Lebanon Senior High School (LHS) houses grades nine through twelve for the Lebanon School District

Lebanon School District

Lebanon School District is an urban public school district in Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses approximately 5 square miles. According to 2000 local census data, it serves a resident population of 25,297...

, and is located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Lebanon, formerly known as Steitztown, is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,477 at the 2010 census, a 4.2% increase from the 2000 count of 24,461...

. The current building also serves as district headquarters

Headquarters

Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...

. The school's mascot is the cedar tree. It is sometimes jokingly referred to as the "three-ring circus" because of its unique architecture: three circular buildings joined by glass enclosed walkways.

Internal description

Each of the school's three buildings includes a principal occupant (Library, Gymnasium, or Auditorium) which is used to identify the specific building. The "Library" building contains most of the school's classrooms and the library itself features a glass dome ceiling. In addition to the gym, the "Gymnasium" building includes the school's cafeteria. The offices of the high school and school district are found in the "Auditorium" building.
Lebanon High School, which opened to students for the 1969-70 school year, is currently under extensive renovation with anticipated completion sometime in 2012.

Graduation rate

2010 - 83%

2009 - 79%

2008 - 80%

2007 - 80%

2006 - 77%, State 88%

Academic achievement

The high school is in Making Progress: in Corrective Action II AYP status in 2010 due to chronic low academic achievement in reading and mathematics. In 2009, the school was in Did not make AYP - Corrective Action II 2nd Year AYP status.

PSSA Results

11th Grade Reading

2010 - 49% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 67% of 11th graders on grade level.

2009 - 44%, State - 65%

2008 - 33%, State - 65%

2007 - 45%, State - 65%

2006 - 43%, State - 65%

2005 - 39%, State - 65%

11th Grade Math:

2010 - 51% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.

2009 - 44%, State - 56%

2008 - 33%, State - 56%

2007 - 40%, State - 53%

2006 - 36%, State - 52%

2005 - 42%, State - 51%

11th Grade Science:

2010 - 24% on grade level. State - 40% of 11th graders on grade level.

2009 - 17%, State - 40%

2008 - 11%, State - 40%

College Remediation

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 42% of Lebanon School District graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large public university system in the United States. It is the tenth-largest university system in the United States and 43rd largest in the world...

 or community colleges. Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pennsylvania Department of Education

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

Dual enrollment

The high school offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. At LHS the courses are offered at Harrisburg Area Community College, Lebanon Valley College, and Harrisburg University of Science and TEchnology. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities and programs at their high school, including the graduation ceremony. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist enrollees in costs for tuition, fees and books. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.

For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $15,812 for the program.

Graduation requirements

By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.

Beginning with the class of 2015, students must take the Keystone Exams in Literature and Algebra 1.

Programs

Lebanon High School has been known to have a positively rated music program, especially its vocal music department. It has many performing groups including:
Concert Choir,
Chamber Singers,
Show Choir,
Women's Choir,
Men's Chorus,
Overtones,
Band,
Jazz Band,
and Orchestra.

The Chamber Singers have been selected to perform at the state music conference in the past, and its most recent musical production, Cats, has been nominated for several awards by the Hershey Theater's Apollo Awards.

Dress Code

As of January 2008, the school enforced a strict dress including the prohibition of jeans, profane language on clothing, and spiked jewelry. Though there were rumors of protest from several parents of students, who said they could not afford to buy clothing acceptable of the new dress code, no serious protest was taken. The dress code received generally positive reviews after being enforced. There was speculation that the dress code was enforced to improve the image LHS had compared to other schools.

Criticisms

Lebanon High School, like many other high schools, has had incidents take place involving bullying, harassment, and violence. There have been a few times in the past where law enforcement has had to come into the school and arrest students. However, despite perceptions associated with its status as a multi-ethnic urban district, the school has an excellent track record demonstrating cooperation, tolerance, and acceptance among students with a wide variety of ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds.

The Lebanon School District has struggled to meet the goals established by the state Department of Education through the federal government's No Child Left Behind law. However, in 2009-2010, the district met nearly all of its goals. and now carries an AYP status of "Making Progress: in Corrective Action II"

External links

• Official Lebanon High School website