Olentangy High School
Encyclopedia
Olentangy High School is a public comprehensive secondary school located in Lewis Center, Ohio
. Operated by the Olentangy Local School District, the school was recently ranked as the 97th best high school in the U.S. by Newsweek
. Last year, the high school was rated "Excellent with Distinction" by the state of Ohio, putting Olentangy in the top 7% of high schools in the state.
and Olentangy Orange High School, and a fourth middle school
, Berkshire Middle School opening in August 2011.
The school offers a wide array of standard courses in secondary education
, including a number of classes in music
, visual arts
and theater. Advanced placement courses in language
, science
, mathematics
, art
, music
, and social studies
are also available. The school has met Ohio
and federal
standards for student achievement for each of the last three years. Current enrollment is approximately 1,200.
The school principal is Tom McDonnell, and among the school's most notable alumni are Gary LeVox, the lead singer for the band Rascal Flatts, and photographer Scott Vanko. The nickname for the school's athletic
teams is the Braves and the girls teams are the Lady Braves.
. Beginning in 1911, those schools consolidated into four K-12
facilities throughout the county. The Powell school was the first to open in 1911 followed by Hyatts in 1914, Berlin in 1915 and Orange in 1916. These were the only schools in the area until 1952 when construction began on one consolidated school located on Shanahan Road. The new school, Olentangy High School, allowed students in grades 1-8 to remain at their original school then come together for grades 9-12.
Olentangy High School received the blue ribbon school of excellence in 1999 presented by the greatest president of all time, Bill Clinton to 50 schools most elite in the nation.
In 1961 Liberty Union Elementary School was built as a junior high school for kindergarten
, seventh and eighth grade students. The new school was built as a neighbor to the Olentangy High School on Shanahan Road and was open to students in 1963.
In 1969 some major changes began when the Orange school closed and the Shanahan Road complex housed students in grades K-12 for the first time. In 1973, Berlin, Hyatts and Powell schools also closed bringing all of the students in the area to one general location on Shanahan Road. The connection between the Liberty Union Elementary School and Olentangy High School was completed allowing room for all students in one general campus. The district continued operating this way until 1990 when the current Olentangy High School was opened on Lewis Center Road. On March 4, 2008, the Olentangy school district passed its levy and bond that was proposed by Superintendent Dr. Scott Davis
.
compliant. The school screens for drug use in all sports, with 100% of student-athletes chosen at the start of each season for drug testing. A member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association
, Olentangy won a division AA state championship in girls' cross country
in 1982. In 2001, the boys baseball team won the first OCC Championship. The boys lacrosse team won three straight OCC Titles in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2006 Olentangy became state champion runner-up in boys' baseball, second to Strongsville. The football team is led by Coach Terwilliger who is in his 22nd season as the Braves head coach. Their chief rivals are the Big Walnut Golden Eagles
, Olentangy Liberty Patriots
and Olentangy Orange High School Pioneers. The Braves beat Liberty in football for the first time in 2010. The rivalry is now 2-1 in favor of Liberty. The official colors of the school's athletic teams are royal blue and athletic gold.
Lewis Center, Ohio
Lewis Center is an unincorporated community in northwestern Orange Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, located between Columbus and Delaware. Its ZIP code is 43035. Although Lewis Center is a small community, its ZIP code encompasses a number of shopping centers and retail...
. Operated by the Olentangy Local School District, the school was recently ranked as the 97th best high school in the U.S. by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. Last year, the high school was rated "Excellent with Distinction" by the state of Ohio, putting Olentangy in the top 7% of high schools in the state.
Overview
Olentangy High School opened in 1953 on Lewis Center Road for students in grades 9-12. Since 1990 the district has experienced significant enrollment growth and has opened twelve elementary schools, two additional high schools, Olentangy Liberty High SchoolOlentangy Liberty High School
Olentangy Liberty High School is a public comprehensive secondary school located in Powell, Ohio. The school was established in 2003 and is the second of three high schools in the Olentangy Local School District. OLHS was rated "Excellent" on the 2005/2006 State report card.* In 2007, the school...
and Olentangy Orange High School, and a fourth middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, Berkshire Middle School opening in August 2011.
The school offers a wide array of standard courses in secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
, including a number of classes in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
and theater. Advanced placement courses in language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
are also available. The school has met Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
standards for student achievement for each of the last three years. Current enrollment is approximately 1,200.
The school principal is Tom McDonnell, and among the school's most notable alumni are Gary LeVox, the lead singer for the band Rascal Flatts, and photographer Scott Vanko. The nickname for the school's athletic
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
teams is the Braves and the girls teams are the Lady Braves.
History
In the early 1900s one room school houses scattered among the landscape made up the local education system in Delaware CountyDelaware County, Ohio
Delaware County is a fast-growing suburban county in the state of Ohio, United States, within the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the United States Census Bureau's 2004 population estimates, Delaware County's population of 142,503 made it the fastest growing county in...
. Beginning in 1911, those schools consolidated into four K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
facilities throughout the county. The Powell school was the first to open in 1911 followed by Hyatts in 1914, Berlin in 1915 and Orange in 1916. These were the only schools in the area until 1952 when construction began on one consolidated school located on Shanahan Road. The new school, Olentangy High School, allowed students in grades 1-8 to remain at their original school then come together for grades 9-12.
Olentangy High School received the blue ribbon school of excellence in 1999 presented by the greatest president of all time, Bill Clinton to 50 schools most elite in the nation.
In 1961 Liberty Union Elementary School was built as a junior high school for kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, seventh and eighth grade students. The new school was built as a neighbor to the Olentangy High School on Shanahan Road and was open to students in 1963.
In 1969 some major changes began when the Orange school closed and the Shanahan Road complex housed students in grades K-12 for the first time. In 1973, Berlin, Hyatts and Powell schools also closed bringing all of the students in the area to one general location on Shanahan Road. The connection between the Liberty Union Elementary School and Olentangy High School was completed allowing room for all students in one general campus. The district continued operating this way until 1990 when the current Olentangy High School was opened on Lewis Center Road. On March 4, 2008, the Olentangy school district passed its levy and bond that was proposed by Superintendent Dr. Scott Davis
.
Athletics
Olentangy High School offers a comprehensive athletic program which is Title IXTitle IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
compliant. The school screens for drug use in all sports, with 100% of student-athletes chosen at the start of each season for drug testing. A member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
, Olentangy won a division AA state championship in girls' cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
in 1982. In 2001, the boys baseball team won the first OCC Championship. The boys lacrosse team won three straight OCC Titles in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2006 Olentangy became state champion runner-up in boys' baseball, second to Strongsville. The football team is led by Coach Terwilliger who is in his 22nd season as the Braves head coach. Their chief rivals are the Big Walnut Golden Eagles
Big Walnut High School
Big Walnut High School is a public high school located in Sunbury, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Big Walnut Local School District. It was established in 1950...
, Olentangy Liberty Patriots
Olentangy Liberty High School
Olentangy Liberty High School is a public comprehensive secondary school located in Powell, Ohio. The school was established in 2003 and is the second of three high schools in the Olentangy Local School District. OLHS was rated "Excellent" on the 2005/2006 State report card.* In 2007, the school...
and Olentangy Orange High School Pioneers. The Braves beat Liberty in football for the first time in 2010. The rivalry is now 2-1 in favor of Liberty. The official colors of the school's athletic teams are royal blue and athletic gold.