Reception tables groaned with the weight of three cakes (one a towering, colorful delight of icing topped with a purple “W”), green and purple balloons floated overhead and the chorus warmed up to sing a new school song.  It was all part of the ribbon-cutting celebration held Tuesday, August 25, for the newly constructed Woodlawn Elementary School.  It is the first elementary school built in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in about 35 years.

Opening its doors on August 7 for the School System’s first day of school, Woodlawn Elementary now serves about 660 students.  In addition to regular classes, string instrument instruction also is offered two days a week.  The school, located at 8160 Antioch Road at the rear of Woodlawn High School, was built by Woodrow Wilson Construction for about $17.2 million.  It has a total of about 75,000 square feet of space.

Participating in the ribbon cutting were (first photo, left to right):  East Baton Rouge Councilman Joel Boé, School Board member Tarvald Smith, Assistant Superintendent Paula Fabre, School Board President Jerry Arbour, School Board member Jill Dyason, Superintendent John Dilworth, former superintendent Charlotte Placide, former School Board president Roger Moser, School Board member W.T. Winfield and Woodlawn Elementary School Principal Susan Kornuta.

As part of the ceremony, students were presented with a flag from U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.  The flag had flown over the United States Capitol Building.  Student Darius Bridges (second photo, left) and student Calah Williams (right) raised the flag for the first time on the school flagpole with the help of Woodlawn High School’s JROTC Color Guard.