McKinley Senior High School
McKinley Senior High School | |
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Location | |
800 East McKinley St. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70802 USA | |
Coordinates | 30°25′25″N 91°10′27″W / 30.423513°N 91.174164°W |
Information | |
Type | Free public |
Established | 1907 |
School district | East Baton Rouge Parish |
Principal | Herman R. Brister |
Grades | 9 - 12 |
Campus type | Urban |
Color(s) | Blue and White |
Mascot | Panthers |
Website | McKinley High |
McKinley Senior High School, located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on 800 E. McKinley St., is home to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board's first gifted and talented high school programs. The school mascot is a Panther and the school colors are royal blue and white.
History
The original McKinley Senior High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of the history that enabled this structure to be listed on the register is as follows: The forerunner of McKinley Senior High, was named the Hickory Street School, which was located several blocks East of the present site, in 1907-1908. The school outgrew the building, so the school was renamed The Baton Rouge Colored High School and moved to a new location. The Baton Rouge Colored High School was located on Perkins Rd. at Bynum St. in 1913. This facility was later struck by lightning and destroyed. McKinley is the oldest high school established for African Americans in East Baton Rouge Parish. McKinley’s first graduating class was in 1916. The four students became the first African American high school graduates in Louisiana. The original McKinley Senior High School building was erected in 1926-1927, and named in honor of the 25th President of the United States. The school opened September 19, 1927 on Texas Street, currently name Thomas H. Delpit Dr. The High School was moved in 1950 to a new facility at the corner of Louise Street and McCalop Street, next to the present day I-10. The Thomas H. Delpit Dr. facility became McKinley Junior High School. In 1962, the third and present day McKinley Senior High School was built on East McKinley Street, the Junior High School was moved to the I-10 site, and the Thomas H. Delpit Dr. site became McKinley Elementary. The original McKinley Senior High School facility on Thomas H. Delpit Dr. was entered into the National Register of Historic Places on November 16, 1981. The original structure was purchased by the Alumni Association from the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on February 5, 1992. The original McKinley High School building was destroyed by fire on July 3, 1998. SOURCE: McKinley High School Alumni Association Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Program, April 9, 2006. On January 14, 2016, President Barack Obama hosted a town hall at Mckinley High. This was the first time a sitting president hosted a town hall at a secondary school in Louisiana.[1]
Campus
The current campus sits in Old South Baton Rouge just to the northwest of the Louisiana State University campus, and is bordered by Lake Crest, one of the LSU lakes to the East. Facilities include five main buildings, many out buildings, football and baseball fields, tennis courts, track and field facilities, and a new black box theater which was built by students in 2006.
Academics
McKinley is one of Baton Rouge's two high schools with a Gifted and Talented program. It also offers 23 Advanced Placement courses.
McKinley's high academics standards regularly have it ranked among the best in the state.[2] The students ranked 18th of all schools in Louisiana for the statewide average ACT score and 3rd in the state when comparing their Gifted and Talented program.[2]
Eighteen graduating students from 2007 and 2008 received National Merit and Advanced Placement Scholarships.
Extra curricular
Clubs
McKinley students can choose from over 20 student clubs.[3] The following is an abbreviated list:
- Beta
- Chess
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
- Youth and Government
- Mu Alpha Theta
- National Honor Society
- Quiz Bowl
- Student Government Association (SGA)
- Key Club
- Fashion Club
- 1PRIDE/Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)
Athletics
McKinley competes in the Louisiana High School Athletics Association (LHSAA) District 5 Class 5A. Their biggest rival is Scotlandville Magnet High School. They compete in the following sports:[4]
- Football
- Volleyball
- Boys and Girls Basketball
- Boys and Girls Soccer
- Tennis
- Golf
- Track and Cross Country
- Baseball
- Softball
- Bowling
- Wrestling
- Swimming
Notable Alumni
- Donnie Ray Albert - Grammy Award-winning opera performer (Porgy and Bess)[5]
- Jason Banks - Pro football player for the Arizona Cardinals
- Hubert 'Rap' Brown - Prominent radical leader of the 1960s - author of Die Nigger Die!. Attended McKinley.
- Isiah Carey- Emmy award-winning television journalist with KRIV Houston
- Don Chaney - Former NBA great (Boston Celtics) and former head coach of New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons
- Lil Boosie- Rapper. Attended McKinley.
- Kevin Gates- Rapper; Owns Bread Winner Association (BWA); Attended McKinley
- Cleo Fields- Louisiana State Senator and former United States Congressman
- Tommie Green - Former NBA player and former collegiate head basketball coach (Southern University)[6][7]
- John Michael Guidry - Louisiana appellate court judge from Baton Rouge[8]
- Buddy Guy—Legendary five-time Grammy Award winning blues guitarist whom Eric Clapton and many music critics have called the greatest blues guitarist alive.
- Edward C. James - state representative for District 101 in East Baton Rouge Parish since 2012[9]
- Chris Thomas King - Grammy award-winning blues artist and actor (O Brother Where Art Thou?)
- Chenese Lewis- Actress & plus-size model
- Calvin Nicholas- Former wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers[10]
- Jewel Joseph Newman (Class of 1941), black city council member from Baton Rouge, 1972 to 1984; member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1984 to 1988; community organizer from the Scotlandville area[11]
- Eddie G. Robinson- Hall of Fame former Grambling State University Football Coach
- Keith Smart- Former Indiana basketball player, one-time head coach of Cleveland Cavaliers, and head coach for the Golden State Warriors
- Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor—Pastor Emeritus of famous Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, NY. Noted theologian, scholar, and teacher (Harvard and Yale), recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom. Named America's Greatest Black Preacher (Ebony Magazine Poll, 1993)
- Johnny Thomas - Head track and field coach at Southern University; inducted to SWAC Conference sports hall of fame.
- Tyrus Thomas- Former LSU basketball player, now playing for the Charlotte Bobcats
- Nemiah Wilson—Former All-pro defensive back and kick returner with Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders 1965-75
- Keifer Phillips- All American/ All SWAC College Football Grambling State University - Pittsburgh Steelers Linebacker
- Joe Williams - American football player
References
- ↑ http://theadvocate.com/news/14541868-171/president-obama-to-speak-a-mckinley-high-on-tursday-event-open-to-the-public
- 1 2 McKinley High. 08 Nov. 2007. McKinley Senior High School. 18 Apr. 2008. http://mckinleyhigh.ebrschools.org/eduWEB2/1000090/docs/advocate_2007.pdf
- ↑ Clubs. Unknown Publication Date. McKinley Senior High School. 18 Apr. 2008. http://mckinleyhigh.ebrschools.org/explore.cfm/schoolclubs/.
- ↑ Sports. Unknown Publication Date. McKinley Senior High School. 18 Apr. 2008. http://mckinleyhigh.ebrschools.org/explore.cfm/sports/
- ↑ Donnie Ray Albert, M.M., Bass/Baritone. Unknown Publication Date. East Baton Rouge Parish Library - Our African American Legacy. 18 Apr. 2008. http://www.ebr.lib.la.us/reference/ourafamlegacy/oaal_peopleandplaces/people/DonnieRayAlbert.htm.
- ↑ Tommy Green. Unknown Publication Date. basketball-reference.com 18 Apr. 2008 http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greento01.html
- ↑ Green is new head basketball coach at Southern Univ. 23 Sep. 1996. Bnet. 18 Apr. 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_/ai_18709828
- ↑ Hon. John Michael Guidry. Unknown Publication Date. East Baton Rouge Parish Library - Our African American Legacy. 18 Apr. 2008. http://www.ebr.lib.la.us/reference/ourafamlegacy/oaal_peopleandplaces/people/John_Michael_Guidry.htm.
- ↑ "Edward C. "Ted" James, II". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- ↑ Calvin Nicholas at databaseFootball.com
- ↑ "Jewel Joseph Newman". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved October 12, 2014.