Lafayette High School (Lexington, Kentucky)

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Lafayette Senior High School
Learners, Leaders, Legacies — Lafayette
School type	Public
Established	1939
Principal	Michael McKenzie
Students	~ 2000
Mascot	General
Location	Lexington, Kentucky
Website	http://www.lafayette.fcps.net/

Lafayette Senior High School (LHS) is a public high school located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school is one of five high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools district. It is among the largest high schools in Kentucky.

Lafayette High School opened in 1939 to replace Picadome High School. The school was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who became famous during and after the Revolutionary War. The family of the Marquis de Lafayette granted the school permission to use their family Coat of Arms. For many years, Lafayette was considered the "county" school, with cross town Henry Clay High School being the "city" school.

1 Academic Achievement
2 Athletics
3 Band
4 Senior Class Live
5 Notable alumni
6 References

[edit] Academic Achievement

Lafayette has been widely recognized for a high level of academic achievement. The school has produced scores of National Merit Finalists. Students representing Lafayette have had repeated success in speech, debate, drama, and music competitions. The Lafayette Times (newspaper) and the Marquis (yearbook) have won many awards for excellence in student journalism. In 1986 and 1987 Lafayette won the Kentucky Governor's Cup, often seen as tantamount to the state academic championship.

[edit] Athletics

Lafayette's athletic teams have been among the most successful in Kentucky high school history. The school has claimed more than 50 Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) titles, including championships in boys basketball, baseball, boys and girls soccer, boys track, boys cross country, boys and girls gymnastics, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls golf, and boys and girls tennis.

[edit] Basketball

Lafayette's boys basketball team is generally regarded as one of the best programs in Kentucky prep history. LHS has claimed six state championships (1941, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1979, 2001) - a record matched only by arch-rival Henry Clay. Lafayette has won more than 1,200 games in its history, ranking high on Kentucky's all-time list.

Several former Lafayette basketball stars have gone on to play in college and the NBA. Lafayette's championship coaches include Maurice Jackson (1942), Ralph Carlisle (1950, 1953, 1957), Jock Sutherland (1979) and Don Adkins (2001).

[edit] Baseball

Lafayette has also had great success in baseball, winning three state championships (1988-89, 1992). Its teams have benefited greatly from the quality of youth feeder orgnizations, namely South Lexington (SLYB) and Dixie Youth Baseball.

Several former Lafayette baseball stars have enjoyed successful college and professional careers, including 1998 Kentucky Mr. Baseball winner and current Washington Nationals star Austin Kearns.

[edit] Soccer

Lafayette's boys and girls soccer teams have also achieved at a high level. The girls soccer team won a state championship in 1992, defeating northern Kentucky powerhouse Notre Dame. Lafayette was state runner-up to the girls title in 1994.

Coach Rick Kazec led the boys team to a state championship in 1990.

[edit] Football

Lafayette's football team has not excelled on the same level as its other sports programs. LHS did make an appearance in the 1985 4A State Championship game, but lost to Louisville powerhouse Trinity.

Recent years have seen an improvement in the program. In 2006, Lafayette finished the regular season undefeated, posting a 10-0 record. It was the program's best finish since the 1960's (the team fell to Woodford County (8-4) in the first round of the district playoffs).

Lafayette plays its home football games at James D. Ishmael Stadium. Originally built in 1953, the facility has been expanded several times and seats more than 4,000, making it among the largest stadiums in the state.

Lafayette's oldest rival is crosstown high school Henry Clay. Paul Laurence Dunbar HS and Tates Creek HS are also rivals.

[edit] Band

The Lafayette Band is generally regarded as one of the premier music performance groups in the state of Kentucky.

The Lafayette Marching Band has won 14 Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) state titles (1990-2002, 2006). The marching band has competed at the Bands of America (BOA) Grand National Championships several times, making the finals in 1995 and 2004. The band has also competed at several BOA Regional contests, reaching the finals at least once every year since 1995. The band has also claimed the Grand Champion title at the famed Contest of Champions in Murfreesboro, TN nine times (1975-76, 1978-79, 1990-94).

In addition, the band has performed twice at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City (1991, 2002).

While the Lafayette Band has always enjoyed a successful reputation, the program reached its pinnacle during the early 1990's. Under the direction of Steve Moore, the band claimed numerous marching contest titles, winning several consecutive state championships.

The 1991 band received the Suddler Shield award for Marching Excellence.

The 1993 season produced what many regard as the finest marching band show in Kentucky history, "Polovetzian Dances". The band finished the season undefeated and beat rival McGavock High School by nearly 10 whole points at the Contest of Champions. The 4A class state championship was never in doubt and Lafayette easily claimed the title.

The band's 1994 rendition of "Les Miserables" is also highly regarded and often lauded among band enthusiasts.

The band has also achieved success in concert/symphonic performance. The 1994 band was selected to participate in the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL.

Charles "Chuck" Smith is the current band director. The Lafayette Band's historical rivals include: Paul Laurence Dunbar HS, George Rogers Clark HS, North Hardin HS (Radcliff, Ky.), and McGavock HS (Nashville, TN).

[edit] Senior Class Live

The highly popular follies production "Senior Class Live" was initiated in the late 1970's by Lafayette teacher Tim Carson. The majority of Lafayette's senior class participates in the show each year and most of the performances sell out.