Say Bonjour to New Facility in Baton Rouge

The empty lot that sat on a little over 21 acres located in the master-planned community, The Preserve at Harveston, near Bluebonnet & Nicholson has transformed into the beautiful new campus of Great Hearts Harveston. This is the first Great Hearts academy to break ground in Louisiana, bringing the charter network’s unique classical approach with emphasis on the Socratic Method to the capitol city that sits on the banks of the Mississippi River.

“Even though we have been in business for 20 years, we are standing here before you with all the enthusiasm and wide-eyed energy of someone who is brand new at it.  Because, here, we are brand new at it,” said Great Hearts Co-founder and CEO Jay Heiler at the groundbreaking ceremony last year. “We will carry that spirit forward as we go on bringing this building into existence.”

The South’s humid subtropical climate has not always been cooperative with the construction crews that have been working hard to have the new academy ready for students on their first day of school, set for August 3, 2023. “With the first few months experiencing so many “weather days”, it seemed like a slow process to see any real progress being made.  But the actual amount of work that had been coordinated, scheduled, and tracked, quickly became apparent with the tilt-wall construction in late November, and from there you could see major advancements every month,” said Paula Bugg, the Great Hearts Harveston Project Manager.

The 76,697 square foot academy has 39 classrooms measuring 1,000 square feet each, three special education rooms with three breakout rooms each, two art rooms, a music room, science lab, study halls, and a theatre where many classics will be performed on stage. Sports and athletics are an important part of Southern culture, which will be apparent at this campus, home of the largest gym in the Great Hearts network to date.

The building’s design has a distinct charm that makes one think it has always been there. “Now, seeing all the brickwork and the breathtaking arched windows, this is such a beautiful campus, and feels like an extension of the community,” said Bugg. “It’s been an amazing experience to witness the morphosis so closely over the past year.”

“We are honored to have been welcomed to your home, and we pledge to make sure that we continue to make good on our promise and offer a community, a home, worthy of the welcome you have shown us,” said Founding Head of School Samuel Heisman. “To quote Winston Churchill, ‘We form buildings; afterwards, they form us.’ How exciting it is to be in a school building which reflects and amplifies the magic happening in its classrooms.”

While there a few items left on the construction punch list, Great Hearts Harveston will be ready to serve grades K-7 in the opening year and plan to add a grade every year after until they are a full K-12 academy. There is still time to enroll your child in our brand new, tuition-free, classical academy as they are now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. But don’t wait too long and miss out. Apply today at https://harveston.greatheartsamerica.org.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org.