The constructing that now homes Napoleonville Major Faculty was as soon as the segregated Black highschool in Assumption Parish.
Generally known as Walter H. Reed Excessive Faculty, there’s a newly fashioned committee consisting of W.H. Reed alumni, pushing the varsity board to honor the legacy of the varsity and the person whose identify it as soon as held.
At 93-years-old, Thomas Bailey II nonetheless remembers many musical moments after greater than 30 years as a band director. He moved to Assumption Parish practically 60 years in the past.
Because the band director at Reed, Bailey is without doubt one of the final residing college members.
“Not solely was there a band, however I went from classroom to classroom instructing songs,” Bailey mentioned.
The primary constructing was constructed in 1939. Bailey was later employed to work on the segregated Black college, and his first mission was to provide college students new experiences, regardless of how easy.
“This will appear kinda foolish, however I introduced them to New Orleans the place they’d an opportunity to go up steps that go up by themselves,” Bailey defined.
Centered on taking small city college students from a segregated college out of city, in line with Bailey, these experiences could have helped encourage the numerous Black college students who attended the varsity.
“That form of motivated them to say ‘effectively look, I’m gonna go in there. I’m gonna do effectively on my instrument… I’m gonna apply at house in order that life could also be a bit of bit higher for me,’” Bailey mentioned.
“Proper now, there’s no documentation, no trophies, no information, or something within the parish that claims Blacks have been ever educated,” defined Darwin Hadrick, a 1964 graduate of W.H. Reed Excessive Faculty.
Hadrick is on the committee to rename NPS to Walter H. Reed.
“We fashioned the committee as a result of for years we had nothing that was within the archive or historical past books that mentioned how the Blacks have been educated in Assumption Parish,” he mentioned.
In response to Hadrick, the varsity board ought to honor Reed, the previous trainer and pastor who advocated for the training of Black individuals within the parish regardless of the hardships confronted.
As an alumnus, Hadrick remembers these hardships effectively.
“For years, we have been supplied with used books from the Assumption Parish college board. These books, many instances, have been tattered and torn and pages lacking. But, the scholars at W.H. Reed, below the assistance of our college, we have been capable of persevere,” Hadrick defined.
“The parish wouldn’t present buses for the basketball group,” mentioned Barry Sylvester, son of the late Alvin Sylvester, who coached basketball at Reed. “So my father and my mom, Mrs. Mildred Dugas Sylvester, needed to take the group in two automobiles.”
“We simply need that to be introduced again and provides us a chance to have a good time what now we have achieved from 1939 till 1970,” Hadrick mentioned.
These accomplishments are one thing Bailey has remembered fondly over time, together with the creation of a unbroken training program that gave adults of all races a chance to get their GED.
These alternatives have been at all times the purpose of Bailey and the college at Reed, for all individuals in Assumption Parish to have entry to a top quality training.
“The largest factor there I’d say was night time college. Later it advanced to being one thing for the parish, and it helped,” Bailey mentioned. “I’m hoping that it helped lots of people.”
When requested in regards to the college board’s upcoming vote, Superintendent John Barthelemy had no remark. One board member mentioned the they could be open to contemplating different choices for honoring W.H. Reed Excessive Faculty, together with a possible scholarship.
The Assumption Parish Faculty Board will vote on the proposed identify change at their subsequent assembly on March 16.