When roughly 500 middle schoolers walk through the South Fork Junior High doors Thursday morning, they will get to call themselves something few students can: part of a school’s inaugural class.
The first day of classes in Livingston Parish marks the official opening of South Fork, a $22 million, 80,000-square-foot campus that gives Walker's middle school students a permanent home — complete with a new name, a new mascot and a new motto.
“The students are going to be amazed at the changes in not just the facility, but the culture, the level of pride and community engagement,” Principal Jeffrey Watts said.
The new gymnasium at the recently built South Fork Junior High School facility, Aug. 4, 2026 in Walker.
STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK
The campus features a new gymnasium and modern classrooms; outlets run throughout the building, and water fountains sit at nearly every corner. Among the marquee additions is a dedicated room for computer science, engineering and STEM projects, called the maker space. In the lab-style space, students will assemble microchips, build Rube Goldberg chain reaction machines, work with 3D printers and even dissect sheep brains.
"I'm so excited for their environment to be able to reflect what they can achieve," said Amber Harris, a seventh grade science teacher.
The new building marks the end of a bumpy opening chapter for Walker junior high students. Walker’s first middle school was created six years ago in response to the rapid growth within Livingston Parish. In 2020, amid the COVID pandemic, students who previously had been dispersed among other middle schools in the district were consolidated into the original Walker High School, which was built a century ago.
As the junior high population expanded, portable buildings were brought in to accommodate classes the aging campus could not hold. The cafeteria was too small to give all students a distinct lunch period, so some students had to take a break in the middle of class to leave for lunch and then return.
"It's a total 180 from what we had previously," Watts said.
The new cafeteria — large enough to end split lunch periods — is shared with neighboring South Fork Elementary, an arrangement Livingston Superintendent Jody Purvis said is an example of economical use of space.
Community bond
The junior high is just the latest development within the Livingston Parish Public School System. Officials are currently reviewing bids to rebuild the original Walker High School, which will become a second junior high for Walker students. Elsewhere in the parish, Albany Middle School is in the process of building a new gym, three multipurpose buildings are planned for Live Oak, and Denham Springs High School's STEM center has been tapped to add a new administrative and classroom building.
South Fork Junior High School, Aug. 4, 2026 in Walker.
STAFF PHOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK
Leaders say South Fork Junior High will give students far more than just updated facilities.
While the parish system ranks among Louisian’s top 10 performing school districts, Walker schools have historically trailed their parish counterparts. Teachers said they hope the new campus will give students a greater sense of motivation and connection to their school. As members of the inaugural class, they will shoulder the responsibility of shaping the culture and legacy for the students who will follow.
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years, and this is a whole new experience,” said Tricia Franatovich, an English and language arts teacher. “To be a part of it from the ground up, it makes you way more invested.”
The community seems to be embracing the new school. Nearly 90% of students turned out with their parents and siblings last week to attend the school’s orientation.
“Seeing them walk through the campus for the first time, it was special,” Watts said. “Just the smiles and looks of amazement and the wow factor.”