Lakeland School District, Pennsylvania

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Map of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania School Districts
Map of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania School Districts

The Lakeland School District is a school district in northern Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. It comprises the boroughs of Jermyn and Mayfield and the townships of Carbondale (to be distinguished from the city of Carbondale which it partially surrounds), Greenfield, and Scott. It was organized June 30, 1968 as a jointure among the three districts previously serving the five municipalities. It is governed by an elected, nine-member Board of Education who recognizes the Superintendent of Schools as the district's administrative head. Margaret Billings-Jones, is the current superintendent.

The name "Lakeland" refers simply to the multitude of lakes found within the district's limits. The colors are red, white, and blue, taken from the original themes of the Mayfield-Carbondale Twp., Jermyn, and Scott (including Greenfield) schools, respectively. The mascot is the Chief, which was chosen in 1969 to represent courage, compelling personality, and leadership. Lakeland's various academics, arts, and athletics groups are most commonly represented by either an abstracted or stylized profile of a tribal chief's head and war bonnet or an interlocked "LC" inside a plain arrowhead outline (probably adapted from the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs' "KC" logo). Lakeland also boasts successful sports programs, predominantly softball and football. There most recent success came in the 2006 softball season, where the softball team advanced throughout the state playoff competition, to the championship, where they lost 2-1.

The Lakeland area has become bound by the school as a community. As such, it is largely characterized (almost uniquely so within the county) by the dualism between the "country" and the "valley". Rural Greenfield and Scott townships belong to the former and consist of hilly farmland and woods. Jermyn, Mayfield, and most of Carbondale Twp. are a residential and commercial gridwork of denser population centered on the Lackawanna River. The Lakeland area is considered part of suburban Scranton, Pennsylvania's sixth largest city.

Lakeland's geographic position with respect to the other districts of Lackawanna County is illustrated at right. However, no roads provide direct links to Mid-Valley or North Pocono. Also, not shown are neighboring districts Mountain View (Susquehanna County) to the north and Western Wayne (Wayne County) to the east. Long Carbondale and Valley View borders indicate Lakeland's particularly strong relationships with each. They are two of the Chiefs' most competitive athletic rivals. Many Lakeland families have close relatives in, or descend from natives of, both areas. Finally, most of Lakeland's country residents travel to the city of Carbondale or the towns of Valley View regularly for work, shopping, and recreation.


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[edit] Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School

At 1593 Lakeland Drive, Jermyn, PA 18433-3140, it is the district headquarters and houses the district's grade levels 7-12. It is located on Pennsylvania Route 247 in the "Chapman Lake" section of Scott Twp.

The front of Lakeland High School
The front of Lakeland High School

[edit] Lakeland Elementary School

With a physical (but non-deliverable) address at 1562 Lakeland Drive, it is located adjacent to the high school. It houses grade levels K-6 for Greenfield and Scott residents.

[edit] Mayfield Elementary School

At 501 Linden Street, Mayfield, PA 18433-1953, it houses grade levels K-6 for Carbondale Twp., Jermyn, and Mayfield residents.

[edit] External links