H. L. Bourgeois High School (commonly called H.L. or HLB) is a public high school in Gray, Louisiana named after Henry Louis Bourgeois, an educator from Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The school opened in 1973 and was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1975.
HLB opened its doors on December 3, 1973, after a decision had been made to build a new high school in the northern part of Terrebonne Parish. Prior to that, Terrebonne High School (built in 1908) had served the northern part of the parish, and South Terrebonne High School (built in 1961) served the southern part. An influx in the population caused Terrebonne High to become overcrowded, necessitating the need for the new school. Early ideas for the school's name were North Terrebonne High School (to create uniformity among the names of the parish's high school) and Halfway High School, referencing the location of the school site (halfway between the cities of Houma and Thibodaux, Louisiana. The school was ultimately named after Bourgeois, who had served as superintendent of the Terrebonne Parish Public School System from 1914 to 1955.
The school's colors are blue and grey. The mascot is the American Indian brave; many things on campus reference this. The campus itself is commonly referred to as "the reservation," while the school dance team is called Raindancers. School publications include Smoke Signals (the monthly newspaper), Shaman (the yearly literary magazine), and The Calumet (the yearbook). The school's fight song is an uptempo version of the standard "Cherokee," the Indian love song. Starting in 2008, HLB began its own morning news program called the Brave Broadcast.
During the first three years, football players, (and most likely other school sports teams) had the option of what school they could go to between Terrebonne High and H. L. Bourgeois High. Due to this option, most H. L. B. football players were the second or third string players who would have otherwise sat on the bench through most, if not all, the football season. The first time H. L. B. had its entire potential student body, was not until the '76/'77 school year. Their head coach was Don Schwab, future Terrebonne Parish President.
The school's football team was the focus of controversy with two of its players, the coaching staff, and the principal. At the end of an 8-2 season, in which the Braves won the District Championship, (and lost their first playoff game vs. Dutchtown), head coach Randy Boquet, along with other members of the coaching staff, resigned.
Students of the school live in Gray, as well as the neighboring communities of Schriever and Gibson. A large percentage of the student body, though, live in Houma, fueling HLB's long-standing rivalry with Terrebonne High. The total count of students fluctuates between school years, but generally stays between 1000 and 1500. The majority of students start attending the school in their sophomore year. The freshman year is completed at Evergreen Junior High School, along with grades seven and eight. Most of the "braves" attended the following feeder schools: Broadmoor Elementary, Caldwell Middle, Coteau-Bayou Blue Elementary, Gibson Elementary, Greenwood Middle, Oakshire Elementary and Schriever Elementary.
Read more about H. L. Bourgeois High School: Principals, Alma Mater, Notable Alumni
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