West Monroe High School
| West Monroe High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
201 Riggs Street West Monroe , , 71291 United States | |
| Coordinates | 32°30′41″N 92°08′20″W / 32.5115°N 92.13896°WCoordinates: 32°30′41″N 92°08′20″W / 32.5115°N 92.13896°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Great is the truth, and it will prevail. |
| Established | 1953 |
| School district | Ouachita Parish School Board |
| Principal | Shelby Ainsworth |
| Faculty | 109.30 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 2,150 (2019-20)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 19.67[1] |
| Color(s) | Red and Navy Blue |
| Athletics conference | LHSAA District 2-5A |
| Mascot | Rebel |
| Rival | Ouachita Lions Neville Tigers Ruston Bearcats |
| Yearbook | Rebelaire |
| Website | www.gorebs.org |
West Monroe High School is a high school in West Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Ouachita Parish School Board. WMHS is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school's mascot is The Rebel Man.
History[]
In 2013, 87 percent of WMHS students who took the Advanced Placement test passed the examination, the highest rate in the state. Four thousand more students in Louisiana took the 2013 exam compared to the number doing so in 2012, the largest increase in participation of any state. Louisiana students taking the exam earned a collective 5,144 college credits, an increase of 25 percent over 2012.[2]
In 2015, WMHS principal Shelby Ainsworth banned students from displaying the Confederate battle flag from vehicles parked on campus though the school team is called The Rebels. Ainsworth said that students may wear clothing with the flag displayed at games, but flags cannot be waved from sticks or poles. Administrators confiscated several flags on August 28 but offered to return them to students or parents.[3]
In 2017 Andre Perry, previously the founding dean of the urban education division of Davenport University, wrote an article published in The Hechinger Report which criticized West Monroe for continuing to use the rebel mascot.[4]
Extracurricular activities[]
Student Council[]
The West Monroe High School Student Council is one of the largest active clubs on campus. It boasts over 100 members per year. The club is active on the state and regional level attending both state and regional conferences each year. The Council has also held the title of District President in the past.
French Club[]
The West Monroe High School French Club competes at A.L.C.F.E.S. (Association Louisianaise des Clubs de Français des Écoles Secondaires) annually against the state's best public and private schools. Over the past few years, the club has done exceptionally well in theatre, media, and music. Five students (in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020) have competed and won scholarships to study abroad in Nova Scotia and Belgium.
Band[]
The band received consecutive Superior ratings at Marching and Concert festivals since 1966. The band consists of 200 students. In 2014, the band appeared in the London New Years Day Parade in Westminster, UK. The band has appeared in two Presidential Inaugural Parades, George W. Bush in 2005 and Donald Trump in 2017.[5] The band was one of only 7 high school bands invited. The band has also been invited to the Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. In those years, they placed 11th (2014), 6th (2015), 5th (2016), 9th (2017), and 3rd (2018,) in the state of Louisiana.[6]
Choir[]
West Monroe High School's Rebel Choir has a total of about 120 students. It is an auditioned ensemble that performs at an advanced level. The choir is directed by Greg Oden. The choir has an unbroken streak of Superior Ratings beginning in 1994, and has toured Italy, Europe, and Austria. The students were also invited to sing at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1999, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.
AFJROTC[]
In the 2015–2016 school year West Monroe's Air Force Junior ROTC was awarded the Distinguished Unit with Merit award recognizing the program for being in the top 10% of 878 AFJROTC programs located around the world. Their Falcon Honor Guard was recognized as one of the best in the state at a statewide drill meet held in January 2016 at Louisiana Tech University. The AJFROTC program is led by Retired Lt. Col. Brain Buck and was named, instructor of the year worldwide. The accomplishments of LA-061 continue and live on forever at West Monroe High School
Junior Classical League[]
West Monroe High School has an established chapter of the Junior Classical League that over a hundred students are involved in.
Athletics[]
Football[]
Under the late 's coaching, the Class 5-A Rebels have won seventeen district and eight ('93, '96, '97, '98, '00, '05, '09, '11) state championships. National championships were won in 1998 and 2000 and were runners-up in six state designations.[8][9] The school has a fully outfitted football stadium, mostly funded by the team's Rebel Booster Club.[10] The Rebels have ranked nationally for more than 10 years and have won district titles 19 years in a row. Their most recent state championship was in 2011 when they defeated Carencro(Lafayette) by a score of 20–13.
Notable alumni[]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
- Tommy Banks (Class of 1997), medical doctor and former fullback for the LSU Tigers
- Will Blackwell (Class of 2007), former professional football player
- Chad Cook (Class of 2003), gridiron football player
- Dillon Day, (Class of 2011) Green Bay Packers
- Chuck Finley, Former MLB player (California Angels, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals)[11]
- Bruce Fowler (Class of 1980), opera singer
- Roderick Green (Class of 1997), Oklahoma Christian University basketball player, Paralympian 1999–present Volleyball and Track and Field, Amp1 basketball 2012–present, and six-time Paralympic and World Championship medalist
- James Donald Halsell, Jr. (Class of 1974), NASA Astronaut
- Haley Hayden, (Class of 2013), softball player
- Dixon Hearne (Class of 1966), award-winning author
- Michael Hunter,(Class of 2010), Denver Broncos
- Dwayne Lathan (Class of 2007), former professional basketball player
- Jaden Leach (Class of 2010), 2013 Miss Louisiana
- Bradie James (Class of 1999), Dallas Cowboys & Houston Texans
- Barkevious Mingo (Class of 2009), New England Patriots (Super Bowl Champion)
- Cam Robinson (Class of 2014), Jacksonville Jaguars
- Mike Smith (Class of 1997), former professional basketball player
- Jerry Stovall (Class of 1958), All-American running back LSU, NFL Pro Bowls, head football coach for LSU
- Paul Turner (Class of 2012) New England Patriots
- Mike Walsworth(Class of 1974), Member of the Louisiana State Senate
- Andrew Whitworth (Class of 2001), Cincinnati Bengals (2006–2016), Los Angeles Rams (2017–)
- Ralph Williams (Class of 1976), gridiron football player
- Xavier Woods (Class of 2013), Dallas Cowboys
Notable faculty[]
- Steve Ensminger, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at LSU, wide receiver coach in 2002
- Justin Hill, head baseball coach at McNeese State, assistant baseball coach in 2003
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b c "West Monroe High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "Barbara Leader, State shows gains in advanced testing". , July 30, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
- ^ "West Monroe High School restricts use of Confederate flags at athletic events". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ "Why one Louisiana high school and its mascot will become a symbol of national division". The Hechinger Report. January 10, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ USA Today Article. Retrieved December 2010
- ^ "Showcase".
- ^ "Jerry Arledge talks Rebel Stadium renovations". Monroe News-Star. July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
- ^ "Coach's Corner". olerebels.com. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ "Greg Hilburn, "West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber Honors Don Shows with A.O. Evans Award"". , January 26, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ Harvey, Gordon E. (2007). Historic Ouachita Parish: An Illustrated History. ISBN 9781893619708.
- ^ "Chuck Finley Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
External links[]
- Schools in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
- Public high schools in Louisiana