Dutchtown High School (Louisiana)
Dutchtown High School is a 5A school that was completed in 2003 in Geismar, an unincorporated area of Ascension Parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is within the Ascension Parish School Board. Dutchtown Middle School, Bluff Middle School and Prairieville Middle School feed into Dutchtown High. The architecture is based on that of the old Dutchtown High, which was situated across the highway at the current Dutchtown Middle School. According to the Louisiana School Performance Scores/Letter Grades released by the Louisiana Department of Education, Dutchtown High School is an "A" school and  is the #1 high-performing open-enrollment public high school in the state of Louisiana. In 2017, Dutchtown High School was named a 2017 World-Leading Learner and invited to join the Global Learning Network (GLN), a community of educators from schools that develop, practice, and share innovative approaches to education. Administration. Dutchtown High is led by Carli Francois (Principal), Randal Loving (Associate Principal), Ronald Brown (Assistant Principal), Courtney Mancuso (Assistant Principal), Rochelle Page (Assistant Principal), and Barry Whittington (Assistant Principal) Academics. Dutchtown High School is a comprehensive public senior high school. DTHS has an Honors program and an Advanced  Placement program. The school offers 21 Advanced Placement Courses. Dual Enrollment and Early Start. In an effort to assist students earn college hours while enrolled in high school, Dutchtown High School offers classes through Southeastern University to seniors who are eligible to enroll in the courses. These courses are presented at Dutchtown in partnership with Southeastern faculty. Additionally, Dutchtown partners with Louisiana State University's Dual Enrollment program to offer a Chemistry credit. Freshman Academy. The Freshman Academy at Dutchtown High School is divided into four teams - black, white, silver, and purple - and students are placed on a team that  consists of the same english, math, science, and social studies teachers. Each week, each team selects a Student of the Week. On December 18, 2017, Dutchtown High opened an $12.8 million official Freshman Academy, which will serve over 600 freshmen. Allied health. Career Pathways Letterman's Jacket and Graduation CordsThe Allied Health Center students who have been active and remained in good standing in the program for three (3) consecutive years may purchase an academic letterman's jacket. Patches and caduceus inserts will be provided for senior level students. Students who have been active and remained in good standing  in the program for three (3) consecutive years will be rewarded with a graduation cord to be worn during graduation ceremonies. Internships and Clinicals Internship, Certified Nurse Assistant, EMT Basic, and Pharmacy Tech are courses designed to give students a chance to watch and possibly experience firsthand some of the daily activities of a medical professional, and possibly attain certification. These courses are taken during the student's senior year. While in these programs, students are expected to exhibit professionalism and should treat their work site experiences like a job. Entrance into these programs is competitive. Instrumental music program. Dutchtown 's marching and concert bands are directed by Ms. Sheily Bell, who has been teaching music for 37 years and has been awarded with Louisiana Bandmaster of the Year as well as the John Philip Sousa's Legion of Honor Award, presented to only 20 directors around the world. Ms. Bell is assisted by Mr. Daniel Modenbach and Ms. Abigail Lambert. Dutchtown's marching band competes in a variety of competitions, including the Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands. Dutchtown placed 6th at Showcase in 2017 and 2019. Dutchtown also hosts their own competition every fall and features dozens of bands  from all over the state of Louisiana. In concert season, Dutchtown places numerous students into LMEA's all state concert and also host an annual Christmas concert.