Londonderry High School (LHS) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

serving grades 9 through 12 in the town of Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States. It is the sole secondary school in the Londonderry School District. It was constructed in 1972 as a junior high school and adopted its current role in 1982. The school's campus is on a parcel of land in the center of town off of

Mammoth Road Mammoth Road is a north–south road in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The road runs from its origin in Lowell, Massachusetts to its northern end in Hooksett, New Hampshire, a suburb of Manchester. The total length of the road is . It was n ...

(New Hampshire Route 128). The main building is , and the separate gymnasium takes up an additional . The current capacity is 2100 students; 1521 are enrolled. The school is known for its large touring

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

. Its athletics teams compete as the

Lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

History

The original building was constructed in 1972 as a

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

. In 1978, the town voted to create a separate high school for the town's students, instead of sending them to

Pinkerton Academy Pinkerton Academy is a secondary school in Derry, New Hampshire, United States. It serves roughly 3,269 students, making it by far the largest high school in New Hampshire, more than 1,300 students greater than the next largest high school. Pi ...

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

, and

Memorial High School Memorial High School may refer to: United States As ''Memorial High School'' alone *Memorial High School (Millville, New Jersey) *Memorial High School (West New York, New Jersey) *Memorial High School (St. Marys, Ohio) * Memorial High School (Tul ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. The building then became a combination Junior/Senior High School. In 1982, a new junior high school was built nearby, and the original building adopted its current ninth through twelfth grade system. The school has received several additions, including a separate two-story gymnasium which opened in January 2003.

Campus

Demographics

Administration

School district

Londonderry High School is the only high school in the Londonderry School District under the authority of School Administrative Unit (SAU) #12 of New Hampshire. The interim district superintendent is Dan Black.

House system

Londonderry High School is administered through a house system, comprising four houses organized by last name. Each assistant principal is in charge of one house; however, they all help with the day-to-day running of the school.

In-school administrators

The principal of the school is Jason Parent. Assistant Principals are Abbey Sloper, Ryan O'Connor, Crystal Rich, and Katie Sullivan.

Academics

The school day at Londonderry High School is divided up into eight 47 minute periods (A-H). Classes begin at 7:20am and end at 2:14pm. The school offers many different accelerated programs, such as Project Running Start, which helps students transition into tertiary education or careers. AP and Honors credit are offered as well, which are weighted into a student's

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

Outcomes and reputation

, the school had a graduation rate of 95percent, well above the state median. Students tested in the top 20percent for the state in reading and the top 30percent in math.

Athletics

Londonderry High School has 36 different athletic teams, ranging from the varsity level to freshman teams, and covering three sports seasons: fall, winter and spring.

Baseball

Londonderry High School's varsity baseball team won its sixth state championship in 2019. The team is coached by Brent Demas.

Cross country

Londonderry High School's boys cross country team has won more New England titles than any other team in the state. They are best known for their 1990-1999 campaign "Team of the 90's" with top runner John Mortimer who was ranked No.1 nationally in high school cross country.

Track and field

Londonderry High School's boys

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

team has totaled over 25 state Class L titles, indoor & outdoor, since the program was initiated in the 1980s. The program has produced four All-Americans and sent numerous athletes to NCAA Division I sports programs. Steve Carroll of the class of 2009 holds the state record in the 400 meter dash.

Soccer

Londonderry High School's boys varsity

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team won Class L championships in 1990 (undefeated), 1996 and 1999.

Gymnastics

Londonderry High School's

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

team placed second in the state (2006–07) and then beat the state champions, Salem High School, in the New England Regionals, placing fourth (Salem placing seventh). The team also won the state championship in 2015, having a slight edge over

Tennis

Londonderry High School

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

won the state title in 2010 and 2012. The team is coached by Bill Knee.

Hockey

The Londonderry High School

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team is coached by Mike Bears.

Lacrosse

Londonderry's lacrosse program has boys' freshmen, JV, and varsity, and girls' freshmen, JV, and varsity teams.

Football

Londonderry's football program has boys' freshman, JV and varsity. The team is coached by Jim Lauzon. The program won their second D1 football title in 2021 under Lauzon, their second in 3 seasons.

Rivals

The school's major rivals are the Astros from

Activities

Marching band

Londonderry High School is particularly notable for its Lancer Marching Band and Colorguard, which is the second largest

in all of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and the seventh largest east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, consisting of 280 members. The Lancers have gained fame through performances across the country and around the world, including four performances at the Tournament of Roses Parade in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. On October 21, 2016, the band was invited to perform in the 129th Tournament of Roses Parade in 2018. The band marches in the New York St. Patrick's Day Parade annually. In 2009 they were honored with an invitation to march in Ireland's

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

parade but graciously declined it and performed in New York for a 14th time. The Lancers participated in the pre-game festivities at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

when they marched on the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...

. The band has traveled to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and marched in the 2009 and 2013 inauguration parades for President Barack Obama on January 20 and 21, respectively. Notable performances: * New York St. Patrick's Day Parade - 21 Performances * Walt Disney World - ''1988, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2013, 2015'' * Orlando Citrus Parade - ''2002, 2015'' * Miss America Show us your Shoes Boardwalk Parade in Atlantic City, NJ. - ''2002'' * Washington DC St. Patrick's Day Parade - ''2013''

Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign

Londonderry High School holds an annual assembly, during which over a hundred students donate at least eight inches of their hair to

Pantene Beautiful Lengths Pantene () is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient. It was purchased by Procter & ...

to help make wigs for cancer patients. Even after Pantene ended their campaign in 2018, Londonderry High School continues to hold an annual hair drive.

FIRST Robotics Team 1058 "The PVC Pirates"

Londonderry High School's FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1058 began as the "Dragoons" during the 2003 FRC competition season playing "Stack Attack". During the 2004 season, Team 1058 changed their name to the "PVC Pirates" due to their robot design resembling a sailing ship when fully deployed. This novel design is still remembered by many local FIRST Robotics alumni. Team 1058 has been to the

FIRST Championship The FIRST Championship is a four-day robotics championship held annually in April at which FIRST student robotics teams compete. For several years, the event was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to the Edward Jones Dome in ...

seven times in its nineteen-year history. In 2012, Team 1058 won the Granite State Regional Chairman's Award, the most prestigious regional award, due to the team's significant outreach efforts. In 2014, Team 1058 won the Northeastern District Chairman's Award. In 2015, Team 1058 won the UNH District Chairman's Award. In 2017, Team 1058 seeded first and captained the winning #1 alliance in the Archimedes division at the World Championship in St. Louis, MO, giving them the prestigious opportunity to compete alongside past world champions, and hall of fame teams on the Einstein Field. In 2019, Team 1058 won the District Chairman's Award at the UNH event after starting two FIRST LEGO League teams at the Londonderry Middle School.

Math team

The LHS math team placed first in the New Hampshire State Mathematics Competition in 1992–1993, 2006–2007, 2007–2008 and 2010–2011. The team finished 12th in the New England Mathematics Competition. The team, then led by Coach Mike Wenger, also finished second in the Tri-State Math League for the year's competition.

Quizbowl

Londonderry has a quizbowl team that participates in the

Granite State Challenge ''Granite State Challenge'' is an American television quizbowl game show that airs on New Hampshire Public Television and began in 1983. Description High schools from around the state compete against each other to win "brainy bragging rights" and ...

television program. The team won the championship in 1984 under the leadership of James Choquette. In the 2006–2007 season the team advanced to the semi-finals before being knocked out by

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

. The team also competes in the New Hampshire Quiz Bowl League and in 2007 finished first among at-large teams to make the playoffs, and placed fourth out of eight teams. The 2007-2008 team finished first in their division with a victory at their home meet. The 2021-2022 team made it to the semifinals of the state tournament.

Notable alumni

* Ant, comedian * Ryan Griffin,

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Alexxis Lemire Alexxis Lemire (born May 30, 1996) is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Jesse Havnell in the 2017 Syfy horror television film ''Truth or Dare (2017 film), Truth or Dare'', as Kate Miller in the 2018 Lifetime thriller te ...

, actress and model *

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

(class of 2000), former

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

References

External links

Londonderry High School official website

The Lancer Spirit Online
the website of Londonderry High School's student newspaper
Londonderry Marching Lancers
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1978 Schools in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Public high schools in New Hampshire 1978 establishments in New Hampshire Londonderry, New Hampshire