DENHAM SPRINGS, La. – Livingston Parish Public School System leaders officially broke ground today on a new classroom and administrative building at the Denham Springs High School's STEM and Robotics Center, creating additional learning space for a program that now serves 850 students.
The $2.4 million addition will include three new classrooms, a front administrative office, a small-group meeting room, and storage and bathroom space on a campus born out of the devastating 2016 flood.
“I think it’s pretty ironic that we’re doing this almost on the anniversary of the 2016 flood,” Superintendent Jody Purvis said during the groundbreaking. “This particular center is actually one of the positive things from the flood.”
The STEM Center sits on the site of the former Southside Elementary campus, which suffered extensive damage during the 2016 flood. Most of the school was beyond repair and ultimately demolished, but one portion of the campus remained – a new cafeteria and classroom building that had just opened days before the flood.
The district restored that building and used it as the core of the Denham Springs STEM Center, which opened during the 2019-2020 school year. The STEM & Robotics Center houses classes and extracurricular projects in engineering, robotics, video and digital production.
“It’s important that we continue to invest in learning opportunities that give our students direct access to high-paying jobs and career opportunities in today’s changing world,” Denham Springs School Board Member Cecil Harris said.
The new classrooms will house engineering and robotics classes that are currently being taught in the facility's large gymnasium space, as well as a new process technology program that will be aligned with the job requirement needs of local chemical plant operators.
Construction on the project will be completed in summer 2027, with the facility opening for the 2027-28 school year.
