new age 1986

HOME	Covington High School: 1986 - 1990

The 1989-90 school year saw the end of an era. An era which saw an actor elected president, President Ronald Reagan; the Iron Curtain begin to ascend with the Cold War coming to an end; and the birth of an epidemic more deadly than the plague--the aides epidemic. We saw preachers fall from their pulpits and performers rise to superstardom in mere minutes. Times were changing and so was Covington High School.

During these times we sadly bid farewell to many great men and women, yet welcomed an amazing new crop of people with incredible potential. It recognized the wheelings and dealings of the unbelievably wealthy and yet realized that there were the homeless millions for whom little help had been found. Special Education was the wave of the future. The realization came about of the special needs of students.

Covington High School was the first school in the parish to add Special Education programs to their curriculum. This included a broad range of academics from the program for gifted students to the program for special needs students. Many schools in the New Orleans area visited CHS to adopt new ideas for programs to offer their special education students.
The 80's saw the "war on drugs" waged and the "Cold War" begin to thaw. It was the age of yuppies and computers, rebellion and "Right to Life," the stock market and saving the animals. We "just said no," argued the ERA, and began to dress for ourselves, fashion beginning a flashback to the relaxed styles of the 60's and 70's.

It was an age of increasing awareness--of oneself and the world around us. We recognized the plight of our environment and our fellow man and acted to save it. We debated capitalism and religion, questioned the "new ethics" of the '80s, and began to realize the mortality of the word in which we live.

Covington High School was a microcosm of the world itself in the '80s, setting records and achieving many goals in its own right. CHS has made changes to keep up with the modern revisions of the year, such as the addition of the Performing Arts Center and an extra period in the school day. (CHS moved from having six hours available to students to having seven hours. This move allowed students to take more elective subjects and some who completed their required subjects to go just half a day as a senior.) So, here we show that CHS, as the rest of the world, was ready to begin Roarin' Mighty into the '90s!

Performing Arts Center

In 1988, Covington was named "The Cleanest City" after Mardi Gras Holidays. Louisianians elected Buddy Roemer as their newest Governor. The Last Emperor was named "Best Picture" of 1987 by the Academy Awards. Snow fell in the city of Covington for the first time in four years. Also, in the year 1988 the bicenntenial birthday was celebrated on July 4. Many feelings were expressed through newspapers, posters, television media and through speakers at CHS such as Johnathon Marshall who visited with classes to give the students a better understanding of how much the constitution means to them. In the year 1988, CHS celebrated two things--the birth of our country and the Bicenntenial Birthday of the Constitution. It made July 4, 1988 extra special.

Patricia Massoth

A new era had begun in 1986 when Mr. Bankston moved from being Principal of CHS to Superintendent of St. Tammany Parish Schools. In his place, Mrs. Patricia Massoth was appointed Principal.
Graduated from Covington High School - 1952
Bachelor's Degree Louisiana State University - 1956
Master's Degree Louisiana State University - 1956
Classroom teacher Istrouma High School 1956-1959 and 1961-1963
Instructor Florida State University 1959- 1960
Librarian Palatka High School in Florida - 1960-1961
Classroom Teacher and Librarian Covington High School 1970 - 1975
Covington High School Assistant Principal - 1975-1986
Covington High School Principal - 1986-1990

One of the biggest sports headlines for Covington High in 1988 was the addition of the Baseball Diamond to its many facilities. The field was located in the practice field adjacent to the football field. It was started early in the year, and after months of construction, wet, muddy fields, and noisy machinery the project was finally completed. Students, fans, and players alike enjoyed having the "home-field advantage" for football, basketball, track and now--Baseball! Not only did CHS have a completed baseball field, but they were the first high school in the parish to have a baseball field with lights. Not only could they play daytime games, but nighttime baseball games were played as well.

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