Lake Orion High School
| Lake Orion High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
495 E. Scripps Road Lake Orion, MI 48360 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1997 (Current Site) |
| Principal | Todd Dunkley |
| Faculty | 137 |
| Enrollment | 2,376 (2006-2007) |
| Information | (248) 693-5420 |
| Colors Mascot | Green and White Dragon |
| Website | Official LOHS Site |
Lake Orion High School is a public secondary institution located in Lake Orion, Michigan.
The large campus (377,756 square feet) features a centralized "commons area", which serves as a distribution center to the "wings". The commons area features the cafeteria and student store (LO Stop N' Shop), as well as the main office. Each wing features classrooms, computer labs, student lockers, and faculty offices.
The campus also features a gymnasium, natatorium, and auditorium; all of which are suitable for state-level competitions or productions. The Information Resource Center is a reconceptualized vision of a library, featuring computers, tech-ed labs, and studio classrooms.
The immediate area around the school has been developed into residential neighborhoods, but is still dominated by Bald Mountain Recreation Area to the north, east, and southeast.
As of the 2006-2007 school year, Lake Orion High School has the 11th highest enrollment in the state of Michigan, and the 2nd highest in Oakland County after Clarkston High School. Since opening at the current location in 1997, LOHS has added close to 1,000 students to the enrollment.
History
The first building to house Lake Orion students was built in 1893 and served grades K-12. It was demolished in the 1930s by a Works Progress Administration project as part of the program designed by the Franklin Roosevelt administration as a way to provide jobs. In 1927 a new building was constructed that would house students for the next 30 years. Located within the Village of Lake Orion, That building is still in use today as the Ehman Center, and is used by the Boys and Girls Club.
The next building to house LOHS is located near the current school, and is now used as a Community Education Resource Center. It is commonly referred to as the "CERC Building". Opened in 1957, it housed classes for high school students for 40 years. During the 1980s and 1990s the building became so limited in space that is eventually only served grades 10-12.
The current site of LOHS opened in the Fall of 1997, with much of the school uncompleted as construction was behind schedule. Students began classes while construction crews completed the main entrance, gym, weight room, auditorium, parking lot, baseball fields, and natatorium. As a result, students and staff used secondary entrances and were bused to the former high school for gym classes (and the first pep rally to include all 4 classes in years).
In 2000, LOHS was honored as a New American High School showcase site by the United States Department of Education.
Athletics
LOHS offers 25 varsity sports, and competes in the Oakland Activities Association or "OAA". At the state level, the school is classified as "Class A" or "Division 1". Recently, Lake Orion has added ice hockey (2001) and lacrosse (2007) to the list of sports offered.
The grounds surrounding the school feature Dragon Stadium, which houses the football field and track. The football field is composed of FieldTurf, an artificial surface constructed to resemble grass. A separate soccer field is located next to the stadium. There are several baseball and softball diamonds, some of which feature dugouts or bleacher seating. Lighted tennis courts are located adjacent to the school. Many of these facilities are suitable for regional, state-wide, and AAU competitions.
The athletic teams are known as "The Dragons". The "Dragons" name is used by all athletic teams at all educational levels throughout the school system. The name stems from an old legend that a dragon (seemingly similar to the Loch Ness Monster) existed in waters of Lake Orion. The chief rival to Lake Orion is the Clarkston High School Wolves. The two towns border one another and share many of the same demographics. A previous rival to Lake Orion was Oxford High School, although the two schools no longer compete in the same athletic divisions based on geography and changes in enrollment.
Lake Orion won the Class A state championship for wrestling in 1990.
Activities
Lake Orion has one of the best Marching Bands in the state who have been in the top ten within the entire state of Michigan for numerous years. The band competes at state-level competitions in which they are judged on a variety of factors. In the 2006 season, they placed third in Flight I with a score of 82.6, the highest score for Lake Orion ever.
The high school sponsores many clubs, including Forensics, Cultural Outreach, DECA (Distributive Educational Clubs of America), GAP (Guided Activities Program), Future Problem Solving, Generation of Promise, Dragon Broadcasting, Key Club, National Honor Society, Robotics, SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), and the Science Olympiad, among many others. The school also sponsors extracirricular clubs that are not specific to the academic environment. These are known as "Dragon GAP", featuring clubs such as Dungeons & Dragons, Movie Club, Paintball Club, and Video Game Design.
The school does not sponsor (but also rarely punishes students for), Senior Skip Day. Usually held the day of, before, or near the spring prom or final examinations, most senior students choose to skip classes for the day. Many seniors choose to make a day trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Teachers and administrators generally support a day of skipping, however underclassmen (if caught) could face punishment. Senior Skip Day is sometimes accompanied by a Senior Prank, which commonly includes "painting the rock" outside of the school, among other things.
LOHS holds graduation and commencement ceremonies at the Meadow Brook Music Festival in nearby Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Notable Alumni
- Ingrid Beer, actress
- Matthew Dear, musician
- Andrew J. Feustel, NASA astronaut
- Nate Fons, BMX
- Ryan Goleski, professional baseball player
- Zak Keasey, professional football player
- Raymond Plouhar, Staff Sergeant, USMC
- Lauren Thompson, newsanchor for WLNS, Lansing, Michigan
- Ron Tripp, Sambo and Judo Champion; President of USA Judo
- Cynthia Watros, actress