New Ascension schools are near

• By C.J. FUTCH
• Advocate River parishes bureau
• Published: Jul 6, 2009 - Page: 1B

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GEISMAR — Trenda Thompson stood in her brand-new classroom in Building A of Spanish Lake Primary School, directing her husband, Reginald, on where to move boxes.

Thompson, who will be teaching second grade at the new school, was delighted to be there unpacking last week, “though he probably doesn’t feel the same way,” she said, nodding toward her husband, who smiled and shook his head.

The move has gone smoothly — “it’s been a dream,” she said.

The weather-proof moving containers had arrived early at Central Elementary, where Thompson taught last year, so everything she had packed was stacked neatly in her new Spanish Lake classroom when she arrived to unpack.

Spanish Lake is just the first of three new schools that need to be stocked and ready to begin classes in August, said Chad Lynch, director of planning and construction for Ascension Parish schools.

The new Central Primary is 99 percent complete, and equipment relocation will begin next week. Lakeside Primary is still under construction but on schedule, and employees plan to begin moving at the end of the month.

The Ascension Parish school system has opened eight schools in the past seven years. And more schools are expected as the parish’s population continues to grow.

Scott Duplechein, who has been Lynch’s right-hand man directing the logistics of the moves, explained that for each school move, teacher and student counts at another two or three schools are affected.

“So, three schools are new, but there is collateral damage at nine schools. Actually, more than nine,” Duplechein said.

Once administrators knew which teachers were leaving, they had to decide what equipment would stay behind, what would go with the teacher to their new school, and how all of the teachers’ desks, students’ desks, computers, textbooks and other educational paraphernalia would be redistributed to meet each school’s needs.

Britt Colon, principal at Spanish Lake, had a desk and a telephone extension before he had a school.

“I started Jan. 5,” Colon said, seated in his new office at Spanish Lake.

Early staffing was one of Duplechein’s lessons learned.