Lakewood High School (Ohio)

Lakewood High School is a public high school located in Lakewood, Ohio, west of Cleveland, Ohio.The school colors are purple and gold. The mascot is the Ranger. The school is currently a member of the new Northeast Ohio Conference. LHS is currently ranked "Effective" by the Ohio Board of Education.

During the past years, many improvements have been made in the physical plant of the school. Improvements have included the planetarium, reading center, improved academic classrooms and offices, a 25 yard Pool with separate diving well and Natorium, new cafeterias, a horticulture laboratory, an enlarged library, five computer labs, additional physical educational facilities, and extensive vocational program facilities. A building addition, referred to as "the New Building" was completed in 1970, and was necessary because of increased enrollment which included bringing the inclusion of the ninth grade in the high school. The installation of a new all-weather P.E./athletic field and the new swimming pool made Lakewood High School's facilities rank among the finest in the area. The most recent addition is the music wing which accommodates both the vocal and instrumental programs at the school.

The curriculum at LHS is broad and offers a wide selection of courses in technical, vocational, art, home economics, music and business as well as the regular academic fields of English, Science, Mathematics, Languages and Social Studies. Lakewood High School currently offers 12 AP courses. Lakewood also has a history of one of the top high school newspapers in the country. Lead for over 30 years by adviser John Bowen, The Lakewood Times won hundreds of regional, state and national awards for excellence in journalism. The Times won the top award a high school newspaper can win, the Pacemaker Award, in 2000 and 2001.

Lakewood High School Alma Mater

Lakewood High we're proud of thee;
All allied in loyalty;
May thy counsels ever be
Within our memory.

Honors then to Lakewood High
May her fame reach to the sky,
May we always heed her cry
To bravely do or die.

Chorus

Hail to thee! O Lakewood High
Thy dear name uphold;
We shall ne'er forget
The purple and the gold.

Lakewood High School Athletics

* Men's:
** Fall Sports:Football (V-JV-FR), Cross Country (V-JV), Soccer (V-JV), Golf (V)
**Winter Sports: Hockey (V), Swimming (V), Wrestling (V-JV), Basketball (V-JV-FR).
**Spring Sports: Baseball (V-JV-FR), Tennis (V), Track (V).
* Women's:
**Fall Sports: Golf (V), Cross Country (V), Soccer (V-JV), Tennis (V-JV), Volleyball (V-JV-FR).
**Winter Sports: Swimming (V),water polo (V-JV-FR), Gymnastics (V), Basketball (V-JV-FR).
**Spring Sports: Softball (V-JV), Track (V).

(Key: V: Varsity, JV: Junior Varsity, FR: Freshmen)

Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships

* Boys Cross Country - 1928,1929,1932,1953
* Boys Swimming – 1928,1929,1962
* Boys Track and Field - 1922,1923,1924,1926,1931
* Boys Wrestling - 1948
* Girls Gymnastics - 1979,1982----

Lakewood Stadium

Lakewood High School's athletic field is located just south of the school building. The Lakewood Stadium complex is home to the school's football, soccer, track & field, tennis, and baseball teams. The complex is used for numerous sporting events, including playoff football games and home football games for another high school -- St. Edward High School -- located a few blocks away. The football field was renovated recently with the installation of FieldTurf prior to the 2007-2008 school year.

Famous Alumni

*Jack Buck (1942) - sportscaster and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
*Dick Celeste (1955) - Governor of Ohio (1983-1991)
*Donald Erb - composer
*Clark Graebner (1961) - professional tennis player [http://www.lkwdpl.org/nworth/graebner1.htm]
*Jane Scott - former rock critic for The Cleveland Plain Dealer
*Michelle Sikes (2003) - nationally honored distance and cross country runner and Rhodes Scholar who attended Wake Forest University

Marching Band

The Lakewood High School Ranger Marching Band is one of the top bands in the area. In 2006, it was voted the best high school marching band in the Greater Cleveland area by the Lakewood Music Parents in Cleveland Magazine's "Best of Cleveland" contest.

The 2006 LHS Ranger Marching Band consists of nearly 100 musicians, and over 40 auxiliaries, made up of their dance team (the "Rangerettes") and their flag corps. The band participates in several invitational band festivals, including its own, as well as the Fourth of July Parade, the Lakewood Community Festival, the LHS Spirit Parade and the Lakewood Veteran's Day program.

The LHS Ranger Marching Band is directed by Brian Maskow, who is assisted by Michael Hazlett. The band went to Kitchner, Ontario for the Thanksgiving and Oktoberfest Parade in 1997. In 2000, the band went to the B.C.S. National Championship Game, between Virginia Tech and Florida State, in New Orleans, Louisiana (the only band from Ohio) for the pre-game and halftime shows.

The LHS Ranger Marching Band has an annual festival joining ten bands from around Ohio. The festival in 2008 will be the 22nd. In the past, Lakewood has invited the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees, Medina Bees, Euclid Panthers, Westlake Demons, Bay Village Rockets, Rocky River Pirates, Vermilion Sailors, University of Akron Zips, University of Toledo Rockets, and The Ohio State University Marching Band.

The Lakewood Project

Lakewood High School is home to the world's first high school rock orchestra, The Lakewood Project. This ensemble combines a double quartet of Vipers (electric string instruments) and acoustic string instruments, piano, electric guitar, electric bass, and a drum set. The Project plays both classical and rock music, and has worked with such artists as Mark Wood and members of the Trans Siberian Orchestra, Julie Lyonn Lieberman, Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd tribute), A Hard Day's Night (Beatles tribute), Neil Zaza, and Matt Turner.

Related Links

* [http://www.lnoca.org/lakewood/lhs/]
* [http://www.lkwdrangermb.org/]