Lafayette High School (St. Joseph, Missouri)

Lafayette High School has served the St. Joseph community for 97 years. Over the years, the school has adjusted to changes in population and culture of the community. Lafayette has provided an increasing variety of academic and extra-curricular opportunities for the students.

In 1917, North High School was built on a block of property surrounded by Highland, Dolman, Washington and Fourth Streets. The third St. Joseph high school was built to meet the needs of the northside students. The board soon changed the school's name to Lafayette High School, honoring Marquis de Lafayette. Seventeen teachers, under the direction of Principal Vincent A. Davis, served students in grades 1 through 10. Mr. Davis' salary was $1,800 for ten months. Extra-curricular activities included basketball and football. The students chose green and gray for their colors. In 1919, a winning football team, under the direction of D.H. Murphy, became known as "The Fighting Irish", and the school emblem became the shamrock. The Booster Club was organized this year. In 1920, the first school newspaper, Hi-Life, later called The Light was published. A boys' vocational program and girls' domestic science program were soon added. These beginning efforts proved to be a firm foundation on which was built the present Lafayette High School.