Wildcat always part of Libertyville High Shool's logo

• The following is part of an ongoing series of articles in celebration of Libertyville High School's 100th anniversary.

Over the past 100 years, the thousands of different students of Libertyville High School have all been unified under one thing: the school's mascot.

Each student is considered to be a Wildcat as they represent Libertyville everywhere they go. Whether they display the logo on a T-shirt, bag or the back of their car, they are presenting to others that they are a part of LHS.

All of the Libertyville logos have incorporated a part of the Wildcat in some way. Around the 1970s, LHS was represented by a scruffy wildcat face. The snarling cat was used on the old North Suburban Conference banners, displaying the school colors of orange and black.

While this version was soon replaced in the 1980s, the original cat is beginning to pop up again around town for the Centennial celebration as an honor to the throwback logo.

As the '70s Wildcat slowly disappeared, LHS was suddenly overcome by the orange paw print. According to Christopher Davis, assistant athletic director at LHS, it resembles that of Clemson University.

The basic visual soon turned into the new face of the community as it represented a simple way for students to add school spirit in and out of the classroom.

The most recent revision to the LHS emblem was made in the late 1990s when the main logo was changed to the front view of a wildcat. Claws out, ready to pounce, the logo jumps off the walls as it is found all over the school and town; it remains the official logo to this day.

While keeping the formal logo the same over the past few decades, many LHS sports teams have created their own "spin-off" designs by incorporating an aspect of their sport.

Davis shares that "it's a great way for each sport to put their own twist on (the logo) while still being within the same lines as everybody else."

Coaches have the freedom to be creative with their proposed design, as long as it passes through the "athletic department's criteria," such as following the school colors, Davis said.

Most sports have their own way of either "using a version of the cat, the 'L', (the) words LHS, or (the) paw print."

Davis said some sports, like football, have even veered toward using a more modern, "stylized cat" logo to represent their program.