Our Highlander Traditions

For a school that's only fifty years old, we celebrate a number of traditions that make being a student at La Habra High School more than just going to class.

Not many schools have an official school tartan, for instance. The official school tartan is the Royal Stewart. For this, we received special dispensation from Queen Elizabeth II, since this tartan could only be worn by royalty. It was once a tradition for faculty and students to wear the Royal Stewart tartan on Fridays.

The Highlands make up the northern part of mainland Scotland and its people are known for their fierce fighting spirit, their love of freedom and their bonds of family.

The colors of the Scottish flag, or Saltire, are our school colors—royal blue and white.

Our mascot is the Scottish terrier.

The names of the places on campus are full of Scottish lore.

Stirling Gymnasium: Where William Wallace (he of Braveheart reknown) defeated the British in 1297. Lennox Library: The castle seat of an earldom, its romantic atmosphere has inspired poets and writers The Quad: Stirlingshire Court. Named for the Scottish county, of which one Scottish-American remarked, "that the land to which he had come, though small, was as full of memories as the heaven is of stars." Cafeteria: Stewart Hall. One of the greatest royal families, the Stewarts ruled over Scotland for over three centuries. We also have hallway called Stewart Lane. Swimming pool: Loch Lomond. The largest and most beautiful freshwater lake (or loch) in Scotland. Parking lot: Carlisle. A city located on the border between Scotland and England, just our campus borders...uh...Idaho. Music building: Henderson Hall. Named for William Henderson, the first music teacher at LHHS. He also wrote the Alma Mater. Lecture Hall: Pitlochry Hall. A town in Scotland famous for its theatre. Ag building: Angus Hall. Scottish county known for its fine cattle. Hallways: The central hallway is The Argyll. Named for the main street in Edinburgh, Scotland which is one of the most beautiful and well-known as well. Argyll is also the place on the Scottish coast where the Scots first established their capital amidst hostile Pict tribes. McPray Lane: A play-on words: Walter J. Pray was our beloved first principal. the prefix Mac or Mc means "son of."  Falkirk Road: Commemorates the battle where Prince Charles Edward (known as Bonnie Prince Charlie for his charm and good looks) defeated the English in 1746.

Holyrood Place: A palace in Edinburgh and the site of numerous royal births, weddings and coronations. When King George IV of England arrived at Holyrood in 1822, he donned a kilt and re-ignited "Clan fever" throughout the land. Kelvin Way: Named for Lord Kelvin, famed Scottish physicist--he of Kelvin temperature scale fame and the father of thermodynamics. This row of classrooms suitably houses the science department. Dundee Way: Home of one of the great Scottish universities. Robert the Bruce captured the city in 1312 during the War for Scottish Independence. Glen Gillie: the west corridor parallelling the Argyll is named for a small Scottish river used for transportation. "Gillies" are young attendants in Scotland, and suitably, the first freshmen lockers were located on Glen Gillie.Campsie Glen is the street in front of the snack shack. In Scotland, Stirling Castle is situated on this road and it is also one of Scotland's most picturesque valleys. Caledonia Way is the street between the gym and the snack shack. It commemorates the Scottish war with the English (we won). Caledonia is the Roman name for Scotland. Dumbarton Way is the street between the tennis courts and the cafeteria. It is named for Dumbarton Castle, one of the most secure fortifications in Scotland. St. Andrew's Way is the street that runs in front of the school from Monte Vista to Carlisle parking lot. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.The plaza surrounding the flag pole is St. Andrew's Square.   Campus Map (PDF)

There's lots more to tell. We just don't know it all. If any of you have any LHHS trivia or facts to share, please contact: webmaster@lhhsaa.com and we will post it.