The front door of the Priestley school building in west Carrollton. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Interest by a French-immersion charter school in buying the long-vacant Priestley school site in west-Carrollton has galvanized a group called the “P-Town Project” into seeking a Healing Center-style home for fresh food and social services there instead. Continue reading »
The Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans charter school is slated to receive an extra $440,000 next year because of an unexpected change in state law, officials said, bolstering ongoing efforts to secure a new building for its middle school and attract more at-risk students. Continue reading »
Lt. Gen. Russell Honore speaks in February at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in New Orleans. (UptownMessenger.com file photo by Robert Morris)
International School of Louisiana principal Melanie Tennyson accepts the 2014 school award from the national Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color. (photo via International School of Louisiana)
Bringing an unexpected leadership transition to a speedy resolution, the International School of Louisiana governing board voted Wednesday night to offer a contract as Head of School to current Camp Street principal Melanie Tennyson. Continue reading »
The former John Dibert school building in Mid-City will be the temporary home of ENCORE Academy next year. (image via Google maps)
ENCORE Academy’s move downtown will happen more gradually than expected, as the school will spend a year in the John Dibert building in Mid-City while renovations proceed at ENCORE’s eventual home at the Shaw building in the St. Roch neighborhood, officials announced Tuesday night.
“We’ll have the building to ourselves, and there’s plenty of room for all of our kids,” said ENCORE school leader Terri L. Smith. “It’s a great location for our families.” Continue reading »
The former St. Henry’s rectory on General Pershing is slated to become classrooms for Ecole Bilingue. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
The rectory at St. Henry’s church that neighbors once feared would be demolished for a parking lot will receive a new lease on life as classrooms for Ecole Bilingue, according to a plan school leaders shared with the neighborhood Monday evening. Continue reading »
Audubon Charter School’s temporary campus in Gentilly. (UptownMessenger.com file photo)
Audubon Charter School will likely have to pay for repairs to leaking roofs on the modular buildings at their Gentilly campus, because the return to their Broadway campus has been delayed for at least a year. Continue reading »
The front door of the Priestley school building in west Carrollton. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
The long-shuttered Priestley school building in west-Carrollton could finally come back to life after decades of unuse, after the governing board of the Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans charter school enthusiastically voted Thursday evening to ask the Orleans Parish School Board for the opportunity to buy it.
“We’re really excited. We would like to move on it. It’s a nice building on a big plot of land,” said board member Mary Jacobs Jones, chair of the school’s facilities committee. “Even partially boarded up, you can get a feel for what a great building it was.” Continue reading »
Barbara Griffin and John Wettermark of the International School of Louisiana examine roof damage on the third floor of the Priestley building. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Leaders of several growing charter schools are weighing the potential of moving into vacant former campuses in the Carrollton area, the former Carrollton courthouse and the old Priestley school, as the Orleans Parish School Board led tours of both on Wednesday in preparation to sell them and other campuses around the city. Continue reading »
The former Augustine Middle School in Mid-City. (Della Hasselle, MidCityMessenger.com)
Officials from the International School of Louisiana toured the vacant former Augustine Middle School building on Broad Street in Mid-City on Wednesday as they “weigh options” for a larger campus, according to a report by Della Hasselle of MidCityMessenger.com. The school’s Camp Street campus is too small for the growing student population, and school officials have been looking for new alternatives — though facilities director Aviva Le told Mid-City Messenger that the challenges of a renovation at Augustine would be “humongous.”
Jonathan Wilson (via opcso.org)
The International School of Louisiana’a Camp Street campus.
Principal Melanie Tennyson speaks to other International School administrators in May of 2011. (UptownMessenger.com file photo by Robert Morris)
The old Carrollton courthouse, photographed during a school event in 2012. (UptownMessenger.com file)
The governing board of Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans is still contemplating when to begin its expansion into the middle school grades — whether to wait until its current students reach those levels, or to begin adding those grades earlier. Continue reading »
Students present their plans at the Contemporary Arts Center. (photo by jewel bush for UptownMessenger.com)
jewel bush
With the unleashing of their imaginations and mentorship from the National Organization of Minority Architects, four teams from Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools, Sci Academy and Urban League College Track spent the last year analyzing the needs of various neighborhoods around the city and then developing architectural plans designed to meet those needs.
Security, transportation, employment, shelter and food were among areas the youth considered during the urban planning process. They sought to define space and place and answer questions like: Does a church fall under the category of public space, entertainment or education?
And what the budding architects, ranging in ages 11 to 18, envisioned is nothing short of thoughtful, innovative and really, really sweet. Continue reading »
An Isidore Newman “Greenie” toddler plays with a tiny shovel during groundbreaking ceremonies Friday for the school’s new GreenTrees Early Childrhood Village. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
The facility will sit at the corner of Soniat and Danneel streets. (Site plan by Waggoner and Ball via Isidore Newman School)
Students from the International School of Louisiana perform acrobatics during a circus arts showcase (Della Hasselle, Mid-City Messenger).
Students from the International School of Louisiana Circus Arts program and Andrew Wilson Charter School were among the local schools that were part of the lineup at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Thursday, reports Della Hasselle of our sister site, Mid-City Messenger.
Sean Wilson (via isl-edu.org)
Responding to complaints from students and parents alike, officials at Audubon Charter School are exploring using a new service for school lunches next year that they say provides markedly better food. Continue reading »