East St. John High School

East St. John High School
Address
Map
1 Wildcat Drive

Reserve
,
Louisiana
70084

United States
Coordinates30°04′43″N 90°31′52″W / 30.078629°N 90.531091°W / 30.078629; -90.531091
Information
School typePublic
Established1976
School districtSt. John the Baptist Parish School Board
DirectorBrandon Brown (Athletic Director)
PrincipalChristopher Mayes
Teaching staff98.01 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
GenderCo-ed
Enrollment1,467 (2023–2024)[1]
Average class size260-300
Student to teacher ratio14.97[1]
Campus size1,500 Students
Color(s)Black and Gold    
AthleticsLouisiana High School Athletic Association
Athletics conferenceDistrict 7-5A
MascotWildcat
NicknameWildcats
RivalsDestrehan Fighting Wildcats
Websiteesjh.stjohn.k12.la.us

East St. John High School is a high school in Reserve, an unincorporated area in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States.[2] The school is a part of St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools. As of 2013–2014, the school had 1,327 students.[2][3]

History

East St. John opened for the 1978–79 school year.[4] The students had previously attended the second Leon Godchaux High School located in Reserve, Louisiana that first opened in 1930.[5] The original Leon Godchaux High School was also located in Reserve, Louisiana and both Leon Godchaux campuses were also referred to as "Reserve High School".[5][6][7]

Fifth Ward High School was an all-black secondary school located in Reserve that opened in 1950.[8] After the school closed in 1969, its students moved to Leon Godchaux High School.[8]

In 2012, Hurricane Isaac damaged the facility with floodwaters. While preparations were made to restore the permanent main school facility, students in grades 10-12 were temporarily at Leon Godchaux Junior High School. The hurricane did not damage the 9th grade facility, and so 9th grade students continued using it.[9] In 2013 some parents protested what they perceived as an inadequately quick speed in restoring the school.[10] The district selected Hammerman and Gainer, Inc. (HGI) as the supervisor of the construction,[11] but the Louisiana Licensing Board for Contractors stated that the company lacked the needed licensing, and the firm later did not pursue further the contract.[12] The district began work after, in 2014, it selected Finally All South Consulting as the supervisor. On July 17, 2015 the school district stated that renovation work was done, with the first classes to be held in August.[13] The post-hurricane renovated main school facility opened in 2015, and the school had an opening ceremony.[14] The cost of renovating it was $18,500,000.[15]

In 2020, David Lewis became the principal.[16]

Extracurricular activities

  • 4-H
  • Beta
  • Cheerleaders
  • Flag Team
  • Majorettes
  • Marching Wildcats
  • Student Council

Athletics

East St. John High athletics competes in the LHSAA.

  • Basketball - Boys
  • Basketball - Girls
  • Football
  • Power Lifting
  • Softball
  • Track - Boys
  • Track - Girls
  • Volleyball

State Championships
East St. John
Football: 1980[17][18]

Leon Godchaux
Football: 1958[7]

  • Joe Keller - LHSAA Hall of Fame head football coach, Joe Keller, was head coach at Leon Godchaux from 1934 to 1970.[7][19] During his thirty-eight seasons at the school, he compiled a 262–73–15 record and won fifteen district championships and a state championship in 1958.[7] The East St. John football stadium is named after Keller.[7]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ a b c "East St. John High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "East St. John High School". usnews.com. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Kamerick, Megan. "Seven area schools create academies for Freshmen." New Orleans CityBusiness. Monday April 1, 2002. Retrieved on March 17, 2013. Available on LexisNexis. ""You see it in a variety of ways," says Debra Schum, principal at East St. John High School in Reserve, which has 400 freshmen and total of 1,400 students."
  4. ^ Keller, Gerald J.; Watson, E. Darroch (2011). Reserve, Louisiana [Images of America]. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 74. ISBN 978-0738587745. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Keller, Gerald J.; Watson, E. Darroch (2011). Reserve, Louisiana [Images of America]. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 73. ISBN 978-0738587745. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "St. Charles Parish Public Schools Part 2: 1901–1950". scphistory.org. p. 17. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Joe Keller – Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame". allstatesugarbowl.org. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Never Forgotten: Fifth Ward High School". lobservateur.com. April 12, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Bacon-Blood, Littice (June 19, 2014). "East St. John High construction to wrap by 2015, Lake Pontchartrain Elementary in 2017". The Times Picayune. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  10. ^ Bacon-Blood, Littice (September 6, 2013). "St. John Parish parents upset by closed schools, demand deadline for reopening". The Times Picayune. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Linderman, Juliet (June 7, 2013). "St. John School Board issues disaster management contract to HGI". The Times Picayune. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Linderman, Juliet (August 7, 2013). "Disaster management firm backs out of $13 million contract with St. John Schools". The Times Picayune. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  13. ^ Bacon-Blood, Littice (July 21, 2015). "Moving day arrives for East St. John High, 3 years after storm". The Times Picayune. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  14. ^ Bacon-Blood, Littice (August 9, 2015). "East St. John High School reopens with fanfare and tours". The Times Picayune. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  15. ^ Bacon-Blood, Littice (July 21, 2015). "East St. John High set to reopen after $18.5 million renovation". The Times Picayune. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "New principal for East St. John High School, and other metro-area school news". The Times Picayune. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "Class AAAA State Championship Games". 14-0productions.com. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  18. ^ "Louisiana High School Football State Championships 1921-2021". 14-0productions.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  19. ^ "Book tells local gridiron history". lobservateur.com. June 2, 2001. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "ESJ wins first in district". April 14, 2012.
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