A celebration that took nearly five years in the making came to fruition on Tuesday morning with the official ribbon cutting of Sterlington Middle School.
The school, located directly across from Sterlington High School on Keystone Road, officially opened its doors last week when students returned for the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.
“We are so happy that this project has reached a point where we could start the 2024-2025 school year in the new building,” Ouachita Parish Schools Superintendent Todd Guice said. “We will shortly have the entire project completed, and we feel that this school will serve the residents of Sterlington and northeast Ouachita Parish for many years to come. I so greatly appreciate the continued support of the community in Sterlington and across Ouachita Parish.”
Guice’s sentiments were echoed by Principal Marty Bumgart and School Board Member Greg Manley, who both addressed the crowd in front of the school prior to the ribbon cutting. School Board President Tommy Comeaux and school board members Dabo Graves (District F) and Jerry Hicks (District D) were also in attendance.
“The voters of Ouachita Parish have been a huge support of public education,” Bumgart said. “Thank you to the board members who work together to ensure those dollars are distributed in a way that reach all of our students.”
Former Superintendent Dr. Don Coker made his first public appearance at a school function since retiring in July 2023. Coker and Manley started discussions about a new Sterlington Middle School about five years ago during Coker’s tenure.
“It’s an answered prayer,” Coker said as he toured the new school. “There was probably more prayer going on for the four to four-and-a-half years that we were working on this building. As Greg (Manley) said, we would take one step forward and two steps back and regroup and go at it again. So just to see the completion of four to four-and-a-half years in the making, it’s a good feeling.”
Coker also used the visit to reunite with former employees and co-workers.
“I miss our people so much,” Coker said. “We are so blessed to have the best people in the world.”
Sterlington Mayor Matt Talbert agreed.
“We have the best teachers and staff,” Talbert said. “I would put them up against anybody in this country. We have the best that any school district has to offer right here. The seed they plant in each one of these students is really an investment in the future, and we are super thankful for every teacher here at Sterlington Middle School, Sterlington High School and Sterlington Elementary and the administration.”
The new middle school is home to approximately 424 students and 53 staff members.
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