Northwestern State University will hold a ceremony rededicating its Wellness, Recreation and Activity Center in honor of the late Dr. Randall J. Webb Tuesday, March 20 at 3 p.m. A reception will be held prior to the dedication at 2 p.m. To RSVP for the reception, contact Christie Price at (318) 357-4412 or at pricec@nsula.edu.

Webb was the longest-serving president in the history of Northwestern State, holding the position from July 1, 1996 to Dec. 31, 2014.

Northwestern State students approved a referendum in 1998 to fund construction of the Wellness, Recreation and Activity Center. The $6.9 million project converted the former Intramural Building into a modern 81,000 square foot facility which was completed in 2004.

Under Webb’s leadership, Northwestern State received unprecedented national and international attention for its academic programs and student accomplishments. University facilities in addition to the WRAC were renovated to better serve students and two record-setting capital campaigns took place.

Enrollment reached record levels during Webb’s tenure as president and exceeded 10,500 for the first time in school history in the fall of 2004. Webb led NSU toward higher admission standards, which has resulted in students at the university having greater academic potential and aptitude. During Webb’s tenure, Northwestern State had the largest graduating classes in the university’s history.

Webb expanded the university’s outreach by spearheading the development at NSU of the largest electronic education network of any university in Louisiana.

Millions of dollars were obtained during Webb’s presidency for new and renovated facilities. Other new facilities include the Jimmy D. Long Sr. Student Services Center and University Place I and II. Morrison Hall, the Family and Consumer Sciences Building, Williamson Hall, Russell Hall and Caspari Hall were completely renovated and restored.

A 1965 graduate of Northwestern in mathematics and business education, Webb earned a master of science degree in mathematics from NSU in 1966. He received a doctorate in education from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1971 with a concentration in mathematics and research.

Webb passed away in Nov. 2015.

 

Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Victor Jones has announced the availability of a $500 college scholarship for a Natchitoches Parish graduating high school senior.

The scholarship is made available each year through the Louisiana Sheriff’s Honorary Membership Program to help defray the cost associated with higher education. One scholarship is awarded in each parish where the sheriff participates in the Honorary Membership Program.

To qualify for a scholarship, the recipient must be a permanent resident of Louisiana, plan to enroll as a full-time undergraduate student, and agree to use the scholarship at a Louisiana institute of higher education. Applications must be eligible for admission to the school indicated on their application.

The deadline to apply is March 19. Completed applications should be mailed to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office, Attention: Deputy Sandra Moreau, P.O. Box 266, Natchitoches, LA 71457 or can be delivered in person to the Sheriff’s Office at 200 Church Street.

Scholarship winner will be announced by May 1. To receive an application contact the Sheriff’s Office at 318-357-7802.

 

 

 

NSU– Northwestern State University’s Office of Electronic and Continuing Education will present a Family & Friends CPR course Monday, March 19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Room 118 of Fournet Hall. The fee is $10 plus a $5 material fee.

The course teaches the lifesaving skills of adult hands-only CPR, adult CPR with breaths, child CPR with breaths, adult and child AED use, infant CPR and mild and severe airway block for adults, children, and infants. Skills are taught in a dynamic group environment using the American Heart Association (AHA) research-proven practice-while-watching technique, which provides students with the most hands-on CPR practice time possible.

Family & Friends CPR is for people who want to learn CPR but do not need a CPR course completion card to meet a job requirement. This course is ideal for community groups, new parents, grandparents, babysitters and others interested in learning how to save a life. A certificate of participation will be provided at the end of the course.

For more information, call (318) 357-6355, (800) 376-2422 or go to nsula.edu/ece/non-credit-programs.

 

St. Mary’s selected several students for Positive behavior referrals. Principal Andrea Harrell gave the students their referral forms and told them to keep up the good work!! Students included: David Thibodaux, Alyssa Waters, Preston Martinez, Ryan Theilen, Anna Johnson and Avery Sheffield.

 

Winner of the 1948 Pulitzer, “A Streetcar Named Desire” is often regarded as one of the finest plays of the 20th century, and is generally considered to be Williams’ greatest work. Tennessee Williams’ sultry story of passion revolves around faded Southern belle Blanche DuBois’ visit to her sister in a seedy section of New Orleans. On the fringes of sanity, Blanche is trying to forget her checkered past and start life anew. Tensions rise as the web of lies closes in on her, leading to a shocking climax that will change them all forever.

Wednesday March 14th – Saturday March 17th @ 7:30 pm

Sunday Matinee March 18th @ 2 pm

Wednesday March 21st – March 24th @ 7:30 pm

Location: Theatre West in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium on the NSU Campus

For Reservations please call Box Office – 318-357-4218 or 357-4483

***Seats are limited***

Adults – $15

Child/Sr. – $12

NSU Students/Dual Students/LSMSA – All student must come reserve tickets at Room 108 of Old Fine Arts with your ID or email with Wanda Lucas with date and student ID #.

 

 

By Joe Darby

So there we were, right in the middle of downtown Mexico City, taking a walk after lunch when we came upon the decapitated statue.

It was 1966 and student unrest was rife, all over the world. Graffiti covered the statue but it was in Spanish so I didn’t know the reason for the vandalism. But something about the scene irritated me and I, rather unthinkingly, said moderately loudly, “Viva Zachary Taylor. Viva Winfield Scott?”

Those chaps are, of course, the two American generals who conquered Mexico in the Mexican-American War of 1846-47. To cheer for them in Mexico City was perhaps not the wisest move to make at the time.

My action caused my traveling companion and good buddy Bob to react with chagrin and do his best to shush me up as quickly as possible. I suppose we were very lucky that no militant students were nearby to hear my provocative words. Just some older Mexican citizens going about their daily business, who gave us some annoyed looks, as I remember. “Dos Gringos stupido,” was probably their private thoughts.

Aside from that touchy moment, our trip was pretty much all that we expected it to be. Bob. another young reporter at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, and I had been eagerly planning our trip for months. It was the fist visit to a foreign country that either of us had ever made.

We were to catch a night flight out of New Orleans International Airport, but the plane on which we were to fly was having mechanical difficulties, so the airline put up all of the passengers at a nice hotel across the street. We’d take off the following morning.

Bob and I decided to take advantage of the hotel pool, where we encountered two attractive young ladies who were also flying to Mexico and despite — or perhaps because of — our somewhat clumsy attempts to strike up an acquaintance with them, they decided to go their way so we had to go ours.

We’d carefully picked out our hotel, the Hotel Compastella, on Sullivan Street in downtown Mexico. Funny what details you can remember from special times.

The Compastella was not fancy but it was clean, we had our own private bath, two beds and it all cost $2.50 a night. Yes, you read that right.

We hit the tourist highlights. We visited the magnificent National Museum of Archaeology, where fabulous Meso-American treasures are collected. And we went to the historic Chapultepec Castle, high on a hill right in the middle of the city.

The castle, which contains a great collection of armor of the conquistadores, was the final military objective of the American troops when they captured Mexico City in the war. US forces overwhelmed cadets from the Mexican military academy, who are rightly regarded as heroes by the Mexicans today.

Bob and I also hired a car and driver to take us out to Teotehuacan, one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever seen in my life. Magnificent pyramids to the sun and moon dominate many other smaller structures and the atmosphere surrounding the place is almost unworldly. It was built by a people of whom little is known, about the time of Christ. Scientists are still exploring its wonders to this day.

The two New Orleans youngsters, relishing their first big adventure, also partook of the Mexico City nightlife, but as Forest Gump said, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

Bob is one of my oldest friends. He still lives in the New Orleans area and reads my column in the NPJ. Hope you enjoyed this one, old man!

This will be the final story of my international travels. If you’ve followed my recent scribblings, you’ve read about what I think are some very interesting places. I hope I made it worth your time. Next week? I’m not really sure yet.

Superintendent Dale Skinner announced at the March 7 School Board meeting that changes were made to the school reorganization plan that was approved last month.

According to a handout, the School Board’s Curriculum Team made these changes after receiving community, teacher and parent input on the reorganization. These changes were made, “in order to have schools with lower, more manageable numbers.”

Weaver- PreK, K and First Grade (600 students)

Parks- Second, Third and Fourth Grade (586 students)

LP Vaughn- Fifth and Sixth Grade (395 students)

NJH- Seventh and Eighth Grade (403 students)

East- Magnet (400 students)

The board’s initial reaction was to put this up for a vote at April’s meeting. Skinner said he’d like to get the board’s approval as soon as possible so they could move forward with their planning. Eugene Garner made a motion to suspend the meeting rules and add this as an agenda item to Wednesday night’s meeting. Tommy Melder seconded the motion but it failed because Emile Metoyer, Steven Harris, Rhonda Guidroz and Ralph Wilson voted against it.

Skinner then asked for a Special Called Meeting to be held Tuesday, March 13 at 5 pm to discuss and vote on this item. Also added to the March 13 agenda was an item to create a part-time website advisor position

In other business, Supervisor of Business Affairs Richard Foshee presented the board with a Tax Report and Budget Update. January tax collections were $1.5 million, which is up from last year. When the 1/2 cent sales tax increase, which started in July, is factored in there’s no growth. “We’re not seeing an increase,” said Foshee. “The decrease is so minor I’d call it flat.” Foshee also said the revenues are exceeding the expenditures in the Food Services, Title I, and General Funds. “We’re trending to be below budget in these three areas,” he said.

Agenda items included:

Approve compensation for back travel wages for Superintendent

Permission to advertise for timber bids on Posey Road Tract

Approve addendum to Pupil Progression Plan

Approve 2018-2019 School Calendar

Receive presentations for RFPs for Student Transportation Services

Adopt resolution to support Louisiana State Association of School Personnel Administrators’ resolution calling for the creation of a Task Force to address the shortage of certified teachers

Approve bid solicitation for all Natchitoches Parish District 7 improvements listed in the recent bond proposal (Fairview, Goldonna and Lakeview). Skinner said they’re trying to get rolling on the work to get things done before the next school year.

Approve memorandum of understanding for approval for the School Empowerment Network to work with the Weaver campus next year. This is a school redesign grant that the School Board received approval on, which will be used to help with the school reorganization

 

NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Ella Metoyer
December 24, 1928 – March 6, 2018
Service: Thursday, March 8 at 11 am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Cloutierville
Interment: Catholic Cemetery

Felton A Gates
August 12, 1929 – March 5, 2018
Visitation: Friday, March 9 from 9-10 am at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Friday, March 9 at 10 am at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Interment: Marthaville Cemetery in Marthaville

Anthony “Tony” John Arceneaux
October 14, 1922 – March 3, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 10 from 9-10 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church. Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 10 am.
Service: Saturday, March 10 at 10:30 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Ilse Brevelle
Interment: St. Augustine Cemetery

SABINE PARISH:

Ursula R. Perry
Service: Saturday, March 10 at 1 pm at Zwolle School Auditorium
Interment: Wolffin Cemetery in Belmont

RED RIVER PARISH:

Marie Carter
Visitation: Friday, March 9 from 1-6 pm at the Jenkins Funeral Home in Mansfield
Service: Saturday, March 10 at 11 am at the Logansport High School Gym
Interment: Community Cemetery in Logansport

 

 

District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington announced today the sentencing in two felony cases.

Marlon Rachal II, 21 of Natchitoches, pled guilty in November to one count of manslaughter. The guilty plea related to a March 2016 incident in which Rachal II and his father Marlon Rachal Sr. were involved in a verbal argument. The argument escalated into a physical altercation in which Rachal Sr. was shot and killed by Rachal II.

Tenth Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Dyess sentenced Rachal II, on Feb. 28, to 30 years in prison at hard labor in the custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Amanda McClung.

In a separate case, Arthur Isaac, 21 of Natchitoches, pled guilty in November to one count of armed robbery. The guilty plea related to a December 2015 robbery of Dollar General on University Parkway in Natchitoches.

Judge Dyess sentenced Isaac, on Feb. 28, to 13 years in prison at hard labor in the custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Amanda McClung.

 

 

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey introduced Natchitoches Fire Chief John Wynn at the March 6 meeting of Rotary Club of Natchitoches. Chief Wynn summarized the responsibilities of the Natchitoches Fire Department, and Mayor Posey explained the importance of renewing the tax that supports the Natchitoches Fire Department. In addition, Mayor Posey updated the Rotarians on what was happening in Natchitoches. Pictured from left to right are Mayor Posey, Rotarian with the Program Richard White, and Chief Wynn (photo by Dr. Ron McBride).

By Keator Poleman, NSU Student
Article and photo republished courtesy of The Current Sauce

Cuba and the U.S. seem worlds apart. While our differences often overshadow the similarities we share, one connection that persists is our passion for the arts.

Reynier Llanes is a Cuban artist from the Pinar del Río area. Llanes moved to Naples, Florida, in 2007 and later to Miami. Now he’s come to Northwestern State University to be an artist-in-residence until March, teaching students while working on his own artwork.

Llanes believes he has been an artist since he was in the womb, with his earliest memory of art coming from when he was a small child, age 4 or 5.

“I knew that I was very into creating things, portraying my dreams and trying to capture things that I’ve seen like natural life,” the artist said.

Llanes began attending art school at age 15 and studied for five years. After graduating, he began working as a professor, teaching at universities and high schools in Cuba. He says it gave him “a lot of prospective,” and he enjoyed sharing his knowledge with students.

“When you go to Cuba and see the art schools, even though they don’t have all the materials that we need, they’re still creating good art,” he said. “They’re still passionate about it.”

A resourceful man, Llanes once had difficulty getting watercolors due to a lack of resources in Cuba and instead used coffee. Though he says the experience was an accident, he has since used coffee in several pieces of his work.

Llanes considers himself a journalist as well as an artist.

“I don’t have a major in journalism or anything like that,” he said. “But I feel like I’m representing our current times through my work.”

Though he has a tendency to create “romantic” pieces – “fun paintings using metaphors,” Llanes believes artists can help the world improve through their work.

Since coming to NSU, Llanes has helped aspiring artists plan for career maintenance once their time in school ends. He advises students begin getting their work out in public while they are students.

Reynier LlanesPhotos by Valentina Perez Espinosa

 

The Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice (LYRC) Award is a reading enrichment program of the Louisiana Center for the Book of the State Library of Louisiana. The purpose of the program is to foster a love of reading in the children of Louisiana by motivating them to participate in the recognition of outstanding books.

Committees of Louisiana librarians compile two lists of books: one for students in grades 3-5 and one for students in grades 6-8. Suggestions for titles to be considered may be submitted to the chair of the committee. The lists are well-balanced selections of high-quality fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Students may read or listen to the books and vote for their favorite one. This is a great way to involve students in literature and get them excited about reading for pleasure. The books that receive the most votes from the students are the Award Winners. The books with the second most votes are the Honor Books.

The Natchitoches Parish Library offered an extra incentive along with the Friends of the Library by sponsoring a reader raffle for children that read a book from the list and submitted a reader review. The grand prize winner received a Kindle Fire 7, and two runners up each received the Guinness World Records 2018.

The winning books of the 2018 LYRC were Ivan the Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla (grades 3-5) and The Crossover (grades 6-8).

 

 

Rising seventh, eighth and ninth grade students from across the region are invited to attend Summer @LSMSA to be held June 3-9, June 10-16 and June 17-23 at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.

Open to all interested students, Summer @LSMSA will consist of three, two-hour long courses per day. Campers will spend six hours a day in fun, but educational, classes of their choosing. These fun classes will be taught by LSMSA faculty and staff and are designed to teach in an exploratory way. After classes, students will have lots of activities to choose from that are organized and monitored by professional LSMSA residential life staff. Students have the option of staying overnight in an LSMSA residence hall or going home after class. Either way, students will get a feel for the LSMSA experience in a fun and comfortable environment.

Courses to be offered include Acting Technique, Beginning Improv, Common Tropes in Film, Creative Writing, Creole Culture In Louisiana, Cultural Anthropology, Discover Natchitoches, Emerging Leaders, Everyday Physics, Exploring French, Exploring the Human Body, Introduction to Music Theory, Journalism Today, Piano for the Total Beginner, Piano Masterclass (Intermediate/Advanced), Plants and Society, Poetry Out Loud, Robotics, Sports Variety and the Art and Science of Escape Rooms.

Early registration for Summer @LSMSA will be held now through Saturday, March 31. The cost will be $375 for the week and includes all meals and activities for overnight campers. The cost for day campers is $275 for the week and includes lunch, class activities and some optional afternoon activities.

During regular registration, which will end Tuesday, May 15, or until all available spots are filled, overnight campers will pay $399 for the week and includes all meals and activities. Day campers will pay $299 for the week and includes lunch, class activities and some optional afternoon activities.

For more information call the Office of External Affairs at 318-357-2579 or email externalaffairs@lsmsa.edu. To register, visit http://www.LSMSA.edu/Summer.

 

The Lakeview Beta Club completed a community service project to help the disabled through Easterseals. Beta Club raised money selling candy grams for Valentine’s day so they could donate to this worthy cause. They took a tour and a watched a presentation March 1 about how this amazing organization helps the disabled live independently and reach their full potential.

Pictured above, on first row from left, are Diavione Frazier, Quintarious Coleman, Camryn Brown, LaDarrion Winslow, and Mekaila Brakton. On second row are Shaa’vareyah Page, Alayshia Moss, Alexia Adams, Taylor Coleman, Kalynne Goss, Kara Alford, Raelynn Lebrun, Jada Aldredge, Alanna Alderson, Amber Hembree, Emily Corley, and Ke’Aira Thomas. On third row are Gracie Niette, Mackenzie Phillips, Ashanti Garner, Kacyee Smith, Anna Smith, Zenobia Poydras, Serenity Beavers, Akeria Payton, Shaquera Reliford, Za’Chary Jackson, Salem Johnson, Madison McLaren, Mason Harper, Madison Hale, Martina Jarnagin, and Skylar Williams. On fourth row are Jaquan Bobb, Joshua Mattox, Karmen Jarriett, Javari Reliford, Joshua Graham, LaDavion Winslow, Shermarcus Page, Jalen Winslow, Matthew Vaughn, Landon Vaughn, Jalen Triplet-Bell, and Blake Smith.

Officers Quintarious Coleman, Camryn Brown, and LaDarrion Winslow presented Bernie Betting, Director of Development for the State, with their donation.

 

Author, editor, teacher Denise Lewis Patrick was the featured speaker at three elementary schools in Leesville Monday. Patrick, a 1977 graduate of Northwestern State University, is visiting Louisiana from her home in New Jersey and will also be a guest instructor in several NSU communications classes this week. She will offer a public lecture beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8 in Magale Recital Hall, preceded by a reception and book signing from 6-7 p.m. in Orville Hanchey Gallery.

Patrick, accompanied by her mother, longtime educator Edwina Lewis, visited Vernon Middle School, West Leesville Elementary and Parkway Elementary to discuss her work and creative process with fourth and fifth graders and read from her books. She discussed with classes topics on which they are writing, answered questions and encouraged them to listen and make observations about things around them. She also discussed her love of research, how story ideas come to her and showed students books she made by hand as a child and as an adult.

The elementary school presentations were coordinated by Anna MacDonald, library associate at NSU’s Leesville campus, and Martha Koury, Leesville campus director, and included an introductory skit based on one of Lewis’s books with three actors from NSU lab schools and two from NSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance under the direction of NSU Elementary Lab teacher Lisa Wiggins. Performers were sixth grader Victoria Wiggins and fifth graders Bess Stewart and Sydni Jones with NSU students Taijha Silas of Pineville and Madeline Monlezun of Covington in a skit based on “Meet Cecile,” the first in the Cecile series of Patrick’s popular American Girl books.

As part of the visits, NSU First Lady Jennifer Maggio delivered boxes of books to each school. The books were collected during Maggio’s Forks Up for Literacy campaign in which she collected more than 4,200 books for schools, daycares and youth centers in the region.

Patrick is a Natchitoches native who earned a degree in journalism at NSU in 1977 and a master’s in creative writing from the University of New Orleans. A long-time resident of New York City area, she is a freelance writer, editor, instructor and literary consultant who has authored books of poetry, short stories, picture and board books for children, non-fiction biographies, middle grade novels and a young adult novel.

Patrick has written narratives for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center exhibition, published a review in the New York Times and has written sections for Fodor’s Travel Guides to New York City. She has also worked as an editor for Scholastic, Inc., as well as several other publishing companies and teaches intermediate writing at Nyack College.

After penning two stories for the American Girl Doll series, Patrick was lauded by the African American Academy of Arts and Letters for Children’s Book of the Year, was a runner-up for the Lamplighter Award by the National Christian School Association and had two books listed as Best Books for the Teenager by the New York Public Library. She has served on the advisory board for the Books for Kids Foundation, as a mentor for an afterschool writing club, as a writer’s coach and as an elementary school reading volunteer.

Her most recent book released in January, “A Girl Named Rosa,” tells the story of Rosa Parks for elementary students.

Patrick was inducted into Northwestern State University’s Alumni Hall of Distinction, the Long Purple Line, in 2014.

Books will be offered for sale and refreshments will be provided at the March 8 event. For more information on Patrick, visit her website at deniselewispatrick.com.

 

 

 

NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Ella Metoyer
December 24, 1928 – March 6, 2018
Visitation: Wednesday, March 7 from 5-9 pm with the recitation of the Rosary at 7 pm at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Thursday, March 8 at 11 am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Cloutierville
Interment: Catholic Cemetery

Theresa Farmer
June 28, 1956 – February 26, 2018
Service was held March 3

Etoile Mobley Richey
October 1, 1922 – March 4, 2018
Service was held

Felton A Gates
August 12, 1929 – March 5, 2018
Visitation: Friday, March 9 from 9-10 am at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Friday, March 9 at 10 am at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Interment: Marthaville Cemetery in Marthaville

Anthony “Tony” John Arceneaux
October 14, 1922 – March 3, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 10 from 9-10 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church. Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 10 am.
Service: Saturday, March 10 at 10:30 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Ilse Brevelle
Interment: St. Augustine Cemetery
RAPIDES PARISH:

Catherine Mae Robinson Hornor
June 12, 1925 – March 5, 2018
Visitation: Wednesday, March 7, 2018 from 12-1 pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehevoh’s Witnesses
Service: Wednesday, March 7 at 1 pm in the Kingdom Hall
Interment: Alexandria Memorial Gardens

 

Dr. Chris Maggio, Class of 1982, followed in his family’s long tradition of attending St. Mary’s Catholic School. His mother and father and their siblings attended St. Mary’s. His father Henry “Buddy” Maggio graduated in 1947 and his mother Nita Perot Maggio graduated in 1956.

Chris started his career at St. Mary’s when he got a job teaching and coaching. “I remember being just as excited on my first day of school as I was on my first day working as a teacher,” he said. “It’s always had a small environment with a good Catholic education.”

Dr. Maggio will speak at Saturday, March 10, starting at 6 pm during the St. Mary’s Second Annual, “Whatever Happened To…A Trip Down Memory Lane.”

Get ready for an evening of stories and lore from St. Mary’s alumni and former employees including:

Barry Guillet, Entrepreneur, Class of 1964

Henry Chandler, Celebrity Chef, Class of 1977

Dr. Chris Maggio, NSU President, Class of 1982

Mrs. Nona Bobo, St. Mary’s Librarian, 1973-2008

Dr. Maggio will talk about his quest for learning, from the foundation he received at St. Mary’s, to his role as president of Northwestern State University.

“There wasn’t a single thing I disliked about St. Mary’s,” he said. “I just loved learning.”

He credits fellow speaker Nona Bobo as being instrumental in setting a great foundation for him early on in his life. He grew at St. Mary’s, watching his peers receive awards and wanting to emulate them.

He took the advice of then student body president Joe Stamey and soon became student body president himself. He then passed down the wisdom he’d learned to the next group of students.

“I really liked that about St. Mary’s,” he said. “There was always opportunities for mentoring, in academics and athletics.”

Now his children go there (one is a sophomore and two are alum of the school.) As a parent, he has volunteered as a coach and his wife Jennifer worked as a counselor and religion teacher at St. Mary’s before becoming NSU’s first lady.

As a university president, Dr. Maggio said it’s good to have St. Mary’s as part of the collective K-12 system in Natchitoches Parish. NSU offers dual enrollment to high school students and has a great working relationship with the local athletic teams.

While St. Mary’s has changed over the years, Dr. Maggio said he loves that its mission and values have remained constant. He does enjoy seeing the expansion in technology and student opportunities.

The evening will feature Live Auction Items, Light Hor d’oeuvres, and a Cash Bar. Social Hour starts at 6 pm, and the program begins at 7 pm in the St. Mary’s Gym.

Tickets are $50 per person. Contact Susan Wright, 318-352-8394, swright@smstigers.org or Payne Williams, 318-352-6695, willwill@cp-tel.net.

 

The St. Augustine Historical Society recognized their seniors, ages 80 and up at is annual meeting in January. Seniors are the best historians and each senior gave advice on how to live a successful, long life. Pictured above from left are Daniel Roque Sr., Dee LaCour, Isabel Arceneaux (90+), Rosa Sarpy, Rose Helen Metoyer, Lucy Metoyer, Gloria Jones, and Lucy “Toot” LaCour.

The late Willie Metoyer was awarded the prestigious “Grandpere Award” for preserving the community’s history and heritage by leading efforts to place the St. Augustine Catholic Church and Cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places as a “traditional cultural center.” Metoyer’s efforts exemplified the visionary and faith-filled character of community founder, Nicholas Augustine Metoyer, fondly known as “Grandpere.”

President of the St. Augustine Historical Society, Dr. Harlan Mark Guidry, presented the “Grandpere Award” posthumous to Willie Metoyer, with Rose Helen Metoyer accepting on behalf of her late husband. With her is daughter Bridget Metoyer Pay.

 

 

Megan McDaniel returned to her alma mater recently to meet with several individuals who were important mentors to her during her undergraduate years at Northwestern State University and announce the creation of an endowed scholarship to benefit minority students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The Megan Elizabeth McDaniel STEM Scholarship will be awarded to a junior or senior majoring in a STEM field with preference to a student in biology or chemistry. McDaniel, a Natchitoches native, is a 2013 graduate of NSU where she earned undergraduate degrees in biology with a biomedical concentration and in general studies with a computer science concentration. She was also a member of more than 10 student organizations, engaged in and out of the classroom.

McDaniel said she was inspired to create the award because of a scholarship initiated by her friend Trevor McCray, a 2015 graduate of Northwestern State University who wanted to help young minority males seeking a degree. As a Freshman Connector, McDaniel befriended McCray, then a freshman who wasn’t sure he wanted to stay in college, but at McDaniel’s encouragement, he stayed, got involved with several campus organizations and earned a criminal justice degree. He created the Davis-McCray Minority Male Scholarship as a graduate student.

“I was inspired by Trevor and his efforts to give back,” McDaniel said.

After earning two degrees at NSU, McDaniel enrolled in a chemical engineering program where she noticed she was one of the minorities in the program. As a young professional on her first job in the oil and gas industry, she said she was one of five women and one of two African Americans in her facility. She hopes the scholarship will help young students feel confident when they may be one of few people of color in STEM classes and she hopes they will be encouraged to see more minorities working in STEM professions.

“The ideal recipient is someone who is not only a minority but also someone who takes pride in attending NSU, like I did,” McDaniel said. “It would be someone who works hard in the classroom and outside the classroom.”

“It was a great pleasure to work with Megan and discuss the scholarship focused on minority students in the STEM fields,” said NSU Development Officer Kimberly Gallow. “She also joined the Excellence Team of the Columns Fund and will be contributing annually to our unrestricted fund for the university.”

Millennial giving has grown steadily at NSU as young professionals seek ways to help their peers earn degrees. Gallow, who has been instrumental in increasing engagement among young alumni through social media and online networking, said making an impact is a priority for Millennials. More and more recent graduates are making commitments, even in small increments, she said.

“It is important for our generation to know they are helping others. Megan kicked off the scholarship to celebrate her birthday on Feb. 27 and she asked family and friends to support her in reaching the goal of $10,000. We expect to begin awarding the scholarship in Fall 2019,” Gallow said. “We want to congratulate and thank Megan for contributing to the success of our students and faculty.”

To create or contribute to an NSU scholarship, contact Gallow at (318) 357-4414 or visit northwesternalumni.com.

 

Chris Zirkle, Tyler Rapp, Zak Krolczyk and many other Northwestern State Football players came to Weaver Elementary on March 1. They visited with students, answered questions, and played games in the gym for Chris Waddell Day.