Central High School, Calhoun, LA
Central High School began in a one-room building with a dirt floor in 1886. These humble beginnings marked the hope for the African American High school in Mineral Springs, Louisiana. Education for African Americans in Louisiana required sacrifice. Following the legacy of other African American schools, land was donated: additional land was matched by the Ouachita Parish School Board. The serpentine cheers in Calhoun were then heard from the Rattlers at Calhoun. They arrived with a bang and finally in 1970 the school was demoted to an elementary school. The Rattlers are part of the legacy of people who secured their future with personal sacrifice.
African American High Schools in Louisiana Before 1970 