School leaders, public officials, and administrative staff gathered Aug. 13 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion and opening of South Fork Junior High School.
The school features new technology and modern classroom layouts, including a dedicated STEM lab called the “Makerspace,” a separate science lab, a gymnasium, a spacious library with wall-to-ceiling windows and two attached auditorium-style rooms, and a dedicated computer science lab.
The junior high serves students in grades six through eight and was built to accommodate more students than are currently enrolled, according to an administrator. Since the start of the school year, 43 students have been added, bringing the current enrollment to 493.
“We can handle 600 and still be comfortable,” South Fork Junior High Principal Jeffery Watts said.
The junior high is located next to South Fork Elementary and shares a cafeteria with the school. The cafeteria features tables of varying heights and different seating styles, giving students more personalized choices during a free portion of their day. The seating also serves as an incentive for good behavior, since stricter seating arrangements can be used if necessary.
Before the ribbon was cut, Watts opened the ceremony by thanking the community for its support and administrators for their dedication to making the opening of South Fork Junior High possible.
“We’ve had an exceptional first week,” Watts said. “Our motto for this year is ‘building our legacy, setting the standard, and leading tomorrow.’”
“We are continuing to build on the foundation that was laid from many former admin, teachers, district-level support, and all of those that have contributed to get us to this point,” Watts added. “They allowed us to get here to be able to serve these kids to the best of our ability.”
South Fork Junior High Assistant Principal Brandy Hoch then spoke about her excitement for the school’s future.
She said she is excited to see “how our amazing faculty is going to pour into our students to continue to inspire them and to continue to help them grow as people, not just as students.”
Hoch, who described herself as a “history teacher at heart,” also reflected on the school’s transformation.
“Our seventh and eighth graders know how special this is,” Hoch said. “They know the school that we’ve come from and to see what we have now, there’s a pride they have in them.”
Lori Thompson, one of the school’s special education teachers and the event coordinator, said “South Fork Junior High is more than just a new building with a new name and a new campus.”
“What matters the most is seeing this investment in our students because this is something that they deserve. They deserve a school they can be proud of,” Thompson added.
Student Kendall Vaughn also spoke, emphasizing that “South Fork stands for all of our past in Walker and we continue [our legacy] here by looking forward.”
Livingston Parish Public Schools Superintendent Jody Purvis concluded the event by emphasizing the importance of the people working behind the scenes, including school nutrition employees, teachers, maintenance staff, and students.
“This campus is centered around being a family… when you’re here you feel that sense of family,” Purvis said. “It’s a place where individuals want to be.”
“The kids here this year will always say ‘I was the first to be at school at that campus’ and they are the ones that’s building the cultural success here. They’re gonna be the ones that’s building that legacy moving forward,” Purvis added.
