Lemont High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Lemont High School

motto = "For all students to become life-long, independent learners and productive citizens in a rapidly changing world"
established = 1890
principal = Dr. Thomas Trengove
type = Public secondary
grades = 9–12
city = 800 Porter St.
Lemont
state = Illinois
country = USA
enrollment = 1,418
faculty = 110
campus = Suburban
mascot = Indians
colors = Navy Blue, Vegas Gold
newspaper = "Tom Tom"
yearbook = "Keepatawn"
website = [http://lemont.k12.il.us/ lemont.k12.il.us]
picture =

Lemont High School, or LHS, is a public four-year high school located in Lemont, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Lemont Township High School District 210.

History

Originally, Lemont limestone was used for the Lemont Township High School which opened in 1896. In the 1920s, the building was transitioned into the Central Elementary school after the current and larger Lemont (Township) High School was opened on Julia Street. While the original building is now used for condominiums, the Central Elementary school is still attached to the East side of the building.

The current Lemont High School building was constructed in 1924, with additions made in 1950, 1956, 1961, 1969, 1976, 1996, and 2006. It is located at 800 Porter Street at the intersection of Julia Street. On June 13, 1976, the school suffered some $400,000 in tornado damages and a bond was passed to rebuild. In the late 1990s, it underwent a major remodeling and expansion by District 210.

Also in the late 1990s, filming took place at Lemont High School for the movie Save the Last Dance. The school was depicted as the main character's Midwestern high school. Portions of the front of the high school were shown during the beginning of the movie along with the main staircase inside the school. Other areas throughout the town were also shown in the movie.

In 2005, a referendum was passed allowing the school to start an expansion which will include a new and improved auditorium, approximately 30 new classrooms, a new wood shop, a turf football field with improved lighting and expanded audience seating, an expanded cafeteria area, additional parking, safety upgrades, and much more. The new addition of 30 classrooms as well as the football stadium enhancements were completed before the start of the 2007 school year. Construction on the new auditorium was completed in March 2008. Meanwhile, other areas of the school, mainly parking lots and roads, are still under construction and are expected to be finished in Summer 2008.

Academics

In 2007, Lemont High School had average Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) scores of 62.4 in Reading, 64.5 in Mathematics, and 60.9 in Science. The school graduated 94.5% of its senior class. The average class size is 18.2. Lemont has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act. [ [http://webprod.isbe.net/ereportcard/publicsite/getReport.aspx?year=2007&code=1401621000001_e.pdf Illinois School Report Card] ]

Athletics

Lemont competes in the South Suburban Conference (Blue Division) and Illinois High School Association.

Mascot Controversy

Lemont High School's mascot had been known as the "Injuns" since the 1960s, when a popular athletic director christened the school with the name to distinguish it from the many others using Native American names as their team name and mascot. After much controversy, the community and school board voted to change the school's mascot to the Indians with the start of the 2006-2007 school year.

Boys Sports

*Baseball
*Basketball
*Bowling
*Cross Country
*Football
*Golf
*Soccer
*Tennis
*Track
*Volleyball
*Wrestling

Coming up in the 2008-2009 school year the school may be getting a lacrosse team.

Girls Sports

*Basketball
*Bowling
*Dance
*Golf
*Soccer
*Softball
*Swimming
*Tennis
*Track
*Volleyball

Activities

*Cheerleading
*Marching Band
*Concert Band
*Symphonic Band
*Jazz Band
*Choir
*Pom Pon
*Student Council
*Mathletes
*Drama Club
*Art Club
*School Newspaper
*National Honor Society (NHS)
*Chess Club
*Yearbook
*Foreign Language Club
*Speech Team
*Debate Team
*Model United Nations
*Sign Language Club
*Science Club
*Community Service for Everyone (CSFE)
*Student Council
*Science Fiction Club
*Entrepreneur Club

Awards and Honors

Marching Band

Perhaps the most distinguished honor held by the school is the Marching Band's eight consecutive State Championships in Class 3A (1998-2005) at the State of Illinois Invitational Marching Band Championship. The band's season starts in July with a rigorous band camp and continues until late October, when the State Championship is held at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. The Band has also participated in several Bands of America (BOA) regional marching competitions held in Indianapolis, Indiana and Pontiac, Michigan.

At the 2006 State of Illinois Marching Band Championship on October 21, 2006, the band took second place in Class 3A behind the Marian Catholic High School Marching Band, which is one of the top-ranked bands in the nation. During the "Finals" competition that night, the Lemont High School Marching Band placed sixth, which is the highest rank the band has ever earned at the State competition. The sixth place ranking makes them one of the finest bands in the State of Illinois. Despite not winning a ninth consecutive championship title in Class 3A, the 2006 season was the most successful one in the program's long history.

At the 2007 State Championship held on October 20, 2007, the band again placed 2nd in Class 3A behind Marian Catholic. Despite placing eleventh overall (of all classes combined), the band failed to earn a place in the Finals competition by narrow margin of 0.15 points. This marked the first time in ten years that the Lemont High School Marching Band failed to qualify for the Finals competition. The band also competed in the BOA Regional event in Indianapolis on November 3, 2007, placing 21st out of 34 marching bands.

The Marching Band's shows have included "Rachmaninoff" (2002), "Internal Combustion" (2003), "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" (2004), "Those Days are Gone" (2005), "Ghost Train" (2006), and "Trapped" (2007).

Football

The Lemont High School Varsity Football team has enjoyed success in recent years, having made the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Playoffs the past four years (2004-2007).

In 2005, the team reached the quarterfinals for the first time in school history. In that round, Lemont was defeated by Alleman High School with a score of 24-21. Lemont's record for the 2005 season was 10 wins and 2 losses, which became best record in the history of the team.

The 2006 season was also a success. After a six-game winning streak, Lemont made it to the second round of the Class 5A IHSA Playoffs. In that round, Lemont was defeated by Marian Central Catholic High School with a score of 24-13. The team finished the season with a record of 8 wins and 3 losses.

In 2007, the team went its furthest into the playoffs. Upon defeating Oak Forest High School 27-20 in the semifinals round, Lemont advanced to the IHSA Class 6A State Championship. This marked the first time in Lemont High School history that the football team reached the State Championship game, which is held annually at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Class 6A State Championship game was held on Saturday, November 24, 2007, where Lemont lost to Joliet Catholic Academy by a final score of 49-7.

Cross Country

During the 2007 cross-country season, both boys and girls teams qualified for the State cross-country invitational in Peoria, IL. Not only was it the first time a cross-country team had qualified past sectionals, it is the first time in Lemont High School history that both boys and girls teams in a given sport qualified to the state competition in the same year.

Golf

Over the past couple of years, the Lemont High School Golf Team has qualified for the State golf tournament in Normal, IL.

References

External links

* [http://lemont.k12.il.us/ Official Website]