Lyons Township High School

Lyons Township High School (often referred to as LTHS or simply LT) is a public high school located in Western Springs, Illinois (South Campus), and also in La Grange, Illinois (North Campus).  Lyons Township is a co-educational high school and serves grades 9–12 for Lyons Township High School District 204.  Students from the communities of La Grange, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, La Grange Park, Countryside, Indian Head Park, Hodgkins, and parts of Brookfield, Willow Springs, and McCook attend Lyons Township.  Lyons Township High School is the 8th-largest public high school in Illinois and the 46th-largest public high school in the United States.  Freshmen and sophomores attend class at South campus, located at 4900 S. Willow Springs Rd.  in Western Springs.  Juniors and seniors attend class at North campus, located at 100 S. Brainard Ave.  in LaGrange, which also houses the district offices.  Sports facilities at Lyons Township include swimming pools, field houses, theatres, a turf football field (south campus), soccer fields, baseball fields, a gym, outdoor tracks, basketball courts, and volleyball courts.  The two campuses are about a mile apart.  Activity buses run after school between the campuses. 

History

Lyons Township High School was opened on September 4, 1888.  The enrollment included 39 students.  An athletic field named Emmond Field was constructed in 1888, and a 1926–1929 expansion included a clock tower, auditorium, offices, library, and a gym.  Leonard H. Vaughan (president of a seed company and former school board president,) funded the construction of the Vaughan Building; it was constructed in 1949 for sporting events and classes.  In 1956, South Campus was opened about a mile south-west in nearby Western Springs to accommodate the community's growing population.  The Corral was constructed in 1944 as a social place for all students to spend time with each other after school hours.  In 2005, a performing arts center, a field house, and a pool were added to the South campus to complement the facilities at the North campus. 

Athletics

At LTHS boys compete in baseball, football, cross country,  wrestling, golf, soccer, bowling, basketball, swimming, diving, track and field, lacrosse, water polo, tennis, and volleyball.   Girls compete in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, diving, tennis, lacrosse, track and field, volleyball, badminton, softball and water polo.  

The following teams have won their respective IHSA state championship tournaments:
 Baseball: 1966–67, 2002–03, 2010–11
 Basketball (boys):1952–53, 1969–70
 Cross country (boys): 1955–56, 1956–57
 Golf (girls): 1938–39
 Gymnastics (girls): 2012–13, 2013–14
 Hockey (boys): 1979–80
 Soccer (boys): 2009–10
 Swimming and diving (boys)2015–16, 2016–17
 Tennis (girls): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93
 Track and field (boys): 1913–14, 1914–15, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1960–61, 1972–73
 Volleyball (girls):1975–76, 1989–90, 2010–11
 Water Polo (boys): 2011–12, 2014–15
 Water Polo (girls): 2009–10

Newspaper
The LION newspaper is the student publication of LTHS.  The LION is a member of the High School National Ad Network.  The newspaper has won multiple awards:
 Journalism Education Association and National Scholastic Press Association: 1st place nationally in 16+ page category in 1999
 Scholastic Press Association: 1st place (national overall newspaper award)
 Northern Illinois School Press Association: Golden Eagle Award: Best of Class 2009, One Honor Scholarship, 13 individual Blue
 The red stripe award for journalistic excellence ribbons, and 47 Honorable Mentions
 National Scholastic Press Association and Journalism Education Association: Two individual Awards of Excellence and one Honorable Mention
 American Society of Newspaper Editors and Quill & Scroll: Four national 1st place awards
 Illinois Men’s Press Association: A 2nd place award in Column Writing and an Honorable Mention in Sports Writing

WLTL
LTHS is the license holder of WLTL-FM - a Class A non-commercial radio station which broadcasts from North Campus on 88.1 FM.  WLTL has won several national and local awards, including the Service to Young Children award.  The station is student-run, with new student managers selected each year. 

WLTL is the recipient of more than 25 awards of excellence, including the John Dunn award for "Best High School Radio Station in the Nation" and has had 10 consecutive years winning the Communicator Award.  WLTL has also been recognized nationally for the quality broadcasting that it provides by the National Association of Broadcasters.  Several current media figures got their start at WLTL, including Mike Murphy of WSCR, Dave Juday of WMVP-AM, Ryan Arnold and Emma McElherne of WXRT-FM, and Phil LeBeau of CNBC. 

Clubs and activities
LTHS offers over 100 activities and athletics including academic clubs, communication arts, performing arts, intramurals, leadership and service organizations.  They include the following:

Performance groups

 Brass Impact
 Cheerleading
 Color Guard and Winter Guard
 Drama Plays
 Eurythmics
 Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band & Jazz Lab Band
 Latino Dance Troupe
 Marching Band
 Pit Orchestra
 Pom Pons
 Speech Team
 Steppers
 Symphonic Band
 Theatre Board
 Variety Show
 Vocal Music
 Wind Ensemble

Service groups and initiatives

 Interact
 Lion Friends
 National Hispanic Institute
 Peaceable/Warring Schools Initiative (PSI)
 Relay for Life
 Operation Snowball
 Social Action Club
 Student Council

Fine arts groups

 Art Club
 Brass Impact
 Chorus
 Drama Plays
 Eurythmics
 Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band & Jazz Lab Band
 Madrigals
 Marching Band
 Orchestra
 Photography Club
 Symphonic Band
 Theatre Board
 Wind Ensemble

Academic organizations

 Aviation Club
 Chemistry Club
 Choir Board
 Congressional Debate
 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
 French/Exchange
 German/Exchange
 Italian/Exchange
 Newspaper
 Math Team
 Scholastic Bowl
 Science Olympics
 Spanish/Exchange
 Speech Team
 Yearbook
 Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA)
 Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE)

Clubs and organizations

 A Cappella Club
 American Sign Language Club
 Archery Club
 Art Club
 Astronomy Club
 Athletic Trainers
 Auto Club
 Aviation Club
 Baccalaureate
 Band
 Best Buddies
 Black Culture / Multi Culture Club
 Board Game Club
 Bowling Club
 Breakfast with Barbells
 Business Management
 Business Professionals of America (BPA)
 Catering Club
 Cheerleading (Spirit)
 Choir
 Class of 2018
 Class of 2019
 Class of 2020
 Class of 2021
 Color Guard/Winter Guard
 Congressional Debate
 CyberPatriots
 East Asian Culture Club
 eSports Club
 Eurythmic Dance Company
 FCCLA
 Fishing Club
 French Club
 Future Healthcare Professionals
 GEMS
 German Club
 Greek Club
 Improvisation Society of Geniuses
 Interact Club
 Italian Club
 Latin Club
 LION Newspaper
 Lions Den Student Section
 LTTV
 Math Team
 Menagerie
 Model UN
 National Hispanic Institute (NHI)
 National Honor Society (NHS)
 Officiating Club
 Orchestra
 Peaceable Schools Initiative (PSI)
 Peer Leadership
 Philosophy Club
 Photography Club
 Poms
 PRISM
 Programming Club
 Project ASSIST
 Recycling Club
 Relay for Life
 Rock Climbing
 SAVE Promise Club
 Scholastic Bowl
 Science Olympiad
 Sci-Fi/ Fantasy/ Anime Club
 Snowball
 Social Action Club
 Songwriting Circle
 Speech Team
 STEM Club
 Spanish Club
 Steppers
 Student Athletic Training (Sports Medicine)
 Student Council
 TABULAE
 Technology Club
 Technology Student Association
 Theatre Board
 Ultimate Frisbee
 Variety Show
 VEX Robotics Club
 WLTL
 Zoology

Throughout the year, students arrange multiple small events for the school as well as the community.   Such events include the All School Assembly, Relay For Life events, Computer Drive, Secret Santa, Rockathon and various other student run events. 

Notable alumni

 Jeff Adams, football player
 George Burditt, lawyer and politician
 Terrel E. Clarke, Illinois state legislator and businessman
 Jimmy Dunne (songwriter), songwriter, TV and film composer, television writer/producer, screenwriter, music producer, columnist, publisher, business entrepreneur and artist
 Jake Elliott, NFL kicker for Philadelphia Eagles; made longest field goal by a rookie in NFL history on September 24, 2017; Super Bowl LII champion
 Nicholas J. Fuentes, paleoconservative political commentator and activist
 Kathy Gleason, Professor of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University, Roman Garden Archaeologist and editor of the book A Cultural History of Gardens in Antiquity
 David Hasselhoff, actor and singer, best known for television series Knight Rider, Baywatch, and America's Got Talent
 John Hattendorf, professor and historian specializing in maritime and naval history
 Michael Hitchcock, actor, writer, and producer
 Oren Koules, Producer of the SAW movie series, Producer of Two and A Half Men series, former owner Tampa Lightning NHL Team
 Jim Holvay, songwriter and musician
 Jeff Hornacek, professional basketball player, most notably Utah Jazz; now head coach of New York Knicks
 Ben R. Mottelson, nuclear physicist who shared 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics with James Rainwater and Aage Bohr for their model of nuclear structure
 Christine Radogno, Republican leader in Illinois State Senate, representing the 41st Senate District
 Matt Rehwoldt, professional wrestler who performs as "Aiden English"
 Lou Saban, former professional football player and coach
 Frederick Upton helped organize Upton Machine Company, early manufacturer of electric washing machines, forerunner to Whirlpool Corporation. 
 Dave Wehrmeister, former MLB player (San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox)
 Leona Woods, physicist who helped build first nuclear reactor and atomic bomb; At age 23, she was youngest and only female member of team that  built and experimented with world's first nuclear reactor Chicago Pile-1. 
 Ty Warner, CEO of Ty Inc. and inventor of Beanie Babies

References

External links
 
 LTHS Alumni Forum Alumni Forum

Category:Educational institutions established in 1888
Category:Public high schools in Cook County, Illinois
Category:La Grange, Illinois