![LMHS Biomedical](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/LMHS_Biomedical.jpg)
Liberty Magnet High School (also known as LMHS, Liberty High) is a public
magnet school
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...
, United States, founded in the 1950s but was closed in 2009. The school was subsequently reopened in 2011 as a
magnet school
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
. It is part of the
East Baton Rouge Parish School System
The East Baton Rouge Parish School System, also known as East Baton Rouge Schools (EBR Schools) or the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, is a public school district headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. The district serves ...
. Liberty Magnet has a student body of approximately 1,100 students. Liberty Magnet High School is classified as an "A" school, receiving a 106.7 SPS in 2017. Liberty requires students to pass enrollment standards and exceed graduation standards.
The school was housed at the Valley Park School while a new campus was under construction. In August 2016, ”Lee Magnet High School” opened the doors of its $49 million campus for the 2016–2017 school year. This new campus brought "Lee" back to its original location at 1105 Lee Drive.
Education
Liberty Magnet High School focuses on preparing students for a competitive collegiate education, with 99% of its graduates going on to attend college.
They work with
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
for education in
dual-enrollment In the United States, dual enrollment (DE), also called concurrent enrollment, programs allow students to be enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college or university cours ...
classes.
In the 2017–18 school year, Liberty Magnet High School had 17
AP Scholars. Liberty Magnet High School is also a partner with the
National Math and Science Initiative
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
.
Liberty Magnet High School also has a strong focus on
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
, with 383 students currently enrolled in computational classes.
It is also noteworthy that all students enrolled in Liberty Magnet High School receive laptops in which they use to receive & turn in work using
Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a free blended learning platform developed by Google for educational institutions that aims to simplify creating, distributing, and grading assignments. The primary purpose of Google Classroom is to streamline the process o ...
, collaborate with other students, take notes with, etc.
Academies
![Lee Wow Space](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Lee_Wow_Space.jpg)
Based around individual "academies", students enroll in classes which are separated by academies. Liberty High has five buildings (a gymnasium/ cafeteria, three academies, and a
black box theater
A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...
), three of which house separate academies: Digital Arts, Biomedical and
STEM
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
.
Academic competitions
*Liberty Magnet High School has competed in the
CyberPatriot
CyberPatriot is a national youth cyber education program created in the United States to help direct students toward careers in cybersecurity or another computer, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. The program was cre ...
semifinals.
*Liberty Magnet High School has been awarded first place at a
Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta () is the United States mathematics honor society for high school and two-year college students. In June 2015, it served over 108,000 student members in over 2,200 chapters in the United States and in 20 foreign countries. Its main ...
convention.
*Liberty Magnet High School has been awarded first place in
Louisiana Tech University's "CyberDiscovery Cryptography Treasure Hunt"
*They have also entered and placed in competitions such as
VEX Robotics Competition
VEX Robotics is a robotics program for elementary through university students, and a subset of Innovation First International. The VEX Robotics competitions and programs are managed by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (RECF). In A ...
s, the
Congressional App Challenge,
Louisiana State University's regional science fair, and more.
Athletics
Liberty Magnet High Patriots are a member of
LHSAA Class 4A athletics.
*Fall sports
**Volleyball
**Cross Country
**Swimming
**Football
*Winter sports
**Boys Basketball
**Girls Basketball
**Boys Soccer
**Girls Soccer
*Spring sports
**Outdoor Track & Field
**Tennis
**Bowling
**Golf
**Baseball
Extracurricular activities
The following is a list of some of the clubs offered at Liberty Magnet High School:
*
ACT Prep Club
*African American Heritage
*Anime
*Art Studio
*Astronomy Club
*Basketball Club
*
Beta
Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...
*Chess
*Computer Science Honors Society
*DiversLEE
*
Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...
*
F.B.L.A.
*Flo-Motion Juniors
*French
*
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific l ...
*
GSA
*iCare Club
*International Culture
*
JROTC
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...
Command and Staff
*
JROTC
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...
Physical Fitness Club
*
JROTC
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...
Team Meeting
*
Junior Classical League
The National Junior Classical League (National JCL or NJCL) is a youth organization of secondary school students sponsored by the American Classical League (ACL). Founded in 1936, the NJCL comprises more than 1,000 Latin, Greek and Classical ...
*
Key Club
Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. As a student-led organization, Key Club's goal is to encourage leadership through serving others. Key Club International is the hig ...
*Korean Club
*Ladies of L.H.S.
*Lee High Investors
*Library Book & Storytelling Club
*Literary Magazine
*
National French Honor Society
*
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...
*
National Society of Black Engineers
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is a society that was founded in 1975 at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is one of the largest student-run organizations in the United States, with core activities centered o ...
*Poetic – Lee Spoken Word Team
*Politics and Government
*Power (Weight Lifting)
*Professional
eSports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
Club
*
Quiz Bowl
*
Robotics
Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...
Club
*School Spirit Club
*
Science Olympians
*
Sign Language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...
*So You Think You Can Rap!
*
STEM
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
*Student Democrats
*
Thespian Society
The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honor society for high school and middle school theatre students. It is a division of the Educational Theatre Association. Thespian troupes serve students in grades 9–12; Junior Thespian troupes s ...
*Thinking Philosophical
*Together We Unite
*UkuleLEE Club
*Yoga Society
*Young Filmmakers
*Youth and Government
Controversies
On October 15, 2020, Rob Howle, the principal of Liberty Magnet High School at the time, was put on leave after criticizing the high school football players that kneeled during the pledge of allegiance via text message. Howle had replaced Nanette McCann (who had been the principal of both Liberty Magnet High School and
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 stude ...
) just two years earlier in 2018.
Fight Club
In December 2019, twenty-four students were suspended after a video of what was labeled an unofficial "fight club" was leaked on social media. Students reportedly fought in the school locker-room while wearing boxing gloves brought by another student. It is unclear how long this had been going on prior to the disciplinary action taken in December but student Thomas London Jr. stated, "
t startedback in late August, September" when London and their "friends were sitting around talking and someone said they had
oxinggloves." Students stated that athletic coaches knew about the fights but did nothing about it. It is unclear if internal action was taken towards these coaches.
Name Change
Liberty Magnet High School has been targeted for name changes multiple times throughout its new life. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system held multiple public meetings to discuss new names for the school. The school board in the end decided not to rename the school.
When the school became a magnet school it was renamed from "Robert E. Lee High School" to "Lee Magnet High School".
June 2020 meeting
In June 2020, the name of the school became the center of controversy as many residents questioned the purpose of memorializing the legacy of Lee. Many, including the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), announced their support of the name change, with Adam Knapp, CEO of BRAC, saying, "Our leadership felt it was time to make a change in the name of that school."
On June 18, 2020, the East Baton Rouge School Board held a meeting about the school's name.
Connie Bernard, a board member who has been serving since 2010, defended the school's name, telling community members to “learn a little bit more about” Lee saying that "General Lee inherited a large plantation, and he was tasked with the job of doing something with those people who lived in bondage to that plantation – the slaves – and he freed them."
Community leader Gary Chambers Jr. photographed Bernard on her laptop shopping during the meeting, posting it on his
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
before addressing the board. The three minute video of Chambers criticizing Bernard went viral on social media, with
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
,
Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe (born June 26, 1968) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he ranks th ...
, and
Ava DuVernay
Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...
retweeting the video. After the speech, Chambers uploaded a 2-minute video on
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
explaining his perspective, calling for Bernard to resign, and containing a 20-second video of Bernard on her laptop.
Bernard has been called to resign by three of the EBR school board members, including by vice president Tramelle Howard, and has since apologized about the incident, writing "My comments last week about the naming of Lee High School were insensitive, have caused pain for others, and have led people to believe I am an enemy of people of color, and I am deeply sorry." She had also told that what was on her laptop was a pop-up ad that failed to close and that she "was actually taking notes, paying attention, reading online comments.”
In response to a news conference calling her to resign, Bernard has stated that she would not resign and that she "will continue to serve all students as elected by my district three times." The members of the school board said that they would launch a campaign to remove Connie Bernard if she did not resign.
Richard Lipsey and board president Mike Gaudet have also called for Bernard's resignation.
Woody Jenkins, the chairman of the executive committee for the Republican Party in East Baton Rouge, called Gaudet to resign over his remarks. After a request, the history from the school board-issued laptop used by Bernard was searched, showing that it had been used to visit a website called "thredUP."
On June 18, 2020, the East Baton Rouge School Board unanimously voted to establish a renaming committee and to hear recommendations for the new name.
The renaming committee narrowed three names on July 13: Louisiana Magnet High School, Liberty Magnet High School, and P.B.S. Pinchback Magnet High School.
On July 16, the renaming committee voted to rename the school to "Liberty High School." On August 3, crews removed the "Lee Magnet" signage from the school.
References
External links
Liberty Magnet High School WebsiteLiberty Magnet High School on TwitterWAFB about Lee Magnet High SchoolLee Magnet High School's Beta WebsiteArchitect stats
{{Coord, 30, 24, 22, N, 91, 9, 10, W, type:waterbody_region:US-LA, display=title
Schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Magnet schools in Louisiana
Public high schools in Louisiana
Educational institutions established in 2011
Name changes due to the George Floyd protests
2011 establishments in Louisiana