A new school year has brought a new home and a renewed sense of inspiration for Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts (BRCVPA). The magnet elementary school officially moved into its brand-new building at 2040 South Acadian Thruway in August, ushering in a vibrant era that will allow more East Baton Rouge Parish students to receive an arts-integrated education.
Bright colors, spacious hallways and natural light throughout the building create an uplifting environment where student artwork and inspirational quotes adorn the walls and classroom doors. On a recent morning, one classroom featured a display of clay models – from pizza slices to cups of noodles to spiders – showing how each child brings their own imagination to campus. Down the hall, other students practiced on musical instruments as teachers instructed them on the importance of rhythm and beat. Outside, tables filled with student-decorated plastic pumpkins added a cheerful and seasonal touch.
“Everybody keeps walking around saying, ‘I can’t believe this is our school,’” said Sydney Hebert, BRCVPA’s magnet site coordinator. “The team that built it took so much of our feedback and really designed it around our programming. It is exactly what we needed. We needed an auditorium and arts classrooms and enough space to have four sections of every grade level. We wanted gathering spaces for students and the community. The team did a great job. Everybody is very grateful.”
Hebert said the new facility was made possible through a tax plan, while a ReImagine Grant enabled BRCVPA to hire more faculty members and grow its capacity to more than 650 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grades. As a free public magnet school that is part of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, BRCVPA follows the same core academic curriculum as other elementary schools, meaning students have traditional classes in English, math, science and social studies. They also receive at least one hour of dedicated arts instruction each day. That instruction spans visual art, dance, drama, vocal music and instrumental music – all taught by experienced faculty members, many of whom are working artists themselves.
BRCVPA also offers two electives for second through fifth grades. One is instrumental music, while the other is a newer option that focuses on technology in the arts and teaches students about graphic design, video production, photography and podcasting.
“One thing that makes us special is that we take the academic content and integrate the arts where we can. Our core teachers and our arts staff meet together often to come up with natural ways to integrate each other’s content,” Hebert said.
That spirit of integration extends into the school’s hallmark feature: grade-level theater productions.
Kindergarten, first, second and third grade BRCVPA students create and participate in a mini-production based on a book selected by their teachers. Students are divided into crews. Kindergarteners and first graders serve as performers – actors, dancers, musicians or singers. Beginning in second grade, students may also be a part of the tech crew that runs the sound, lighting, curtains and other aspects of production.
Fourth graders create an original production that is completely student-written. Students may also serve as performers or take on more advanced behind-the-scenes roles such as set design, makeup and costumes. The process is similar for fifth grade, although BRCVPA licenses a show for development and production. This semester’s show, Spongebob Junior, will take place in December.
“We believe there is an access point for everybody into the arts and there are lifelong skills to be gained from an arts education,” Hebert said. “I still remember observing a fifth grade boys dance class when I first came here in 2015. They had to choreograph a dance based on a personal narrative. They were not afraid to get up in front of each other because the expectation is that everybody is doing this. That’s still the expectation and it decreases the fear. The environment that we have created is one that is supportive and makes participating in the arts feel like a natural part of the school day.”
Hebert said the productions also serve as hands-on ways for students to learn about math, reading, writing, public speaking and history.
“We believe that arts enhances our academics because it makes connections and gives kids another opportunity to access content,” Hebert said. “We pride ourselves on being academically rigorous and having high expectations. We want our students to master the academic standards. We do have fun, but we also have a responsibility to teach kids their core content, and we take that seriously.”
As a 100 percent lottery-based magnet program, BRCVPA is open to any East Baton Rouge Parish student. There are no test score or GPA requirements. Families who are interested in applying for a spot at BRCVPA may do so during the EBR Magnet Priority Application Period, which runs until December 5. Visit or call 225-922-5443 for more information.
