Alcée Fortier High School
Alcée Fortier High School was a high school in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana that served grades 8-12. It was located five blocks away from McMain Secondary School.[1]
History
The school opened in 1931 and was named for the renowned professor of Romance Languages at Tulane, Alcee Fortier.[2] Originally Fortier was an all-boys school.[1]
In 1992 Michael Lach and Michael Loverude of The Christian Science Monitor stated "Based on test scores, dropout rates, and socioeconomic status of the students, the schools we taught in were two of the worst high schools in the country - Booker T. Washington and Alcee Fortier high schools. Given these circumstances, both schools do a fine job, but students leave deserving so much more."[3] In 2006 John Schmid of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said that Fortier was considered to be one of the "worst" schools in Louisiana.[4] Around 2003 it made an "academically unacceptable" list.[5] The school closed in 2008.[6]
Lusher Charter School's secondary campus opened in the former Fortier building.[4]
Curriculum
The school offered German after its 1931 opening. About 150 students per academic period studied German. German was discontinued in the New Orleans school system in 1938 as World War II broke out.[2]
Notable alumni
- Ashley Ambrose - NFL Cornerback from 1992-2004 played for several teams including the Atlanta Falcons (2002-2003) New Orleans Saints (1999) and (2003-2004)
- Edward S. Bopp (Class of 1949), New Orleans lawyer and former state representative[7]
- Edmund Graves Brown, newspaper executive[8]
- Victor Gold (Class of 1945)[9]
- Russell Long - U.S. senator from 1948 to 1987
- Jason Mitchell - American actor best known for portraying rapper Eazy-E in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton.
- Howard K. Smith - television journalist
- Matthew Teague - American football player
- Norman Treigle - operatic bass-baritone
- John Kennedy Toole - novelist[10]
- Dave Treen (Class of 1945) - governor of Louisiana from 1980 to 1984[11]
- Tony Washington (American football player) - Played American football in his junior year, moved to University School of Las Colinas because of Hurricane Katrina[12]
- Aeneas Williams - member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Notes
- Merrill, Ellen C. Germans Of Louisiana. Pelican Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1455604844, 9781455604845.
References
- Sisco, Annette. "McMain class of 1941 holds 70th reunion, celebrate the event in Metairie." The Times-Picayune. Wednesday June 8, 2011. Retrieved on March 18, 2013.
- Merrill, p. 236.
- Lach, Michael and Michael Loverude. "Our Abandoned Teachers." The Christian Science Monitor. August 31, 1992. Start Page 19. Opinion section. Retrieved on March 18, 2013. Available at ProQuest.
- Schmid, John. "URBANOMICS REBUILDING AMERICAN'S [sic] INNER CITIES Johnson Controls has a blueprint to revive urban centers across the country while expanding its business. First on its list: Hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. Corporate catalyst for stricken cities." Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. January 8, 2006. Retrieved on March 18, 2013. "But Lusher took on another challenge in its charter: It agreed to reopen Alcee Fortier High School, one of the state's worst schools."
- McGill, Kevin. "New Orleans School Woes Are More than Elementary; Superintendent Confronts Wide Range of Problems." The Washington Post. September 7, 2003. A06. Retrieved on March 18, 2013. Available on ProQuest. "Green was tapped to be valedictorian at Alcee Fortier High School, one of those on the "academically unacceptable" list. She learned only a few days before[...]"
- "Alcee Fortier High School (Closed 2008)". publicschoolreview.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- "Edward S. Bopp". bopplawfirm.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- "Edmund G. Brown, Jr." (Death Notice) Biloxi Sun Herald. May 18, 2008. Classified. Retrieved on March 18, 2013. "After graduating from Alcee Fortier High School in New Orleans and the New[...]"
- Quin Hillyer (June 7, 2017). "Victor Gold RIP". nationalreview.com. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
- "" (Kiwanis Club Certificate) Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/former_louisiana_gov_dave_tree.html Former Louisiana Gov. Dave Treen dies at 81]." New Orleans Times-Picayune. October 29, 2009. Retrieved on March 18, 2013.
- Glock, Allison. "Unforgiven." ESPN. August 31, 2010. Retrieved on March 18, 2013.