Type Public Principal Bryne Jacobs Nickname Generals Founded 1939 | Established 1939 Enrollment ~ 2000 Phone +1 859-381-3474 Lowest grade Ninth grade | |
Address 401 Reed Ln, Lexington, KY 40503, USA District Fayette County Public Schools Motto Learners, Leaders, Legacies — Lafayette Similar Henry Clay High School, Tates Creek High School, Fayette County Public Sc, Bryan Station High Sch, Paul Laurence Dunbar H | ||
Lafayette Senior High School (LHS) is a public high school located in Lexington, Kentucky's Picadome neighborhood. The school is one of five high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools district. It is among the largest high schools in Kentucky.
Contents
History
Lafayette High School opened in 1939 to replace Picadome High School. The school was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who became famous during and after the Revolutionary War. The family of the Marquis de Lafayette granted the school permission to use their family coat of arms. The original building was constructed as part of a Public Works Administration project on the campus of what had once been an orphanage. By 1940 the LHS vocational program was expanded into a national defense trade school and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, several more buildings were constructed to meet the demand for skilled workers in the war-related industries.
LHS was the first white school in Lexington to be integrated. In 1955 16-year-old Helen Cary Caise enrolled in a summer course in U.S. History. Her uncles and her grandfather at first escorted her to class each day, fearing for her safety. She did not have any problems in completing the course successfully. Most of the white students ignored her during class. However, white supremacists called her family home to threaten them and her father lost his job. In 1958, LHS graduated its first black students. The first black teachers, Viola Greene and Betty Newby, joined the faculty in 1963. With the merger of the Lexington and Fayette County school systems in 1967, many more black students enrolled at Lafayette High School.
SCAPA at Lafayette High School
Fayette County's art magnet program, the School for the Creative and Performing Arts, or SCAPA, is associated with Lafayette. Its facilities are located on Lafayette's campus.
Academic achievement
Lafayette has been widely recognized for a high level of academic achievement. The school has produced scores of National Merit Finalists. Students representing Lafayette have had repeated success in speech, debate, drama, and music competitions. The Lafayette Times and the Marquis have won many awards for excellence in student journalism. In 1987 Lafayette won the Kentucky Governor's Cup, often seen as tantamount to the state academic championship.
Athletics
Lafayette's athletic teams have been among the most successful in Kentucky high school history. The school has claimed over 50 Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) titles, excluding championships in boys basketball, baseball, boys and girls soccer, boys track, boys cross country, boys and girls gymnastics, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls golf, and boys and girls tennis. Several graduates (including Tyson Gay, Gay Brewer, Austin Kearns) have gone on to successful amateur and professional athletic careers. Lafayette/Picadome has been a member of KHSAA since 1924. School colors are red, white and navy blue.
Basketball
LHS has claimed six Kentucky Sweet Sixteen state championships (1941, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1979, 2001) - a record matched only by arch-rival Henry Clay.
Baseball
Lafayette has won three state championships (1988–89, 1992).
Track
Lafayette holds a total of seven boys' track team championships: 1953, 1954, 1963(tie), 1964; Class AA 1970, 1978; Class AAA 1985. The school holds state track and field records in the following events:
Golf
Lafayette has claimed three boys' team golf championships. Former professional golfer Gay Brewer played for the school and won three consecutive state titles from 1949 to 1951.
Soccer
The girls' soccer team won a state championship in 1992, defeating northern Kentucky powerhouse Notre Dame.
The boys' team won the state championship in 1990.
Football
Lafayette plays its home football games at James D. Ishmael Stadium. Originally built in 1953, the facility has been expanded several times and seats more than 4,000, making it among the largest stadiums in the state.
Lafayette's oldest rival is crosstown high school Henry Clay High School, with the most prominent one today being Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
Marching band
The 1991 band received the Suddler Shield award for Marching Excellence.