LeBlanc Elementary staff begins move into new school

ERATH - Finally - no more bad hair days; no more heels breaking in the walkways walking to the cafeteria; no more reasons to put on rubber boots and a rain coat to walk from one class to another. These are things teachers and administrators went through for the last five years while working at the temporary built elementary school in Erath.

At the FEMA built school, every time students changed classrooms, went to the lunchroom or bathroom, they walked outside under a covered walkway despite how cold or hot is was.

No more. When school begins in August 16, they will be housed in newly constructed $13 million school with indoor halls.

For many students at LeBlanc, walking outside is all they know.

LeBlanc Principal Dawn Amy was asked by a young student last year at the ground-breaking ceremony for the beginning of construction of the new LeBlanc Elementary, “What is a hallway?”

“They never had the luxury of knowing what halls are,” Amy said. “It will be a change.”

This week was the last week students will attend the school built by FEMA back in 2006. The school was originally built to house elementary students who were displaced by the flood of Hurricane Ike in 2005. The Dozier students commuted to Maurice Elementary for the 2005 school year and then moved into the temporary buildings the summer of 2006.

For the last two years, the school, now called LeBlanc Elementary, has housed students who were zoned to attend the newly built LeBlanc Elementary. For the last year contractors have been building LeBlanc Elementary located about three miles north of Erath.

The new school is complete, and this week teachers began moving their books, desks and personal belongings into their brand new school.

While the rest of the parish let out of school Thursday, students at LeBlanc were dismissed earlier in the week to give the teachers extra time to begin the move.

Delia Girouard, 28, just completed her second year at LeBlanc Elementary as a kindergarten teacher. She was busy Thursday helping other kindergarten teachers pack and move. On Wednesday, those same teachers helped her.

“I’m excited because it will be a brand-new school,” said Girouard. “The classrooms are amazing.”

She will miss the old school, she added because when she looks at the temporary buildings, she sees LeBlanc Elementary.

Amy and assistant principal Kimberly Etie have had meetings with their staff weeks in advance on the correct way to move their belongings.

The move is expected to take a few weeks.

“We are leaving on an awesome note,” said Etie. “The staff has become a team, and we’re taking care of each other.”