Henry Clay High School


Henry Clay High School is a public high school in Lexington, Kentucky. Opened on Main Street in 1928, it was named in honor of the Kentuckian and United States statesman, Henry Clay. The Main Street location now houses the main offices of the Fayette County Public Schools system. The school is ranked as one of the top 10 schools in the state of Kentucky and one of the top 200 magnet programs within the United States. The school's present facility on Fontaine Road opened in 1970. As of August 2016, the Principal of Henry Clay High School is Paul Little. There are approximately 2,400 students enrolled at Henry Clay High School.

History

In 1834, the first four-room public school was built in Lexington. It was sponsored by a man named William Morton. Seventy years later, the first four-year high school in Lexington opened on the corner of Walnut and Short streets. This school was named Morton High School. As population increased, it was necessary for a larger high school to be built.
In 1908, US$75,000 was given to build a larger facility on the grounds of the old Morton High School. Class sizes began to increase again, and in 1916, a US$400,000 bond was issued for new buildings. One of the buildings that came about in this bond was the building of Lexington High School on the corner of Limestone and Fourth Street. In 1918, the building was opened for classes.
In 1927, the Board of Education granted permission for a new school to be built on East Main Street. On July 6, 1928, the board adopted the name Henry Clay High School, requested by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
That summer, Henry Clay was completed. The Herald Leader reported:
New school is planned after those used in the larger cities.

Henry Clay was supposed to have all of the latest advances.
Perforated ceiling in the music room, good acoustics in the auditorium, built-in lockers with combination locks, a fire gong on each floor, ventilating shutters in the doors, double lighting system, double faced clocks, and a moving picture machine and booth in the auditorium,

reported another source.
Henry Clay had been said to be one of the finest schools in the South. It had nearly 200 graduates by the end of 1929. Henry Clay High School was so successful academically and athletically that it was considered among the top 44 schools in the United States, according to the January 10, 1960 edition of The Lexington Herald.
In 1968, the Board of Education approved the plans for a 91-room location on Fontaine Road: US$6.45 million was to finance the project of the new Henry Clay. In 1999 the school underwent renovation, and in 2006 a connector building was completed, joining the cafeteria to the main classroom building.

Athletics

HCHS offers many varsity sports including:
Archery was added as a varsity sport in the 2012/2013 school year
The Henry Clay Men's Soccer Academy defeated Daviess County High School 2-0 in the 2010 state championship game behind goals from John Manga and Addison Manley. This marked Henry Clay's first soccer championship since 1991, and the school's first athletics state title since 2006.
HCHS also offers Hockey, Ultimate Frisbee, and Lacrosse only as club sports since they are not sanctioned sports with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, and the Blue Devil Marching Band in its own competitive arena. The HCHS Marching Band placed as Grand Champions in the Mid-states Band Association circuit for years 2005-2007, and reserved Grand Champions in 2008. In 2006, the Ultimate Frisbee team, Grapes of Wrath, fought their way to a city championship, led by captain and team MVP, Steven Myers. The Ultimate Frisbee team is currently enjoying a stellar 2008-2009 season which has included the City Championship and State Championship, as well as a top 10 national ranking by the UPA. Also the lacrosse team made it to the Division 2 State Championship in 2007 with an undefeated, 9-0 record. They lost to the Eastern Eagles in double overtime. In the 2012-2013 season, the Henry Clay Men's Lacrosse team posted an undefeated 18-0 record, defeating Lexington Catholic High School by a score of 10-4 to capture the Division 2 State Championship. During the 2012-2013 season the Henry Clay Men's Lacrosse team was ranked in the top ten nationally in goal defense and goal differential, while ranking eleventh nationally in goals scored.
Athletic State ChampionshipsYear
Girls' Gymnastics1975, 1976, 1978
Baseball1973
Girls' Tennis1986
Boys' Basketball1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1983; National High School Champions 1922
Girls' Swimming1990
Football1981
Boys' Track2015, 2016
Girls' Track1993
Boys' Golf1943, 2006
Girls' Golf1989
Boys' Soccer1991, 2010
Hockey2004, 2006
CheerleadingKAPOS—1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1998; NCA Nationals—1983, 1985, 1986, 1987; World Nationals—1993; UCA JV Coed 2012, 2013
Marching BandMSBA—2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Ultimate Frisbee2008
Boys' Lacrosse2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
Girls' Lacrosse2017

Notable alumni