1917 sections of the building be abandoned because they were a fire hazard. Those sections were demolished in 1965.

In October 1960, the school board selected a location for a new site for the high school. Construction began in 1961, and was completed in 1963.

Building

The current building is located on a 75-acre (300,000 m2) site, located on Granville Pike (State Route 37). The building consists of two wings: the left-wing (front)-1st floor houses administrative offices, the library, teachers' lounge, and general classrooms; 2nd floor houses classrooms and labs for biology, chemistry, and physics; the right-wing (only one story) houses art, music, and shop classes. Between the two wings is an area referred to the "GAC," housing the Gymnasium, Auditorium, and Cafeteria.

In 1963, Fulton Field was opened to accommodate football games.

In 1965, using funds from interest earned from previous bond issues and funds from the National Education Act of 1963, the high school opened a vocational building on-site to house cosmetology, drafting, electronics, auto mechanics, and Occupational Work Experience programs. In addition, a planetarium was constructed using donated monies from Mrs. Phillip Rising Peters in memory of her husband and son. In addition to the building, Mrs. Peters also donated the instruments and equipment used in the planetarium. Peters Planetarium is one of the few located on the grounds of a high school.

In 2003, as part of Ohio's bicentennial, the high school was made a historical landmark in commemoration of Robert G. Heft's designing of the current 50-star flag.

The students of Lancaster High School have a bike path that connects to the Ohio University Lancaster Campus.

Clubs and activities

Lancaster's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)[3] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).[4]

LHS has bolstered its journalism program in recent years, reinstating its student newspaper, "The Eye of the Gale." The program boasts an average of 100 student staff members, and publishes the newspaper monthly. In 2012 the organization began a student-run blog in an effort to involve students in the fluid media landscape.

Lancaster's marching band, the Band of Gold, has been highly successful over its history. The Band of Gold has qualified in the Ohio Music Education Association State Marching Band Finals each year since 1981.

Athletics

Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  2. ↑ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  3. ↑ "2009 Convention – Club Point Summary" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  4. ↑ "Constitution of the Ohio Junior Classical League" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. March 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2009. ...by paying both OJCL annual chapter dues and any annual chapter membership dues required by NJCL.
  5. ↑ OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  6. ↑ Sell, Jill (June 2015). "Starring Role". Ohio magazine.
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