re: Kurt Hester assistant strength coach at LSU from 1995-98

I think you're spot on with the historical perspective. St. Paul's was also a boarding school until my 8th grade year in 2002-03, when they shut down the dorms. It used to be predominately boarding students until many people from the South Shore started moving over in the 80s and 90s. It was much like St. Stanislaus used to be. Because it was the only Catholic school in West St. Tammany Parish, it was the only option for all of these new North Shore residents. Correspondingly, in the next couple decades, enrollment numbers skyrocketed. Luckily, St. Paul's has a massive campus and generous alumni endowment that could accommodate this increase.

In the late 90s, enrollment was ~500 students in grades 8-12, and today it is right around 900 - with many aspiring students having to be turned down each year. And this is with Archbishop Hannan just a few miles away. The North Shore's population is ever-growing (I will say, Totes McGotes, that Katrina did have a hand in this.. although many of the former St. Bernard residents have sent their children to Hannan, with an exception every now and then).