St. Bernard (La.) Parish district unveils new facilities at Chalmette High School

From The New Orleans Times-Picayune: St. Bernard Parish (La.) school officials have unveiled a newly built athletic complex at Chalmette High School -- the second phase of an ambitious remaking of the school more than four years after it was consumed by flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The athletic complex includes a large gymnasium, an Olympic-sized indoor pool and natatorium, fitness center with treadmills, weights and a host of other machines, and a workout area for wrestlers that will enable the school to host wrestling meets. The complex is part of a $60 million-plus remaking of the high school, which is the lone public high school in St. Bernard Parish under the district's post-hurricane school restructuring.

FEBRUARY 2008....from The New Orleans Times-Picayune: When Chalmette (La.) High School reopened in 2005 less than three months after Hurricane Katrina, it was a makeshift campus of trailers and generators. A canvas tent served as a cafeteria, and students had to duck to avoid temporary ductwork made of plastic sheeting dangling in the hallways of the school's unflooded second floor. A little more than two years later, the St. Bernard Parish district is poised to begin a $50 million expansion of the high school that will include a 25-classroom addition, an athletic field house, a pool and a cultural arts center featuring a 400-seat auditorium complete with orchestra pit. The cost will be covered by a mix of insurance settlements, FEMA reimbursements and donations from local charities and businesses. Read the article.

RELATED: Read more about the recovery of St. Bernard Parish and other New Orleans area schools in American School & University's archives.