Papillion La Vista Senior High School
Encyclopedia
Papillion La Vista Senior High School, often referred to as Papio, PLHS, North or "Old School", is located in Papillion
Papillion, Nebraska
Papillion is a city in Sarpy County in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is a suburb to the southwest of neighboring Omaha, and is the county seat of Sarpy County. The population of Papillion was 18,894 at the 2010 census. In 2009, Papillion was named the #3 best place to live in the United States by...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, and is operated by the Papillion-La Vista Public School District
Papillion-La Vista Public Schools
The Papillion-La Vista School District is headquartered in Papillion, Nebraska. The school district covers all of Papillion, La Vista, and a small portion of Bellevue...
.
Its school colors
School colors
School colors are the colors chosen by a school to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification. Most schools have two colors, which are usually chosen to avoid conflicts with other schools with which the school competes in sports and other activities...
are Maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
and Gold
Gold (color)
Gold, also called golden, is one of a variety of orange-yellow color blends used to give the impression of the color of the element gold....
and the school mascot is a monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
.
History
The Papillion-La Vista Public Schools District have had origins extending from 130 years ago. It is reported to be the first school district to be established in Nebraska TerritoryNebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...
, in 1872.
Papillion-La Vista High School dates back to September 1876. Originally housed in a single brick building at the corner of Halleck & Adams Streets, Papillion's only school served students in all 12 grades. In 1893 the school moved to a new brick building at 420 S. Washington Street, the present site of the district offices. Papillion continued to grow, and in February 1957, Papillion High School opened in a new building across Washington Street (presently Papillion Junior High
Papillion Junior High
Papillion Junior High is a junior high school in Papillion, Nebraska, which currently holds 7th grade and 8th grade. The school building was opened in 1957 as Papillion High School, which relocated to its present site in north Papillion in August 1971....
) to students in grades 7-12.
The city of La Vista incorporated in 1960 and presented no education system. The students of this new development area north of Papillion had been incorporated into the Papillion School District. Papillion's steady growth continued. By September 1969, voters in the district had passed a bond issue to build a new high school facility at 84th Street and East Centennial Road. A similar bond issue the preceding year had been defeated. The high school moved north to its present location in August 1971, serving students in grades 9 through 12. In 1987, La Vista was officially added to the district and the high school's name was officially changed to Papillion-La Vista High School.
The 1999 semi-cult film Election
Election (1999 film)
Election is a 1999 American comedy film adapted from a 1998 novel of the same title by Tom Perrotta. The plot revolves around a three-way election race in high school, and satirizes both suburban high school life and politics...
was shot mainly in Papillion-La Vista High School. The director of the film, Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne, born Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.- Early life :...
, wanted to use Millard North High School in Omaha for his fictional school; however, the school board found the script too obscene and inappropriate. It was instead moved to Papill
ion-La Vista High School where a majority of it was shot. Papillion-La Vista High School had actual classes going on during much of the filming of Election. The background noises during much of the film are actual teachers and their students in nearby rooms.
Sports
- Football - Class A Champions 1990 and 1996
- Softball - 13 Class A Championships, 2 Runner-ups from 1995-2010 (including 10 straight)
- Volleyball - Class A Champions - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, and 2008
- Girls Track and Field - Class A State Champions - 1997, 1998, 1999
- Boys Golf - Class A Champion - 1999
- Boys Tennis - Class A Champion - 1978
- Boys Basketball - Class A Champion - 1993
- Boys Swimming - Class A Champion - 2003
- Boys Soccer - Class A Champion - 1991
- Wrestling - Class A Champion - 2001
Second High School
Continued population growth resulted in the construction of Papillion-La Vista South High SchoolPapillion-La Vista South High School
Papillion-La Vista South High School is a high school in Papillion, Nebraska. It is one of two high schools in the Papillion-La Vista Public School District. The school's principal is Dr...
(PLSHS), in southwest Papillion, which opened in August 2003. PLHS had previously been a 10-12 school, and 9th graders had attended classes at the two junior high schools in the district. After the school district opened a second high school, the freshman class was moved from the junior high schools to the two high schools.
Notable alumni
- Gina Mancuso, Gatorade Volleyball player of the year.
- Jeremy SlechtaJeremy SlechtaJeremy James Slechta is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans.-Early life:...
, former professional footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. - Merle DandridgeMerle DandridgeMerle Dandridge is an American actress who was born in Okinawa, Japan. Her father was an African-American US serviceman from Memphis and her mother was a local Okinawan of Korean and Japanese descent. Dandridge is primarily a stage actress, but has had several roles in television...
, Broadway actress and the voice of Alyx VanceAlyx VanceAlyx Vance is a non-player character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two...
in the award-winning action game Half-Life 2Half-Life 2Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
and its sequels, Episode OneHalf-Life 2: Episode OneHalf-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a series of episodes that serve as the sequel for the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation and released on June 1, 2006. Originally called Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the game was later renamed to Episode One...
and Episode TwoHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2: Episode Two is the second episode in a series of sequels to the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation in tandem with Episode One, the first game in the series, and released in Q4 2007 via Valve's Steam content distribution platform...
. - Matty LewisMatty LewisMatty Lewis is the rhythm guitarist and co-lead singer of Zebrahead, and is a native of Papillion, Nebraska. Lewis took up playing the guitar and writing songs at age 12.-Jank 1000:...
, Musician and lead singer of the band ZebraheadZebraheadZebrahead is an American punk rock band from Orange County, California, which fuses elements of Rapcore, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, and Funk Metal.-1996–98: Formation:...
. - Becca SwansonBecca SwansonBecca Swanson is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, pro wrestler and strongwoman who is often referred to as "The World's Strongest Woman" or "The Strongest Woman on the Planet"...
, nicknamed "the strongest woman in the world" for lifting more weight than any other woman in the world—squatting over 800 lbs, benchpressing over 500 lbs, and total lifting (squatting, benchpressing and deadlifting) more than 2000 lbs. - Jon Davis, former Iowa StateIowa State Cyclones footballThe Iowa State Cyclones football team represents Iowa State University in college football. The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. ISU started playing football in 1892, however, it did not become an official sport until 1894...
football player - Reggie Baul, former Nebraska CornhuskersNebraska Cornhuskers footballThe Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
football player (played on 1995 team1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers football teamThe 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska...
) - Allison Weston, 2000 Olympic Volleyball Captain and University of Nebraska Volleyball, All-State Nebraska High School volleyball, basketball, and soccer. http://www.nebhalloffame.org/inductee.php?hofid=297&type=name
- Peaches James, All-American softball University of Nebraska, three time first-team All-State Nebraska High School softball. http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=2748
External links
- School Website
- District Website
- Papillion-LaVista High School-Class Reunion Websites at Classreport.org