A tuition-free Catholic elementary school in the 7th Ward will soon open a second campus thanks to a substantial donation from New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson.
The Good Shepherd School, now in Gentilly, was founded in 2001 by the Rev. Harry Thompson, S.J., then-pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church in the Central Business District, to serve underprivileged children.
The pre-K-7 school moved to its current Gentilly campus in 2018, and two years ago, announced plans to build a second elementary at 3601 Desire Parkway.
The gift from Benson, one of the richest people in Louisiana and a major donor to several Catholic institutions, will cover the entire cost of the new K-7 elementary school, officials said. The exact amount of the gift was not disclosed.
Gayle Benson, New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner, greets students during a visit to Good Shepherd School in New Orleans on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. Benson announced a substantial donation to complete her "Month of Giving" initiative during the event. The gift will help the Good Shepherd School launch a second location on Desire Street, which will be called The Gayle and Tom Benson Good Shepherd School Ð Giving Hope Campus. (Photo by Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune)
Inside the Good Shepherd cafeteria on Wednesday, Benson was all smiles on her way to the podium, where she announced her contribution as team mascots Sir Saint and Pierre the Pelican greeted students.
Benson also gave each student tickets to see Wednesday's performance of "The Nutcracker" at the Orpheum Theater.
The new school is the result of a partnership between Good Shepherd and the Giving Hope Foundation. It will be named the Gayle and Tom Benson Good Shepherd School Giving Hope campus, and is being built across the street from the Giving Hope Community Center.
An early rendering of the proposed Desire campus of the Good Shepherd School.
“It will not only contribute to the continued success of the Good Shepherd School but it will also pave the way to a new chapter in its history,” Benson said.
School President Thomas Moran said they plan to open the new campus one grade at a time, starting with kindergarteners in the 2024-25 school year.
The building is similarly modeled to the Gentilly campus, and construction is expected to finish sometime next school year. The first class of students will likely start in a temporary location as construction wraps up, Moran said.
Gayle Benson, New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner, speaks during a visit to Good Shepherd School in New Orleans on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. Benson announced a substantial donation to complete her "Month of Giving" initiative during the event. The gift will help the Good Shepherd School launch a second location on Desire Street, which will be called The Gayle and Tom Benson Good Shepherd School Ð Giving Hope Campus. (Photo by Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune)
Moran called Benson a "catalyst" to the school's mission of providing high-quality education and spiritual development to students from high-poverty communities. To qualify for admission, family household income must fall below 250% of federal poverty guidelines or $75,000 annually for a family of four. All 260 students meet that criteria.
Most students qualify through the Louisiana Scholarship Program. Families that don't qualify can look to tuition donation credit programs, which provide schools with half the funding of voucher awards. As a result, Moran said the school relies on private donations each year to cover a funding gap that exists with the cost of tuition.
"This dream has been totally funded by the generosity of others from the first day," Moran said. "Somedays I don't know how it's going to happen, but someone always steps up because they see you," he added, addressing the students.
Moran said the new campus comes during a time when "inner-city Catholic schools are closing at an alarming rate throughout the country." Three of these schools — St. Peter Claver, St. Joan of Arc and St. Rita— have closed since 2019 because of low enrollment. All were traditionally made up of Black students.
Seventh grader and student council president Braive Heno is one of those students that transferred to Good Shepherd after her school, St. Peter Claver, closed in 2019. Heno said she hopes to get into Mount Carmel Academy next year and dreams of being a doctor.