East St John High School

I’d like to point out that EVERY school has problems whether it be bullying, incompetent teachers, or a poor staff. Its up to the parent and the child to decide if a school is a good fit for them.
East St. John isn’t the best school out there but it doesn’t deserve a 1 star review. I go to East St John and it offers a lot more opportunities than other schools in the area. Sure this place isn’t Benjamin Franklin High School *ranked best high school in Louisiana* but not everyone lives in Orleans Parish to be able to attend that school.
In the area, versus high schools like Destrahan, St Charles, West St John, and River Side, East St John is able to provide far more opportunities for its students. They have career opportunities for students with classes like COE (for business students), STAR (internships for future teachers), Accounting (taxes certification) and Nursing Assistant (program that helps students become certified nursing assistants). They also have technical classes for those interested in welding, drafting, and engineering. East St John also partners with local colleges such as Southeastern and River Parishes Community College to offer dual enrollment course. This allows a student to earn college credits for free. Trust me, when you start paying for college tuition you’ll understand the importance of free college credits. East St. John also has a wide array of extra curricular activities: basketball, volleyball, track, soccer, Beta, Interact, robotics, business, gamers, pharmacy technicians, you name it. And you can also start your own club here too. Just recently a chess club was created by a student.
I have gone to East St. John for my high school years, so forgive me if my review may seem biased. Over the years the school has become a family; I’ll walk down the halls noticing familiar faces of friends and teachers. With East St John I’ve won state level competitions and gone to nationals, I have been taken on college campus tours, and traveled from one end of the nation to the other because of the opportunities that the school has provided.
The teachers here are exceptional. Mrs. Lowery, Mrs. Johnson, and Mrs. Britton, just to name some, have gone beyond simply teaching the state mandated curriculum. There are teachers here willing to stay in during their lunch period and after school to tutor you. All of my teachers have been really patient with me. They remember what it was like being a student and are more than willing to work with you. Mrs. Cox, a United States history teacher, even sacrificed her Saturday afternoons to help prepare students for the upcoming AP exam. Mrs. Triche, the principal, tries so hard to make the school a great environment to learn in. She’s strict when enforcing the rules and she’s truly concerned about the safety of her students but she doesn’t rule the school with an iron fist. She is willing to talk to students with their problems, she walks down the hallways saying «Good Morning» with her loud energetic smile (shows how excited she is to come to work), and she shows her love for her students by being able to name all 1500+ of them. She’s more than an administrator. The entire staff is. They’re humans and they understand your pain. My friend Donte recently passed and the school mourned together. We all wore orange shirts for leukemia. Mrs Triche and other teachers would visit him in the hospital and let him lead the football team onto the field during games. Like I said, this school really is a family.
But I also said that every school has its problems as well. There are students that wear their pants too low, there are students that use profanity, weed, and have sex but its high school, a public high school (where kids who want to be on the streets are forced to go because of the government), what do you expect? Yes, they do bring that negative influence into the school. But name me a school that is one hundred percent perfect. If you don’t want your child exposed to any of this I suggest you home school them and keep them locked up in your house for the rest of your life.
No. Its a parents job to raise their child to be responsible and above the influence. East St John has many opportunities and a staff that cares about its students but if that student doesn’t want to learn, really what else is there? You can take a horse to the lake but you can’t make it drink. There is a «good» and «bad» crowd, but its up to the student to decide what side to join.
I’ll volunteer myself as a testament to what type of young adult that this school is able to produce. As senior with a 4.00 GPA, soon I’ll be graduating with college credit, my choice of any college in Louisiana, automatic acceptance into Tulane University, and a competitive chance of getting into schools such as Columbia and Emory. *Fun fact: A former graduate denied Harvard to attend Columbia* Also, I’m not the only student from this school that have these credentials and I won’t be the last

Pathetic school. Subpar staff and dubious infrastructure are all conducive to creating an environment where students can’t succeed. I know my experiences as a student were quite sad. And it was no surprise that going to John Ehret fixed all of the issues. If you’re a parent and you are even remotely thinking about allowing your child to attend here, it is HIGHLY suggested you consider sending your child to a private school, or even better, getting out of St. John and going to St. Charles or Jefferson Parish where schools are much better.
If only the folks there had a clue.. .. ..