McKinley Senior High School, located 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 on 800 E. McKinley St., is home to the
East Baton Rouge Parish School Board
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 m ...
's first gifted and talented high school programs. The school mascot is a
Panther
Panther may refer to:
Large cats
*Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis''
**''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards.
***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...
and the school colors are
royal blue
Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III.
Brightness
The ''Oxford En ...
and
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
.
History
The original 1926 McKinley High School building, now being used by Alumni Association as the ''McKinley High School Alumni Center'', was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on November 16, 1981.
[ wit]
four photos and two maps
/ref>[ With .]
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 at the corner of Perkins Road and Bynum Street in 1913. This facility was later struck by lightning and destroyed.
McKinley was the first 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 High School building was constructed in 1926 and opened in 1927, and was named in honor of the 25th President of the United States. The school opened September 19, 1927 on Texas Street, currently named Thomas H. Delpit Drive.
In 1950 the High School was moved to a new facility at the corner of Louise Street and McCalop Street, next to the present day I-10. The Thomas H. Delpit Drive 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 Drive 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
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on November 16, 1981, and was subsequently purchased by the Alumni Association from the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on February 5, 1992.
On January 14, 2016, President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
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.
Campus
The current campus sits in Old South Baton Rouge just to the northwest of the 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 ...
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.
Communities served
McKinley serves sections of Baton Rouge and half of the Gardere
Gardere is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. The area is also known as Riverland. The population was 10,580 at the 2010 census, up from 8,992 in 2000. It is part of the ...
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
.
Academics
McKinley offers 23 Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
courses, and is one of Baton Rouge's two high schools with a Gifted and Talented program.
As of 2007 McKinley's high academics standards, it ranked among the best in the state.[McKinley High. 08 Nov. 2007. McKinley Senior High School. 18 Apr. 2008. ] 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.
Athletics
McKinley competes in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) is the agency that regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana.
Organization
LHSAA was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in ...
(LHSAA) District 5 Class 5A. Their biggest rival is Scotlandville Magnet High School.
They compete in the following sports:
* Football
* Volleyball
* Boys and Girls Basketball
* Boys and Girls Soccer
* Tennis
* Golf
* Track and Cross Country
* Baseball
* Softball
* Bowling
* Wrestling
* Swimming
Athletic history
On 17 April 2018 the LHSAA fined the school $2,500 and placed all its athletic programs on probation for two calendar years after sanctions related to multiple sports during the 2017–18 year. Four coaches had their Louisiana High School Coaches Association card privileges revoked for one year. The four programs involved were the girls junior varsity basketball, girls soccer, boys track and volleyball programs. After further investigation found more than 150 eligibility and rules compliance infractions the fine was increased to nearly $42,000, the entire 2017–2018 coaching staff (both faculty and non-faculty) was banned from coaching at any LHSAA school for one year, the school was given a two-year playoff ban for all sports, and the school forfeited runner-up finishes in Division I girls basketball for 2017 and 2018.
Championships
Football championships
*(5) State Championships: 1926, 1927, 1929, 1942, 1954
Notable alumni
*Donnie Ray Albert
Donnie Ray Albert (born January 10, 1950) is an American opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "oper ...
– Grammy Award-winning opera performer (Porgy and Bess)
* Jason Banks – Pro football player for the Arizona Cardinals
* Pepper Bassett – Major league baseball catcher with the Birmingham Black Barons
The Birmingham Black Barons were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1920 until 1960. They shared their home field of Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with the white Birmingham Barons, usually drawing larger crowds and equal pres ...
.
* Hubert 'Rap' Brown – Radical leader of the 1960s - author of ''Die Nigger Die!
''Die Nigger Die!'' is a 1969 political autobiography by the American political activist H. Rap Brown (now known as Jamil Abdullah al-Amin). The book was first released in the United States in 1969 (by Dial Press) and then in the United Kingdom in ...
''. Attended McKinley.
*Isiah Carey
Isiah Carey (born October 17, 1970) is an American television broadcast journalist and reporter who has worked for television and radio stations throughout the southeast portion of the United States.
Early life and education
Carey was born in Ba ...
- Emmy award-winning television journalist with KRIV Houston
*Don Chaney
Donald Ray Chaney (born March 22, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most notable for winning two championships as a player on the Boston Celtics, and winning NBA Coach of The Year while leading the Houston Roc ...
- Former NBA great (Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
) and former head coach of New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
, Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
, and Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...
.
*Cleo Fields
Cleo Fields (born November 22, 1962) is an American attorney and politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997 and ran unsuccessfully for governor of Louisiana in 1995. He serves as a state senator fo ...
- Louisiana State Senator and former United States Congressman
*Kevin Gates
Kevin Jerome Gilyard (born February 5, 1986), better known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur. He is currently signed to Bread Winners' Association with a partnership with Atlantic Records. His debut ...
- rapper; owns Bread Winner Association (BWA); attended McKinley
* Tommie Green - former NBA player and former collegiate head basketball coach (Southern University
Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...
)
*John Michael Guidry
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
- Louisiana appellate court judge from Baton Rouge
*Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray V ...
– 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
*Chris Thomas King
Chris Thomas King (born Durwood Christopher Thomas, October 14, 1962) is an American blues musician and actor based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
History
King was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. He is the son of blues musician Tabby ...
– Grammy Award-winning blues artist and actor ('' O Brother Where Art Thou?'')
*Chenese Lewis
Chenese Tharis Lewis, born November 14, 1979, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is an American actress, host, plus-size model, and a positive body image and self-esteem advocate. Dubbed “One Of The Original Plus-Size Influencers” by Forbes, she made ...
– actress & plus-size model
*Lil Boosie
Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...
– rapper. Attended McKinley.
*Jerome Meyinsse
Jerome Dieu Donne Meyinsse (born December 18, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. At a height of 2.08 m (6' 10") tall, he plays at the center position.
Personal lif ...
(born 1988) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...
. Played college at University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
.
* 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
* Calvin Nicholas - former wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
*Judge Freddie Pitcher, Jr. - first African American elected to Baton Rouge City Court, first African American male elected to the Nineteenth Judicial District Court (1987) and first African American elected to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal and former Chancellor of the Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center is a public law school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is part of the historically black Southern University System and was opened for instruction in September 1947. It was authorized by the Louisiana State Board ...
.
* Eddie G. Robinson – Hall of Fame former Grambling State University
Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African American Heritage ...
football coach
*Keith Smart
Jonathan Keith Smart (born September 21, 1964) is an American collegiate basketball coach and former player.
Playing career
He is perhaps best remembered for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1987 NCAA championship game that gave the Indian ...
- former Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
basketball player, one-time head coach of Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
, Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
, and Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
. Current Assistant Coach of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
.
*Gardner C. Taylor
Gardner Calvin Taylor (June 18, 1918 – April 5, 2015) was an American Baptist preacher. He was admired for his eloquence as well as his understanding of Christian faith and theology. He became known as "the dean of American preaching". He learne ...
— Pastor Emeritus of Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, NY. Theologian, scholar, and teacher (Harvard and Yale), recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom. Named America's Greatest Black Preacher (Ebony Magazine Poll, 1993)
*Tyrus Thomas
Tyrus Wayne Thomas (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU) before being drafted fourth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2006 NBA dra ...
- former LSU
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 near ...
basketball player, now playing for the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...
*Lynn Whitfield
Lynn Whitfield (''née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...
– actress and producer
*Nemiah Wilson
Nemiah Wilson (born April 6, 1943) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Grambling State Tigers ...
— former All-pro defensive back and kick returner with Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
and Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
1965-75
*Herb Williams
Herbert L. Williams (born February 16, 1958) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eighteen seasons from 1981 to 1999. Williams served as the interim head coach and the assistant coach of the NBA ...
– former NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
for the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
and the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
* Joe Williams – American football player
See also
*
References
External links
*
McKinley High School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mckinley Senior High School
Schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Public high schools in Louisiana
Magnet schools in Louisiana
School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
National Register of Historic Places in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
1907 establishments in Louisiana
Educational institutions established in 1907