Add as a preferred source on Google

Louisiana High School Opens New CTE Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/26/22

A Louisiana high school recently completed a series of construction and renovation projects with the ribbon-cutting for its new Career Technical Education Center. West Feliciana High School in St. Francisville, La., renovated its old gymnasium as a centralized home for its CTE program, according to a news release. The other projects recently completed include a new gymnasium and a Freshman Academy, and all three cost a total of $14.2 million.

The news release reports that the CTE Center houses programs like welding, culinary arts, EMR training, and CNA training. These classes were previously held at local technical colleges, and having to transport students back and forth to these locations during the school day required precise scheduling.

“We had to be very rigid in scheduling,” said West Feliciana School District Superintendent Hollis Milton. “Now, we can be agile. Kids can have a flexible, dual experience here at school. You can take off your welding gear and head straight across the courtyard to Honors English.”

The Freshman Academy involved a renovation of the front portion of the school and includes new classrooms, a Freshman Commons area, science labs, an administrative suite and a more clearly defined entrance to the school. Its purpose is to create a smoother transition for incoming freshman, giving them their own dedicated academic and social spaces that are still part of the larger school. “With all this work, we’re aiming to improve the student experience,” said Milton.

West Feliciana High School Freshman Academy
West Feliciana High School Freshman Academy Exterior
Photo courtesy of Tipton Associates

The new gym features a large lobby, and the weight room offers floor-to-ceiling views of the football field. “It’s a place to compete and to celebrate,” Milton said.

West Feliciana High partnered with architecture firm Tipton Associates and general contractor Stuart & Co. for the project’s construction.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • iPark 87

    Building a Future-Focused Career and Technical Education Center

    A district superintendent shares his team's journey to aligning student passions with workforce demands, and why their new CTE center could be a model for districts nationwide.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Digital Edition