Living in Lake Forest Estates

Resident Shawn Lockett Speaks on Paradise in East New Orleans

Written by Kevin O’Sullivan
 

Shawn Lockett, the former music and assistant band director at St. Augustine High School and former band director at Sci Academy (East New Orleans), moved to Lake Forest Estates in March of 2014 with his wife, Melanie, and his two daughters, Crystal and Jade. Lockett has lived all across East New Orleans, and to him, Lake Forest Estates is “the best neighborhood by far.”

The Lockett family made the move so that their daughters could live closer to Lake Forest Charter Elementary School, which at the time was on Hayne Boulevard. In a twist of fate, their new home on Foxcroft would be only houses away from the brand new campus on Lake Forest Boulevard that opened in January of 2016.

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Lake Forest Charter is a nationally recognized school with consistently high scores, high student achievement and a 2013 National Blue Ribbon School award. Lockett’s daughters are in love with the school and the extracurricular programs that it offers. “There are so many activities at the school,” Lockett says, “it is hard to get the kids to do anything else. My oldest, Crystal, is in the literary club, the journalism club and she’s a cheerleader.”

It’s not just the school that makes this community so enchanting. Lake Forest Estates is a tight-knit community with residents that respect their properties as well as their neighbors. Lockett clearly reveres his new home, saying, “I really love this neighborhood. Everyone takes care of their homes. It’s very serene here. Everyone minds their own business, but everyone looks out for each other too. As soon as I moved in my neighbor came to me, introduced himself and gave me a neighborhood charter with all of the community guidelines.”  

The Lake Forest Estate Improvement Association orchestrates a network of community members to keep an open eye and ear on the neighborhood to ensure that every resident is happy and his/her voice is heard. “Everyone knows each other. They have to. They look out for you, tell you what’s going on, and tell you the history of your house and the area. It is pretty amazing.”

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Lake Forest Estates is a clean and quiet community with nature parks, a great school and neighbors who care. But above all, it’s safe. “The neighborhood is primarily residential, and the streets are weird, so it’s hard to just wander in. So there is less traffic and less worrying about who is coming into the neighborhood.
“Do I have any stories that stick out? Not really [laughs]. It’s just always peaceful out here. It’s a perfect place to raise a family. I love it, I really do.”
 


About Lake Forest Estates

Lake Forest Estates is one of the premier subdivisions in East New Orleans and continues to improve. Along with its beautiful family homes, Lake Forest Estates also borders the incredible Louisiana Nature Center, Joe W. Brown Memorial Park and a brand new, state-of-the-art elementary school, Lake Forest Charter. The Lake Forest Estates Improvement Association is always on top of its neighborhood and organizing community events to propagate a meaningful relationship amongst its community members. 

 

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