Schools
Past & Present
Does anyone have any history or pictures
of these or other schools.........do you have old yearbooks?
Contact Sharon
Schools for African-American students have existed in the Beauregard Parish towns of Merryville, Ludington, Bon Ami, Carson, Longville, Center Hill, Bancroft and DeRidder at least as early as the 1917-1918 term.
Anacoco
Bannister -
off of Hauser Rd. South of DeRidder on hwy 171
1916
Beauregard Alternative - DeRidder
Beauregard Parish Training School
Class
of 1942 - Does anyone have names of these students? Picture is
on display at the BP Museum.
Bon Ami - started around
1903
1915 Kindergarten
Teacher - Mrs. Percy Myers
some students were: Kermit Nelson, Oscar Stewart, Howard Pontius, Doris Ferguson,
Mignonne Harris,
Elizabeth Myers, Euclid Morris, Fred Martin, Elmer Gill, Lester Thomas, Leonard
Harris, and Norman Coward.
The new Bon Ami school was built in 1920.
Principal - Mr Mitchell Teachers - Mrs. Lacaze, Miss Benner, Miss
Behnke, Miss Everett, Miss Swain,
Miss Bishop and Mr & Mrs Draughon.
Broadlands still standing
it is on hwy 171, on the left side of the road right past Lumas road.
ca 1920
Carson School
ca 1922 shows
the Pollacia children - submitted by Phil
Pollacia
Carver Elementary
- DeRidder
DeRidder Grade School
Students ca 1906: Teacher, John Jones. Hanson Miers, Tom Pitman, Andrew
Miers, FloraFord, Luchen Ford,
Lizzie Davis, Pearl Lindsey, Pearl Hoyt, Alma Williams, Amanda Robertson, Lillian
Shaw, Bertie Wyett,
Esther Malsteadt, Mary Cannon, Clyde, Lee & Essie Nichols, Ruth Morrison,
Essie & Lessie Linscom, Walter Jones,
Chic Green, Ettie Shaw, Hortense Bosswell, Lulu Kate Hammond, Billie Sue Hammond,
Sadie & Merrell Pannett,
Pos Green, Green Walker, Mary Harringeon, and Murphy Leavens.
ca 1923 - small group includes Frank Pollacia - submitted by Phil Pollacia
2nd Grade 1946/47 – Teacher: Millie Fite - submitted by Phil Pollacia
3rd Grade 1947/48 – Teacher: Mrs. Kilman - submitted by Phil Pollacia
4th Grade 1948/49 – Teacher: Mrs. R.L. Terry - submitted by Phil Pollacia
6th Grade 1950/51 – Teacher:
Mr. Vincent Garafolo - submitted by Phil
Pollacia
5th grade class 1948-49 Miss Martin,
teacher - submitted by Barry Hutton
- he is in the front row kneeling - 2nd
from right to left
4th grade 1947-48
- submitted by Barry Hutton - he is in
the second row (on the first STEP) 4th from right to left.
DeRidder High - DeRidder
1913 - picture
of school, from the DeRidder Enterprise (thanks to Cindy Prince).
Unknown date ------
early postcard of high school
1921 football team included: Frank Halpin, Lewis Bennett,
Pete Terry, Marvin Baden, George Crocker, Pete Terry,
George White, Shelton Blue, Ellis Nichols, Peck Mattison, Harry Warren, Howard
Patterson, Ellis Nichols,
Hubert Stracener, Sid Crocker, Lloyd Gibson, Red Thomas, Eugene Winberry, R
T Peters, Alva Huffman, Otto Mattison,
Howard Hamilton, Robert Hernandez, Ray Simmons, Dutch Switzer, Robert Lewis,
Diston Shirley, Milford Green,
Mike Hernandez, Percy Winberry, Tommy Hernandez, Bob Brown, and George Hartman.
1922 Yearbook - Great pictures. Submitted by Linda Bowden
1923 football team included: Tubby Nichols, Milford Green, _______Toney, Poncho Hernandez, Earnest Crocker.
Good
Times Book - 1928-1929 DeRidder High School
List of the 1935 Twirlers &
Cheerleaders
1944-45 & 1945-46 Girl's Basketball Teams - State Runner-Ups both years.
Beta Club 1956 – Sponsors: Belle Singletary and Loraine Stracener. - submitted by Phil Pollacia
Senior Class 1957 - submitted
by Phil Pollacia
DeRidder Junior High - DeRidder
Founded in 1908
7th Grade 1951/52 – Teacher: Mrs. Rathburn - submitted by Phil Pollacia
Diamond Mill School - 1920-1921 (Don't
know where located---anyone know???)
This list of students was found at the DeRidder Museum)
Thelma Burgess, Dempsey Davis, Mamie Koonce, Johnnie Teere, Eugene Stracener,
Homer Simmons, Emit Davitt,
Kenneth Parks, Dave Lee, James Lee, Irene Mullford, Elsie Deason, Lavenia Walker,
Mildred Copeland, Bertie West,
Ida West, Nina Baker, Nancy Davis, Ruth Wood, Essie Simmons, Kelsey Walker,
Helen Davis, Helen Loftin, Ima Elsey,
Ida Davis, Lillian Conner, Gladys Baker, Opal Connor, Pauline Davis, Ruby West,
Evelyn Stracener, Jewell Connor,
Irene Glasgow, Arnold Loftin, Carl Lockhart, Julius Hayward, Dan Lee, Harlow
Watkins, Ivey Deason, Emil Person,
Reginald Loftin, Russell Dunwoodie, Hubert Wood, Morris Dunwoodie, Cully Glasgow,
Buck Simmons, Garney Glasgow,
Ennis Davis, Clarence Aldridge, Glen Dunwoodie, Clarence Lockhart, Wilburn Deason,
Elbert Davis, Norris Walker,
Albert Davis, Buster Simmons, Alvin Deason, Walter Baker.
Dry Creek High - Picture
( no date) Listed on the National Historic Registry. Combined with
East Beauregard. (picture submitted by Susie)
East Beauregard Elementary - DeRidder
East Beauregard High - DeRidder
Link to Class of 1988
Hyatt High - Fields
picture of school group
- date unknown, from the James Albert Johnson Collection; contributed by BevAnnie
K R Hanchey Elementary- DeRidder
Longville Elementary - Longville built in 1908 picture built for the sawmill workers children
Merryville High - Merryville
Pinewood Elementary - DeRidder
Shady Grove - (the link has directions wrong, it is 4.5 miles down Hwy 26 (thanks to Sherry Taylor for correction)
Singer - Singer
Faculty
- 1935-36 1st row: Reba Neale, Bernice
Hutson (not sure about last name), Mamie Dozier, Geraldine Seaman,
Rosemary Alexander, 2nd row: Ruth Holland, Kemper Russel, Leola Mae Ross
or Rose, Violet Stracener, Back:
Otto Bolin, John Pugh, Everett Crowder. Submitted by Elaine
Adam
School
Class, probably in Singer - looks to be late 40's maybe early 50's
listing of names on back: NOT in order.
Geraldine Walston, H H Pugh, Melba Gous____, Bonnie Bell Rice, Arlene Alston,
Everett Ashworth, Verda Lee
Burge, Joyce Brister ?, Webb Carlton, Monique Cooley, Naomi Lee Doyle?, Cleo
Eggbroad, Archie Murl Havens,
Donzal McVoight?, J C Mericle, Arthur Mitchell, John Mitchell, Robert Mitchell,
Verna Mae Mitchell, Carl LeRoy
Nelson, Bonita? ___ Rice, Janice F Slaydon. Submitted by Vera
School
Class, probably in Singer - looks to be early 50's. List
of a lot of the names on back-not all of them:
Rachel Ann Havens, Mabel Beaumont, Miriam Pierce, Evelyn Pierce, Patricia Bickers,
Faith Clark, Mae Lynn Warden,
Betty Lou Cagle, Grett? Perkins, Allene Cooley, Bessie Atteberry, Aline McKnight,
Bernice Buxton, Neva Lee Carter,
Yvonne Jackson, Betty Jean _____, Georgia Rae Elston?, Leonard EggBroad, Leo
Mitchell, Truitt Mitchell, Allen Daugherty, Harlon McKnight, Camille Nelson,
Mancel Clark submitted by Vera
The first schools in the Singer area were Singer, Beckwith, and Oretta. The
Singer school, built in 1915, consisted of a two-story wooden building located
at the present site. After the Singer School was destroyed by fire in 1923 and
rebuilt in 1924, it consisted of a two-story brick structure allowing for the
consolidation of all three schools into Singer High School.
That building stood until 1973 when it, too, was destroyed by fire. The present building was then constructed, consisting of a one-story structure with three wings. The building was occupied in 1974, and was partially destroyed by fire in 1976. It was rebuilt under the auspices of the Beauregard Parish School Board and the State Department of Education to accomodate and educate the present student enrollment.
Story of Fire - includes picture - submitted by Vera
Singer High
School - date unknown - submitted by Vera
1926
class - no names; from the James
Albert Johnson Collection; contributed by BevAnnie
From Jerry Miers
- My grand mother, Mildred Whiddon , and Mrs. Irene Cole, whose
son is Raymond Cole , there in DeRidder, would drive every day to Singer to
teach school in the early '40's. My grandmother was also the first teacher at
the old "Puejoe" community school. It was located out pass the Graybow
community just south of where
Seth Cole lived on the old Merryville highway.
South Beauregard Elementary - Longville
South Beauregard High - Longville
Sugartown High - Picture (no date) Combined with East Beauregard (thanks to Susie)
