The History of State Rally

The State Rally is an old educational institution in Louisiana. The first

rally was held in 1909 on the old Louisiana State University campus. There were

300 students, teachers, and administrators who participated in the first State

Rally that featured fourteen events in literary, forensics, and athletic competition.

There were seven literary events that included English composition, debating, declamation, chorus (quartets), spelling, and English composition for the eight grade students, and Exhibits of Work in History. There were seven athletic events that included track and field (11 contests), baseball, boy’s basketball, girl’s basketball, tennis, potato race, and obstacle race.

Today, there are seventy-eight (78) events in the annual State Rally competition:

Literary-43; Music-7; Speech-4; and Special Open events in Foreign Language Speaking/Writing-24. Over a quarter of a million Louisiana high school students participate in ten District Rallies held throughout the state-with some 6,000+ district winners advancing to State Rally at Louisiana State University.

Approximately 500 Louisiana juniors and senior high schools and eleven (11) state colleges and universities are involved in annual District Rally activities.

The Spirit of Rally

The intent of the Rally is to foster a sense of fair competition among participating Louisiana high schools. The integrity of the Spirit of Rally may only be maintained if no competitor is given an unfair advantage.