Ruston High School
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| Ruston High School | |
|---|---|
 Front entrance to Ruston High School (2010) | |
| Location | |
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Ruston, Louisiana United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | 4-year, Public high school |
| Established | 1921 |
| Staff | 85 |
| Number of students | 1,000 |
| Website | [1] |
Ruston High School is a 4 year public high school located in the Lincoln Parish School District of Ruston, Louisiana, United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students with 85 faculty members; the mascot is the bearcat. The school colors are red and white. Ruston High School was the meeting place of the original four founders the Elephant 6 collective -- Jeff Mangum, Robert Schneider, Bill Doss and Will Cullen Hart. Ruston High School also serves as a memorial to the survivors of the Gulf War. The campus is in the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
Debate
Ruston High School Speech and Debate has won numerous state championships: Advanced Cross Examination in 2000 and 2006; Intermediate Cross Examination in 2001 and 2002; Novice Cross Examination in 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2010; Intermediate Lincoln-Douglas in 2007; Oral Interpretation in 2006; Declamation in 2007 and 2010; and Student Congress (Senate) in 2007. The team finished in a tie for 2nd overall at the Louisiana High School Speech League state championships in 2006 and finished third overall in 2007. They also received the Novellen Price Ellis Rotating Sweepstakes Trophy in 2007.
Notable faculty
Oscar P. Barnes, Jr. (ca. 1921 - April 17, 2008), was band director at Winnsboro High School in Franklin Parish and assistant band director at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge before he began his tenure at Ruston High School. In 1987, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. The City of Ruston proclaimed June 16, 2002, as Oscar P. Barnes Day. A native of Plaquemine, the seat of Iberville Parish in south Louisiana, Barnes was a former choir director of the John Knox Presbyterian Church choir. He was the first conductor of the Russtown Band and played the trombone in the band, "The Debonnaires".[2]
Robert W. Mondy (1908-1997), alumnus and a former social studies teacher at Ruston High School, was subsequently a history professor from 1935-1974 at Louisiana Tech University.
Harold Montgomery, a former Louisiana state senator from Bossier and Webster parishes who also operated Montgomery Feed and Seed in Ruston, taught agriculture at Ruston High School in the 1930s.
Morgan D. Peoples taught history at Ruston High School prior to 1965, when he joined the faculty of Louisiana Tech University for a 20-year career in college teaching.
Notable alumni
- Founders of the prolific Elephant Six Collective, Robert Schneider, Jeff Mangum and Will Cullen Hart met at Ruston High School and graduated together. Cofounder Bill Doss attended the neighboring town's Dubach High School, not Ruston High School.
- Charles C. Barham (Class of 1952) -- attorney and state senator from 1964-1972 and 1976-1988
- Fred Dean -- inductee into the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame, played for Louisiana Tech, San Diego Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers
- Wiley W. Hilburn (Class of 1956) -- journalist, retired chairman of the Journalism Department at Louisiana Tech
- Bert Jones -- NFL Quarterback, nicknamed "The Ruston Rifle", played for Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams
- Norman L. Richardson (Class of 1953) -- journalist known for front-line coverage of hurricanes
- Don Shows (Class of 1958) -- championship football coach at West Monroe
- Lawson Swearingen (Class of 1962) -- former state senator, president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and management professor at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond
- Gary Wayne Dick (Class of 1984) Born Jan. 17, 1966. Attended Ruston High School 1979-1984 Former Professional Mixed Martial Arts Competitor 2001-2005. Inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame June 2002, Arkansas Karate Circuit State Champion 1992, Arkansas Law Enforcement Instructor. He currently resides in Central Arkansas
- Michael Brooks (Class of 1982) (born Oct 2, 1964 in Ruston, Louisiana) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played for Ruston High School, college ball at Louisiana State University (LSU), then professionally with the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions. His best year was 1992 when he made his first Pro Bowl. Brooks now resides in his hometown where he owns a variety of different businesses.
- Kyle Williams (Class of 2001) (born June 10, 1983 in Ruston, Louisiana) is an American football defensive tackle of the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League.
- Jeff Mangum (attended in the 1980s) Musician most famous for being lead singer of the band Neutral Milk Hotel
- Jack Ramsaur (attended in the 1970's) Maj. Gen. Jack W. Ramsaur II is the mobilization assistant to the Commander, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
References
- ^ "History of Ruston High School." Ruston High School Alumni.
- ^ thenewsstar.com | Monroe OBITUARY | The News Star
3. ^ "History of Ruston High School.Arkansasnewslist2007/halloffame02