As the only early intervention program in Greater New Orleans and surrounding parishes for deaf, hard-of-hearing and language-delayed children, The Bright School for the Deaf is a welcome addition to Metairie.
The nonprofit agency has moved multiple times over the past 65 years. Its past location in New Orleans on Walmsley Avenue in New Orleans was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. The organization has also leased property at New Orleans Speech and Hearing, Temple Sinai, Rayne Early Childhood, and Kingsley House. This past fall, The Bright School finally moved into a home of its own in a building that was formerly part of the Ridgewood Preparatory School campus.
The Bright School’s new Jefferson Parish campus is now more centrally located to surrounding parishes. However, the building needed renovations to make the environment more suitable for children ages 1 through 5. The school’s administration turned to
DiGiovanni Construction for the task at hand. Julie DiGiovanni, vice president of the construction company, was more than happy to jump on board.
DiGiovanni’s daughter was born in 2016 with a rare genetic condition called Williams syndrome, which causes physical, developmental and cognitive disabilities.
“The special-needs community is tight-knit,” DiGiovanni explained. “A very special physical therapist referred us to The Bright School when Mallory was 2. To this day, it’s one of the greatest gifts we have received.”
DiGiovanni Construction started working on the building in May 2024, and the school was fully operational by that September, but first came extensive planning and remodeling.
“The building was from the ’80s, and not much had been done to update it over the years, so we had our work cut out for us,” DiGiovanni said. “[It] did not have its own utility infrastructure, so each of these services had to be designed and incorporated into the building and surrounding land.”
DiGiovanni Construction worked with Linda Frantz, director of The Bright School for the Deaf, on space planning and design; the Jefferson Parish Building Permits Department on zoning requirements; utility companies to establish the necessary services; and Timothy Terrell of Terrell-Fabacher Architects to modify the existing layout to meet the school’s needs.
“Building in dedicated therapy spaces was of the utmost importance,” DiGiovanni said. “We also added a lunchroom for the children, with a child-height counter for cooking demonstrations and crafts. [Frantz] chose light and airy colors throughout, [and] each teacher got to pick an accent wall for their room. Seeing how [everyone] decorated their spaces really brought the building to life.”
While the building’s existing layout worked well, DiGiovanni Construction added walls to carve out the therapy rooms and office space.
“We divided a very large room into two so that there is an auditorium for learning and meeting, as well as a resource room where families can gather,” DiGiovanni said.
The biggest challenge, as is usually the case, was time. While the project began in May, it took time to draw plans and to go through Jefferson Parish’s planning and permitting department. Once those tasks were complete, DiGiovanni Construction had just three months to finish the project in time for school to start in early September.
“We worked right through Labor Day weekend to make sure the school was ready to open on Sept. 3,” DiGiovanni said. “It took a lot of prioritization, coordination and a positive attitude. I have to give credit to all of our employees and subcontractors who worked with us and rearranged their schedules to make it all happen.”
The new space, which consists of two floors, now features a private entry and reception area, office space, four large classrooms, two classrooms leased to Spears Learning Center for applied behavior analysis therapy, four soundproof therapy rooms, a lunchroom, an auditorium, a parent resource room (available to families and the community, funded by a grant to supply materials on topics like deafness and speech and language development) and two playgrounds. The bathrooms also feature child-size toilets and sinks.
“The rooms are so big and inviting, allowing for different areas in each room for children to explore and grow,” DiGiovanni noted.
Today, The Bright School for the Deaf serves infants, toddlers and preschoolers, as well as a new kindergarten class.
“We installed interactive smart boards in three classrooms and will soon install amplification systems in each classroom,” Frantz said. “Today, the school provides special instruction, speech therapy, involvement in typical preschool routines, music therapy and some therapies that are in collaboration with Early Steps, such as occupational and physical therapy.”
DiGiovanni said she’s pleased with finished project.
“It was a pleasure and honor to be a part of building The Bright School’s permanent home,” she said. “The mission of the founders and staff — and the impact they have on their students and families — will always be near and dear to our hearts.”
The Bright School
201 Pasadena Ave. // Metairie
thebrightschool.org // @thebrightschool
Quick Look
Number of Years in Operation: Since 1959
Square Footage: Approximately 10,000
Number of Employees: 10
Persons in Charge: Linda Frantz, director
Architecture: Terrell-Fabacher Architect
General Contractor: DiGiovanni Construction
Interior Décor: DiGiovanni Construction
