N P MOss school

N P Moss School was built around the same time and with the same architectural style as Lafayette Middle and Judice Middle Schools. One year after it opened, the grounds served as a temporary tent city for those who were left homeless after the Mississippi River valley Flood of 1927. In the 1930s, it was the first school in Lafayette Parish to offer a school lunch program, and during the 1940s students and faculty actively worked together on hometown projects to support World War II efforts abroad. Projects included a Victory Garden, scrap metal collecting, rolling first aid bandages, and selling war bonds and stamps. The school was originally named for Dr. Nathaniel Peter Moss, a native of Lafayette Parish, born in 1864. Dr. Moss was the son of A. J. Moss and Octave Cornay Moss. He started his first business at an early age, becoming a merchant at 18. After studying medicine under Dr. Francis Sterling Mudd, he entered medical school at Tulane University, graduating in the spring of 1887. He returned to Lafayette to practice medicine and manage Moss Pharmacy. The Moss Pharmacy building is still located on the corner of Vermilion and Jefferson streets, and it is featured on page 19 of this book. Dr. Moss served as President of the Lafayette Parish School Board for many years, and the school’s name honored the many achievements made by the School Board under his leadership. In 2019, the school was renamed for Dr. Raphael A. Baranco, prominent civic leader and the first black member of Lafayette Parish School Board.