History

Bell City High School started out in 1918, as a two-story brick building. The school is located in the small community of Bell City, Louisiana, in the southeast corner of Calcasieu Parish about fifteen miles east of Lake Charles on Highway 14. Bell City High School serves the communities of Bell City, Hayes, Holmwood, Sweetlake, and the suburbs of Lake Charles. One constant factor throughout the school's history has been the community's dedication to its children's education.

Our school has grown and changed throughout the years. In the late 60's, Holmwood Elementary was consolidated with BCH and a non-graded special education program began. When a new elementary building was constructed, Hayes Elementary (grades 1-7)was also consolidated with BCH, and a kindergarten class began. Bell City High School is one of two schools in Calcasieu Parish to operate a kindergarten through twelfth grade school.

In the early 80's, when enrollment in our school was declining due to the crisis in farming and the slow-down of the oil industry, then Superintendent Stokley suggested consolidating our high school with Iowa High School. Bell City High School communities rose as one to oppose this plan. The school board working with a panel of concerned parents and educators from our community came up with a "common zone" plan. This plan added the area of Lake Charles from Ward Line Road, our old school boundary, to the east side of Corbina Road to our school district. This area was becoming heavily populated. The added population was straining facilities at schools in Lake Charles, so the "common zone" plan benefited everyone.

Throughout its long history, Bell City High School has been known for its sense of family. The involvement and support of the community have been constant from the school's beginning. The school is considered by all citizens to be an integral part of our community.

Even before it acquired it's name the little village of Bell City already had its own college. Built about 1895 by Martin and Willie Hebert and Dallas and Dan Hayes, this school was a necessity for many students who would have to make long, hard trips to attend far-away colleges.

The college in Bell City consisted of at least four buildings. There were two dormitories, one building for teachers and workers, and at least one for classrooms.

Because of a severe financial depression in the nation at the time, this college did not exist too long. It was also difficult to find teachers, and when the railroad came into Bell City students rode the train to Lake Charles and attended free public schools. With the demise of the college, some of the buildings were moved and used for homes, and some were destroyed.

Bell City got it's name when the railroad was being built in 1903. A man named Bell (or Belle) contracted the work and his workers lived in tents along the way. At night, the tent city of workers built large bonfires in front of their tents for cooking, to chase off mosquitoes, and for warmth. To passers-by and people in Lake Charles,  this line of bonfires gave an illusion of a lighted city street. The tent city soon became known as "Bell's City".

Stanford Cox, who was principal of Bell City School for thirty years, recalls that in his early days at Bell City, he researched the land abstract of the property where the college had stood, and found that the land had been donated by Dr. Arceneaux of Welsh with a stipulation that it be used only for school purposes. This land still serves the community, not as a school, but as the site of the Bell City Ball Park.

The school's mascot was originally the bear cub. When the elementary school in Hayes was consolidated with Bell City High School, the students of the consolidated school voted for new school colors and also a new mascot.  The new school colors chosen were Royal blue and white and the mascot was the bruin.