Administration :::
Superintendent's Website Message
Dennis G. Kelly, Ph.D.
Fall 2008
Dear Friends,
This is my 17
th and final year at my favorite high school, LTHS. As I approach retirement, people ask
me “What do you think your legacy will be at LTHS?” That is a good question that deserves a
reflective answer.
First, I have been lucky to work in a school with talented people
who work together to make a difference in the lives of kids. Anything that I have been able to
achieve is the result of the combined effort of many people at LTHS.
Over the past two decades, we have expanded and renovated our
facilities- updating several hundred classrooms, and building a new fieldhouse, pool, and theater.
LTHS is blessed to have some of the finest and most expansive facilities of any high school in the
country. But facilities aren’t my legacy.
Our teachers and administrators have updated existing academic
programs and created new programs so that LTHS has one of the strongest comprehensive curriculums
in the country. Only at LTHS could you take Aviation, Organic Chemistry, Radio, and TV.
But programs alone aren’t my legacy.
With the assistance of the Board of Education and a great business
manager, we have revised and strengthened our finances so that we are one of the most solvent
school districts in Illinois. Our community will not have to worry about a costly referendum at
LTHS. While I love a balanced budget and healthy cash reserves, money isn’t my legacy.
The above factors are very important ingredients to our success,
but they aren’t my real legacy. The one thing that will endure at LTHS is the people. They are my
legacy. During the past 17 years, I have overseen the hiring of over 85% of our staff. They are an
incredibly talented group of people who have so much to offer our students. They are the reason I
feel very comfortable in leaving LTHS. I know they will carry into the future the tradition of
excellence at LTHS.
Sincerely,
Dennis G. Kelly, Ph.D.
Superintendent