Longmeadow High School

Longmeadow High School is a public high school located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1956 and enrolls approximately 1,000 students.[3] The school's mascot is a Lancer.

The original library in the 1971 addition. The space is now occupied by the fitness room, back gym, and health classes.
A history classroom in the 1964 wing.
The art department in the former high school.
A corridor in the original building.
The view of the outdoors from the Grand Stair.
The balcony overlooking Seminar B.
A hallway leading to Seminar A.
Longmeadow High School
Location
95 Grassy Gutter Road
Longmeadow, MA

United States
Information
TypePublic
Open enrollment[1]
Established1956
PrincipalThomas Landers
Staff76.27 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment958 (2017–18)[2]
Student to teacher ratio12.56[2]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Black and White        
MascotLancer
NewspaperThe Jet Jotter thejetjotter.com
YearbookMasacksic
Websitelhs.longmeadow.k12.ma.us

It is ranked as the sixth best public school in Massachusetts in a 2011 report by Newsweek.[4] 96% of graduates continue their studies at the college level.[4]

In June 2010, Longmeadow High School won the championship of the WGBH TV program, High School Quiz Show, defeating The Bromfield School in the final match. The school also competed in the WGBY-TV quiz show, As Schools Match Wits, where their 2010 team reached the finals.[5]

New school building

The original high school building was replaced by a new building. The original building was demolished with the exception of the 1971 science wing, which at the time included the swimming pool, library spaces, science classrooms, and a large open classroom known as the business technology center. Construction began in 2011 and continued until April 2013. The renovated natatorium (swimming pool) and locker rooms opened in the fall of 2012, and the new school building which was constructed southeast of the original building opened on February 25, 2013, following the school's winter vacation. The new building consists of a new core section with the auditorium at its center and surrounded by a circular lobby. Around the lobby in this portion are the cafeteria, school office, library, computer lab, and special subject classrooms.

The main two-story academic wing housing most of the school's classrooms extends out to the west from the core lobby area. North of the core lobby is the new gymnasium and athletic and physical education spaces as well as the renovated 1971 wing which was completed during the summer of 2013. The reused wing was nearly completely gutted on the inside and received a completely new brick facade to match the new 2013 building with only the swimming pool and its locker rooms remaining laid out as they were originally built.[6]

The portion of the wing where the media center was now contains the fitness center, a new PE room containing a wooden dance floor, the health classroom, and a new business technology center. The northernmost part of the wing is separated from the school proper by security doors. It contains the offices of the school department and LCTV, the town's community access TV channel.

A parking lot and drop-off now occupies the space where the former building stood. A new athletic field is located where the former student parking lot was located.

A ceremony was held in September 2013 for the completion of the new high school building. The new school was built at an estimated cost of $78.4 million, and was partially funded by the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The town's portion was $44 million and included required matching funds for the MSBA's portion of the project as well as the full costs for the demolition and renovation parts of the project as they were outside the scope of the MSBA's approved program.[7]

Original school building

The original school was constructed in 1954, with subsequent additions in 1958, 1963, 1971, 1999, and 2009.[8] The renovations created courtyards surrounded by corridors. By the turn of the millennium, the high school supported a peak occupancy of approximately 3,000 students.[8]

Years of mistreatment had caused serious maintenance issues over the years. In 2009, the district appropriated money to refurbish the media center, which at the time was located in the 1971 wing. In 2010, demand for a new school grew until the town voted in favor of constructing a new state-of-the-art facility. District offices were demolished the same year to make way for the proposed academic wing.

Faculty and staff moved into the new building in February 2013 and by April, the building was gone.[9]

Notable alumni

Athletics

Lacrosse

Longmeadow is widely known for their storied high school lacrosse tradition in both the boys' and girls' programs. Since 1970, the first year of varsity play for the boys' lacrosse program at Longmeadow, the team has established a tradition of excellence and earned a position as one of the top programs in the State, winning Massachusetts State Championships (a total of 18) in 1970, '74–'77, '79–'81, '83–'86, '88–90, '92, '97, '08, and 2013 (boys), a win over Medfield (10–7). 1981 was legendary coach Dave Stockwell's final year at the helm; that year's team went undefeated.

Longmeadow's boys' team has produced 36 All-American selections and six Academic All-American selections, and many of the lacrosse alumni have gone on to play lacrosse for top collegiate programs.

Swimming & Diving

The Longmeadow boys' team has currently won sectionals (dubbed "Western/Central Mass") every year since 2015.[10]

In 2018, the team also placed second in States, the championship meet that includes all of Massachusetts.

Football

Longmeadow High School's football team has gone to 14 straight Western-Central Mass Division I Super Bowls under Head Coach Alex Rotsko.

Longmeadow has won 8 of the 12 Western-Central Mass Division I Super Bowls (which began in 1997) and 10 overall since 1972.

In four out of the last five seasons, the football team has gone undefeated, including back to back to back perfect seasons. The 2005 football (12–0) team beat Leominster in the Division 1 Super Bowl 21–20 in Holyoke.

The 2006 team (12–0) beat Leominster again, but in a more dominant fashion, 42–0 at Worcester State University.

The 2007 team finished 13–0, a school record due to the new playoff system, and beat Leominster 21–0 in the Division 1 Super Bowl at Westfield State University.

Longmeadow held a 47-game winning streak from 2005 to 2008, one of the longest high school winning streaks in the country at the time. The streak eventually came to an end on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2008 to East Longmeadow, losing by a score of 16-13 and ending the 47-game winning streak. However, they went on to participate in their 13th consecutive Division I Super Bowl, and went on to win their 9th Western-Central Mass State Championship over Fitchburg.

The 2014 reached the Division 2 State Championship. But they fell to Marshfield High School, 45–6. The Lancers trailed, 39–0, at halftime.

Girls Volleyball

The Longmeadow Girls volleyball program gained strength in 2007, when coach George Mulry took over the program. In the past decade the program has won 8 Western Mass Championships (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) and 6 League Championships (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012).

The program has grown athletes to achieve numerous accolades and compete at an incredibly high level, both regionally and across the state. These athletes have since gone on to compete at the collegiate level ranging from all divisions (D1, D2, D3, & Club).

Coach Mulry has achieved over 150 wins at LHS in the past ten years, 6 sectional titles, 10 championship appearances, & 8 Championships.

Boys' tennis

Longmeadow's boys' tennis program has won 22 straight Western Mass titles (D-I). In 2006, the team ended a 9-year losing streak to St. Johns (all nine loses came in the state semi-final). Recently, the program has proven to be a contender every year. Meadow fell short in 2006 against Sharon, in 2008 against Central Catholic, and lost 3–2 in 2009 against Central Catholic.

The Longmeadow boys' tennis team has not lost a match against a Western Mass team in six years.

Other sports
  • Longmeadow's men's ice hockey team has won two Division III State Championships, in 2006 and 2010. They have won and played in multiple Western Mass Championships, winning in '80-'81 '05, '06, '09-'10,'12 and '19. They were finalists in '99, '03, '04, '08, '11, and '17. Westfield and Longmeadow's ice hockey teams have combined for every Wmass title since 2002, with only one other school winning it in 2015. In 1980, the team went to Boston Garden for the first time, losing the Division II State Final to Barnstable in overtime.
  • The girls' lacrosse team won the Division I State Championship in 2004. The girls' lacrosse team currently holds a 103-game winning streak against Western Massachusetts opponents. They were also State Finalists in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014.
  • The girls' soccer team won the Division I Western Massachusetts Championship in 2004. Considered an underdog going into the finals, they beat Cathedral in the semi-finals to earn the spot against Minnechaug, the number one team in Western Mass. They beat Minnechaug 1–0 to claim the Western Mass Championship. Longmeadow went on to the State Semi-Finals, losing to Nashoba 1–0 in overtime.
  • The boys' basketball team won their first ever Western Massachusetts Division I Championship over West Springfield in 2008, under head coach Tim Allen (a former standout at Longmeadow).
  • The 2007 girls' volleyball team won their first ever Western Mass Division I Championship over Amherst. In 2008, they repeated, and beat East Longmeadow in the Western Mass Finals. Both teams lost in the State-Semifinals, the 2008 team to Central Catholic.
  • In 2004 and 2005, the golf team won back-to-back Division I State Championships.
  • The girls' swimming team has won multiple Western Mass titles and state titles.
  • The boys' swimming team has won multiple Western Mass and state titles along with many runners-up placings.
  • In 2013, a boys' bowling team was developed. The team went 13–4 in their first season.
  • In 2019 the boys' soccer team won the state title for the first time.

Music program

Longmeadow High School is known for its Grammy award-winning music program, which includes an orchestra, a student-run chamber orchestra, two bands (a concert band and an honors level Wind Ensemble), a jazz band, a pep band, four women's choirs, a men's choir, an honors choir, an a cappella women's choir, and an honors a cappella choir. These ensembles have received numerous awards and honors, including going on international tours, giving performances at Carnegie Hall and Boston Symphony Hall, and receiving MICCA Festival Gold Medals. In the 50s and 60s, Longmeadow High School was known for musical productions like Oklahoma and The Mikado.

In 2014, for the first time in history, Longmeadow Symphony Orchestra was picked to perform at All-Eastern in Providence, Rhode Island.

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2017-04-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Longmeadow High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  3. Get The Feeling: Masacksic 1988, Vol. 32.
  4. "America's Best High Schools". Newsweek. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  5. "As Schools Match Wits" website Archived 2007-01-05 at the Wayback Machine. "2010 Championship Game: Longmeadow High School Vs. Northampton School, Wed June 23, 2010, 7:30pm
  6. budsbest100 (2013-04-24), 4/24/13 demolition old Longmeadow high school, retrieved 2018-10-06
  7. Roman, Elizabeth (26 February 2013). "New Longmeadow High School opens its doors to students, staff". The Republican. MassLive. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  8. OMR Architects (September 2009). "LHS Feasibility Study". www.longmeadow.org. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  9. budsbest100, 4/24/13 demolition old Longmeadow high school, retrieved 2018-12-11
  10. "Longmeadow boys swimming takes fourth-straight sectional title, wins West-Central Championship (photos)". MassLive.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.

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