Ruston High School
Encyclopedia
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. Black students were first admitted in 1970. 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
.
(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.
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".
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.
Randall Elliott teaches Physics
at Ruston High School. He is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University
. He has been called many honorable names by his students such as: "Papa Elliott", "O.G.E.", "Pope Elliott", and many more. He is undoubtably the more popular teacher currently teaching at RHS.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the Lincoln Parish School District
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
of Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students with 85 faculty members; the mascot is the bearcat
Bearcat
Bearcat is another name for the Binturong, a viverrine mammal from Southeast Asia. It is also a colloquial term for mountain lion or wolverine. It is a nocturnal animal with a long husky tail, tufted ears, small eyes, naked soles and palms, a small pointed face and elongated body.It is grayish in...
. The school colors are red and white. Black students were first admitted in 1970. 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
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Debate
Ruston High School Speech and Debate has won numerous state championships: Advanced Cross Examination in 2000, 2006, and 2011; 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, 2010, and 2011; and Student CongressStudent Congress
Congressional Debate is a form of high school debate in the United States and Pakistan. The National Forensic League , National Catholic Forensic League , many national debate tournaments, State Forensic Associations, and the IEEE Pakistan Student Congress all offer Congressional Debate as an event...
(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 WinnsboroWinnsboro, Louisiana
Winnsboro is a city in and the parish seat of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of July 2009, the estimated city population was 4,377...
High School in Franklin Parish and assistant band director at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
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
Plaquemine, Louisiana
Plaquemine is a city in and the parish seat of Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,064 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, 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
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
in the band, "The Debonnaires".
Robert W. Mondy
Robert W. Mondy
Robert William Mondy was an historian of the frontier experience in the American West and South, who spent thirty-nine years, from 1935–1974, on the faculty of Louisiana Tech University in his native Ruston in Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana.Mondy was the older of two children born to Thomas...
(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
Harold Montgomery
A. Harold Montgomery, Sr. , was an agricultural businessman and a Louisiana state senator, who is remembered as an outspoken conservative within his state's dominant Democratic Party...
, a former Louisiana state senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Bossier and Webster parishes who also operated Montgomery Feed and Seed in Ruston, taught agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
at Ruston High School in the 1930s.
Morgan D. Peoples
Morgan D. Peoples
Morgan Dewey Peoples was a historian who coauthored with Michael L. Kurtz the definitive biography of the late Louisiana Governor Earl Kemp Long. Peoples was a member of the Louisiana Tech University at Ruston history department faculty from 1965 until his retirement in 1985...
taught history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at Ruston High School prior to 1965, when he joined the faculty of Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
for a 20-year career in college teaching.
Randall Elliott teaches Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Ruston High School. He is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
. He has been called many honorable names by his students such as: "Papa Elliott", "O.G.E.", "Pope Elliott", and many more. He is undoubtably the more popular teacher currently teaching at RHS.
Notable alumni
- Charles C. BarhamCharles C. BarhamCharles Clem "Charlie" Barham was an attorney in private practice for thirty-nine years in Ruston, Louisiana, and a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 35, nonconsecutively, from 1964 to 1972 and 1976 to 1988.He was the older son of Lieutenant Governor C.E...
(Class of 1952) -- attorney and state senatorLouisiana State LegislatureThe Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from 1964–1972 and 1976–1988
- Fred DeanFred DeanFrederick Rudolph "Fred" Dean is a former American football player in the National Football League, and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. His career started with the San Diego Chargers in 1975 and ended with the San Francisco 49ers after the 1985 season. Dean was born in Arcadia, the seat of...
-- inductee into the NFL Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
, played for Louisiana Tech, San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
- Wiley W. HilburnWiley W. HilburnWiley Wilson Hilburn, Jr. , is a prominent journalist in Ruston, Louisiana, whose communications career began in the late 1950s when he was a student at Louisiana Tech University. In 1968, at the age of thirty, Hilburn returned to his alma mater to chair the Journalism Department and serve as...
(Class of 1956) -- journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, retired chairman of the Journalism Department at Louisiana Tech
- Bert JonesBert JonesBertram Hays "Bert" Jones is a former LSU and NFL quarterback who played for the then Baltimore Colts and, briefly, the Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School, he was given the nickname, "The Ruston Rifle"...
-- NFL Quarterback, nicknamed "The Ruston Rifle", played for Baltimore ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and Los Angeles RamsSt. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
- Norman L. RichardsonNorman L. RichardsonNorman Lee Richardson was an award-winning journalist in Louisiana and Texas who was best known for his vivid coverage of hurricanes during the 1960s. His reporting garnered recognition from the Associated Press, including the Frank C...
(Class of 1953) -- journalist known for front-line coverage of hurricanes
- Don ShowsDon ShowsDonald Harrison Shows, known as Don Shows , is a champion high school and college football coach who since 1989 has directed the West Monroe High School Rebels in West Monroe, Louisiana. On June 25, 2011, Shows will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, located in Natchitoches...
(Class of 1958) -- championship football coach at West MonroeWest Monroe, LouisianaWest Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....
- Lawson SwearingenLawson SwearingenLawson Lewis Swearingen, Jr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, having represented District 34 from 1980 to 1991, and a former president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, whose tenure extended from 1991 to 2001.-Early life:Swearingen was born in San Antonio,...
(Class of 1962) -- former state senator, president of the University of Louisiana at MonroeUniversity of Louisiana at MonroeThe University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
, and management professor at Southeastern Louisiana UniversitySoutheastern Louisiana UniversitySoutheastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in HammondHammond, LouisianaHammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
- Gary Wayne Dick (Class of 1984) Born January 17, 1966. Attended Ruston High School 1979-1984 Former Professional Mixed Martial ArtsMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
Competitor 2001-2005. Inducted into the Martial ArtsMartial artsMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
Hall of Fame June 2002, Arkansas Karate Circuit State Champion 1992, Arkansas Law Enforcement Instructor. He currently resides in Central ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
- Michael Brooks (Class of 1982) (born October 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 WilliamsKyle Williams (defensive tackle)Kyle Derrick Williams is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at Louisiana State.-High school:Williams attended Ruston...
(Class of 2002) (born June 10, 1983 in Ruston, Louisiana) is an American football defensive tackle of the Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the National Football League.
- Jack Ramsaur (attended in the 1970s) Maj. Gen. Jack W. Ramsaur II is the mobilization assistant to the Commander, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
- Jeff MangumJeff MangumJeff Mangum is a musician best known for being the lyricist, vocalist and guitarist of the band Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as being one of the cofounders of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Mangum, along with the other founding members of the Elephant 6, attended Ruston High School in the late...
(attended in the 1990s) Born October 24, 1970. Musician best known for being the lyricist, vocalist and guitarist of the band Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as being one of the cofounders of The Elephant 6 Recording Company.