History
Lathrop High School's roots are directly traced to Fairbanks High School, reflecting what for many years was the only public school in Fairbanks. Fairbanks formed an independent school district, a territorial-era device allowing for areas both inside and outside of incorporated cities to operate a combined school district for a community or region. As a result, Fairbanks experienced a period of rapid school construction during the 1950s.
Construction activities began on the first stand-alone high school for Fairbanks in early 1954, on land which had been deeded by homesteader Paul Rickert to the City of Fairbanks upon his death in 1938. The cornerstone was laid in October 1954. The school opened in October 1955 and was formally dedicated in November of that year. Lathrop still awards an "F" to its letterman (as opposed to an "L" for Lathrop) to represent its roots as the original "Fairbanks High School."
The 1974-75 and 1975-76 school years at Lathrop were double shifted with one shift of students attending school from 7 a.m. to noon and the other shift attending from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The terms East Lathrop and West Lathrop would find their way into use during this time, which was met with protest by members of the Fairbanks chapter of the NAACP as a segregation ploy. In fall 1976 West Valley High School was opened, thus alleviating the overcrowding dilemma.
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