DENHAM SPRINGS - Past and present educators, students, and community members will gather at two Livingston Parish schools Wednesday to say farewell.

Both Southside Elementary and Southside Junior High will be demolished and combined into one campus because of substantial damage caused by the August 2016 flood.

“We are excited about the future for these schools, and the impact they will continue to have on the children of Livingston Parish,” Superintendent Rick Wentzel said. “With that said, we know that this is a bittersweet time for so many, and we wanted to give our people who are so passionately connected to these two schools an opportunity to say farewell and to be a part of this new chapter.”

The rebuilding plan includes demolishing all but two buildings on the Southside Elementary campus, and all but the band room will be torn down at Southside Junior High. The schools will be merged and rebuilt on a 27-acre site.

The combined campus will house two distinct schools will house student from kindergarten to 8th grade, as well as share some facilities to reduce duplication and maximize cost savings.

A farewell ceremony will be held Wednesday at Southside Elementary at 12:30 p.m. and a commemoration ceremony will be held at Southside Junior High at 2:30 p.m.