Libertyville High School
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| Motto | Excellence is our standard. |
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| Established | 1953 |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Principal | Brad Swanson |
| Faculty | 157 |
| Students | 1,853 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | 708 W. Park Avenue Libertyville, Illinois, USA |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Orange and black |
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat |
| Yearbook | Nautilus |
| Newspaper | 'Drops of Ink' |
| Website | lhswildcats.org |
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Libertyville High School, or LHS, is a public four-year high school located in Libertyville, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is located at the intersection of Park Avenue (IL Rte 176) and Dawes Street and is part of Community High School District 128, which also includes Vernon Hills High School.
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[edit] History
The school was originally founded as Libertyville Township High School in 1917. The original building (The Brainerd Campus) still stands today, although it is mostly unused due to safety concerns (asbestos). The current, pictured building opened its doors in 1956.
In 1980, the aquatic facilities of LHS were used for the film Ordinary People. The entire film was originally to be shot at LHS, but was moved to Lake Forest Academy, because the LHS campus was deemed "too nice".[citation needed]
In 2001, James Hughes filmed New Port South at Libertyville's Brainerd campus. James is the son of the legendary eighties teen writer/director/producer John Hughes.[citation needed]
In an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of the characters is wearing a Libertyville High School t-shirt.[citation needed]
In season 7 of Angel, in the episode entitled Sacrifice (Episode 20), the character Randall Golden is wearing a Libertyville t-shirt.
In the upcoming film Public Enemies, footage of the school's science lab, an office, the school's front entrance, and the locker rooms was filmed during spring break of March.
[edit] Feeder schools
Before going to LHS, students attend Libertyville District 70, where they would go to Adler Park Elementary School, Butterfield Elementary School, Copeland Manor Elementary School, or Rockland Elementary School, then Highland Middle School. However, students from Oak Grove School, a K-8 school in Green Oaks, and students of Hawthorn District 73 who live in Libertyville, also feed into LHS.
[edit] Academics
In 2005, LHS had an average composite ACT score of 22.1, and graduated 99.2% of its senior class. Libertyville has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act.[1]
The staff includes 157 teachers, of whom 88% hold an advanced degree.[2]
Newsweek ranked LHS #779 nationwide and 22nd in Illinois.[3] In 2007 Libertyville ranked #690 on the list.[4]
In 2004, Libertyville was awarded the "Bright Red Apple Award of Excellence" for its eleventh consecutive year by SchoolSearch.[citation needed]
[edit] Athletics
Libertyville competes in the North Suburban Conference. Its mascot is the Wildcat.
Libertyville's rivals are Stevenson High School, Vernon Hills High School, and Mundelein High School.
[edit] Wildcat Football
The Wildcats were state runners-up in 2003. They lost in overtime to Oswego. In 2004, the school's varsity football team won the Class 7A State Championship in 2004 in a 13-3 win over Cary-Grove. In 2005 Libertyville put in a modern FieldTurf field, along with new speakers. This improvement allows all sports to constantly utilize the field for practice as well as games, as the turf does not break down and requires minimal maintenance. In 2006, Libertyville packed in 6,500 in "The Wildcat Den" to watch Libertyville take on Stevenson High School and featured Illinois High School Football's (Illinois High School Association) first Jumbotron.[citation needed] The Wildcats went on to win the game. In the beginning of the 2007 Wildcat football season they played Carmel Catholic High School and lost by a field goal at the last second.
[edit] Wildcat Baseball
The LHS Baseball team was state runner-up in 1976. In 1997 and 2003, the Cats won state in summer baseball. The Wildcats were ranked 4th in the nation in 1996 according to USA Today.[citation needed]
[edit] Wildcat Girls Soccer
In 1991 and 2001 the school's varsity girls soccer team won the State Championship.[citation needed]
[edit] Wildcat Boys Basketball
Libertyville's boys basketball team advanced to the IHSA Class AA Semifinals in 1991, losing to eventual state champion Proviso East by three points, 47-44.[citation needed]
Three years later, the Wildcats advanced to the quarterfinals, losing to Rockford Boylan. The 1994 team was led by All-State guard Matt Heldman, who went on to letter four years at the University of Illinois. Heldman was in the middle of a professional career in Europe when he died in an automobile crash in Libertyville.[citation needed]
[edit] Wildcat Volleyball
In 2007, the girls' varsity volleyball team won 4th place medals at the state competition. They were coached by head varsity coach Chris Trzyna and assistant varsity coach Patti Mascia.
[edit] Wildcat Boys Lacrosse
Libertyville's boys lacrosse team placed second in the state in 2004 and has made multiple final four appearances.[citation needed]
[edit] Activities
The school's mathematics team won state in 2002 and 2004. They were runner-up in 2002 and 2005. The Speech Cats won 2nd place for small schools during their home tournament in the 2005-2006 school year. The Academic Decathlon team finished 5th in state in 2005.[citation needed] The Scholastic Bowl team placed fourth in state in 2007.[5]
The Libertyville High School Wind Ensemble, has performed at several national and international music conferences. In 1998 and 2004, the Wind Ensemble performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic for an international audience of music professionals. In addition, the Wind Ensemble has either won the University of Illinois Superstate Band Competition or been the honor band in every year from 1996-2005.[citation needed] The school's jazz band has won one of the local jazz festivals every year for over twenty years.[citation needed] In 2007 the Wind Ensemble won the National Wind Band Honors in Class AAAA high schools, one of the highest honors in the country.[citation needed] The Wind Ensemble also performed at the Bands of America festival in Indianapolis in 2007.
There are currently three Libertyville orchestras. The Symphony Orchestra performed for the Midwest Clinic in 2004. Every other year the orchestra performs throughout the world. They have been to China, Italy, and many other places.[citation needed]
Each year, the Fine and Performing Arts department presents a fall musical, a winter play, a spring play, and an evening of student-directed one-act plays. LHS was the first high school in Illinois, as well as one of the first in the country, to perform the internationally known musical Les Misérables.[citation needed] Past musicals and plays include Robin Hood, Arcadia, Into The Woods, Oklahoma!, Rumors, Macbeth, Pacific Overtures, Fiddler on the Roof, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Picnic, Cyrano de Bergerac, Guys and Dolls, and Cats.
[edit] Special interest clubs
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[edit] Notable alumni
- Marlon Brando, actor. Legend has it he rode his motorcycle through the halls of the old Brainerd campus[citation needed]
- Tom Morello, guitarist for the band Rage Against the Machine[citation needed]
- Brett Butler, baseball player[citation needed]
- Adam Jones, guitarist for the band Tool[citation needed]
- Ike Reilly, of the band The Ike Reilly Assassination[citation needed]
- Kevin Walter, football player for the Houston Texans[citation needed]
- mc chris, nerdcore rapper and Adult Swim voice actor
- Steven Brooks, Lacrosse player, 2008 First Team All-American/NCAA DI Midfielder of the Year, midfielder on the Chicago Machine
[edit] School Song
Loyal and true
We pledge allegiance to you.
This is our motto:
We are one for all
And all for Almah Matter
Here's to our school
And long and high she may rule.
For everymore you will find us
Always loyal and true.
Yea, rah team!
Yea, rah team!
Rah, rah, rah, rah,
Rah, rah, rah,
Yeah, rah, team!
[edit] Other
- James Mikolajczyk, an English teacher at LHS, was on an episode of Wheel of Fortune that aired in 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Libertyville High School Official website
- Libertyville High School Football Official website
- IHSFW.com's Libertyville football page (news website)
- Libertyville High School Baseball
- Libertyville High School Music Department
- 2006 Libertyville High School Report Card
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