History

Lake Taylor High School is unique in design and function.  It looms on the horizon near the eastern limits of the City of Norfolk, a four story building, located on spacious grounds adjacent to Lake Taylor.  Included in the special features of the school are an observation deck on the roof, two student cafeterias, a staff solarium, a college sized gymnasium, the first Norfolk Public Schools elevator, and a 1000 student capacity auditorium.  And no, there is not a pool on the roof of Lake Taylor High, as rumors often suggest.

On Tuesday, September 5, 1967, Lake Taylor High School opened its doors for the first time.  The school was dedicated on February 11, 1968 with the honorable Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr. delivering the dedication address. The first principal was Andrew T. Leidy, who served until 1977. The school accommodated students from grades nine through eleven, and added the twelfth grade in 1968. The school day, which began at 8:55 am and ended at 3:30 pm, was divided into seven class periods, a homeroom period, and a 55 minute lunch period. The first graduating class had 537 students with 22 advanced diplomas received by the students.

In the 1970’s, Lake Taylor High saw many changes. Girls began intramural sports, the student coalition for addressing student concerns (SCA) was organized, and Student with Disabilities classes began in 1974.  Students also rented textbooks for $15.00 a year. An interest in ecology saw the celebration of Earth day, which led to an increase in student organizations that promoted recycling and involvement in environmental/community issues.  Robert Steckroth became the new principal of LTHS in 1978 and served until November 1980. He survived through the great “blackout” in January of 1978 where most of the Titans stayed huddled in the barely lit foyer until school was dismissed at noon that day.  The cause of the blackout is still unknown.

Bert Hindmarsh began his ten year term as principal of Lake Taylor High in 1980.  He had the license plate of “LT Boss” and carried the title proudly on his vehicle for 10 years. During his leadership, the school began the day on November 8, 1983 with a surprise—saluting the flag with the Pledge of Allegiance before their morning announcements.  Additionally, Lake Taylor High was the recipient of a $20,000 grant from the Ford Foundation in recognition of improvement in student performance. This grant was used for tutorial and remedial programs with the use of technology, the incorporation of video-taped news program and a community news letter. Norfolk’s high school day changed its hours to run from 7:45 am to 2:20 pm, decreasing their lunchtime to 30 minutes.  Although students surely bemoaned this change, it allowed more flexibility in scheduling their elective classes. In the Arts, Lake Taylor’s accompanist for the choral groups, Kelvin Sutton, was nominated for a Grammy award for writing the song “Till I Found You” on the Vicki Winan’s album “Be Encouraged”. Stage productions and plays were highly in favor with faculty, students, and the community during this time.

John C. Osteen became the principal in 1988 and helped to bring more order and focus on student achievement to complement the “believe, achieve, and succeed” goal of the Norfolk district. Osteen is quoted in the Titan Times “…there is a Lake Taylor, and I am proud to be a part of it.” Osteen’s 1994 administrative team became known as the “untouchables” because they were so accessible and visible to the staff and students. He also ushered in the new Lake Taylor High Stadium at the first game on October 4, 1996 as part of the celebration of the 30^th anniversary of Lake Taylor. The Titans, although defeated, showed pride and spirit for their school by turning out in large numbers for the much anticipated opening of the new Titan Stadium.

Noah Rogers came to Lake Taylor in 2001 as a principal with a mission to get the school fully accredited and create a more positive image for the school.  Lake Taylor was featured in US News and World Report for the first time in the list of the top 1000 high schools in the United States. The Academy of Leadership and Military Science began in the fall of 2004, which brought many changes to Lake Taylor, especially to student academics, attire and conduct. The school athletics program continued to blossom and visits from Coaches Chuck Amato from NC State and Joe Paterno from Penn State in 2003 served as an inspiration for our future college players.

Clifton Harrison, whose quiet leadership was experienced from 2005 until 2010, felt that as a principal “the responsibility is up to me.”  Harrison had an “open door” policy where staff and students could come to him with any concerns or problems.  During his tenure, Lake Taylor High saw great success in student achievement and athletics. Notable moments included a visit/interview from Al Roker as a motivational speaker for the Lake Taylor students, the Lady Titan’s basketball team becoming the state champions, and making AYP for the first time all occurred during his leadership.  A transition was made in July of 2011 and leadership transferred to Dr. Reba Jacobs-Miller, who has the distinction of being the first woman principal of Lake Taylor High School. On August 17, 2016, the Norfolk City School Board approved the appointment of Latesha Wade-Jenkins as Principal.

December 8, 2012 brought an exciting distinction to Lake Taylor High School and Norfolk Public Schools when the varsity football team won the 2012 VHSL Division 5 state championship with the Lake Taylor Titans victory of 20-14 over Stone Bridge High School Bulldogs of Ashburn, Virginia, at the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium. The victory was the first for a Norfolk high school in 46 years!

In December 2014, the mighty Titans captured the VHSL State Football Championship title once again, defeating the Salem High School Spartans at Liberty University Stadium in Lynchburg by a score of 41-16.

The Varsity Girls Basketball team claimed the 2013 VHSL AAA Division State Title after defeating local rival Princess Anne High School. The senior players on this team played the last time Lake Taylor won the title three years ago.  Again in March 2014 the Varsity Girls Basketball team won the Virginia State 4A Championship game.

Lake Taylor High School has seen many changes during its 51 years of existence. But for all of these changes, there are still some things that remain the same. Lake Taylor High School continues to be a spectacular school known for its scholars, athletes, musicians, artists, writers, actors, and career men and women. Alumni who return to the Lake Taylor campus often remark that things “look the same,” as staff members and students continue to follow the outstanding tradition of the “Titan Way.”