Louisiana questions--k-12 schools and woods

[DHE]

Hi all!  Had a couple questions for anyone familiar with Louisiana!

1. My ms is set in a fictional LA (Louisiana, not Los Angeles  ) suburb and I currently have the campus structured like mine was in CA--with several buildings and classes opening up right into open, outdoor hallways.  Instead of, say, one big building and all the classrooms opening up into indoor hallways.  (Think indoor mall vs. outdoor mall).  My beta was confused at my characters walking out of their classrooms and being hit by a blast of heat from the sun, but she's from the east coast where it's too cold for open campus layouts. I've looked up some images and it seems like there's a few that look more open, but I just wanted to make sure I'm in the clear.

2. I should also have been able to find this on my own, but for whatever reason, searching this has left me still a little unsure--I currently have my character living near some woods with a river going through it (they can be wetland-esque, but they walk through them, not boat), and I wanted to make sure that's okay.  A lot of times when I look up "Louisiana woods" it brings me images of swamps and boats, but I need to make sure there's some regular old woods there too. 

If anyone has any information, i'd really appreciate it. I've already done most of the research, i just want to make sure I don't have any glitches. 

Thank you!!

DHE

[LateToTheParty]

My Mrs.'s family is from LA. They have both open and traditional campuses as well as traditional campuses with temp (read trailers) buildings that have been in place for decades. Economics will determine which will be which.  In Baton Rogue for instance, it's still segregated right down the middle.  The private (white) schools are new construction, open campuses. The public (black) schools are old, enclosed structures with temp buildings as ancillary.

One other consideration: climate. It's so humid across much of LA, you can wack the air with a stick and it'll rain in that spot for a minute. Older buildings have water chillers/window AC units that do RJS against swamp heat.

[Ankalegon(DTL)]

This post awoke in my consciousness an image from my childhood.  My mother lived in New Orleans for some time and taught at an elementary school. (My dad is from Ohio, he met her in Louisiana and now we live in Georgia... Why?  Still not sure)  On a few occasions we would take trips back to New Orleans and on one of those trips we were driving in the car and came upon a school on stilts.  Obviously it had been built that way to protect it from flood damage but I just remember feeling incredibly jealous because my boring old school sat flat on the ground.

I've been doing some googling since reading your post.
This link MAY be the same school (I'm not sure, it's been about 20 years since I saw it)...

http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20110527/a-school-on-stilts

I'm sorry if this is more random than useful.

[Tigerbunny]

In what year is your book based?  Are you talking old Louisiana or new Louisiana?  Remember, Louisiana is typically traditional, old south.  Like any of the southern states you can have a multitude of structures with architecture ranging from Spanish Hacienda, French, Old English to (heaven help us) the modern influence.  It all depends on what year you're talking about.   

[DHE]

Oh thank you all for responding!  LateToTheParty, that was particularly helpful!  Thanks for the note about the weather, too!  I grew up partly in Florida so I know what you mean!  Ankalegon, wow, I've seen houses on stilts there, but not schools!  I wish I could get a trip in where I examined outside of New Orleans more thoroughly. Tigerbunny, present day Louisiana, in a middle class type suburb.  Do you think an open campus would fit well in that environment? Sounds like you're wonderfully familiar with the history and architecture! 

Thank you all!  Any thoughts about the woods as well?

[Tigerbunny]

Hey DHE -

Sorry about not getting back sooner...yes, schools with open courtyards are popular in the south - a leftover from the hacienda style where all the doors open out onto couryards.  As for trees - pine and huge grandfather oaks with low-lying branches and lots and lots of Spanish moss!   

 - Tigerbunny

[Ankalegon(DTL)]

I love grandfather oaks with low-lying branches and lots of Spanish moss.   

[Tigerbunny]

Some branches are so wide you can walk all the way down them and they're just a few feet off the ground. When you're a kid it's the best playground in the world. 

[LateToTheParty]

True story: I was napping on one of those branches, to avoid bugs and snakes (when I was supposed be working) and a (tree snake fell--yeah, they fall) on me. Scared the ca-ca out of me and then it took me 45 minutes to walk down my horse, (kinda spooked him, too). 

[ChaseB]

Hi DHE.

I've spent my whole life in Louisiana, if you're still looking for details.

Schools are both ways, usually a combination. Some areas of campus will open into outside, others are in a building.

Structures on stilts are found more commonly in New Orleans, which is waaaay below sea level. Not so much in Baton Rouge.

Typical weather we've been having here the past couple years. January-February are usually pretty cold (40ish degrees). March-April is a nice spring. June-October can be brutally hot (and humid). November and December can also be warm with intermittent cold fronts. It isn't uncommon to wear shorts on Christmas day.

Some other details that might bring authenticity if you encounter them in your manuscript:

- Houses here do not have basements.
- New Orleans cemeteries are above ground. Baton Rouge and other areas have regular ones.
- June through November is hurricane season; it's important to a lot of people.
- LSU and Saints football is a HUGE deal.

Hope this helps!