Lakota West High School
| Lakota West High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
|
8940 Union Centre Boulevard West Chester, Ohio, (Butler County) 45069 United States | |
| Coordinates | 39°19′49″N 84°25′52″W / 39.33028°N 84.43111°WCoordinates: 39°19′49″N 84°25′52″W / 39.33028°N 84.43111°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1997 |
| School district | Lakota |
| Superintendent | Karen Mantia |
| Principal | G. Elgin Card |
| Faculty | 145 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2792 (2009) |
| • Grade 10 | 718 |
| • Grade 11 | 717 |
| • Grade 12 | 675 |
| Color(s) | Red, White and Black [1] |
| Slogan | Working Together for Excellence and Opportunity |
| Fight song | Fight On |
| Athletics conference | Greater Miami Conference[1] |
| Team name | Firebirds |
| Rival | Lakota East |
| Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [2] |
| Average ACT scores | 23.5 |
| Newspaper | The Voice |
| Yearbook | Odyssey |
| Athletic Director | Scott Kaufman[1] |
| Website | www.lakotawesthigh.com |
Lakota West High School is a high school in the Lakota Local School District which comprises both West Chester Township and Liberty Township in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. From what once was a unified Lakota High School came both Lakota West and Lakota East. Situated in one of the fastest growing exurbs of Cincinnati, the two physically identical schools were built in 1997 when the district expanded. The enrollment for Lakota West is currently around 2,000 students for grades 10-12. Under Ohio criteria, Lakota Local Schools is rated as an excellent school district—the highest rating possible. Some unions from the old single high school still exist, such as the school's radio station, WLHS 89.9 FM, which is staffed by students from both Lakota East and Lakota West.
The two high schools have an inter-district rivalry which culminates each year in the East/West football game. This game usually draws record crowds and was once held in Oxford, Ohio because of this factor. The game, which is usually televised, was brought back to the school district in 2004. Both high schools take turns hosting the game.
The school year is divided into two semesters with two quarters each. The Firebird is the mascot of Lakota West. This was derived from the original mascot, the Lakota Thunderbirds, which became the Lakota West Firebirds and the Lakota East Thunderhawks. The school colors are red and white with black trim. The school is classified a Division 1 school in all sports under OHSAA standards and is a member of the Greater Miami Conference (GMC).
Clubs and activities
Students at Lakota West are given plenty of opportunity to participate in clubs and after school activities ranging from Peer Counseling to the Voice to the school chapter of Mu Alpha Theta. Other clubs and activities include SGA, JCL, Chess club, Academic Quiz team, Yearbook Team, Psychology Club, as well as Theatre, Choir and Band.
Latin Club
Lakota West's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)[3] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).[4]
The Voice
The Voice is a student-operated publication for Lakota West High School published eight times a year. It is a free publication distributed at Lakota West High School, at other public facilities, and on the web.
The Voice is winner of several first-place awards, including the 2000 Pacemaker Award, 2001 Gold Medalist CSPA, NSPA All-American Award, and GLIPA Buckeye Award.[5]
Band
Lakota West is known for its elite band program, formerly directed by Greg Snyder. Under his leadership, the Lakota West instrumental program has gained a national and international reputation for excellence. The Lakota West program has five concert bands and is the only Ohio band program to advance three concert bands to state competition in class AA (Symphonic Winds) and A (Symphonic Red Band and Symphonic White Band). Symphonic Winds has garnered three invitations (a first for Ohio) to the world-renowned Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. The Midwest Clinic, held in Chicago, Illinois, is the leading instrumental music conference in the country, the internationally acclaimed "Super Bowl" of performance venues for high school concert bands. Symphonic Winds performed at the Midwest Clinic in 2000, 2006, and 2011. Under Greg Snyder's direction, Symphonic Winds also toured Europe in the Spring of 2004. They performed at the American School of Paris and the International School of Brussels; an outdoor concert at the iconic Grand Place in Brussels and St. John’s, Smith Square in London. The Lakota West Marching Firebirds is another great asset of the band program. The Marching Firebirds have traveled to many parts of the country to perform, including the Hollywood Christmas Parade, Waikiki Holiday Parade, the 2003 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, the 2008 Parade of Roses in Pasadena, California and the 2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The Marching Firebirds also performed in the 2015 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.[6] The band is currently directed by Andrew Carr.
The Firebirds
A main fixture at Lakota West High School sporting events is their mascot, the firebird. It can be seen before football games in the fall.
Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships
- Girls Basketball - 2015 [7]
- Boys Baseball -2007
Ohio High School Athletic Association State Runner-up
- Girls Basketball- 2008 [7]
Notable alumni
- John Conner, fullback for the Buffalo Bills
- Jordan Hicks, linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. Winner of the 2009 High School Dick Butkus Award.
- Ryan Kelly, Center for the University of Alabama. Winner of the 2015 Rimington Trophy. First round (18th overall) pick of the 2016 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Notes and references
- 1 2 3 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
- ↑ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
- ↑ "2009 Convention – Club Point Summary" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
- "2010 State Convention – Club Point Summary" (PDF). OJCL.org. Ohio Junior Classical League. 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ↑ "Constitution of the Ohio Junior Classical League" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. March 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
...by paying both OJCL annual chapter dues and any annual chapter membership dues required by NJCL.
- ↑ Archived September 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Rose Parade Participants, Tournament of Roses, 2014
- 1 2 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved 2006-12-31.