Baton Rouge Magnet High School

 

Baton Rouge Magnet High School
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Established	Early 1890's
School type	Magnet
District	East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools
Grade levels	9-12
Principal	Nanette Greer
Location	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Campus	Urban, 12 acres
Enrollment	1,280
Faculty	85
Mascot	Bulldog
Colors	Green and Gold
Homepage	www.brmhs.ebrschools.org

Baton Rouge Magnet High School is a magnet school founded in the early 1890s located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

BRMHS History

From its founding in the early 1890s, BRMHS has exerted a strong influence on the individuals who have attended the school and on the community it serves. Ever since its founding in the early 1890s, BRMHS has been a top-ranking school in all fields, and is still among the elite in schools today. The present campus was put into use in 1921 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, BRMHS began operating under the new Magnet School Curriculum, and the Class of 1980 became the first graduating class to attend four full years under the Magnet Program.

BRMHS students have traditionally excelled in both academics and athletics. 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 to tradition of winning district and state championships. State and district rally honors have increased as the number of National Merit Students among the student body.

The 4th floor of BRMHS 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.

Main Faculty

Principal - Nanette Greer
Assistant Principal of Discipline - Eric Randall
Assistant Principal - Stacy Dupree

BRMHS gallery

Crumbling plaster and peeling paint on a classroom wall at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, September 2007.	Deterorating cypress-framed window in a Baton Rouge Magnet High classroom. The historical school building is endangered after decades of neglect from the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.	Exterior of a classroom window at Baton Rouge Magnet High School.	Damaged section of the gymnasium floor at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, September 2007.
Boys' locker room in the BRMHS gym, September 2007.	Women's rest room in the Baton Rouge Magnet High gymnasium, September 2007. Note the bird nest in the exhaust fan.	The brick facade of the BRMHS main building has been seriously damaged by moisture intrusion and has separated from the superstructure.	Loose ceiling tile in the faculty lounge at Baton Rouge Magnet High. Students and recent alumni report loose ceiling tiles have been known to occasionally fall on unsuspecting heads.

Academics and Awards

Baton Rouge High was awarded the Blue Ribbon for Academic Excellence for the school year 2003-2004. The school offers 19 (including Science Lab) Advanced Placement classes (with an additional speculated American Government course for the 2008-2009 year), 20 honors courses, 2 dual enrollment courses through Baton Rouge Community College, and 4 (current) foreign languages. These are French I-V, Spanish I-V, Latin I-V, (previously) Japanese, and Arabic I-III (as honors only). Due to funds being cut by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Japanese is no longer offered at BRMHS, though it may be available in the future depending on changes in budget. Greek is offered sporadically. It was last offered as a language class in 2006. Also due to faculty shortage German and Russian are no longer available at BRHS. German was last offered to the class in 2007. Having a college-preparatory Magnet program, BRMHS employs a rigorous curriculum, which results in nearly all of its graduates attending college. The school regularly has the most National Merit Scholarship Award recipients of the state. The 2005 graduating class, consisting of 270 students, was offered over $8 million in college scholarships. BRMHS is thus regularly rated the highest academically achieving school in the state of Louisiana^{[citation needed]}.

Baton Rouge High 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. Baton Rouge High had the honor of performing and displaying aspects of its arts and performances programs at one of the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stages on March 21, 2005.

BRMHS is one of the few high schools in the nation to offer two radio stations on campus. Baton Rouge High publicly broadcasts jazz on WBRH 90.3 FM, which serves the Baton Rouge area. In 1997 a sister AM station, KBRH 1260 AM, was added. KBRH specializes in classic R&B and local music. Students run both stations.

Athletics & visual and performing arts

Baton Rouge High has an excellent athletics program and has won the Southern Quality Ford Cup (previously Picadilly Cup) several times, despite the lack of football, basketball, or baseball in its repertoire. Their soccer team has also been successful, competing in the toughest division in the state of Louisiana.

The school also has world class music programs, including an award winning choir, a jazz band, concert band, and much more.

The Baton Rouge Magnet High School Choral Department is directed by Robbie Giroir, the organist at St. Joseph's Cathedral. They host an annual candle-light Christmas Concert in downtown Baton Rouge that is ranked as one of the best choral showcases of the year. Giroir has brought the small vocal ensemble called the Festival Singers to venues around the world, from New York to Paris to Prague.

In addition, the school prides itself on having a highly popular intramural sports program consisting of Football and Basketball.

School uniforms

Baton Rouge Magnet, unlike all East Baton Rouge Parish public schools with exception to McKinley Senior High School, does not require its students to wear school uniforms [1].

Extracurricular Activities

Baton Rouge High is notorious for its various clubs and student organizations. There are many clubs for students to choose from. Students may start a new club if they find a sponsor, write a constitution for the club, and get it approved by the principal.

• 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, Fight Club, a combat club based on the movie with Brad Pitt, 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, Gay-Straight Alliance, Republicans Club, and Young Democrats.

• The service oriented clubs include:
  • 4-H, Best Buddies, Cancer Club, Interact, Key Club, and Red Cross.

• 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, One Way ( the christian club! ), Potpourri (the literary publication produced by Baton Rouge High students), The Musician's Guild, and WBRH/Radio Club.

Some of the most active clubs include Beta Club, Frisbee, ICA, Mu Alpha Theta, Junior Classical League. 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.

ICA, Hi-Y/Tri-Hi-Y, and Frisbee are the largest clubs at BRMHS.

The Library

The library of Baton Rouge High is often described by librarians and the principal, and less often by students, as the hub of the school. With an extensive network of over fifty computers, a copy machine, multiple printers, in addition to a selection of fiction, nonfiction, and reference books, much academic work is completed here on a daily basis.

Controversy

Students are able to use the library before school, during lunch, and sometimes after school. However, buses come from all over the parish, and some arrive well before school starts, while others arrive right before the first bell rings. BRMHS also uses a lunch shift system, where students go in different groups to lunch, so as to lessen the load on the cafeteria. Due to this, the library will sometimes be open on a student's lunch shift, and sometimes will not be open. This can create a problem when a student needs to get in the library but is unable to access it due to circumstances beyond his or her control. When classes are being held in the library, students are not always able to access it during their individual lunch shifts, but the library staff can be very accommodating for students in need.

Traditions

Rivalries

BRMHS excels in academic performance and competes in many events against its academic rivals:
McKinley Senior High School
Caddo Magnet High School
Ben Franklin High School

Spirit Day

In one of the first Fridays right after school begins, BRMHS 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 on Spirit Day, where each class is mocked by every other class. The freshmen are made fun of, in good taste, and the seniors are mocked by underclassmen.

Fall Fair

During the week leading up to Halloween, BRMHS 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". However, these days are chosen by the Student Government Association, so they are changed from year to year. 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 on the soccer field and track. 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. Many of the culture clubs sell ethnic foods, such as fajitas, pita bread, and eggrolls.

Dances

BRMHS is infamous for its very lively and popular dances. Some of the annual dances include: Get Acquainted, Turkey Jam, Winter Formal, and Prom.

Alma mater

For Baton Rouge High we raise our cry;
for the school we all adore
We will raise our standards high
Till known from shore to shore -
Then we'll fight! Fight! Fight!
With all our might till victory's in sight
Then we'll raise our banners high
For dear old Baton Rouge High

Notable Alumni

• Bobby Jindal: Current U.S. Congressman and 2008 Louisiana Gubernatorial Candidate
• Bob Pettit: Hall of Fame Basketball Player
• Jay Dardenne: Longtime State Senator and Current Louisiana Secretary of State
• Karey Kirkpatrick: Screen writer of such films as Chicken Run, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Over the Hedge.

External links

• Official Baton Rouge Magnet High School site

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