Lane Technical College Prep High School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lane Technical College Prep High School
Wherever you go, whatever you do, remember the honor of Lane
Location
2501 Addison St
Chicago, Illinois, 60618
USA
Information
Oversight Chicago Public Schools
Principal Antoinette LoBosco
Students 4,748[1]
School type Public magnet high school
Grades 9-12
Campus City
Campus size 33 acres (13 ha)[2]
Mascot The Indian
Color(s) Myrtle Green and Gold          
Newspaper The Warrior
Established 1908
Homepage www.lanetech.org

Lane Technical College Preparatory High School (also known as Lane Tech), is a public, four-year, magnet high school located on the north side of Chicago. Lane is one of the oldest schools in the city and has an enrollment of over four thousand students.[2]

Lane is a selective-enrollment-based school in which students must take a test and pass a certain benchmark in order to be offered admission.[2] As a result of consistent victories in the fields of sports and academics, the school is known as the "School of Champions".[2] Lane has also produced more Ph.D. holders than any other high school in the country.[3]

Since Lane is one of several selective enrollment schools in Chicago, most students have to commute to Lane. As a result, Lane is a diverse school with many of its students coming from different ethnicities and economic backgrounds which helps enrich the school's student body.[4] To celebrate the school's diversity, Lane hosts dozens of ethnic clubs which help students learn more about other cultures as well as prepare for the International Days festivities.[5]

Contents

[edit] School history

[edit] Founding

Albert G. Lane
Albert G. Lane

The school is named after Albert Grannis Lane, a former principal and superintendent. Lane school was founded in 1908 and dedicated on Washington's birthday in 1909 as the Albert Grannis Lane Manual Training High School.[6] During that time, the school was a manual training school for boys. During the early years of the school's operation, students could take advantage of a wide array of technical classes. Freshmen were offered carpentry, cabinet making, and wood turning. Sophomores received training in foundry, forge, welding, coremaking and molding. Juniors could take classes in the machine shop. Seniors were able to take electric shop which was the most advanced shop course.[3]

By the 1930s, Lane had a student population of over 7,000. Since the school's building was not originally planned for such a huge student population, plans for a new school were drawn up by Board of Education architect John C. Christensen. Upon the school’s completion at its new location, over 9,000 students marched from Wrigley Field on its dedication day September 17, 1934[3]. Lane's huge student body necessitated that classes be held in three shifts.[3] In the same year the school changed its name to the Albert Grannis Lane Technical High School to reflect the school's expanding curriculum. In the 1930s the school again changed its name to Lane Technical College Prep High School to reflect a college preparatory mandate.[3]

[edit] Contribution to World War II

During World War II, Lane Tech students ran drives to aid in the war effort. The drives generated over $3 million in war bonds, a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and four Red Cross ambulances.

[edit] Student admission during the Cold War

Lane adopted a closed admission policy in 1958 on the school's 50th anniversary. All remedial classes were eliminated and only top tier students were admitted to the school. This coincided with the beginning of the space race between the United States and the USSR. Lane changed its educational policy to help ensure that the United States would not fall behind the Soviets in science and technology.[3]

[edit] Admission of female students

In 1971, changes were made to the admission policy due to a drop in enrollment and lack of technical schools for girls. To solve the issue, Superintendent James Redmond recommended that girls be admitted to Lane Tech. The Chicago Board of Education concurred and girls were admitted as students for the first time. Due to a fear of having a drop in academic achievement, fifteen hundred male students protested the change but the decision was not changed.[3]

[edit] Campus

Lane Tech is located on a 33 acre campus at the intersection of Addison and Western. The main building is similar to an A-shape and consists of four floors and a greenhouse as the fifth floor. Some unique features of the main building includes a clock tower and a smoke stack.

Several fast food chains, restaurants, supermarkets, and specialty stores are located around the Lane Tech campus. The school is one of only three Chicago Public Schools that allows off-campus lunch.

[edit] Lane Stadium

During the spring 2007 season, Chicago city building inspectors declared Lane Stadium unsafe and condemned the stadium. The age of the stadium and the fact it was built on landfill raised concerns that using the stadium to full capacity would cause a structural collapse. Events affected were the 2007 and 2008 graduating class ceremony (moved to the University of Illinois at Chicago), the annual Letterman versus Faculty Softball game, the annual Memorial Day assembly, and the 2007 and 2008 Pep Rally.[7]

Lane Stadium reopened September 7, 2007 with a new turf field. The stadium also features a new IHSA regulation track.

[edit] Memorial Garden

The Lane Tech Memorial Garden is located in the inner courtyard of the building and is dedicated to graduates who have lost their lives in defense of our country. At the east end of the formal garden is a bronze statue of a young Native American, created by the artist, J. Sazton. It is called, "Shooting the Stars" and it symbolically urges students to set their sights on lofty goals.[8]

At the west end of the Memorial Garden is the Ramo I. Zenkich Memorial, consisting of a flag pole and granite monument inscribed with the names of the students from Lane Tech who lost their lives in the Vietnam conflict.

The Memorial Garden was rededicated in 1995. During the school’s 90th anniversary celebration in 1998, a commemorative plaque was placed near the “Shooting the Stars” statue. It explains the significance of the Memorial Garden to Lane Tech and its students.

[edit] Academic programs

Lane regular school day operates from 8:00 AM to 2:55 PM with seven periods of classes and one period of lunch. Students may enter the school at 7 for breakfast and other school related activities with teachers, as well as tutoring. [9]

Lane offers six concentrations for students to choose from: Honors, Core, Technology, Architecture/Engineering, Art, and Music. Education To Careers (ETC) programs are offered in automotive mechanics, machines, electronics, computers, radio-TV, theater technology, architectural drafting, computer aided drafting, art, accounting and music.[10]

Honor level courses are offered to qualified students. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are available in English, history, math, science, art, music, computer science and world languages.

Other programs include the Honors Alpha Program, a hands-on, multi-disciplinary study of the sciences for students interested in scientific research. Students of the program learn at an accelerated pace compared to regular and honors classes and may receive more class credits [10]

Students can also replace their normal physical education classes with a class in Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC). The program sponsors the Proctors Club, Color Guard, Honor Guard, Drill Platoon, Drum & Bugle Corps, and Raiders of Lane [11].

Lane has a 85.4% graduation rate and scored 82.5% on the Prarie State Achievement Exam [12]

[edit] Athletics

Lane offers many sports including, but not limited to baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross-country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, wrestling, and water polo.[13]

Lane garners, on average, 7-10 city-championships per year and has won 16 state championships since 1908 giving its nickname of "The School of Champions". Numerous Lane Tech athletes have competed beyond the high school level and achieved success at the college level and beyond[3].

[edit] School traditions

[edit] Events

Several school events are held throughout the school year at Lane.

  • Spirit Week: Events held during the week preceding Homecoming. Generally includes dress up days to encourage school spirit ending with homecoming.
  • Homecoming: The school's annual Pep Rally, Football Game, and Homecoming Dance
  • Turkey Bowl: Annual Letterman (Students) versus Staff Football Game prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday
  • Christmas Concert: Annual concert prior to the Christmas Holiday
  • Memorial Day Observation: Annual gathering of students to honor the fallen and veterans of the United States. Lane is the only school in Illinois to have a memorial day rally.
  • International Days: Annual festival celebrating the diversity at Lane and the various cultures around the world through ethnic dances and food.
  • Softball Game: Annual Letterman versus Staff softball game

[edit] School Song

The school song "Go, Lane, Go" was written in 1915 by a student named Jack T. Nelson. The song was first played during the pep rally and was met with great enthusiasm. Lane was one of only a few schools at the time to have an original school song [3]. The song is played daily before the National Anthem and also serves as a warning to students that classes will start soon.

[edit] Alumni Association

President Clinton's Chief of Staff John Podesta.
President Clinton's Chief of Staff John Podesta.

The Lane Tech Alumni Association was established through the efforts of the January and June classes of 1932 and their involvement in the school's Diamond Jubilee celebration in 1983. The organization grew and was incorporated in 1986. Its purpose is to promote and enhance the reputation of Lane Tech, to provide scholarships, to assist and meet with Lane Tech students in preparing them for higher education and life after graduation, to disseminate and publish information regarding the graduates' accomplishments, to preserve the history of Lane, and to foster a closer fellowship among the graduates.

The Lane Tech Alumni Association hosts Events, Reunion Information, and works to help all Lane Tech Alumni Advance and stay connected to each other.

Notable alumni include

Another alumnus, Fritz Pollard, was the first African-American to be selected a college All-America while at Brown University, the first African-American to play in the annual Rose Bowl Game, and the first African-American to coach in the NFL.[1] He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.[2]

[edit] Movie filming

Lane has been the site of various filming locations. The movie The Express, starring Dennis Quaid, was filmed during the 2006-2007 school year in Lane Tech stadium. [31] Lane's stadium was also used for some parts of the 1986 movie, Wildcats, starring Goldie Hawn and Swoosie Kurtz.[32] The 33 acre campus was also used in a scene in the movie High Fidelity, filmed on the east lawn of the Lane Tech campus.[33]

[edit] References

  1. ^ School State Report Card. CPS. Retrieved on 2007-05-23.
  2. ^ a b c d Lane Tech College Preparatory High School Information Sheet. CPS. Retrieved on 2007-05-23.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i School History. CPS. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  4. ^ Chicago Public Schools. CPS. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  5. ^ Clubs and Organizations. CPS. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
  6. ^ Lane Tech Student Manual, 2006, 5. 
  7. ^ Graduates Lose Fight For Stadium Ceremony. NBC. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  8. ^ Memorial Garden. CPS. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  9. ^ Bell Schedule. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  10. ^ a b Course Listings. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  11. ^ Curriculum Options. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  12. ^ Chicago Public Schools. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  13. ^ Sports Directory. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  14. ^ Adrian Zmed. TV.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  15. ^ Kevin Moyers. IMDb.com. Retrieved on 2008-16-04.
  16. ^ Steve Wilkos. IMDb.com. Retrieved on 2008-16-04.
  17. ^ Lane Tech Alumni. Lane Tech Alumni Association. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  18. ^ Wildcats remember a program pioneer. Northwestern University. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  19. ^ Lane Tech  :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: High School of the Week. Suntimes. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  20. ^ Lane Tech  :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: High School of the Week. Suntimes. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  21. ^ Lane Technical College Prep High School. CPS. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  22. ^ Tony Alcantar - Biography. IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  23. ^ Justina Machado. IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  24. ^ New Page 1. Lane Tech Fan. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  25. ^ IHSA - Illinois H.S.toric: IHSA Boys Swimmers Made a Splash in the 20th Century. IHSA. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  26. ^ Cook Cnty ILGenWeb USGenWeb - Data. USGenWeb. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  27. ^ a b c d e Lane Tech  :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: High School of the Week. Suntimes. Retrieved on 2008-08-03.
  28. ^ School Days: Lane Tech High School. ABC 7 Chicago. Retrieved on 2005-21-10.
  29. ^ Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). IMDB. Retrieved on 2007-27-07.
  30. ^ New Page 1. Lane Tech Fan. Retrieved on 2007-27-07.
  31. ^ The Express (2008) - Filming locations. IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  32. ^ Wildcats (1986) - Filming locations. IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  33. ^ High Fidelity (2000) - Filming locations. IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.

[edit] External links

Official websites
Alumni
Sports

Coordinates: 41.9454° N 87.6907° W