Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Leander High School

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Type
  
Public

Principal
  
Dr. Tiffany Spicer

Enrollment
  
2,187

Phone
  
+1 512-570-1000

Number of students
  
2,187

Established
  
1899

Grades
  
9-12

Campus type
  
Suburban

Founded
  
1899

Color
  
Blue, White & Red

Address
  
3301 S Bagdad Rd, Leander, TX 78641, USA

District
  
Leander Independent School District

Mascot
  
Leo the Lion, Leah the Lion

Profiles

Leander High School is a secondary school in Leander, Texas and part of the Leander Independent School District. It was established in 1899 and was for 99 years the only high school in LISD, until the establishment of Cedar Park High School in 1998.

Contents

The school has a freshmen enrollment of 600 students and is accredited by the Texas Education Agency. Historically the school served a mainly rural population, but starting around the early 1990s the area experienced growth due to expansion of high tech industries in the nearby Austin area. In 1999, the school became an International Baccalaureate school. As of 2014, the school principal is Dr. Tiffany Spicer.

The school's mascots are Leo the Lion and Leah the Lioness. The school colors are blue, white, and red.

Girl 15 shoots self at leander high


Football

Since the early 1930s, Leander has had a presence in Texas high school football. Since 1942, Leander has had 17 playoff appearances.

The 1942 season was the first time that Leander made an appearance in playoffs after being named district champions. They were eliminated after losing to Marble Falls 0-26.

In 1955, Leander went 8-1-1 in the regular season, falling only to Thrall High School. They entered bi-district, but fell to Troy High School 0-12.

In 1959, Leander went 4-5-1, before advancing to the bi-district game against Johnson City High; they fell 6-8.

The Lions made their fourth playoff appearance in 1967. They went 8-2, advancing to playoffs after losing only to Salado and Thorndale. In the bi-district game, they again fell to Salado with a score of 28-14.

With their best season since the team's founding, the 1969 Lions went 9-1 in the regular season. They advanced to bi-district and played Mart High School, but fell 0-37.

After 27 years without making it to playoffs, Leander returned to a bi-district game in 1996 with a record of 7-2-1. They were knocked out of playoffs after a 0-14 loss to Killeen Ellison.

In 2001, the Lions made it to the bi-district game against Killeen, but lost 3-21.

The 2002 season was the first time Leander won a playoff game after beating Copperas Cove 45-27 in the bi-district game. They advanced to area playoffs, but lost to Spring High School 26-28.

In 2003, Leander hired head coach Steve Gideon. Though he would coach the football team for the next eight years, the 2003 season was his best. During the regular season, Leander went 9-1, and were able to advance to playoffs. Leander first beat Belton 14-13 in the bi-district game, before advancing to the area game against Cypress Springs, who they topped 31-7. Leander then faced Dallas Carter and beat them 11-9. For their final playoff game of the season, Leander faced Allen High School in the state 5A quarterfinals. Allen held a constant lead throughout the game, and Leander was defeated 49-35.

After failing to make playoffs in 2004, the 2005 team went 9-1 and were named district champions. They played Bastrop in the bi-district game, and advanced to area after beating the Bears 39-13. They appeared in the area game against the undefeated Copperas Cove team, and were defeated 42-28.

In 2006, Leander was named district champion and made it to the bi-district game against Ellison. They beat the Eagles 49-22, then moved to the area game against Klein Forest who they beat 35-24. Leander played Garland in the regional game, but were defeated 24-27.

Basketball

Currently, Leander has four basketball teams, Varsity, Junior Varsity, 9th A, and 9th B. In 2013, coach Clint Bradley won the award Coach of the Year.

Fine Arts

  • Band
  • Choir
  • Dance
  • Theatre
  • Band

    The Leander High School Band's recent accolades include

  • Bands of America Grand National Finalist - 1999, 2016
  • Bands of America Grand National Class AAA Champion - 2016
  • Bands of America Super Regional Finalist – 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016
  • Bands of America Austin Regional Champions – 2015
  • UIL State Marching Contest Finalist – 1998, 2000, 2015, 2016
  • UIL State Marching Band Bronze Medalist – 2015
  • Rose Bowl Parade – 1997
  • 4A State Honor Band – 1994
  • Two-time State Championship Color Guard – 2013, 2014
  • Consistent UIL Concert Band Sweepstakes recipients
  • 30 Consecutive Years of Perfect Division 1 Ratings at the UIL Marching Contest
  • Robotics

    The Leander High School robotics team has won many different awards over the years. Students of any background may join, even if they have no knowledge of robotics.

    Green Paws

    Green Paws is the recycling club of Leander High School. It operates two "recycling carts" that students use to pick up recycled material from classrooms.

    Newspaper

    The Roar is Leander's online newspaper. It was founded in 2009.

    Yearbook

    Leander's yearbook is The Lair. Its 70th edition will be released in May 2016.

    Football players

  • Blake Gideon, NFL player
  • Curenski Gilleylen, NFL player
  • Dane Krager, NFL player
  • Paul Thompson, NFL player
  • Torri Williams, NFL player
  • Baseball players

  • Michael Reed, MLB player
  • Others

  • Liz Hatch, cyclist
  • Union Jack and the Megatones, Ska band
  • Lieutenant Matthew Vandegrift, namesake of Vandegrift High School
  • References

    Leander High School Wikipedia