Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
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Liberty High School is a public high school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Liberty is the larger of two public high schools in the Bethlehem Area School District, with Freedom High School being the other. Liberty's current attendance area includes students from most of Bethlehem, all of Fountain Hill, Freemansburg, and Hanover Township.
In the current academic year, 3,006 students attend Liberty High School. It employs a staff of 153 full-time teachers, and 5 part-time teachers.
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[edit] History
Liberty High School was built in 1918 and opened in 1923.[1] Originally named Bethlehem High School, it is located in the geographical center of Bethlehem, PA. Up until Liberty's recent remodel, the school was composed of three classroom buildings, two buildings with four floors and one science center with two. Also, there were many additions added over the years including a pool, 2 gyms, and an indoor track.
[edit] Renovations
Liberty High School has undergone numerous renovations since it was first built in 1918. One during the late 1960s when it sister school Freedom High School was built, with the most recent being in 2005. It is expected to be completed by 2009 however, the Commons Building (main building) was reopened in Spring 2007. During these renovations, Liberty High School has made a second campus called "freshman campus", for 9th graders to attend. This is located a few blocks away from the actual high school main campus. The freshman campus building used to be the old Northeast Middle School, also part of the Bethlehem Area School District.
[edit] Athletics
The school's athletic teams compete in the Lehigh Valley Conference, which also includes high schools from Allentown, Easton, Emmaus, and other Lehigh Valley locations. Liberty's primary athletic rivalry is with Freedom High School, its cross-city Bethlehem rival. The two schools compete each year for "The Bell." The team that wins the most head-to-head meetings between each school in each sport retains "The Bell." Liberty has held "The Bell" for over 17 straight years. Freedom High School held "The Bell" for just about every year before that.
2001 Baseball District 11 AAAA Champs.
[edit] Football
In 2005, the Liberty football team won the PIAA East football championship and placed second in the Pennsylvania state finals (losing in the finals to McKeesport Area High School). In the 2006 season, Liberty played Upper Saint Clair, a Pittsburgh school ranked 16th in the country and Liberty ranked 18th for the Pennsylvania PIAA-AAAA football finals in Hershey. However, Liberty lost for a second straight year in the finals, winning the silver medal, in 2007 they lost to Hazleton in the playoffs 21-20 also they featured Brendan Beal who is a national recruit who committed to Florida.[2].
[edit] Rifle
Liberty High School also has a competitive rifle shooting team. The team shoots .22 long rifle, German made, Anschutz rifles. The team shoots, in matches, against several other high schools in Northeastern, PA.
[edit] Girls Lacrosse
Liberty Girls Lacrosse Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by Joe Sexton, MD in 2003. Its founding was sparked by the enthusiasm of approximately 25 girls at Liberty High School. In March of 2007, 51 girls joined the club, and for three years there has been a Varsity and Junior Varsity level team. It is the first organized team for girls' lacrosse in the Bethlehem Area School District. Mostly consisting of players from Liberty High School, the club also invites other girls from neighboring schools to participate who have nowhere else to play. The mission of the club includes introducing the sport of lacrosse into the PIAA interscholastic competitive level in the Bethlehem Area School District.
[edit] Band
The Liberty High School Grenadier Band is a 240-member band with a long, successful tradition as one of the nation's premier high school bands. Modeled after the band of the Coldstream Guards, the LHSGB is the only American high school band to have performed with the Guards in concert. They take a trip to England every four years, as well as places like Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. In 2009, the band will perform in the tournament of roses parade.
[edit] Scholastic Scrimmage
Liberty High School traditionally has fared well in Pennsylvania's Scholastic Scrimmage contest, where Pennsylvania high schools compete against each other in an academic trivia contest. Liberty has won the contest three times (1982, 1984, and 1994) and placed second four times (1989, 1993, 1995, and 1997).
[edit] Notable alumni
- Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
- Pete Carril, former basketball coach, Basketball Hall of Fame member.
- Alexandra Chando, actress, As the World Turns.
- Jimmy DeGrasso, heavy metal drummer, Megadeth.
- Jonathan Frakes, actor, Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- Mike Hartenstine, former professional football player, Chicago Bears.
- Gary Lavelle, former professional baseball pitcher, San Francisco Giants.
- Barry W. Lynn, political activist and executive director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
- Paul F. McHale, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security and former Member of Congress.
- Billy Packer, college basketball television sportscaster, CBS.
- Sheetal Sheth, actress, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Liberty High School Official Web Site.
- Liberty High School athletics schedule and scores at HighSchoolSports.net
- Liberty High School Page at Lehigh Valley Conference Official Website.
- Liberty High School Official Football Web Site.
- Liberty High School Grenadier Band and Orchestra Parents.
- Liberty Girls Lacrosse Club Website.
