Libertyville High centennial celebration culminates next week
Libertyville High School's centennial celebration will culminate next week with activities that tie into homecoming.
Alumni will have roles in the Friday, Oct. 6, varsity football game and the homecoming parade on Oct. 7. The campus will be open for tours Oct. 7, too.
The theme of the centennial is "LHS 100: Celebrating a Century of Excellence." Celebratory activities began in May.
When the Wildcats take on the Mundelein High Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6, the Libertyville High Alumni Band will join the current marching band for a few numbers.
Additionally, guest honorary captains will take the field for the coin toss before the game. Their identities have not yet been made public.
The next day, the homecoming parade down Route 176 will begin at 9:30 a.m. The parade's grand marshal will be Ethel Jochheim, 97, a member of the Class of 1938 and the oldest living Libertyville High graduate.
Many alumni will have floats in the parade, too.
Finally, the school will be open for tours on Oct. 7. Tours will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will follow comments from Principal Tom Koulentes.
A centennial video will be shown and refreshments will be available. Many former teachers and administrators will be on campus.
The school was founded as Libertyville Township High School in 1917. The original building operated at what is now the corner of Route 176 and Brainerd Avenue and was known, appropriately, as the Brainerd Building.
When a larger school building opened in 1954 near Butler Lake, a short walk to the west, the Brainerd Building was turned into as a freshmen-only campus.
Brainerd was shut down after Vernon Hills High School opened in 1999. It was demolished in 2014, and the land is now an athletic field.
The Butler Lake building is the school people know as Libertyville High today.
Several well-known athletes, musicians and actors have been among Libertyville High's student population, including: Hollywood legend Marlon Brando; Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello; "Hamilton" actress Phillipa Soo; and Olympic gymnast Laura Zeng, who's a senior this year.