Lincoln High School (Gahanna, Ohio)

History

Established in 1882 as Gahanna High School and renamed "Lincoln High School in 1927, it is the only high school in the Gahanna-Jefferson Public School District. The original "Gahanna High School" was located on Short Street in what is now known as "Olde Gahanna." The current school building opened in 1927, and it has experienced many additions and renovations since, the most recent being in 2000. Over 2400 students attend the school.

Lincoln High School's mascot is the Golden Lion and so is nicknamed the 'Home of the Lions.' The school colors are Royal Blue and Athletic Gold. It is made up of three buildings, 'A' 'B' and 'C'. This compound, along with athletic facilities, district administration building and Lincoln Elementary, takes up nearly an entire block of Havens Corners and Hamilton Roads. The original 1927 building was renovated in 1987 and still stands and is known as "B" Building. The 2000 addition is known as "C" Building and was built to replace the previous "C" Building which stood where the entrance to the stadium now is. Building "A" was originally constructed in 1963 and has had additions in 1982 (Auditorium, Library, Band Room, Auxiliary gym) and 1995 (Science classrooms, Theater & TV Classrooms, Choir room, new main office complex and second cafeteria.) There currently is very little chance of the school splitting as nearby districts have done recently. The city of Gahanna, with over 30,000 citizens, is relatively landlocked but the Jefferson Township area of the district is experiencing tremendous growth with much additional potential to grow.

The name 'Gahanna Lincoln' is a result of an early struggle between Gahanna and Jefferson Township. The Township wanted their name on the high school; however Gahanna was against naming the school Gahanna Jefferson High School (the district was already named 'Jefferson Local Schools' at that time). The city and Township compromised and named the school Lincoln, and the name remains.

Honors

The graduating class of 2005 had four National Merit Scholars. The class of 2006 had one. The class of 2007 had two. The class of 2008 had three. The district outperforms the State of Ohio in both graduation rates and every phase of the 10th Grade Graduation Tests.

Band

Un-contest

First started in the Autumn of 2004, Gahanna was the first school to hold a marching band "un-contest". Jeffery Shellhammer started the annual "un-contest." He has been the director of bands for 19 years. [http://www.uaband.org/uncontest/history.htm] Parents, friends, and family come from Defiance, Dover, Whitehall, New Albany, Logan, and many others towns. These bands do not normally compete and come to Gahanna to play "football music" to the large crowd of people. The requirements to play include loud and energetic music and music that is somewhat difficult and interesting. Also, the pieces cannot include sideline percussion. Sideline percussion includes chimes, xylophones, timpanis and many others. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_band] The first "un-contest" was held Saturday, October 8, 2005 and had over 1000 band members and over 3000 people in attendance. Tickets for adults are six dollars; for children and students the price is three dollars. The name of the un-contest for the 2005 year was NewHannaHall, but this changes with the bands involved. [http://www.gahannaschools.org/yyClassLHSJeffreyShellhammer.aspx]

Athletics

Gahanna's athletic teams compete in the Ohio Division of the Ohio Capital Conference (OCC). The school claims one team state title in boy's track and field in 1979 and dozens of Conference Titles. The school has had numerous individual state champions in boy's and girl's track, along with swimming. Gahanna swimmer, and then University of Georgia student, Amanda Adkins made the 2000 U.S. Women's Olympic Swimming Team in the 200 meter backstroke. Gahanna thrower Trey Jackson held the state record in the discus for many years at 257.6 feet.

The football team has a long standing record of excellence having had only 4 losing seasons since 1970.

Despite the mid 1990s overall slump in athletic performance, especially within league competition, glory returned to the Golden Lions in the 2004-05 year when Gahanna captured seven OCC titles, the most since 1978. The programs have become more consistent in league play since then.

Although no team has won a state title since 1979, the softball team along with the boys volleyball, track, and football teams have all placed second in the state. Overall, the boy's track squad, who is led by Ed Rarey (55 years as head coach), has won the most conference titles with 30, most recently in 2007. The boys' cross country team has been successful in recent years also, winning OCC titles in 2001, 2003, and 2004. They also gained two trips to the state meet at Scioto Downs. Softball has won two district titles, three OCC, one regional title and one state runner-up title since 2003.

Gahanna Lincoln has recently acquired a new turf field for various sport teams through private donations. Stands renovations and a new softball complex are also on the agenda once funding is secured.

Administration

* Current Principal: Dwight Carter
* District Superintendent: Gregg Morris
* Athletic Director: Justin Sanford