Destrehan High School

Destrehan High School
Address
1 Wildcat Lane Destrehan, Louisiana, 70047  United States
Coordinates	29°57′53″N 90°22′58″W / 29.964805°N 90.382693°W / 29.964805; -90.382693Coordinates: 29°57′53″N 90°22′58″W / 29.964805°N 90.382693°W / 29.964805; -90.382693[1]
Information
School type	Public
School district	St. Charles Parish Public School System
CEEB Code	190685
Principal	Stephen Weber
Teaching staff	104 (as of 2009-10)[2]
Grades	9-12
Gender	Co-Ed
Enrollment	1402 (as of 2009-10)[2]
Student to teacher ratio	13.49 (as of 2009-10)[2]
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Garnet and Gray
Athletics conference	Louisiana High School Athletic Association District 7-5A
Mascot	Wildcats
Rival	Hahnville High School
Website	http://www.stcharles.k12.la.us/destrehan.cfm

Destrehan High School is a public high school located in Destrehan, Louisiana, United States. The St. Charles Parish school serves all students on the East bank of the Mississippi River in grades 9 through 12.

History

Destrehan High School, a public secondary school, is located on the east bank of St. Charles Parish in Destrehan, Louisiana, approximately twenty-five miles west of New Orleans.

In 1923, St. Charles Parish approved a bond issue for school construction. On September 15, 1924, the Destrehan High School facility received 234 pupils in grades one through eleven. Destrehan's first graduating class consisted of Placide Hotard and Eldridge Gervais.^[3]

In 1969, then all-black Bethune High School was closed, bringing an end to racially segregated schools and forcing the two student bodies to be combined. Elementary-aged children attended schools directed by court guidelines, and high school students were moved to Destrehan High School.

The process of integrating the two student bodies caused several disruptions. On Oct. 7, 1974, students were sent home early after racially-motivated fights broke out in the school.^[4] Another incident between a bus full of black students and white parents and students resulted in 13-year-old Timothy Weber, who was standing outside with his mother, being shot.^[4] Gary Tyler, a black student, was arrested and later convicted of the murder.^[4] At the time, the case garnered considerable national attention. Since the conviction, Amnesty International has twice identified the case as a miscarriage of justice.^[5] A federal appeals court ruled Tyler did not receive a fair trial, but he has never been retried and remains in prison.

The original high school located on River Road closed after the completion of the 1974 school year. The new campus located at its current location on Wildcat Lane opened with the start of the 1975 school year.^[3]

As of April 2002 the school had 1,500 students.^[6]

Beginning in 2005, students in grades 11 and 12 from both Destrehan and Hahnville have had the option to also attend the Satellite Center for half of the school day. The goal is for students to concentrate on career paths that are projected to expand the most over the next decade. Courses at the Satellite Center include: Advanced Television Broadcasting, Digital Media, Engineering Design, Interactive Media, Process Technology (PTEC), Health Care Exploration, Patient Care, Hotel-Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Administration, Culinary Arts, and Students Teaching And Reaching (STAR).^[7]

Extracurricular activities

Student groups and activities at Destrehan High School include Air Force JROTC, anime club, Beta Club, chess club, choir, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, literary club, National Honor Society, newspaper, peer support leadership, Pride of DHS Band, Quiz Bowl, student council, television production, webmastering, WISE Club, and yearbook.

Athletics

The Destrehan High School athletic teams, known as the Fighting Wildcats and Lady Cats, compete interscholastically in the LHSAA.

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Dance team (Desty Darlings)
• Football
• Golf
• Powerlifting
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Athletic facilities

• 

  Wildcat Stadium

• 

  Fighting Wildcats Fieldhouse

• 

  Destrehan Gymnasium

• 

  Fighting Wildcats Baseball Field

• 

  Lady Cats Softball Field

Football

The Destrehan Fighting Wildcats football team competes in District 7 5-A in the LHSAA. The Fighting Wildcats play their home games at 5,000-seat Wildcat Stadium. They are coached by Stephen Robicheaux. Destrehan High School has been ordered to forfeit their 49-24 victory over South Lafourche on Oct. 25, 2013. It was found that coaches were able to view online practices of South Lafourch in which they had installed new plays and formations for the Destrehan game. Two assistant coaches were suspended for two games and another for the rest of the season.

The Fighting Wildcats have won five LHSAA state championships.^[8] The 2007 and 2008 state championship teams were part of a 30-game winning streak from 2007 to September 2009.^[9][10]

The Fighting Wildcats have won seventeen LHSAA district championships.

1949, 1958, 1963, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2013

The Fighting Wildcats have made the LHSAA playoffs thirty-five times.^[11]

1941, 1949, 1958, 1963, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013

DHS Alma Mater

On sacred lands beyond compare
Where river echoes fall,
Stands Destrehan our school so true,
To thee we pledge our all.
Our spirit and our loyalty
For thee will never die.
Our love will live eternally,
Till stars fade from the sky.

Thy learned walls our hearts enthrall,
Thy teachings do inspire.
The tender glow our hearts bestow
Grows steadily to fire.
And as the years go slowly by
We ever will be true.
The years we've spent, so much they've meant
Though life fades from our view.^[12]

DHS Fight Song

(Sung to the tune of the Notre Dame fight song)

Fight, fight for old Destrehan
Sound out the trumpets
Strike up the band.
Lead us on to victory
Not just a touchdown, two or three.
Here come the Wildcats tearing along,
Shouting their victory, singing their song
As our boys go marching by
We'll roll on to victory.^[12]

Notable alumni

• Paul F. Boudreau, Assistant Coach for the St Louis Rams
• Joel Chaisson, District Attorney and Louisiana State Senate President
• Burnell Dent, Linebacker for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants
• Shelley Hennig, Actress and Miss Teen USA
• Jordan Jefferson, Quarterback for the LSU Tigers
• Mike Jennings, Graduate Assistant for Arkansas Razorbacks Women's basketball
• Damaris Johnson, Wide receiver/Punt returner for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Beau Jones, Minor-league pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins
• Rondell Mealey, Running Back for the Green Bay Packers
• Jerico Nelson, Safety for the New Orleans Saints
• Jeremy Parquet, Offensive Lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers
• Rusty Rebowe, Linebacker for the New Orleans Saints
• Tim Rebowe, Assistant Football Coach for Louisiana-Lafayette
• Ed Reed, Safety for the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and New York Jets
• Darryl Richard, Defensive Tackle for the New England Patriots
• Randy Roth, Minor-league baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Mike Scifres, Punter for the San Diego Chargers
• Damian Scioneaux, Minor-league baseball player for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
• Gary Tyler, Sentenced to Angola State Prison for murder
• Josh Victorian, Cornerback for the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans
• Traun Smith, Track&Field Lsu Tigers

References

External links

• Destrehan High School