Quitman High School is an American primary and secondary school in
Quitman, Louisiana
Quitman is a village in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 181. Quitman is south of Ruston on U.S. Highway 167, and north of Jonesboro, the parish seat of Jackson Parish. It is also adj ...
, serving grades
Pre-K
Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool o ...
through
twelfth grade
Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...
, and is one of two PreK–12 schools in the
Jackson Parish School District, and one of three high schools in the district.
The school opened as a
public school
Public school may refer to:
* State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
* Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
.
History
First school (Pre–1903)
The first school was built around the year 1900,
but possibly dates back to as early as the mid-1800s and was a single room log building.
Second school (1903–1919)
When the railroad was built in Quitman, the post office and businesses were relocated to downtown Quitman, which included the relocation of the school, which moved into a small log building adjacent to the post office. The school at this time consisted of one teahcer and approximately twenty-five students across eight grades.
During the 1906–1907 school year a two-room building with unlevel floors was built as an expansion for the school, and the number of grades taught expanded to ten. In 1907 the number of teachers increased to two, and though the specific teachers changed through each year, the number of teachers remained at two until 1914. In 1914 two additional rooms were built onto the school which doubled the amount of space in the school, and by the 1916–1917 school year there were approximately one hundred students and six teachers. Due to space constraints, two of the elementary teachers taught at a nearby Baptist church and a nearby Methodist church.
Third school (1920–1953)
A new three story brick building
for the school was built in 1920 at a cost of $40,000,
raised from a tax voted in by Quitman's citizens for the building of the school.
The enrollment of the school in 1921 was approximately 150 and the number of grades taught had expanded to 11.
In 1929 the enrollment in the school was 215,
and in 1935 the school also had an enrollment of 215.
By 1952 the enrollment was 284.
By the early 1920s, the school had a boys football team
as well as boys and girls basketball teams,
A baseball team that for the school was organized in 1922.
A high school band was formed in 1937
and gave its first public performance the following year, in 1938.
A gymnasium was built in 1939 at a cost of $40,000, and the first lunch program was introduced to the school in 1943, with a dedicated lunch room built for $20,000 during the 1948–1949 school year
and formally opened in 1950.
A school newspaper called ''The Blue and Gold Booster'' began during the 1950–1951 school year.
A severe storm caused significant damage to the school building in May 1953 and while initially it seemed as if the storm only blew out the windows and window frames of the third floor and damaged a stairwell,
the building was later deemed unsafe for use.
The Jackson Parish School Board accepted a bid in August 1953 for the demolition of the damaged school building
and accepted a bid in October 1953 for the construction of a new school.
Fourth school (1954–Present)
Construction began on the fourth and present building in late 1953
and was completed in 1954 as a single story brick school
on of land at a cost of $142,000.
Students used the school's gymnasium and another unused school building called the Ansley School during the construction of the new school.
The new school was built in the same location was the previous school as reused the undamaged cafeteria and gymnasium that was previously used.
In November 1954, Quitman High School became a member of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...
(SACS),
though is presently no longer accrediated through SACS or
Cognia
Cognia Cloud was a cloud-based compliance archiving and analytics company. It was established in 2007 to provide recording and regulatory solutions to financial institutions, telecommunications providers and field services enterprises. It was ...
.
In 1964, Principal Clyde Aswell, who had at that point been the principal for fourteen years
was asked by the school board via resolution to resign, a request mirorred by a petition of teachers at the school who stated that it was "very difficult to teach...with Mr. Aswell as principal" and asked that the principal be either transferred or removed from the high school.
The school board passed a resolution on August 6, 1964 "charging him with willful neglect of duty"
and on August 25, 1964 transferred him out of the position of principal of the school and into the position of Director of Guidance Services and Supervisor of Adult Education.
Aswell filed a successful lawsuit, ''Clyde W. Aswell v. Jackson Parish School Board'', against the school board which he also won on appeal, which forced the school board by
mandamus
(; ) is a judicial remedy in the form of an order from a court to any government, subordinate court, corporation, or public authority, to do (or forbear from doing) some specific act which that body is obliged under law to do (or refrain from ...
to reinstate him as principal of the school in June 1965.
In March 1966, Aswell left Quitman High School to become a teacher at Calhoun High School in
Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish (French: ''Paroisse d'Ouachita'') is located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,368. The parish seat is Monroe. The parish was formed in 1807.
Ouachita Parish i ...
and was replaced with a new principal.
Academics
As of the 2020–2021 school year, the school had an enrollment of 724 students
and 43 teachers
for a
student–teacher ratio
Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...
of 16.78.
309 of the students were eligible for free
school meal
A school meal or school lunch (also known as hot lunch, a school dinner, or school breakfast) is a meal provided to students and sometimes teachers at a school, typically in the middle or beginning of the school day. Countries around the world ...
s, while 23 were eligible for reduced-price meals.
The graduation rate for the school year was 85%.
The per pupil expenditure for the 2020–2021 school year was $10,385 per student, compared to a statewide average of $11,708 per student.
Extracurricular activities
There are several officially recognized clubs are Quitman High School:
*
4-H
4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times i ...
– The 4-H club at Quitman High School first began in 1928.
*
National Beta Club
The National Beta Club (often called "Beta Club" or simply "Beta") is an organization for 4th through 12th grade students in the United States. Its purpose is "to promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, leadership and service among ...
*
Future Business Leaders of America
The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA"), Middle Level ("FBLA ...
– The school has had an FBLA chapter since 1964.
*
Future Farmers of America
National FFA Organization is an American 501(c)(3) youth organization, specifically a career and technical student organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education. It was founded in 1925 at Vi ...
– The school has had an FFA chapter since at least 1935.
Social clubs are not allowed at the school.
Athletics
Quitman High athletics competes in the
LHSAA.
Athletics teams for the school include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, fishing, golf, softball, tennis, and track and field.
Notable alumni
*
Toby Borland
Toby Shawn Borland (born May 29, 1969) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between and for the Philadelphia Phillies (1994-, ), New York Mets (), Boston Red Sox (1997), Anaheim ...
,
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher
*
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis (September 11, 1899 – November 5, 2000) was an American politician, singer and songwriter of both sacred and popular songs. Davis was elected for two nonconsecutive terms from 1944 to 1948 and from 1960 to 1964 as the ...
,
American politician and singer/songwriter, and Governor of Louisiana from 1960 to 1964
References
{{reflist
Public high schools in Louisiana
Educational institutions established in 1900