Destrehan High School is a public high school located in Destrehan, Louisiana, United States and is approximately twenty-five miles west of New Orleans. It is part of the St. Charles Parish Public School System and serves all students on the east bank of the Mississippi River from grades 9 through 12.
It serves the communities of Destrehan, Montz, New Sarpy, Norco, and St. Rose.
History
In 1923, the Mexican Petroleum Company donated three and one half acres of property to the St. Charles Parish School Board for the construction of a high school. On August 7, 1923, the school board president accepted the donation and St. Charles Parish approved a bond issue for school construction. Destrehan High School was dedicated on September 15, 1924, and the facility received 234 pupils in grades one through eleven. The location of the original high school was on River Road, approximately 0.3 miles downriver from the St. Charles Borromeo Church on the current site of Harry Hurst Middle School. Destrehan's first graduating class consisted of Placide Hotard and Eldridge Gervais.
Destrehan football began eleven-man team play in 1946. In 1948, ground was broken on Destrehan High Stadium as the home for the football team. The 1,200-seat stadium, completed in 1949, was located behind the original high school main building and cost $18,000 to build. The Pan-American Petroleum Company donated the land to build the stadium.
A new gymnasium was constructed on the Destrehan campus in 1954.
In 1969, then all-black Mary M. Bethune High School in Norco was closed. Elementary-aged children attended schools directed by court guidelines, and high school students moved to Destrehan High School.
The process of integrating the two student bodies caused several disruptions. On October 7, 1974, students were sent home early after racially motivated fights broke out in the school. Another incident between a bus full of black students and white parents and students resulted in 13-year-old Timothy Weber, who was standing outside with his mother, being shot. Gary Tyler, a black student, was arrested and later convicted of the murder. A federal appeals court ruled Tyler did not receive a fair trial, but he was never retried and remained in prison until his release in May 2016.
The original high school located on River Road closed after the completion of the 1974 school year. The new campus located at its current location on Wildcat Lane opened on November 16, 1975. In 1977, the original high school main building was damaged by fire and was later demolished.
In 1981, the Destrehan High School Athletic Field and Field House were completed on the new school campus. The athletic field was later renamed Wildcat Stadium.
Beginning in 2005, students in grades 11 and 12 from both Destrehan and Hahnville High School's have had the option to attend the school district's Satellite Center for half of the school day. The goal is for students to concentrate on career paths that are projected to expand the most over the next decade. Courses at the Satellite Center include: Advanced Television Broadcasting, Digital Media, Engineering Design, Interactive Media, Process Technology (PTEC), Health Care Exploration, Patient Care, Hotel-Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Administration, Culinary Arts, and Students Teaching And Reaching (STAR). As of the 2018–2019 school year, the Satellite Center added courses in Instrumentation and Health Clinical. Thus, the courses of Digital Media, Interactive Media, and Advanced Television Broadcasting were moved into the academic wing of the school district's brand new Rodney Lafon Performing Arts Center less than a block away from the Satellite Center. Despite the move, these three courses are still considered a part of the Satellite Center.
In 2017, Destrehan High School was one of thirty high schools world-wide to be named "world-leading learners" and to receive a fellowship based on academic excellence, and reducing the achievement gap between racial and socioeconomic groups and innovation.
On August 29, 2021, the school suffered significant damage caused by Hurricane Ida. The roof of the main building, which houses the administrative offices, the library and auditorium, collapsed. Additional campus buildings including the gymnasium also received damage from the hurricane. The students attended Hahnville High School for an alternating-day schedule while repairs were being made. The school reopened on January 18, 2022.
In 2022, expansion and renovation of Wildcat Gymnasium was completed. The expansion increased seating capacity to 1,000 and a new auxiliary gym and elevated running track were built.