Lakeville North High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Lakeville North High School

motto =
established = 1906
type = Public high school
principal = Marne Berkvam
faculty = ???
students = approx. 1,741
mascot = Panthers
colors = Red, Black
city = Lakeville
state = Minnesota
country = USA
website = [http://www.lnhs.isd194.k12.mn.us/ www.lnhs.isd194.k12.mn.us]
grades = 9-12
address = 19600 Ipava Avenue
newspaper = The North Star
yearbook = Panthera
literary magazine = Cellar Door

Lakeville North High School (LNHS) is a public high school in northern Lakeville, Minnesota. Formerly Lakeville High School, LNHS received its current name when a second high school, Lakeville South High School, was built. The school is a member of Minnesota Independent School District 194 (Lakeville Area Public Schools), and is affiliated with the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). The school is a member of the Lake Conference.

History

chool facilities

Lakeville North High School was completed in 1993, designed by Wold Architects, it is known to have a somewhat unique design. With three floors total, the situation of the building on the site gives the classroom wing three levels while the rest of the building only has two. The classroom wing is a rough rectangular shape with the Media Center and support spaces located in the middle and symmetrical classroom spaces on either side. Lab spaces are located on the front (east) portion of the wing while smaller classroom spaces are located in the center and near the back (west) portion. The Classroom wing is connected to the main building by 4 “bridges” that include bathrooms and locker bays. The bridges lead into the 2 story commons space used for student dinning and other community events. The commons allows access to administration offices, the gymnasiums, music and industrial tech wings, and the auditorium, making it the center of the buildings design. One major noticeable design feature of the commons space is the large radius curtain wall on the east side and the stair stepped ceiling leading to each side of the space, giving it an open and airy feeling. The industrial tech and performing arts area of the school is located in the northern portion directly off the commons. Lakeville North offers metals classes while Lakeville South offers woods. The auditorium is circular in overall shape with approximately 600 soft seats. The size is comparably smaller to that of its Lakeville South counterpart, coming in at 1000 seats. Acoustic effects are achieved through stair stepped walls and the sloped ceiling and seating layout. Entrances are located on both the second and third floors while handicapped seating is available on the second floor portion. A complete sound, lighting, and a backstage fly system complete this space. Administration spaces are located on the third floor in the center of the building immediately adjacent to the main entrance. In the offices are six dean offices, bathrooms, two showers to accommodate overtime workers, and offices for attendance, health and SRO officials. Athletic spaces complete the southern portion of the floor plan. A large game gym is located off the commons and includes bleacher seating and a full size running track. A two court auxiliary gym is located beyond. A gymnastics gym, dance studio, weight room, and double locker rooms complete the athletics wing. In 1998, the building was expanded from 1200 students to 2500 students with the addition of the auxiliary gymnasiums, commons space, classroom wing expansion and new locker rooms. Though the expansion meshed well with the existing spaces many features of the new spaces indicate it was added at a later date. For example, the tile on the original columns supporting the existing bridges was rectangular while the tiles on the new bridge are square. It is also apparent in the finishes in the classroom wing with slightly different carpet, tile grout line sizes and door frame designs. The buildings structure is made of steel and masonry. The classroom wing has three story masonry curtain walls and precast concrete floors and roof. The spaces are laid out with varying steel spans ranging from 12 feet at regular classrooms to 32 feet at lab spaces. Walls in the classroom wing are constructed of steel studs and drywall and the bathroom spaces are glazed masonry block. The exterior is clad in brick, aluminum panels, stucco, glazed block, and ribbed steel materials. Aluminum windows, doors and store front systems are also included. A trace amount of these materials are continued to the interior of the building.

Academics

Lakeville North High School offers advanced placement (A.P.) classes in various subjects including Art History, Calculus, Biology, English Literature, Language Composition, Chemistry, European History, U.S. History, World History, Psychology, Music Theory, Macroeconomics, Studio Art, Human Geography, Statistics, Physics, Environmental Science, and American Government. Advanced placement exams are held at the end of the year; students who receive a passing grade earn college credits.

Students are also given the opportunity to earn college credits and high school credits at the same time if they are a junior or senior in high school through Post Secondary. This is where students take courses at a nearby, participating college or university. The students must meet the admission requirement first to take these courses. In the past, school administrators have raised controversy by stating that the Post-Secondary Education Option (PSEO) was a way for students who operated poorly in traditional academic settings to pursue options in local community colleges, operating in direct contradiction to the State of Minnesota's PSEO laws. In accordance with school policy, letter grades are not given to students choosing to pursue this option.

Extracurricular activities

Lakeville North Students are able to participate in many extracurricular activities including: Academic Decathlon, Alternative Activity Club, American Sign, Anime Club, Best Buddies, Bible Study, Chess, Community Connectors, Debate, DECA, Democratic Club, Diversity, Drama Club, Environmental Club, Fall Musical, Fitness Center, Flag line, French Club, Future Problem Solvers, Gay/Straight Alliance, Intramurals, Intramural Dance Club, Just Friends, Latin Dance, Literary Arts Magazine, Math League, Mock Trial, Multicultural Club, One Act Play, Peer Tutors, Photo Club, Quiz Bowl, Republican Club, SADD, Science Olympiad, Silver Ribbon Campaign, Skills USA, Spanish Club, Spring Play, Speech, Student Council, Swing Dance, Video Club, and Youth in Government.

There are also honor organizations called Link Crew and National Honor Society.

The other organizations are actual classes during school. These classes include: DECA, High Mileage, Instrumental Music, Newspaper, Tech Challenge, Visual Art, Vocal Music, and Yearbook.

The Lakeville North Marching Band has been invited to perform in many national parades and events. Recent high profile events include The 2005 Presidential Inauguration, Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 2007 and the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California in January 2007. The bands are under the direction of Nathan Earp, who is much beloved by band members and other students.

The Lakeville North choirs also travel. In the 06-07 year, Chorale went to Spain. In the 08-09 school year, Lakeville North Chorale will be traveling to France to feast on croissants and busk in the street as a fundraiser for their new performance risers.

Athletics

Lakeville North students have the option of participating in various types of athletics. These options include: Boys/Girls Alpine Skiing, Baseball, Boy/Girls Basketball, Cheerleading, Boys/Girls Cross Country Running, Dance Team, Adaptive Floor Hockey CI, Adaptive Floor Hockey PI, Football, Boys/Girls Golf, Boys/Girls Gymnastics, Boys/Girls Hockey, Boys/Girls Lacrosse, Boys/Girls Nordic Skiing, Adaptive Soccer CI, Adaptive Soccer PI, Boys/ Girls Soccer, Softball, Adaptive Softball CI, Adaptive PI, Boys/Girls Swimming and Diving, Boys/Girls Tennis, Boys/Girls Track & Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling.

The school competes under the Minnesota State High School League and is a member of the competitive Lake Conference. Some notable interscholastic athletic successes include:

Won State Championship in Football in 1988,1992,and 2003.

Won State Championship in Boys Swimming in 1982 and 2006.

Won State Championship in Girls Cross Country in 2005.

Won State Championship in Competition Cheerleading in 2007.

Won the Lake Conference Title in Boys Soccer in 2007.

Won the State Championship in Boys Alpine Skiing in 2008

Won the Section 5A Championship in Football in 1984,1987,1988,1990,1991,1992,1994,2003,2007

References

* [http://www.lnhs.isd194.k12.mn.us/ Lakeville North High School Official Site]
* [http://www.lhspantherband.com/ Lakeville North Marching Band]