St. Alphonsus School’s Legacy Continues

ST. ALPHONSUS LEGACY STUDENTS — St. Alphonsus School students shown here have parents or grandparents who attended the school. This photo illustrates the unique fabric of the St. Alphonsus Church and School which crosses generations in the Central community. The mission of St. Alphonsus Catholic School is to provide a faith-filled education which promotes academic excellence for each student.

In the last two decades of the nineteenth century a local teacher, Mrs. Amelia Landry, conducted classes at Vicknair Place on Frenchtown Road. Her school became known as St. Joseph School. Students came from miles around and from nearby parishes to be instructed in typical academic areas as well as in art, music, and religion. Mrs. Landry began to raise funds for a church. 

The first church, St. Francis of Assisi, was built in 1898 as a mission of St. Joseph Church in Baton Rouge. In 1962, the mission was established as a new parish and given the name St. Alphonsus Liguori after the founder of the Redemptorist priests. In typical Redemptorist fashion, the new parish set to work. 

Only one year after its inception, a parish school with 131 students in grades one to four was opened. Fr. Joseph M. Greenwell served as the first principal while Sr. Janet Marie Abbachi, SSND, served as administrator. The School Sisters of Notre Dame served the school until 1971. Lay principals Mrs. Genevieve Stockstill and Mr. Harold Copes served the school from 1971 until 1984. Sr. Esther Hulin, a Sister of St. Joseph of Medaille, was named principal upon their departure. When Sr. Esther retired in 2006, the school welcomed Mrs. Shirley Bougere as the new principal of St. Alphonsus School. Mrs. Bougere was with the St. Alphonsus community for three years. 

When Mrs. Bougere left to continue her education, Dr. Cynthia Ryals was named principal of St. Alphonsus School in 2009. The leaders of St. Alphonsus School have molded countless children into wonderful adults, many of whom have returned to teach at St. Alphonsus.