Baton Rouge Magnet High School

Baton Rouge Magnet High School (BRMHS or Baton Rouge High) is a public magnet school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, founded in 1880. It is part of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System with a student body of approximately 1500 students. The current building was built in 1926, and, as Baton Rouge High School, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The campus underwent a two-year renovation and expansion starting in 2010, resulting in the addition of two new wings to the main building. This renovation was completed and the school reopened in fall 2012. Baton Rouge High is also one of the highest-ranked schools in the state, and consistently wins state-level academic competitions. The school requires students to pass enrollment standards and exceed graduation standards. As a result, nearly all graduating students attend college.

History

In 1903, T. H. Harris was named principal of Baton Rouge High School. Five years later, he became the state education superintendent and held that post until 1940.

The present campus was put into use in 1925 (although some sources cite 1927 or 1928 as the year the new building opened) when the main four-story building was built. Additional buildings were added and renovations made during the 1950s. By 1972, the present facilities were completed and air conditioning was installed. In the fall of 1976, the school began operating under the new Magnet School Curriculum, and the Class of 1980 became the first graduating class to attend all four full years under the Magnet Program.

Numerous district and state championships have been won as is attested by the vast collection of trophies on view in the lobby. Though the major sports of football, basketball, and baseball were discontinued in 1976, the individual and life-time sports have continued a tradition of winning district and state championships. State and district rally honors have increased, as have the number of National Merit Students among the student body.

The main three to four story neo-Gothic brick and terra cotta building, along with a portion of the campus, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 6, 1986.

The 4th floor of the school used to be home to the band and orchestra, but is now closed off to the student body. Elvis Presley played on the Baton Rouge High stage with Faron Young on May 2, 1955

The school also was used in 2009 as a location for the filming of parts of the film Ticking Clock.

The school had been temporarily moved to the old Lee High School building, due to renovations being done on the 1925 campus. Students returned to the renovated campus on August 8, 2012.

In 2025, the school, along with other areas around Baton Rouge, was used as the main filming location for the movie Re-Election, starring Tony Danza.

Distinctions and awards

The school was awarded the Blue Ribbon for Academic Excellence for the school years 1982–83 and 2003–04. The school offers 27 Advanced Placement classes, including Science Lab, with an additional American Government course speculated for 2008–2009. It has 20 honors courses, two dual enrollment courses through Baton Rouge Community College, and three foreign languages; French I-V, Spanish I-V, Latin I-V. Greek is offered sporadically and was last offered in 2012–2013. Due to faculty shortage, since 2007 Russian is no longer available. Similarly, German is no longer available as of 2022. Having a college-preparatory Magnet program, the school employs a rigorous curriculum resulting in almost all of its graduates attending college. The 270 students graduating in 2006 were offered over $8 million in college scholarships, with almost all going on to enter college.

It received a special award in 2004 from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., distinguishing it as one of five schools in the nation excelling in performing arts. It was one of two high schools to receive this award. On March 21, 2005, the school performed and displayed aspects of its arts and performances programs on one of the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stages.

The school is one of the few high schools in the nation to offer two student run radio stations and is the only one with both AM and FM stations. The original FM station, WBRH, was joined in 1993 by an AM station, KBRH. They are both non-profit radio stations and are run with the financial support of the listening community. They publicly broadcast jazz on WBRH , and classic R&B and local music on KBRH .

Awards

1982 Redbook Magazine - Top 100 High Schools in America
1983 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education
2003 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education
2004 Creative School Ticket of Excellence
2004 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
2004 Kennedy Center School of Distinction Creative Ticket Award
2005 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
2005 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
2006 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
2006 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
2006 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement
2006 Magnet Schools of America. Magnet School of Distinction
2007 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
2007 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching
2008 U.S. News & World Report. Best High Schools, Silver Designation
2008 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
2009 U.S. News & World Report. Best High Schools, Silver Designation
2010 National Magnet Schools of America - Magnet school Principal of the year
2010 National Magnet Schools of America - Excellence Award
2010 U.S. News & World Report. Best High Schools, Silver Designation
2011 U.S. Presidential Scholar
2011 Newsweek. #122-ranked High School in the US (3rd highest SAT average amongst 500 schools)
2012 State Science Olympiad
2012 Newsweek America's Best High Schools
2012 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
2012 U.S. Presidential Scholar
2013 Louisiana State Principal of the Year
2015 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education
2021 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education

Sports and athletics

thumb|right|Bulldog mascot

Baton Rouge Magnet High athletics competes in the LHSAA. The school has an unusual athletics program in that since 1976, it has not fielded a varsity football, basketball, or baseball team. This was a result of the school switching to the magnet program that year, changing the school's official name from Baton Rouge High School to Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

Athletic history

The school has played in the 5A classification, the highest in the LHSAA, since moving up from 4A in 1998. It has won numerous state championships in many sports. Gymnastics and track and field programs are especially strong.

In 2003, the school had a banner year for sports, winning 5 state championships: women's outdoor track, men's outdoor track, women's gymnastics, men's gymnastics, and women's cross country.

The women's swim team was state runner-up in 2005. Men's and women's coach George Newport has won the city's Coach of the Year award several times. Joanne Chien, class of 2010, won 5 individual state titles in her career, including setting a 5A record in the 100-yard backstroke in 2007.

The school's football team won eight state championships in 1909, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1919, 1944 (Class 2A) and 1964 (Class 3A) before being disbanded in 1976. The team also made one unsuccessful appearance in the state title game in 1954 (Class 3A).

The school's basketball team won State Championships in 1968 (3A), 1961 (3A), 1954 (2A), 1950 (2A), 1932 (1A), 1911 (2A), 1910 (1A), 1909 (1A)

The school has won the Southern Quality Ford Cup (previously Picadilly Cup), the all-sports trophy, several times, despite not competing in football, basketball, or baseball. As of 2011, the team has made the playoffs 6 of the last 7 years. In the 2010–2011 season, senior forward Naveed Asayesh scored 47 goals, placing him 3rd in the state and 2nd in 5A.

The women's soccer team (as of 2010) has advanced to the regional playoffs (round of 16) each of the last four years, including reaching the state semifinals in 2009 as an underdog #6 seed, upsetting #3 Mt. Carmel 1–0 in the quarterfinals before losing to #1 Fontainebleau in a penalty kick shootout 3 to 2.

The girls' golf team placed 3rd in the 2010 Baton Rouge Metro High School Championship.

The most recent addition to the athletic roster is men's bowling, which began play in the 2005–2006 school year, the same year the LHSAA held its first state championships in the sport.

In addition, the school has an intramural sports program consisting of American flag football, basketball, and volleyball.

The Choral Department has been directed by Robbie Giroir, the organist at St. Joseph Cathedral, for thirty years. They host an annual candlelight Christmas Concert in downtown Baton Rouge. Giroir has taken the Festival Singers, a small vocal ensemble, to venues around the world. and sang a mass at St. Peter's Basilica. In 2015, the Festival Singers traveled to Ireland, where they toured Armagh, Downpatrick, Galway, Connemara, Bunratty, Cashel, and Dublin. The BRMHS Festival Singers travel internationally every two years and are planning to travel to the Netherlands and Belgium in 2017.

Through competitive auditions, many BRMHS choristers are chosen for All-State and All-District Honor Choirs. Under the tenure of Robbie Giroir, the Department of Choral Studies has sung over twenty major choral works by noted composers and has produced over fifteen major musical productions on the BRMHS stage.

In addition to the radio training program, the department offers multi-year courses in choral and instrumental music, drama, stagecraft, ballet, and television production.

Visual arts

Visual artists at the school can take four years of art classes. Student artwork is displayed frequently at the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board office and various Baton Rouge galleries, and the department has its own show at the school each spring.

In 2008, art club members are finished a full-color mural on an outside wall of the school Performing Arts building. The following is a brief list of clubs at the school:

The academic clubs include:
Beta Club, Chess Club, Computer Science Club, Epidemiology Club, Law Club, Literary Travel, Mechanical Tech, Media Tech, Mock Trial, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, Quiz Bowl, and Science Club.
The athletic organization clubs include:
Dance Club, Frisbee, Gymnastics, Intramural Club, Woods and Waters, and SCUBA Club.
The language and culture oriented clubs include:
African Heritage, Arabic Club, Chinese Club, French Club, German Club, International Cultural Association (ICA), Junior Classical League, Muslim Student Association, Spanish Club, and Indian Student Association.
The political clubs include:
Amnesty International, Cloud Watching Club (Dreaming of a Better World) (formally Gay-Straight Alliance), Invisible Children, Teenage Republicans, and Young Democrats.
The service-oriented clubs include:
4-H, Best Buddies, Cancer Club, DECA (organization), Interact, Key Club, Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity.
The student organization clubs include:
Hi-Y, Tri-Hi-Y, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and Student Government Association (SGA).
Other clubs include:
Anime Club, Film Club, Awakening, the Piano Club, Potpourri (the literary publication produced by Baton Rouge High students), The Musician's Guild, WBRH/Radio Club, Improv Club, Thespian Club, Nintendo Club, and Diplomacy Club.

Some of the most active clubs include Beta Club, Frisbee, ICA, Mu Alpha Theta, Junior Classical League and Habitat for Humanity. ICA and African Heritage co-host a cultural show each spring which features presentations by students from various, diverse backgrounds sharing cultural experiences. Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta, and the Junior Classical League always attend their club's state convention, often sweeping many awards for their chapter.

BETA, Mu Alpha Theta, ICA, Hi-Y/Tri-Hi-Y, Frisbee, and Habitat for Humanity are the largest clubs at the school.

The media center

The media center of Baton Rouge High boasts over 12,000 books and other volumes. The library and the adjoining lab have at least 45 computers, some are networked to a wireless network allowing access to laser printers, scanners, digital cameras and more.

Traditions

Spirit Day

On one of the first Fridays after school begins, the school hosts a "Spirit Day" where each class represents their school spirit by wearing green and gold. Seniors traditionally wear completely outrageous costumes, including capes, Mitres, wigs, pom-poms, and matching shirts. A Spirit Assembly is held where each class is mocked by every other class.

Fall Fair

During the week leading up to Halloween, the school has a different costume theme for each day of the week. In the past, there has been a Toga Day, a Decades Day, and a Twin/Triplets/Duos/Famous Couples Day, a Pirates Vs. Ninjas Day and a Superheroes Day. The theme is changed each year by the Student Government Association. The last day of Fall Fair week is always Masquerade Day, where everyone wears whatever costume they so choose. On this day, students are dismissed from class early, and go out to enjoy Fall Fair in the courtyard. School clubs are allowed to register booths, and they come up with inventive ways to raise money for their club. German Club traditionally holds a "German Disco", while the Junior Classical League has held "Gladiator Fights" with pool noodles and cardboard shields.

Notable alumni and Alumni Association

Johnny Bookman: former professional football player from 1957 to 1961
Dr. Dave Chokshi: former health commissioner of New York City and White House fellow in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Jimmy Clanton: 1950s & 60s swamp pop and R&B musician
Jay Dardenne (Class of 1972): former Louisiana secretary of state, state senator and Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana; current Louisiana Commissioner of Administration
Mike Futrell (Class of 1978): Louisiana state representative, lawyer
Bobby Jindal (Class of 1988): former U.S. Congressman and Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016.
Dalton Jones (Class of 1961), former Major League Baseball player
Karey Kirkpatrick: Screenwriter of Chicken Run, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Over the Hedge
Wayne Kirkpatrick: Grammy-winning songwriter of "Change the World"
Zack Kopplin (Class of 2011): science advocate
Starr Long (Class of 1988): game developer, original Director of Ultima Online
Henson Moore (Class of 1958), U.S. representative from Louisiana's 6th congressional district from 1975 to 1987
Ken Phares (Class of 1969), professional football player
Ronnie Quillian (Class of 1953), professional football player
John Victor Parker (Class of 1945, 1928–2014), judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana from 1979 to 2014
Bob Pettit (Class of 1950): NBA Hall of Fame basketball player (inducted 1970)
Johnny Ramistella a.k.a. Johnny Rivers: 1950s & 60s rock & roll musician
A. T. "Apple" Sanders, Jr., member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from East Baton Rouge Parish
Jim Taylor (Class of 1954): NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame fullback (inducted 1976)
Scott Wu, co-founder of Cognition AI and Lunchclub.

In 1995, former principal Lois Anne R. Sumrall, with the assistance of Dane D’Armond, ’66 founded the Baton Rouge High School Alumni Association. In 2010, the members voted to rename the association The Baton Rouge High Foundation. Membership in the foundation is open to all alumni and friends of the school who contribute to the annual fund campaign.

References

External links

Official Baton Rouge Magnet High School site
Official site of the Department of Choral Studies Festival Singers
Official database for the Festival Singers
Official Baton Rouge Magnet High School Foundation site