I Am De La Salle

I Am De La Salle

About Us

Rooted in the Lasallian heritage and tradition of the Christian Brothers, De La Salle High School excels in guiding young men and women of varied backgrounds and abilities to develop spiritually, intellectually, physically and socially.

We offer outstanding college preparatory programs which inspire and prepare our students for higher education with growth opportunities for a lifetime. Their success is our mission. “De La Salle Lead On!”

Lasallian is a term to describe a person who is personally fulfilling the mission set forth by Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

Being Lasallian is based on five core principles: Concern for the Poor and Social Justice; Faith in the Presence of God; Quality Education; Respect for all Persons; Inclusive Community.

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I Am De La Salle

160x182xsignum-fidei-1-jpg-pagespeed-ic-5piozld460I was born on September 1, 1949. The Old Headmaster’s residence of Gilbert Academy was my birthplace. I am still young, yet am filled with the memories of many people who have passed through my halls and left their spirit with me. I am many things, many ideas, many feelings, and many people. I AM DE LA SALLE.

I am hundreds of spirited student and scores of alumni who have striven and toiled for the good of others, and in this toil have found themselves as well. I am the ALMA MATER and the FIGHT SONG. I am the Student Council, the Cheerleaders, the Cavalettes, the Maroon Platoon, the many teams and the fans.

I have cheered for my victorious teams. I have left my name shining in New Orleans and all across the country. I have carried the title of District Champion, State Champion, and Most Valuable Player.

I have also tasted defeat, yet have always returned standing taller and stronger. I am the proms, the magic of La Troupe De La Salle, the fun of the Fais-Do-Do, the homecoming activities, and the Cavalier Classic. I am the National Honor Society, the Honor Roll, the Key Club, and Lasallian Youth. I am the proud seniors at graduation and the frightened eighth graders on the first day of school.

I have been a leader in education. I started Mu Alpha Theta in Louisiana and helped to establish its state organization. I founded advanced placement classes and television teaching in the city of New Orleans. I have been the state officer of many organizations and have won honors in district and state literary rallies.

I am the students, the teachers, the administrators, the Brothers, the hot Mondays, the expectant Fridays, and the long in-betweens. I am a community called into existence by a dream of God and the courage and perseverance of the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, St. John Baptist de La Salle.

I am the excitement of being elected to office, the solidity of friendships made in homeroom, classes and activities. I am the good moments and the bad moments. I am the wins and the losses, the retreats, and the seminars. I am the Maroon Legend, The Cavalier, and the literary magazine. I have marched on football fields and in Mardi Gras parades in heat, cold, wind and rain.

I am a group of spirited teenagers who have discovered not just a school, but OUR school where no one is insignificant and everyone is important. I am more than just waving banners and posters. I am greater than these things because I am a Lasallian Community of students, faculty, parents, graduates and Christian Brothers.

Yes, I AM DE LA SALLE. I am a collection of God’s varied creation. I am man and woman. I was conceived in a Christian concept at a Lasallian moment in time, and I will seek to nourish the hearts and dreams of the young and the old in continued excellence all the days of my existence. May I always exhibit the same enthusiastic spirit that I have shown in the past. May I grow beyond my own limits and influence life all around me. May the provident God, whose work I am, and in whose presence I live, always be the center of my being and concern. May I always have the dignity and the integrity to stand up for my convictions and “SING OUT, DE LA SALLE, LEAD ON!”

Our Mission

De La Salle High School New Orleans is a dynamic, innovative Catholic secondary school preparing young people for college, career, and life in a global community associated for the Lasallian mission.

Founder

Saint John Baptist de La Salle

160x238xdls-image1-jpg-pagespeed-ic-n-szy3ssgDe La Salle High School is named for Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

De La Salle was born April 30, 1651, in Rheims in the north of France. As a young man, John Baptist became a priest and Canon of the Cathedral of Rheims. Through the admirable movement of Divine Providence, De La Salle became aware of the plight of the young boys of his era and, with the first brothers, established the Christian Schools.

These early schools were centered on young people and attentive to their needs. They were open to all and were known for creative systems, which called schools to function well. The teachers in the Christian Schools saw themselves as Ministers of Grace, maintaining the schools together and by association. The school and all in it were to announce the Good News of God’s unconditional love and to live this reality in their lives.

De La Salle died in 1719, leaving a congregation of religious teaching brothers and bequeathing an extraordinary educational tradition to the world. In the course of developing the educational tradition, De La Salle furthered popular education and fostered the idea of the simultaneous method of teaching. He insisted on teaching in the native language rather than the classical Latin, and he developed teacher-training schools.

Pope Leo XIII proclaimed John Baptist de La Salle a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on May 24, 1900. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named John Baptist de La Salle Patron of All Teachers.

Today the Brothers of the Christian Schools and their colleagues teach over 800,000 students annually in some 1,500 schools in 85 countries. In the United States, there are nearly 2,000 Christian Brothers. They conduct 130 schools including elementary and secondary schools, colleges, technical schools, and child care centers. The Brothers are in eight American Provinces: Long Island/New England; New York; Baltimore; St. Louis; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Chicago; San Francisco; and New Orleans/Santa Fe.

Feast Day is May 15

Timeline

A Brief History of De La Salle High School

1936 Permission is granted to the Provincial, Brother Arsenius, FSC, to organize a fund drive to construct a new school in New Orleans.

1949 De La Salle High School, which began with a freshman class of 74 boys, continues an educational dream of the Christian Brothers which began in Louisiana over a century before. (The Brothers of the Christian Schools had arrived in Louisiana in 1817 and had taught in New Orleans; Baton Rouge; Galveston, Texas; and Pass Christian, Mississippi. The Brothers withdrew in 1900; however, they returned to the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1918 at St. Paul’s School in Covington.) Gilbert Academy is acquired. Since the Academy building is not suitable, it is demolished to begin construction of a modern plant facing St. Charles Avenue. In the interim, the old Peck mansion on Pitt Street serves as a Brothers’ residence and a school. In September, Brothers Ernest Cocagne, August Faure, John Devine, and Francis Vesel open the doors of De La Salle Catholic Boy’s High School. Brother Ernest serves as first Principal.

1950 De La Salle High School expands to include St. Joseph’s Hall on Valmont Street. The school cafeteria is built at the same time.

1951 De La Salle moves to the present building on St. Charles Avenue erected by the Youth Progress Program of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

1952 On March 2, the school is officially dedicated by his Excellency, Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel of New Orleans.

1953 The school receives approval from the State Board of Education and graduates its first senior class.

1957 A freshman wing of eight classrooms on Leontine Street is added. The school also receives approval from the Southern Association of Secondary Schools.

1961 The gymnasium is constructed on the site of the demolished St. Joseph’s Hall. A student chapel is also built behind the school’s main lobby.

1976 A General Preparatory Program is begun, enriching curricular offerings.

1980 The General Preparatory Program is expanded with the introduction of the Special Education Program. The three-story Brother Arsenius Center is completed and occupied. This new addition to the campus houses the cafeteria, library, the Phil Harris/Alice Faye Theater of the Arts, and additional classrooms.

1984 De La Salle establishes a Gifted Program allowing for more scholastic diversity and independent work.

1989 The offices of President and Curriculum Coordinator are added to the administrative organization of the school. Brother Paul Walsh, FSC, is named first President of De La Salle.

1992 De La Salle welcomes girls into the student body and a uniform dress code is adopted for students.

1995 De La Salle adopts a college model for scheduling the academic program.

1996 De La Salle earns national recognition as a Blue Ribbon School for Excellence in education.

1998 De La Salle becomes first school in New Orleans to initiate a drug-screening program for all students.

1999 De La Salle celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

2001 The Brothers of the Christian Schools celebrate the 350th Anniversary of the birth of Saint John Baptiste de La Salle, the Founder of the Christian Schools and the Patron Saint of all teachers.

2002 De La Salle breaks ground on the largest Capital Improvement Campaign in the history of the school….De La Salle Lead On!

2005 De La Salle is the first high school to reopen in Orleans Parish after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

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