Lusher Charter School
Encyclopedia
Lusher Charter School is a K-12 public charter school
that has put the arts at the core of learning.An located in New Orleans, Louisiana
. Lusher is chartered by Advocates for Arts Based Education (AABE), which acts as the board for the entire school. Lusher School has two uptown campuses; the K-5 program is housed at the Willow Street campus and the middle and high schools are both located at the Fortier campus on Freret Street.
In 2003 however, the school began discussing the possibility of opening up a high school. In 2005, the school applied to the Orleans Parish School Board to become a charter school and open up a high school for the following school year but on April 11 of that year, the charter was denied. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
however, the school’s second attempt at gaining a charter was successful. Lusher Charter High School opened its doors for the first time on January 17, 2006 with 48 students and only 9th and 10th grades and six high school only teachers (one for each subject: math, science, social studies, English, French and Spanish). The high school was housed at the Carrollton Courthouse with the middle school for its first semester. Due to space limitations at the Carrollton campus, both the middle school and high school had to find a new home. In August 2006, both schools moved to their new Fortier campus on Freret Street (about four blocks from Tulane University’s campus) which had previously housed Alcee Fortier Senior High School before it was closed.
Filming for Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant took place at Lusher's Fortier campus during spring 2008. In May, Lusher's first senior class of thirty-five students was offered over two million dollars in college scholarships and included three national merit winners and a semifinalist for a Presidential Scholarship in the Arts. In summer of 2009, a multipurpose stadium was completed with financial assistance from the Brees Family Foundation
, and named Brees Family Field.
Student Council shall consist of:
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
that has put the arts at the core of learning.An located in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. Lusher is chartered by Advocates for Arts Based Education (AABE), which acts as the board for the entire school. Lusher School has two uptown campuses; the K-5 program is housed at the Willow Street campus and the middle and high schools are both located at the Fortier campus on Freret Street.
History
Lusher was founded in 1917 and for its first few decades only taught grades K-6 at its Willow Street campus. Then, in 1990, Lusher moved its sixth grade class into the unused Carrollton Courthouse building at 719 South Carrollton Avenue; the school then expanded to include seventh and eighth grades while keeping the Willow Street campus for its K-5 program.In 2003 however, the school began discussing the possibility of opening up a high school. In 2005, the school applied to the Orleans Parish School Board to become a charter school and open up a high school for the following school year but on April 11 of that year, the charter was denied. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
however, the school’s second attempt at gaining a charter was successful. Lusher Charter High School opened its doors for the first time on January 17, 2006 with 48 students and only 9th and 10th grades and six high school only teachers (one for each subject: math, science, social studies, English, French and Spanish). The high school was housed at the Carrollton Courthouse with the middle school for its first semester. Due to space limitations at the Carrollton campus, both the middle school and high school had to find a new home. In August 2006, both schools moved to their new Fortier campus on Freret Street (about four blocks from Tulane University’s campus) which had previously housed Alcee Fortier Senior High School before it was closed.
Filming for Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant took place at Lusher's Fortier campus during spring 2008. In May, Lusher's first senior class of thirty-five students was offered over two million dollars in college scholarships and included three national merit winners and a semifinalist for a Presidential Scholarship in the Arts. In summer of 2009, a multipurpose stadium was completed with financial assistance from the Brees Family Foundation
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
, and named Brees Family Field.
Administration
- Principal/CEO - Kathy Riedlinger
- Elementary School Principal - Sheila Nelson
- Middle School Principal - Brenda Bourne
- High School Principal - Wiley Ates
Project Pride
The core value system of Lusher consists of a set of four rules known as “Project Pride” which was conceived by Principal/CEO Kathy Riedlinger and is used in all grades from kindergarten up through the high school.- Be Kind
- Be Responsible
- Respect People & Property
- Do your best work
Constitution
The Lusher Charter High School Student Government Association is organized by a constitution which has been written, ratified and revised by students since 2005. The preamble to the current constitution, ratified by the Student Body on May 5, 2008 states:- "As active and concerned members of Lusher Charter High School and the Lusher community, for the purposes of giving equal and fair representation to the students at Lusher Charter High School, ensuring our continuation as active members in our community, promoting school spirit, securing the safety, trust and education of the students, providing a basis for academic and artistic achievement and keeping Lusher Charter School in good standing with other schools and the community, we do herby ordain and establish this document as the constitution for the Lusher Charter High School Student Government."
Student Council shall consist of:
- An elected Student Body President
- An elected Student Body Vice President;
- An elected Student Body Secretary;
- An elected Student Body Treasurer;
- Three elected Class Senators from each graduating class;
- The Class President of each graduating class; and
- The Class Vice President of each graduating class.
2010-2011 Student Body Officers
- Student Body President - Evan Gist (Class of 2011)
- Student Body Vice President - Adam Julien(Class of 2011)
- Student Body Secretary - Angela Massey(Class 2012)
- Student Body Treasurer - Max Katner (Class of 2011)
- Parliamentarian - Caitlin Murphy (Class of 2012)
2011-2012 Student Body Officers
- Student Body President - Cheyenne Ford (Class of 2012)
- Student Body Vice President - Jamal Encalade (Class of 2013)
- Student Body Secretary - Tayler Butler (Class of 2013)
- Student Body Treasurer - Haley Rowe-Kadow (Class of 2013)
- Parliamentarian - Cheyenne Kametani-Rider (Class of 2014)
Clubs
Lusher High School has many different clubs and other student organizations spanning a broad array of interests. As of September 2008 the high school has eighteen officially registered clubs.List of Clubs
The current list of recognized and established clubs (as of August 2009) is listed below:- STOMP (step team)
- Film Club
- KEY Club
- World Language and Culture Club
- French Club
- Urban Farming Club
- Lusher Post-Diluvian (student newspaper)
- Lusher Podcast Project
- Psychology Club
- Culinary Club
- Fellowship of Christian AthletesFellowship of Christian AthletesThe Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
(F.C.A.) - National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- SALSA (Students Advocating Life without Substance Abuse)
- Spanish Honor Society
- Invisible Children http://s4s.invisiblechildren.com/school/lusher-charter-school#
- Chess Club
- Hispanic Club
- Debate Team