INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2 DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE 3 HISTORY 4 GOVERNOR’S VISIT 6 THE INSIDE VIEW 8 CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE 9 STUDENTS 10 FOUNDATION 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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A L O U I S I A N A S C H O O L F O R M AT H , S C I E N C E , A N D T H E A R T S F O U N DAT I O N P U B L I C AT I O N
“ Probably some of the best memories of LSMSA stem from life in the residence
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halls . . .”
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“Nothing is a waste that makes a memory,” according to Ned Rorem. His words have a lot of meaning these days. When I read the Dixie magazine article a few weeks ago (see www.lsmsa. edu) I realized that so many of those memories held close by our alumni happen annually. Probably some of the best memories of LSMSA stem from life in the residence halls — whether Prudhomme, Caddo, Bossier or Boozman. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the age of these buildings, not to mention their condition in comparison to today’s residence halls across the country. Collectively, our residence halls have about 300 years of life in them. And two of them are no longer with us. That time will soon come for Prudhomme and Caddo. On Tuesday, Sept. 18, we got that news. We finally would see construction begin on a new residence hall — a true living/learning community — that will complete the complicated puzzle that creates the Louisiana School. And Prudhomme and Caddo will fade into the sunset. Gov. John Bel Edwards, along with Sen. Jay Luneau, Sen. Gerald Long and Rep. Kenny Cox, shared plans for what will be a dream come true: Ten “neighborhoods” that will span three towers and four stories and will include resident suites, laundry rooms, study lounges, housekeeping/recycling areas, a centralized reception desk and sundry shop, a spacious lobby, a demonstration kitchen with a small dining area, a nurse’s suite, small and large group study rooms, a guest suite for visiting lecturers or potential new students, a craft room, a game room, a student lounge and a firepit. This special edition of The Gift provides extensive details of all that is to come over the next 28 months. Pay special attention to the floor plans and amenities; these final plans came from several stakeholder meetings held over the past five years. So many deserve huge thank yous for having the vision AND persistence to see this project from start to finish. Certainly this vision began with the school’s founding fathers, but it was further developed and finally cemented through so many groups, the alumni of the school in particular. Enjoy reminiscing as you peruse this edition. So many memories come from your time in one of the four LSMSA residence halls. But I assure you, so many more memories will develop over the next decades by our up-andcoming students. Embrace those times. They mean so much to all of us. Dr. Steve Horton LSMSA executive director
A HISTORY LSMSA DORMITORY HISTORY/TIMELINE 1956 • Prudhomme Hall built.
1961 • Caddo Hall built.
1963 • Bossier Hall built. • Louisiana Hall (Boozman Hall) built.
1983 • First students arrive at LSMSA to Prudhomme and Bossier Halls.
1985 • $1.7 million renovation of Caddo Hall.
1986 • Caddo Hall opens to LSMSA students.
2011
“ In that first year, ’82-’83, we went across the state talking about a dream. We didn’t know what would happen — how could we? The first faculty and staff were all so professionally and personally invested in LSMSA. We all just wanted it to work, so we made it work.” —Dr. Sharon Sturdivant Williams, student activities coordinator “ Working as the house director really gave me the students’ point of view on things. The students have to live there and have to live with it.” —Dr. Elizabeth Hall, Latin instructor
• Caddo Hall residents relocate to NSU’s Varnado Hall during more renovations.
2012 • LSMSA Foundation announces the
“ I think the residential component at LSMSA creates social community but also a community that fosters education. The proximity to other students makes each student better than he or she may otherwise be in another setting. It also teaches coping and life skills that reward students far beyond
commitment of $30,000 toward an
their scholastic years. LSMSA has been able to find the balance between
architectural study for a new
allowing individual freedoms while safeguarding and protecting its students.”
residence hall.
—Dr. Art Williams, English instructor and executive director from 1990–1994
2013 • State commits $4 million for the planning of a new dorm.
• Gov. John Bel Edwards calls a special meeting at LSMSA to announce $27 million for a new residence hall.
SPECIAL EDITION 2018
SEPT. 18, 2018
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GOVERNOR’S
“ We have secured, and I have committed, the funding necessary to build a new dormitory here at LSMSA,” said Edwards during his
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announcement.
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For the first time in school history, the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts will have a dorm to call its own. Gov. John Bel Edwards on Sept. 18 announced to students, faculty and staff of LSMSA that the state secured $27 million for a new, yet-to-be-named residence hall. Construction should begin in the next fiscal year. “We have secured, and I have committed, the funding necessary to build a new dormitory here at LSMSA,” said Edwards during his announcement. “This is a residential setting for you all, and it is important that you have a home here that is conducive to what you are trying to do in terms of your academic studies. “I am very excited about this, and we are going to make sure that this funding is made available as soon as possible.” LSMSA Executive Director Dr. Steve Horton thanked Northwestern State University for their generous housing of LSMSA students even as he looked forward to the school having a home of its own and a new chapter of life on campus.
VISIT
Watson Memorial Library and LSMSA’s Center for Performance and Technology, will have four stories and three towers, and will include 10 neighborhoods designated for male and female students. Each neighborhood will include a common room, a kitchen, several two-bedroom resident suites, a laundry room and a study lounge. In addition, the facility will include administrative offices for Student Services, a student health center, apartments for residential life staff, a demonstration kitchen with a small dining area, a guest suite for visiting professors and prospective students, a crafts room, a resident lounge, a gaming room and a theater room.
SPECIAL EDITION 2018
“This residence hall, a true living-learning community, has been a dream of the Louisiana School since it welcomed its first class to Prudhomme and Bossier halls 35 years ago this fall,” Horton said. “Gov. Edwards, thank you for always looking out for Louisiana School, the state’s school and most importantly, the governor’s school.” The new residence hall, which will take about two years to construct, will support and encourage the needs of each student and provide a safe community. Ashe, Broussard, and Weinzettle Architects, and Tipton Associates, the designers of the project, secured input from faculty and staff, students and parents to define ideal areas for a comprehensive campus living environment. The proposed 110,000-square-foot facility, located adjacent to the campus and behind NSU’s Eugene P.
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THE INSIDE VIEW
SITE PLAN — FIRST FLOOR 6
NEW DORMITORY | LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR MATH, SCIENCE, AND THE ARTS
SPECIAL EDITION 2018
ASHE BROUSSARD WEINZETTLE ARCHITECTS | TIPTON ASSOCIATES
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CONSTRUCTION ANTICIPATED TIMELINE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2018 Architect updates plans and finalizes statement of probable cost
DECEMBER 2018–JANUARY 2019 Office of Planning and Control reviews construction document updates and prepares for bid
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2019 Bid is advertised and awarded
MARCH 2019 Groundbreaking ceremony
APRIL–MAY 2019 Construction begins
AUGUST 2021 THE GIFT
Move-in day
Want your own piece of LSMSA history? School and Foundation staff are
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working on ways to make that happen. Stay tuned for more details.
STUDENTS “ I ’m excited to see the architecture of the
“ Taking cold showers isn’t fun, but I’m glad I had the
new dorm because I love modern architecture.
chance to live in Caddo because its location gave
I’m OK with not getting to live in it because I
me the opportunity to explore more of campus.”
know it will be really nice for the new students.”
—Kay Creel (’20), Shreveport
—Elizabeth Granier (’20), Thibodaux
“ I ’m interested to see the impact on students both “ The dorm won’t have to be the optional, last stop on campus tours anymore.”
academically and socially. There are a lot of special rooms, like the craft room, that look really cool. It will provide opportunities to grow closer to
—Jordan Smith (’19), Geismar
classmates both academically and socially.” “ I ’m really excited to get the new dorm and
—Cayla Garrett (’20), Shreveport
hope it has better water pressure.” —Harleigh Schneider (’20), Covington
“ I think students will be happy to live in the new residence hall. I may have to come back and be an
“ This is a big step for LSMSA. We won’t lose prospective students because of the dorms
SLA so that I get a chance to live there too.” —Aubrey Prewitt (’21), Mangham
any more.” —Madison Latiolais (’19), Breaux Bridge
SPECIAL EDITION 2018
STUDENTS LEAVE THEIR MARK Plans are under way to give today’s LSMSA students an opportunity to leave their mark on the new residence hall during construction.
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FOUNDATION
“ For without a plan, we would most certainly still be waiting.”
For many of us, it’s hard to remember a time when we weren’t talking about a new residence hall for LSMSA. The February 2013 edition of The Gift brought news that the Board of Trustees of the LSMSA Foundation hired a national architectural firm to conduct a $30,000 planning study for a residence hall project. The study brought together focus groups of students, residential life staff, faculty, parents, board members and administration to help determine the scope and cost of a new residence hall that would meet the unique needs of LSMSA students. With facts and figures in hand, LSMSA administration took our story to Baton Rouge. And we waited. While we waited, the school facilities team diligently cared for Caddo and Prudhomme, giving their best effort every day to ensure that LSMSA students had a safe place to call home while we waited for good news from Baton Rouge. To those staff members, thank you. While we waited, Foundation donors earmarked their gifts to improve living conditions in the existing residence halls. To those individuals and organizations, thank you. While we waited, LSMSA alumni gathered each summer to scrub, scrape, paint, reupholster, repair, clean and provide much needed TLC to Caddo and Prudhomme to create a welcoming environment for students returning to campus in August. To those alumni volunteers, thank you. While we waited, lawmakers in Baton Rouge advocated on behalf of LSMSA during year after year of difficult budget cycles. To those men and women, thank you. There are so many individuals to whom we owe our thanks for this longawaited new facility. Among them are the members of the 2012–13 Board of Trustees, whose names are listed elsewhere in this publication. They deserve our thanks for taking the crucial first step in funding the planning study. For without a plan, we would most certainly still be waiting.
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Angela Robinson (’93) LSMSA Foundation executive director
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“While I cannot predict how long this process will take or even begin to speculate when a new residence hall will be ready for the first students to move in, I do know that we will never achieve our goal without taking this crucial first step.” —Bill New, February 2013
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Parents, faculty, staff and board members met in focus groups in 2013 to discuss the unique needs of a new residence hall
Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their commitment to making the new residence hall a reality. Gov. John Bel Edwards Louisiana Senate Louisiana House of Representatives Current and former members of the LSMSA Board of Directors Dr. Patrick Widhalm Dr. Bill Ebarb Northwestern State University
2012–13 LSMSA Foundation Board of Trustees & Staff Rodney Allen Juana Crear Rod Dreher Ryan Farr Sharon Gahagan
The senior administration of LSMSA would like to say a special word of thanks to Bill New, president of the LSMSA Foundation for his vision and dedication, ensuring LSMSA continues to thrive in its quest to provide a unique living/learning education to the best and brightest young men and women of Louisiana for generations to come.
John Normand John Pritchard Chris Robichaux Michael Robertson Jamie Smith
Ellie Spain Renu Swartz Katja Thomakos Christie Weeks Carol Woodward
And to countless others who continue to support LSMSA with your financial gifts and who tirelessly advocate on behalf of our beloved school, thank you for your unwavering support.
SPECIAL EDITION 2018
Heidi Gomez Derek Little Micah Luftig Leizl Montecillo Jason Neville William New
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Baton Rouge, LA Permit No. 70
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The LSMSA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Consider donating today to support quality education in Louisiana through LSMSA! The LSMSA Foundation develops and manages resources to enhance the work of LSMSA, a preeminent, state-supported, residential high school for Louisiana’s high-achieving sophomores, juniors and seniors. Your input is always welcome. Contact Angela Robinson, executive director foundation@LSMSA.edu 318.357.2578 www.LSMSA.edu/Foundation
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TYPICAL TWO BEDROOM RESIDENT SUITE 535 sq. ft.
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EXPLORATION DAYS FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS Jan. 21, 2019 Feb. 18, 2019
PHONATHON Feb. 18–21, 2019 REUNION WEEKEND March 29–31, 2019
FACULTY/STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK Feb.11–15, 2019
BLUE & GOLD WEEK April 8–13, 2019
SLAMT Feb. 15–17, 2019
RING CEREMONY April 13, 2019 SENIOR BANQUET May 5, 2019
SENIOR RECOGNITION CEREMONY May 17, 2019 END OF THE YEAR/ GRADUATION PARTY May 17, 2019 LSMSA’S 35th COMMENCEMENT May 18, 2019