New Boley Elementary, rebuilt after 2019 fire, will welcome kids back to school Monday
Boley Elementary Principal Sandy Bates said community support and the help of her faculty and staff after the fire helped get the school where it is today — ready to welcome the first students to a brand new campus.
The original facility burned down on April 13, 2019 after a lightning strike hit the roof and fire spread in an attic space above smoke alarms.
Groups worked to help teachers and students, offering monetary donations and purchased school supplies. A church rented the space for a temporary campus, and the assistance has continued to flow.
Bates thanked those who have contributed over the past three years.
"I, honestly, honestly, started to write 'Thank you notes' in the beginning," Bates said. "At a about 300, I realized that I had about 2,300 behind me that I could never get that done, so I want to take this opportunity to thank — To know the work that the custodial staff have done and the teachers have done to get this building ready. My teachers, my students, my staff, I wouldn't trade any one of you for anything. You are the most amazing staff on the planet."
The school hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday that included Ouachita Parish Superintendent Don Coker and West Monroe Mayor Staci Mitchell, among other state and local public officials.
Several guest speakers recounted their memories of the night when the old campus went up in flames.
Original story: Firefighters on scene at Boley Elementary School in West Monroe
After the blaze: Lightning strike likely cause of Boley School fire
Mitchell said she, her husband and the West Monroe fire chief were surveying the damages following the flooding when the call came in for the fire at the school.
"I don't remember what the code was but, 'alarm going off at Boley'," Mitchell said. "We were just around the corner and he said, 'We'll just drive over there and check it out while we're here.' We get here, park and we're looking, didn't see anything and finally, one of us says, 'I think there's some smoke.'"
Students finished the 2018-2019 school year split between Crosley and George Welch Elementary Schools but started together again in fall of 2019-20 in a space rented from The Assembly at 1007 Glenwood Drive.
August 2019: Boley rises from ashes in temporary space
In 2020, the Ouachita Parish School Board approved a $9 million budget for construction of the new school with the money coming from the insurance claim and a sales tax in western Ouachita Parish.
The school has had 200 to 230 students and has shown growth in recent years. In October 2021, Boley reported a total enrollment of 218 to the Louisiana Department of Education.
The new campus is expected to hold 300 students.
January: New Boley Elementary set to finish rebuild just under 3 years after school fire
"I'll be honest with you, in my mind, there was never a thought of not rebuilding," Coker said. "That's why we have insurance. There was a never a thought of not rebuilding this school and so we started the process.
"We had FM Global as our insurance carrier. Insurance is not always a pleasant thing but I cannot tell you how they worked with the Ouachita Parish School System in being able to give us what we needed in building this beautiful facility and what you see today. We're blessed."
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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Boley Elementary school is set to open new campus ahead of first day
