Lafayette Parish School System staff, along with representatives of the business community and the community at large have spent the last two days working with two architecture firms to begin developing the plans for the new high school in Southern Lafayette Parish. The process is designed to help a widely diverse set of community voices reach consensus on a host of issues related to the new high school.
The process began with remarks by Superintendent Dr. Donald Aguillard. He noted that the last time the Lafayette Parish School System built a high school was in 1968 with Acadiana High. Following Dr. Aguillard’s opening remarks were presentations by staff on 21st Century teaching and learning. There was then a discussion on the metrics of the success of the project and discussion on features of the new school that were a priority for the community. A repeated theme in this discussion was the importance of community partnerships with the school and the creation of a facility that would lend itself to some community use. Most of the time was spent working in groups. The architectural firms created working groups of 5-6 people each, including an LPSS staff member, a representative from one of the architecture firms, and at least one member of the community. The groups explored topics ranging from the general features of the school to the layout of the floor plan. While the group’s work is not done, and will continue on Monday from1:00—3:00 p.m., the enthusiasm for the project is clear. Community member and Parent-Teacher Association member Courtney DiBetta said that she was “honored to be able to give input on a project of this size that will have such a profound impact on the community.” Architect Brad Pfluger said that he “was very excited because of the energy in the room coming from so many different perspectives and the process of boiling all that down to relatively basic concepts that will best support the students and the community.” Architect Eric Crozier observed that “consensus among the group is starting to build, and when that happens, people begin to get excited.”