LCCP breaks ground on high school
First to be constructed in Lake Charles in more than 50 years
Lake Charles College Prep broke ground on its new high school facility located on Power Center Parkway on Thursday. In the presence of parents, students, community members and civic leaders, LCCP began moving forward with the plans to construct its 80,000-square-foot facility, the first new high school constructed in Lake Charles in more than 50 years, said Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux, president of the board of Trustees.
“We were told that a high school was out of the question. We said, pretty much, ‘The hell with that.’ It’s a moral imperative.”
The occasion was the fulfilment of the local charter system’s commitment to providing the community with a complete K-12 educational choice with no additional tax burden or cost. “I think we can show the traditional public school system how to do it,” Thibodeaux said. “We do more with less.”
When the charter system was first introduced in the parish, Thibodeaux said the board was motivated by two goals, both of which are being actively achieved by Thursday’s ground breaking. “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until we face it … The high quality of education is the new civil rights of this era.”
Henry Mancuso, board executive secretary, said construction of the high school signals the charter systems permanence within Calcasieu parish’s educational landscape. “Charter schools are not an experiment. We are here to stay.”
The $16 million, state-of-theart facility, will accommodate 600 students with access to the latest technologies in education, including career/technical studies, arts and STEM.
“Choice allows families to choose both top-notch programming and first class facilities from pre-K-12,” Mancuso said.
The high school campus will also feature a ninth-grade academy with its own dedicated building for 150 students. “Freshmen are at a unique point in life and require focus on personal study and education skills,” he said.
Lake Charles College Prep is currently enrolling for the 2019-2020 school year. For more information visit, www.lccp.us.
Lake Charles College Prep broke ground Thursday, March 21, 2019 on its new high school facility on Power Center Parkway.
Board of Trustees President, Gene Thibodeaux, speaks during the groundbreaking for the new school of Lake Charles College Prep at 2801 Power Center Parkway in Lake Charles, La., Thursday, March 21, 2019. (Rick Hickman/Lake Charles American Press)