Lindbergh High School (St. Louis, Missouri)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lindbergh High School is located at 4900 South Lindbergh Boulevard in St. Louis County, Missouri. Each year it graduates over 420 students. The school district encompasses Crestwood, Sunset Hills, Concord, and parts of Fenton, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Affton, and other surrounding localities. Lindbergh is known for its award winning 'Pilot Newsmagazine' which received the prestigious "Gallup Award" from the Quill and Scroll Association.

[edit] History

The school district was founded in 1949 but the first schools appeared in the district as far back as 1939. The high school was originally named Grandview. Its mascot was the Griffin and the school colors were maroon and gold. During the high school's first academic year in 1950-51, classes were held in the basement and boiler room of the district's Sappington School elementary building. Construction began on the new high school in 1951, and classes began at the site in September of that year, even though the building was still under construction.

The school district decided that the name Grandview sounded too much like a rest home, so in April 1952, the school was renamed Lindbergh, after world-acclaimed pilot Charles Lindbergh. Its students became the Flyers and the school colors became green and gold. The mascot later became Lindbird, sporting a chicken or eagle-like costume. In 1957 the district also adopted the name, becoming the Lindbergh School District. Several new school buildings were created over the following years, several of which later closed as a result of a declining student population.

Lindbergh High School became the largest high school in the state of Missouri during the 1970s, boasting over 4,200 students. Over the past three decades, the district's population waned, causing the student body to drop significantly over the years. Lindbergh was the first school in Missouri to offer the International Baccalaureate program. In 1995 the school received $25 million dollars for construction and improved facilities through the approval of bond measure, Proposition R. In 2000 and 2003 similar propositions were passed, giving the school additional revenues for improvements of infrastructure and facilities.^[1]

[edit] Sports

Cheerleading, Wrestling, Football, Soccer, Cross-country, Softball, Flyerettes (nationally-ranked pom dance team), Dive Team, Water Polo Team, Swim Team, Girls Swim Team, Baseball, Boys basketball, Lacrosse, Hockey, Boys Tennis.

[edit] Other Activities

Spirit of St. Louis Marching Band (directed by Bob Spiegelman)

[edit] Distinguished students

[edit] Recognition and Awards

• In 2005 the school was ranked #925 in Newsweek Magazine's "1000 Best High Schools in the Country” list.^[2]
• In 2006 the LHS was recognized again on this list, improving its ranking to #679, and #733 of all schools in the nation.^[3]
• In 2006, Lindbergh High School students Of St. Louis Marching Band won the annual Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival (GSL) in the Gold Division with a score of 79.85. The Band is directed by Robert Spiegelman and the winning drum majors included; Jeff Panhorst, Eric Eisenreich, and Michael Goldschmidt. Pictures of the winning night can be found at http://www.bandstanders.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=3769
• Other achievements for the band include attending the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1st, 2005 (pictures at http://www.bandstanders.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=959), and attending the Cardinals' 2006 World Series Parade on October 29th, 2006 (pictures at http://www.bandstanders.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=4084).
• Also in 2006, the school district was recognized by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and awarded their "Distinction in Performance" award.^[4]
• Lindbergh's student television station, KLHS-TV, was nominated for the National Scholastic Press Association Broadcast Pacemaker in 2005.[2]
• The Lindbergh Spirit Yearbook received an Interactive Yearbook Pacemaker in 2000.[3]
• Lindbergh's student newspaper, the Pilot Newsmagazine[4], was one of the first high school student publications to publish a website. It was recognized in 1996 by the National Scholastic Press Association with a Best of the Net award (now known as the Online Pacemaker). [5].
• In 2007, Lindbergh's Mock Trial team took second place in the Missouri state finals.
• A school record, Lindbergh was distinguished with eleven National Merit Finalists and five Commended students in the 2008 competition.

Today, Lindbergh High School remains one of the best public high schools in the state, providing GED programs in both Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). In fact, it remains one of seven high schools in the state (of two in the St. Louis area) to offer the IB Diploma Programme.

[edit] Notable alumni

• Joe Boever, former MLB pitcher
• George Faerber, famous basketball player
• Al Hofer, St. Louis radio personality
• Dan Martin, the current artist of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Weatherbird cartoon
• Philip Sneed and Greg Haupt (formerly) of the alternative punk band Story of the Year
• Clint Hofer, author

[edit] References

1. ^ Ashwell, Wayne; Vic Lenz (2004). Lindbergh High School History. Lindbergh High School Website. Lindbergh School District. Retrieved on [[2006-12-17]].
2. ^ Newsweek. "The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. High Schools 2005", Newsweek Magazine, 2005-05-16, pp. 10. Retrieved on [[2006-12-17]]. (English) 
3. ^ Newsweek. "The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools 2006", Newsweek Magazine, 2005-05-23, pp. 8. Retrieved on [[2006-12-17]]. (English) 
4. ^ Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "235 School Districts Earn Recognition for "Distinction in Performance"", Department of Education, 2006-12-14, pp. 1. Retrieved on [[2006-12-17]]. (English) 

[edit] External links

• Lindbergh High School Website
• Lindbergh High Alumni Association
• Lindbergh High School History
• PilotNews Online (Lindbergh student publication)