Benton High School has been in existence for nearly 115 years and has served the Benton community well. Benton is a school that exemplifies the best in what the American educational experience has to offer. The faculty and administration strongly believe that each student should be viewed as an individual and that each student has the right to receive the opportunity through education to develop to his or her fullest potential.

Like many other schools in our district, Benton has undergone several changes over the last decade. For example, Benton implemented the School Resource Officer program in the 1995-1996 school year. This is a program in which a Bossier Parish deputy is stationed on the school campus to assist the administration in dealing with any problems which might occur and to assist in pro-active measures to prevent problems from occurring. The officer works to maintain a safe, secure environment for students and faculty alike.

In addition to implementing the School Resource Officer Program, Benton piloted the school uniform program during the 1998-1999 school year, and we have found this to be an extremely successful venture. Following our success here at Benton, the entire parish moved to a uniform policy, and within just a few years, several neighboring parishes followed suit.

Also during the 1999-2000 school year, Benton put into place the 4x4 block schedule. We feel that this is another innovative program which has allowed our students to benefit in many ways, such as being given the opportunity to take Advanced Placement courses, enrichment electives, and remedial courses. Our curriculum also emphasizes career/technical preparation, and the 4x4 block schedule allows us to have an even more comprehensive partnership with the Shreveport-Bossier Technical College. As a result of the 4x4 block schedule, our students have also been afforded the opportunity to repeat failed courses and remain on schedule to graduate. The State Department of Education recently recommended the 4x4 block schedule as the schedule that most enhances student mastery of Louisiana content standards and enables students to earn newly adopted diploma endorsements.

At Benton, we also realize the importance of staying abreast of the latest advances in technology. Every class has at least one computer with internet access while many classes have several. Our teachers make note of the use of technology in their lesson plans, and each has established his or her own web page on our web site and is using an online grading system to keep parents informed of students’ grades. In addition, we have a twenty-five station computer lab open for use in any discipline. Our library also offers eight stations for use by students throughout the day. Teachers are encouraged to apply for grants to further enhance technology here at Benton High.

We have also converted our cafeteria from the traditional school-style cafeteria to an open food court facility with multiple selections for our students. As a result of this, we have 73 percent of our student body eating in the cafeteria each day. Thus we are assured that the majority of our students are receiving the nutritional requirements necessary to function at the highest level possible.  At Benton, academics is of paramount importance as evidenced by our School Performance Scores over the last five years. Our SPS has increased each year since 2001. Our most recent SPS was 104.8, an increase of 3.1 points over last year. We have already surpassed our ten-year goal of 100, and we are a Three- Star*** school, eligible for monetary reward. It is apparent that at Benton, we set our sights on excellence, and that we constantly strive to improve.

At Benton we also recognize the need to embrace the support of the community in our efforts to excel in all areas. We have constructed a state-of-the-art football stadium, all-weather track, baseball field, softball field, and a 3,000 square foot weight room by combining our community resources and tax dollars. Willis- Knighton Bossier, our partner in education, has provided heart rate monitors for use by our physical education classes, enabling us to emphasize the importance of fitness and wellness for all of our students. Since Benton is a small community, many of our students’ parents attended this school and are eager to continue to promote “Tiger Pride.”

As with all educational institutions, Benton High also faces challenges that must be addressed in order to continue to grow and improve. Possibly the biggest challenge we currently face is finding available space for our growing population.  Most of the new development in Bossier Parish seems to be taking place in our district, thus the need for additional classroom space. A recently approved property tax millage will allow us to alleviate this problem with a sixteen classroom science wing. This addition to our school is expected to be completed within two years. In addition to the need for extra space, Benton High is also faced with the ever-growing need to up-grade and constantly improve technology. As we move forward into the future, we will strive to move to the forefront in technology and technological advances.

We believe at Benton High that through the cooperative interaction of the administration, faculty, students, parents, and community, each student can achieve his or her academic goals, develop a love for learning, respect for self and others and an enthusiasm for life that will help to ensure his or her success and happiness. Furthermore, we believe, as educators, our responsibility is to help mold our students into sound, productive members of society through the overall educational experience.