Redemptorist Upper School was a

parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parishes, in religion ** Parish churches, also called parochial churches * Parochial schools, primary or secondary schools affiliated to a religious organisation * Parochialism Parochialism is the ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in North

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 ...

, supervised by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge.

History

St. Gerard Majella Church Parish was established in 1944. St. Gerard High School was opened in September 1947, with an enrollment of forty-three freshmen and sophomores. Louisiana accreditation was obtained in December 1950, and the first class graduated in May of that year with 10 graduates. 1957-58 Unit I (first wing) of the permanent school complex opens. In 1958, it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. St. Gerard Parish operated the high school until it became an interparochial school in 1963. 1959-60 Units II and III of the school open. Redemptorist then became a Regional Diocesan School on July 1, 1995. The school was governed by a Regional Diocesan School Board consisting of priests and elected and appointed laypersons. The faculty consisted of laymen and laywomen, one priest, and one Redemptorist Brother. St. Gerard Elementary and St. Isidore Elementary merged into each other to become Redemptorist Elementary in the 2010-11 school year. Redemptorist elementary and Redemptorist High merged into the Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge in the 2011-12 school year under the supervision of Mr. Brian Menard. It was announced on December 19, 2014 that Redemptorist High School and Junior High School would close their doors for good on June 30, 2015. The grounds of the former school were inundated by up to of water during the historic August 2016 flooding of south Louisiana and the buildings were subsequently demolished in the same year. The vacant land was donated to Cristo Rey High School who installed temporary buildings on the site. Former State Representative and Louisiana Board of Regents member

Vic Stelly Victor Theodore Stelly (January 11, 1941 – December 26, 2020) was an American politician who was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, best known for the since repealed Stelly Plan tax-shifting amendment. He was also a member of t ...

taught and coached at Redemptorist during the early 1960s. Actress

Donna Douglas Donna Douglas (born Doris Ione Smith; September 26, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American actress and singer, known for her role as Elly May Clampett on ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' (1962–1971). Following her acting career, Douglas becam ...

(''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

''), then known as Doris Smith, attended St. Gerard's High School.

Athletics

*Redemptorist won 4 football state championships; 1959, 2002 (Class 3A), 2003 (Class 4A), 2005 (Class 3A). *1951-52 4 State Boxing Champions *1965 Wolves win Louisiana AA State Baseball Championship. *1967-69 Wolves win consecutive State AA Basketball Championships.

Closing

Redemptorist High School graduated its last class in May 2015. The high school closed due to plunging enrollment and funds. Redemptorist High is the second high school in the North Baton Rouge area to close since 2014.

Notable alumni

actress notable for her role as Elly Mae Clampett in ''

'' TV series * Justin Rogers (2006), American football cornerback,

Richmond Spiders The Richmond Spiders represent the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. The Spiders compete in the Division I FCS of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for most sports. The Spider na ...

and Buffalo Bills * Jeremy Hill, American football running back,

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...

and Cincinnati Bengals * La'el Collins, American football offensive linemen,

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

Howard Carter (basketball) Howard O'Neal Carter (born October 26, 1961) is a retired American-French professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU) before being drafted 15th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1983 NBA dr ...

, American professional basketball player,

and Denver Nuggets * Russell Gage, American football wide receiver,

LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Th ...

, Atlanta Falcons, and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

References

http://www.rhsbr.org/history.cfm

External links

School Website
{{authority control Defunct Catholic secondary schools in Louisiana Schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Educational institutions established in 1947 Educational institutions disestablished in 2015 Private middle schools in Louisiana 1947 establishments in Louisiana 2015 disestablishments in Louisiana Demolished buildings and structures in Louisiana Buildings and structures demolished in 2016 Redemptorist High School