Introduction to St. Gabriel's School

The St. Gabriel School for children with exceptionalities will cater to each child’s specific abilities and help them to become active members of the community. The school offers another much needed option to special needs parents in the capital city area. Students will receive academic support from teachers certified to educate special needs students, physical support from a team of occupational, speech, and physical therapists, vocational direction from a life skills and job education suite, and spiritual support from a religious education program. Students will be grouped by their ability and age and each child will have a specific educational goals plan, set by the administration and their parents. St. Gabriel’s is committed to forming young men and women with special needs into active and independent members of society while offering the fun activities of a typical school.

The school will be located at 3374 Government St. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It will serve students from the age of 6-20 with varying alternative learning needs. School hours will be 8:00am-3:00pm with an after care service. The campus will include these academic spaces: a lower school for children ages 6-14, a high school for ages 15-21, a vocational center for older students ages 21+. Therapy spaces will also be included in the campus with an activity center complete with hydrotherapy pool ,physical therapy spaces and speech, occupational, and sensory therapy rooms. St. Gabriel’s also will have extensive gardens and outdoor learning environments as well as an outdoor chapel space.

The main challenge of the project will be designing a space that caters to the diverse needs of these students and is still an all inclusive environment. The special needs parents in Baton Rouge are desperate for another schooling option for their children, where a real education in academics, spirituality, and life skills will be offered. St. Gabriel’s will fill this community need.

The project’s client is a local bank and trust that is looking to invest in a school for special needs children as part of its philanthropic endeavors. This bank is a main contributor to other special needs schools and is researching if there is a need for a school of this caliber in Baton Rouge. There is also a founder’s committee that has formed which is actively working to gather information, assess need, and create a master plan for St. Gabriel’s School. The founder’s committee is comprised of one representative from the bank, a business management professional and special needs mom, a therapist and special needs mom, and another active occupational therapist. Their goals are to create an all inclusive school for children with a range of special abilities that is affordable, convenient, and well established.

Their goals and my design solution will bring a new, much needed learning environment to Baton Rouge, LA. Ultimately, this school will produce active, educated community members and be a source of pride for the Baton Rouge community.