Looking Back: Old yearbooks provide a window to the past

Emily Banner | staff writer

One benefit of a year like 2020 is the chance to slow down and reflect. With fewer student activities and a new mascot, we had a chance to learn about the past of our school with librarian Tonya Dagstani. Among the many interesting things in the library archives are yearbooks dating back to the opening of the school. Through these we can see the appearance of the Raider mascot and the history of our school.

The 1955 edition of the Lord Loudoun yearbook. Photo courtesy of Tonya Dagstani.

The foreword of the 1955 yearbook, the first year the school was open. Photo courtesy of Tonya Dagstani.

Loudoun County High school opened on September 14, 1954. The school was still under construction, and the auditorium, cafeteria, and gymnasium were unfinished. An article predicted that the cafeteria would be ready before Christmas, but that the auditorium would not be usable until late January or early February.

An article about the unfinished construction on LCHS. The school opened before it was completely finished. Photo courtesy of Tonya Dagstani. 

Despite the ongoing construction, basketball and football teams practiced and competed.

The 1955 yearbook includes photographs of the many sports teams at County. There was not yet a mascot visible on jerseys or uniforms, but Raiders and Raiderettes were both mentioned. (Pictures of the football team and the cheerleaders)

The 1955 football team pictured in the LCHS yearbook. Photo courtesy of Tonya Dagstani.

The cheerleaders in the 1955 yearbook. Drawings on the bottom of the page would have been made by the art staff. Photo courtesy of Tonya Dagstani.

In the 1956 yearbook, drawings of the early Raider mascot appear. He is shown thinking about class rings and holding up a mortarboard. These hand-drawn cartoons were added to the yearbook by the Art Staff.

The Raider with a mortarboard in the 1956 yearbook. Photo courtesy of Tonya Dagstani.