Lee Magnet High School

Last updated
Liberty Magnet High School
Lee Magnet.tif
The front of the 21st century school
Address
1105 Lee Drive

,
East Baton Rouge Parish
,
Information
Former nameRobert E. Lee High School
School type Public, Magnet
Motto"A school like no other"
Sister school Baton Rouge Magnet High School
SuperintendentWarren Drake
PrincipalRob Howle
Grades 912
Enrollment1,100
Classes offeredHonors, Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement
Campus size190,000 sq. ft.
Houses1,200 students
Color(s)Red, White & Blue             
MascotPatriots
Website
The front office of the biomedical academy, during transition to the new campus. LMHS Biomedical.jpg
The front office of the biomedical academy, during transition to the new campus.

Liberty Magnet High School (also known as LMHS, Liberty High) is a public magnet school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded in the 1950s but was closed in 2009. The school was subsequently reopened in 2011 as a magnet school. It is part of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Liberty Magnet has a student body of approximately 1,100 students. Liberty Magnet High School is classified as an "A" school, receiving a 106.7 SPS in 2017. [2] Liberty requires students to pass enrollment standards and exceed graduation standards.

Contents

The school was housed at the Valley Park School while a new campus was under construction. In August 2016, ”Lee Magnet High School” opened the doors of its $49 million campus for the 2016–2017 school year. This new campus brought "Lee" back to its original location at 1105 Lee Drive. [3]

Education

Liberty Magnet High School focuses on preparing students for a competitive collegiate education, with 99% of its graduates going on to attend college. [4] They work with Louisiana State University for education in dual-enrollment classes. [5] In the 2017–18 school year, Liberty Magnet High School had 17 AP Scholars. [6] Liberty Magnet High School is also a partner with the National Math and Science Initiative. [5]

Liberty Magnet High School also has a strong focus on computer science, with 383 students currently enrolled in computational classes. [4] It is also noteworthy that all students enrolled in Liberty Magnet High School receive laptops in which they use to receive & turn in work using Google Classroom, collaborate with other students, take notes with, etc. [7]

Academies

The inside of the biomedical academy's WOW space. Lee Wow Space.jpg
The inside of the biomedical academy's WOW space.

Based around individual "academies", students enroll in classes which are separated by academies. Liberty High has five buildings (a gymnasium/ cafeteria, three academies, and a black box theater), three of which house separate academies: Digital Arts, Biomedical and STEM. [4]

Library

The school offers a library that contains fiction and non-fiction books, textbooks, college-level material, board games and more. Additionally, the library holds various lectures that students can attend. [8]

Academic competitions

Athletics

Liberty Magnet High Patriots are a member of LHSAA Class 4A athletics. [13] [14]

Fall sports

Winter sports

Spring sports

Alma mater

Dear Alma Mater, Hail to Thee! Our colors true and bright, Our loyalty will ever be Lee High we praise thy might. Our Patriot name will live forever, Our memories cling to thee. We hold thee high with great esteem, Thy courage proudly see, We lift our voices one and all Hail to dear Lee High, Hail. [15]

Extracurricular activities

The following is a list of some of the clubs offered at Liberty Magnet High School: [16]

Name change controversy

Liberty Magnet High School has been targeted for name changes multiple times throughout its new life. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system held multiple public meetings to discuss new names for the school. The school board in the end decided not to rename the school. [1] When the school became a magnet school it was renamed from "Robert E. Lee High School" to "Lee Magnet High School".

June 2020 meeting

A screenshot of board member Connie Bernard shopping during the meeting. Connie Bernard shopping during board meeting.png
A screenshot of board member Connie Bernard shopping during the meeting.

In June 2020, the name of the school became the center of controversy as many residents questioned the purpose of memorializing the legacy of Lee. Many, including the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), announced their support of the name change, with Adam Knapp, CEO of BRAC, saying, "Our leadership felt it was time to make a change in the name of that school." [17]

On June 18, 2020, the East Baton Rouge School Board held a meeting about the schools name. Connie Bernard, a board member who has been serving since 2010, defended the schools name, telling community members to “learn a little bit more about” Lee saying that "General Lee inherited a large plantation, and he was tasked with the job of doing something with those people who lived in bondage to that plantation – the slaves – and he freed them." [18] [19] Community leader Gary Chambers Jr. photographed Bernard on her laptop shopping during the meeting, posting it on his Facebook before addressing the board. [20] The three minute video of Chambers criticizing Bernard went viral on social media, with LeBron James, Shannon Sharpe, and Ava DuVernay retweeting the video. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] After the speech, Chambers uploaded a 2-minute video on Instagram explaining his perspective, calling for Bernard to resign, and containing a 20-second video of Bernard on her laptop. [27]

Bernard has been called to resign by three of the EBR school board members, [28] [29] including by vice president Tramelle Howard, [30] and has since apologized about the incident, writing "My comments last week about the naming of Lee High School were insensitive, have caused pain for others, and have led people to believe I am an enemy of people of color, and I am deeply sorry." She had also told that what was on her laptop was a pop-up ad that failed to close and that she "was actually taking notes, paying attention, reading online comments.” [18] [19] [31] [32] [33] In response to a news conference calling her to resign, Bernard has stated that she would not resign and that she "will continue to serve all students as elected by my district three times." The members of the school board said that they would launch a campaign to remove Connie Bernard if she did not resign. [34] Richard Lipsey [35] and board president Mike Gaudet have also called for Bernard's resignation. Woody Jenkins, the chairman of the executive committee for the Republican Party in East Baton Rouge, called Gaudet to resign over his remarks. [36] After a request, the history from the school board-issued laptop used by Bernard was searched, showing that the had visited a website called "thredUP." [37] [38] [39]

On June 18, 2020, the East Baton Rouge School Board unanimously voted to establish a renaming committee and to hear recommendations for the new name. [40] [41] [42]

The renaming committee narrowed three names on July 13: Louisiana Magnet High School, Liberty Magnet High School, and P.B.S. Pinchback Magnet High School. [43] [44] [45] [46]

On July 16, the renaming committee voted to rename the school to "Liberty High School." [47] [48] [49]

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References

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  2. https://www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/library/performance-scores
  3. "New Lee High facility set for March completion". Baton Rouge Business Report. 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  4. 1 2 3 http://leemagnet.com/LEE%20School%20Profile%2017-18.pdf
  5. 1 2 clussier@theadvocate.com, CHARLES LUSSIER |. "Baton Rouge High leads Louisiana in growth in number of AP test-takers, high scores". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  6. http://leemagnet.school
  7. "EBR Student Technology". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  8. "Science Friday!". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  9. "CyberPatriot CCS Scoreboard". scoreboard.uscyberpatriot.org. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
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  11. https://twitter.com/LeeMagnetHigh/status/870468629988425728
  12. https://twitter.com/LeeMagnetHigh?lang=en
  13. http://leemagnet.com/athletics.php
  14. http://lhsaa.org/schools/school-directory/lee-magnet
  15. Official website; accessed 25 Feb. 2018.
  16. "CLUB INFO 11.07.19". Google Docs. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
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  30. Gremillion, Nick (June 22, 2020). "VP of EBR school board calls for Connie Bernard to resign". WAFB .
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  33. Thomas, Zandria (June 20, 2020). "EBR School Board member Connie Bernard apologizes for comments after being told she should resign". WBRZ-TV .
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