Sam Barthe School for Boys (or Barthe as it was locally known) was an all-boys private school

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

 that existed for over 40 years in Metairie, Louisiana

Metairie, Louisiana

Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...

, in Jefferson Parish in the Greater New Orleans area. It catered to upper income families and featured a spartan lifefstyle and a broad education in both college preparatory academics and sports. Initially it was for boys up through 8th grade, but later extended its age range through 12th grade in the late 1960's.

Origins

The school was started in 1941 by its namesake, Sam Barthe, a local man who had been a track star in his youth, and who starred at Istrouma High in Baton Rouge. He wanted to create a no-nonsense competitive environment to train young boys and teens in all aspects of their growth in to young adulthood. The school was originally located in uptown New Orleans on Gen. Pershing, then was relocated to the old McFadden residence in City Park in New Orleans, which is now the Christian Brothers. The school emphasized athletics and physical well-being, and all boys were encouraged to try out for organized team sports. The school offered teams for all ages of boys, including swim teams, track & field, tennis, football, baseball, and basketball. It became known over the years as an athletic powerhouse across the city, its teams winning many district, regional, and state championships.

Relocation

In early September 1959, spurred by the need for more space for his growing student body, better athletic facilities, and suburban sprawl, Barthe built a new facility in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, near the intersection of Transcontinental and West Esplanade. The school facility was unusual for the South, featuring three buildings of non-air-conditioned classrooms, divided by the age group of the students, each surrounding its own custom basketball court or gymnasium. Since the school had intramural sports leagues for basketball and football, Barthe was one of the only schools in the state to have an official "biddy" basketball regulation court, which was used primarily for its 4-6 team in-school Biddy league. The school flourished in the new location for the next twenty years.

In the early years, the Barthe school was associated with local public and parochial schools in the area, competing both physically and academically with any school of its similar student enrollment of 450-800 students. In the late 1960s, when racial desegregation became federal law, the previsouly all-white New Orleans public school system began to accept minority students. Barthe then switched athletic affiliation from the integrated Louisiana High School Athletic Association

Louisiana High School Athletic Association

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is the agency which regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana.- Organization :...

 to the Louisiana Independent School Association

Louisiana Independent School Association

The Louisiana Independent School Association, more commonly known as LISA, was an agency, which regulated and promoted the interscholastic athletic competitions of some independent high schools in the state of Louisiana. The organization is no longer in existence...

so as to compete with the remaining other private "all-white" schools, such as St. Martins, Newman, Country Day, Kehoe Academy, and Prytania Private School. When those schools began to take a more liberal stance towards racial policy in the 1970s, the school re-affiliated again, joining a more conservative, geographically diverse athletic association for the remainder of its years of operation.

This change of conferences eliminated the local sports rivalries that had kept the school so predominantly in the public eye. Some students left the school, choosing to attend other more moderate private and parochial schools. But overall, enrollment kept growing and new rivalries from more distant schools, such as Central Private, Riverside, and Reserve, began to form. Some out of state rivals appeared, such as Indianola Academy and Jackson Prep, both located in Mississippi.

Although the school may be best known for its athletic prowess, it also maintained a reputation as an elite educational facility, consistently producing its share of National Merit Scholarship finalists in the New Orleans metro area. The school was also a perennial power in the local scholastic "Prep Quiz Bowl", a popular televised game show hosted by Mel Levitt. Much like the popular quiz shows "Jeopardy", the Prep Quiz Bowl featured teams of highly gifted academic students from schools of all sizes from around the region, testing students knowledge and game strategy in a head-to-head elimination tournament lasting several weeks. Barthe won at least two PQB championships in the mid-1970s.

Termination

The school property was sold in 1979 to another private school, L'Ecole Classique. Existing Barthe students were merged into Ecole Classique, which is still in operation on the Metairie campus. Barthe ceased to exist as a school in late 1979.

Barthe himself retired to his "farm" in a rural area outside of New Orleans with his wife of many years, known to students as "Mama Barthe". Past students who visited them over the years reported that his "farm house" was packed to the walls with the many awards, trophies, and photos of students he accumulated during his 40 years as headmaster of the Sam Barthe School For Boys. Barthe died in 1989.

Former Teachers

Mr. Bealer (shop),
Jimmie Ahern (bus driver & CCS),
Mrs. Meigs (8th grade and math),
Mrs. Maryellen Mayfield (3rd grade),
Mrs. Nila Smith Surgi,(1st grade),
Mrs. Christovich (art).
Mrs. Lastrapes (7th grade),
Wedge ("Puggy") Barthe (athletics)
Barbara Williams White (Librarian and Prep Quiz Bowl coach),
Mrs. Ruth Surgi (8th grade English)
Mrs. Carolyn Schofield (7th & 8th grade History)
Mrs. Olga Pitre (5th grade and Sr. English)
Mrs. Grace Tocho ( 4th grade)
Mrs. Rosita Reisig (5 year olds)
Mrs. Janis Samaha McCormick (8th grade math)
Mrs. Margie Bell Christian (typing and math)
Mrs. Barbara Harris (10th grade English and Yearbook)
Mr. Charlie Bishop ( History and Yearbook)
Mrs Ross Buckley ( Spanish)
Mrs. Reid Barkerding Green Noble (Spanish)
Mrs. San Adkerson ( Spanish)
Mrs. Dolan (1st grade)
Mrs. Caffrey (2nd grade)
Mrs. Bell (4th grade)
Mr. Rivere (coach, bus driver)
Mrs. Waddell (5th grade)
Mrs. Betsy Ordemann (2nd Grade)
Mrs. Martha Bateman (1st Grade)
Mr. Sharp (coach)
Mr. Les Clark (aide-to-principal)