La Follette High School
| La Follette High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
702 Pflaum Road , | |
| Coordinates | 43°03′48.3″N 89°19′10.9″W / 43.063417°N 89.319694°WCoordinates: 43°03′48.3″N 89°19′10.9″W / 43.063417°N 89.319694°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1963 |
| Oversight | Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) |
| Principal | Mathew Thompson |
| Faculty | 106.49 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,561 (2018-19)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.66[1] |
| Color(s) | Cardinal and Gray |
| Mascot | Lance the Lancer |
| Accreditation | AdvancED[2] |
| Newspaper | The Lance |
| Yearbook | The Statesman |
| Website | https://lafollette.madison.k12.wi.us/ |
Robert M. La Follette High School is a public school located in Madison, Wisconsin, serving the city's far east side with its attendance boundaries including parts of the City of Madison, City of Fitchburg, Town of Blooming Grove, and Town of Burke, teaching students in grades 9-12. Founded in the fall of 1963, it is a part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, and is named after former lawmaker and 1924 presidential candidate Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Academics[]
La Follette offers diverse academic opportunities, drawing upon its 14 academic departments and more than 150 faculty offering instruction in more than 250 courses in 100 different fields of study. Courses are taught in a variety of academic settings, from traditional classrooms to community-based service experiences. Additional opportunities for growth and leadership are offered through involvement in numerous student organizations.[3] The school began offering American sign language as a foreign language in 1998, and other schools have modeled their programs after La Follette's.[4]
Academic departments[]
- Applied Technology
- Art
- AVID/TOPS
- Business, Marketing, and IT
- English
- Family and Consumer Education
- Math
- Multilingual Education (ESL)
- Music
- Physical Education and Health
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education
- World Languages
Extra-curricular activities[]
Clubs[]
La Follette offers nearly four dozen extra-curricular clubs, spanning a wide variety of student interests, including academic, athletic, social, fine arts, science, health and others.[5]
Athletics[]
La Follette athletics include girls' volleyball, boys' volleyball, girls' soccer, boys' soccer, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, wrestling, boys' track & field, girls' track & field, football, girls' swim, boys' swim, boys' cross country, girls' cross country, dance, cheer, hockey, girls' golf, boys' golf, baseball, softball, girls' tennis, boys' tennis. Club sports include basketball, rugby, bowling, ultimate frisbee and volleyball.
| Sport | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Basketball (boys) | 1977, 1982, 2002 |
| Cross country (boys) | 2006, 2007 |
| Dance (jazz) | 1992, 1994 |
| Football | 1967 |
| Golf (boys) | 2003 |
| Track and field (boys) | 1969, 2002 |
| Track and field (girls wheelchair) | 2017, 2018 |
| Volleyball (boys) | 1987, 1989 |
Other notable athletic achievements[]
- 1978 WIAA Girls Softball State Runner Ups
- 1979 WIAA Class A Girls Softball State Runner Ups
- 1986 WIAA Class A Girls Softball State Runner Ups
- 1988 WIAA Division 1 Boys Volleyball State Runner Ups
- 1993 WIAA Division 1 Wrestling Individual State Champion, Chad Powell
- 1993 WACPC Competition Dance D1 State Champions
- 1994 WACPC Competition Nationals D1 Competitors
- 1995 WACPC Competition Dance D1 State Champions
- 2003 WIAA Division I Boys Tennis Individual State Champion, Pete Amundson
- 2006 WACPC Competition Cheer D1 Small State Champions
- 2007 WACPC Competition Cheer D1 Small State Champions
- 2010 WIAA Division 1 State Baseball Runner Ups
- 2011 WACPC Competition Cheer D1 Small State Champions
- 2011 WIAA Division 1 Boys Cross Country Individual State Champion, Chandler Diffee
- 2011 WIAA Division 1 Girls Discus Individual State Champion, KeKe Burks
- 2012 WIAA Division 1 Boys Cross Country Runner Ups
- 2013 WACPC Competition Cheer D1 Small State Champions
- 2014 WACPC Competition Cheer D1 Small State Champions
- 2015 WIAA Division 1 Boys Cross Country Individual State Champion, Finn Gessner
- 2015 WIAA Division 1 Boys Cross Country Runner Ups
- 2016 WIAA Division 1 Boys Cross Country Individual State Champion, Finn Gessner
Other activities and events[]
Arboretum[]
La Follette has one of the few on-ground arboretums in the state. It was designed to have three ecosystems, including prairie, woodland and pond.
Board of visitors[]
La Follette's board of visitors serves as an advocate for the school, and is the only school in the Madison area, and possibly the state, which has such a board. Drawing upon experiences and resources of alumni, parents and other patrons, the board's mission is to empower students and faculty while building community. The board assists in fundraising, business, community outreach, public affairs, student support and teacher support.[6]
Business[]
In 2011, Summit Credit Union began operations at La Follette High School. In ensuing years, branches were opened at other Madison-area high schools. The branch is staffed by interns from the La Follette career internship class and is open during the lunch hour.[7][8]
Presidential visit[]
On September 28, 2010, the school was visited by President Barack Obama, who made an unannounced stop ahead of a late-afternoon rally on the UW-Madison campus.[9]
Publications[]
The Lance is the student newspaper for La Follette; its yearbook is known as The Statesman; The Lancer Legend is the parent newsletter.[10]
Notable alumni[]
- Marc Behrend, 1979; former professional hockey player
- Craig Brown, 1994; curler
- Erika Brown, 1992; curler
- Savion Castro, 2012; member of the Board of Education in Madison, Wisconsin
- Chuck Chvala, 1973; former State Senate Majority Leader
- Brian Detter, 1977; business executive and former defense official
- Crystal Graff, 2011; volleyball player
- Dianne Hesselbein, 1989; member of Wisconsin State Assembly
- Tim Jordan, 1982; former professional football player
- Peter Mueller, 1972; speed skater
- Nicole Newman, 2014; softball player
- Jeff Nygaard, 1990; Olympic beach volleyball player, 2004; U.S. Men's Olympic National Indoor team, 1996, 2000
- Craig Smith, 2008; current NHL player on Boston Bruins and former University of Wisconsin hockey player
- Kim Sponem, 1985; president and CEO, Summit Credit Union[11]
- Patrick Stiegman, 1984; ESPN vice president
References[]
- ^ a b c "LaFollette High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Institution Summary, AdvancED, Retrieved 2012-07-08
- ^ LHS, Academics, retrieved May 26, 2020
- ^ 120 incoming Greendale freshmen pick ASL as their world language — a first for southeastern Wisconsin, by Clara Hatcher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 27, 2018, retrieved September 8, 2020
- ^ LHS website, Clubs, retrieved May 26, 2020
- ^ La Follette board of visitors website, retrieved May 26, 2020
- ^ Summit Credit Union website, retrieved May 26, 2020
- ^ Credit unions partner with local high schools for education, hands-on experience, by Pamela Cotant, Madison.com, November 6, 2017, retrieved May 26, 2020
- ^ Obama’s surprise stop at La Follette ‘amazing’ and ‘surreal,’ by Gayle Worland, Wisconsin State Journal, September 30, 2010, retrieved May 27, 2020
- ^ LHS Lancer Legend website
- ^ Know Your Madisonian: Kim Sponem leads booming growth for Summit Credit Union, by Chris Hubbuch, Wisconsin State Journal, August 31, 2019, retrieved May 29, 2020
External links[]
- High schools in Madison, Wisconsin
- Educational institutions established in 1963
- Public high schools in Wisconsin
- 1963 establishments in Wisconsin