22/Jul/2008
A Walk Down Memory Lane…
1935 Baton Rouge High Graduate Reminisces
By Emily Holden
The future of our city’s oldest high school has been so hotly debated that some may have forgotten its past. The history of Baton Rouge Magnet High School reaches beyond the stories of its hallways and back into the memories of graduates over several generations. The school, which will be renovated for two to three years beginning in 2010 at a price tag of about $63 million, was founded in the early 1890s. However, the current school building was erected in 1925. Camille Lanclois Holden graduated from BRMHS in 1935 with a class of 250 students. At the time, students were required to complete only 11 years of school. Students were divided into fall and spring semester groups. The school was surrounded by barren land and there were no outer buildings.
“You have a campus now,” said Holden. “But we just had a building.” Holden said many questioned why the school was located so “deep” in the country. City development since 1935 has left the school just outside the heart of downtown Baton Rouge. It is now surrounded by a neighborhood and some small shops, including a vintage clothing store and an art shop.
But the landscape of the campus is not the only thing that has changed. Throughout grade school, Holden was sent to school with a lunch pail in hand. She and her friends usually ate under the trees on the front lawn. Most current BRMHS students eat lunch in the cafeteria, though some still pack a bag to enjoy under the live oaks.
Holden said she ate lunch in the hallways on rainy days. On these eventful days, students were sent home two hours ahead of schedule. In rain or shine, you won’t see the current BRMHS administration sending students home unnecessarily.
Holden spoke of a time when she and her cousin would wake up early in the morning to study for their history class. They often woke at 4 a.m. to cook breakfast in their old gas oven and prepare for the day’s exams. She said most students had the opportunity to get a full night’s rest, though the pressure to succeed was so high that they sometimes sacrificed sleep. While there were no honors or advanced placement classes, most students strived to do their best in every course.
Because the original BRMHS was not an academic magnet school, it prided itself on football games and social societies. Students even held mini parades before games. School spirit was as high as ever, though students may have cheered more for football than for high test scores.
Students will undoubtedly continue this enthusiasm for the school even while they attend classes at another location during its renovation. During renovations, the student body will be relocated to Valley Park, a campus off S. Acadian Thruway that is currently used as an alternative school. As the campus is on the National Register of Historic Places and is full of memories, many are willing to sacrifice a couple of years and quite a bit of money to keep this school alive.
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