An Ephiphany Day School student gives a thumb’s up from inside the school’s new classroom in the century-old home that has become the Henton Enrichment House.

Students experienced a new world of art and music at Epiphany Day School when the classes began utilizing the century-old Henton Enrichment House.

Violin, guitar, piano and voice teachers filled the four-room, 2,500-square foot, newly renovated home, and the traditional kitchen and dining room space is used as one large art classroom as part of the school’s Arts and Enrichment Program.

The school created a partnership with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Epiphany Day School Head Kathleen O’Shaughnessy said, to have music teachers at the school because art and music instruction are important to the school’s curriculum.

“Instead of cramming art and music into corners we decided we would dedicate a space just for the arts to really make it a central part of our curriculum,” she said.

O’Shaughnessy said the home was originally a family-owned home and was not part of the school’s campus, but has since been used for a variety of things. The bottom floor has been used as classroom space for three separate classes and the upstairs was used as a library before the renovations.

“It’s an old house, so it was just too expensive to heat and cool, so then it kind of became used as a storage space for a while, but it was just too beautiful of a space not to use,” she said.

O’Shaughnessy said because the school had a successful fundraiser last year, it had funding for campus improvements. The renovations to the building, which were done in a five-month period, included installing new, modern air conditioners, painting the walls and finishing the floors. She said the renovations did not include anything structural.

“We tried to keep as much of the character and charm of the old building as possible,” she said. “All of the woodwork is original to the house, and we left the fireplace alone.”

She said the building had mostly cosmetic changes, a lot of cleaning and a few patches to the roof.

“I love the way the floors came out. They’re refinished, but you can still tell that they’re old,” she said. “We didn’t want it to look glitzy and new, we wanted it to still have the character of an old house.”

The school began using the building for its music classes Feb. 6, O’Shaughnessy said, and students were stunned when they entered into the new classroom space.

“Kids don’t usually pay a lot of attention to their surroundings,” she said, “but they walked in staring up at the high ceilings and they looked at me and said, ‘Is this for us?’ That made it all worth it.”

Kindergartener J.J. Jagneaux said he takes violin lessons in the house, which is fun, but he really likes being in the house because it does not look like his other classrooms.

O’Shaughnessy said the space is unique for the students because it does not look like a typical classroom and it looks more like a home.

“I think it is the charm of the old house, this old-fashioned and comfortable feeling,” she said. “The acoustics in here are pretty incredible when there are kid voices in here.”

Kindergartener Andrew Crochet said he is excited about using the building for art purposes.

“I really want to see what we’re going to do for art classes,” he said.

Sylvia Gruber, the art teacher, is thrilled about the renovations and utilizing the new space, O’Shaughnessy said.

“The room where she was is kind of dark and cave-like and she did the best she could given that space, but to have all that light and space and room to spread out is actually going to change her curriculum,” she said.

Gruber said her old classroom is approximately one-third of the size of the new classroom, which features two walls of cabinet space in the kitchen area.

“I feel like I have a glimpse of heaven,” Gruber said. “That’s the only way I know how to describe it.”

The space will allow the classes to paint, which Gruber said she did not have the space to do in the previous classroom. She said she also hopes to utilize the fenced-in front yard and porch area, too.

O’Shaughnessy said services and items, such as light fixtures, were donated to the school to complete the renovation.

“We leveraged a $56,000 gift into $67,000 of value into the house when all was said and done,” she said. “People were very appreciative to be able to see where their gift when in something this great for their kids.”

The students will participate in a concert with the Acadiana Symphony Friday and with the Symphony in the Park in April, O’Shaughnessy said. She said the students will utilize the building as a rehearsal space.

“We’re just really grateful that in a day where other schools are cutting funding to the arts, our parent community understands how much arts enrich a curriculum and our humanity,” she said. “Every minute in a school day is precious, and we don’t give them away to things that we don’t value.”