ONE AMAZING KID

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amazing kid

Amazing kids run in the Iyer family. Recently named the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System’s elementary student of the year, Dev, a fifth grader at Buchanan Elementary, is following in the footsteps of his brother, Jay, now a high school senior who was also honored as a fifth grader. Dev excels academically. “I’m particularly proud of getting principal’s list in all my years in elementary school,” he says. He’s already planning a bright future. “I want to become an architectural engineer when I grow up,” he says. The career, which would follow in the engineering footsteps of his dad and grandfather, combines Dev’s love of math, science and art. A multisport athlete, Dev participates in swimming, taekwondo, basketball, baseball and soccer. He’s also an accomplished pianist and artist. Dev’s artwork was chosen as the EBR school system’s annual holiday card three years in a row. Dev is involved in community service, volunteering at assisted living centers, religious institutions, and Mind Relief, an organization the Iyers established to support caregivers and family members of those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. “Dev is a role model in his school,” says Raj Iyer, Dev’s dad. “He is an incredibly hard-working kid who just never gives up and keeps going at it until he gets it done.” Dev also has a great sense of humor. “He’s a really witty guy whose spontaneous answers throw us off guard,” says Usha Iyer, Dev’s mom.

EBR SCHOOLS RECEIVE DIVERSE BOOK DONATION

All 54 public elementary schools in EBR received a set of children’s books featuring BIPOC (Black, indigineous people of color) and LGBTQ+ characters all written by BIPOC authors. The books were provided by a partnership among Knock Knock Children’s Museum, Line4Line, EBR Libraries and the school system. “Schools must have books that represent all children,” says Lucy Perera, director of community programs at Knock Knock and Line4Line co-founder. “Several national and local programs exist that promote literacy by getting books into students’ homes; however, we must be more intentional by making sure these books feature diverse characters, authors and stories.”

Although COVID-19 shifted the way the Parkview Baptist School 5th-12th grade band could rehearse and perform, the school found a way for the show to go on by moving its annual concert outside. Under a beautiful night sky amidst festive lighting in the school’s newly renovated courtyard, the band played on, supported by Parkview Baptist Church, using sound equipment operated by church sound technicians. Although a choir wasn’t possible, the church’s musical minister and a pianist filled in while maintaining safety precautions. The goal of the show was “to turn bitter chocolate into hot chocolate,” says band director Sean Bramley. Bramley and director Paige Riley hope for more performances in the future. Keeping student-athletes healthy is primary, and some sports present a greater risk of concussion. A $3,350 donation from Ascension’s OLOL Physician Group will make sideline concussion testing available for all public high schools in the parish. The program covers multiple sports, including basketball, baseball, cheer, football, soccer and volleyball. “Having these types of tests for some athletes available is one thing we can do to help manage student athletes and their safety,” says Dr. Travis Currie, athletic medical director for the parish. “By having a baseline to compare, we can more quickly detect if an athlete is suffering from a concussion so they can receive the appropriate treatment in a timely manner.”

PARKVIEW STUDENTS MAKE MUSIC OUTSIDE UNIVERSITY LAB PROVIDES FOOD DONATION

Each year, the University Laboratory School hosts One Great Day of Giving, collecting donations of food and money for The Shepherd’s Market client-choice food pantry in south Baton Rouge. The most recent effort collected 5,669 pounds of non-perishable food worth about $4,200, which the pantry gave to its clients at its annual holiday turkey giveaway. Pajama days for elementary and middle school students raised another $1,800 in cash to support the food pantry, and the community gave more than $1,200 directly as well. The physical donations were loaded on a ULS bus for delivery to the market, and students, faculty and parents helped sort the food in time for the giveaway.

NEW PROGRAM ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Although most students attending Democracy Prep Baton Rouge Charter School are virtual learners during COVID-19, the school worked to provide a meaningful 2021 Black History Month for its entire community. Each month, the school features constants during its weekly town halls, and for February, those were “do the right thing even when no one is watching” and “seek to understand.” Some of the older students in grades fifth through eighth participated in a virtual wax museum, representing people who made a difference for African Americans. Black history extends beyond a single month at Democracy Prep, and the school is working on plans to include it as a focus not just in February but all year long.

Schools provide more than just a place for students to achieve academically, as they also support students’ emotional and social development. A new effort from the Louisiana Department of Education, the Social-Emotional Learning and Academic Integration program, will equip school leaders with skills to better support their students. The department is collaborating with LSU to provide a series of workshops grounded in the fundamentals of social-emotional learning. “The needs of our students are often complex and go beyond academics,” says Dr. Cade Brumley, state superintendent of education. “Supporting their social-emotional health ultimately leads to greater academic outcomes and happier kids.” ■ louisianabelieves.com

Don’t Get Caught in an ITCHY Situation

THE NO-PANIC PARENT’S GUIDE TO LICE

BY EMILY EGAN

PODCAST

ONE of the lessons that parents try to teach their children is the importance of sharing with each other. Whether it be their snacks, their thoughts, and occasionally, even their toys, parents know that sharing is an important lesson for children to learn. However, sometimes, sharing can do more harm than good, especially when it comes to their health. In these instances, the first thing that comes to a parent’s mind is germs, however, what is not often thought of is that children can also share lice with each other as well. While parents are normally prepared to care for their children when they come down with a sickness, when they come home with lice, they may not have the first clue where to start.

HEAD CHECK!

If you are informed about a lice outbreak in your child’s school, or if someone your child recently came into contact with has lice, pay close attention to how they are interacting with their head. Are they scratching it more than normal? Do they feel a tickling sensation on their head? If so, this may be a sign that your child may have lice. In her six years with professional head lice service Nitwits, Mariana King has had many parents come with questions about what exactly they are dealing with. “Normally, when lice cause the child to scratch their head, they are having an allergic reaction to either the lice’s bite or their urination,” says King. If parents are not sure, they can always carefully check their child’s head. “Look for anything glistening,” says King. “Nits (lice eggs) are usually found just off of the scalp or hair shaft right off of the scalp and they look a lot like sesame seeds.” If you still are not sure if it is a nit or not, try blowing on it or even carefully trying to pull on it to see if it is loose or not. “Use your fingertips, not your fingernails, to see if it will come off. If it moves, it’s probably just dandruff or something else, but if it sticks, then it’s a nit.” If it is a nit, you must be very careful since lice typically spread through direct contact. The lice will crawl really fast between two points. “They can get anywhere where there is contact, especially around families if their guard is let down, but it is only human to human. They do not bother any pets,” says King. If you want to make sure that your child does not have any lice or nits, Nitwits offers free scheduled lice checks every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. “Just go in and tell them,” says King. “We will work with anyone, no matter their situation.”

If your child does in fact have lice or nits, acting as fast as possible could be the difference between an easier case versus a harder one. Lisa Kea is a mother of three and had an easier time getting rid of lice and nits in her own children. “I used over the counter soap in their hair and combed them out,” says Kea. “Then, I put all of the sheets and pillows in the wash.” While Kea’s case with lice was a mild one, some may be more serious for other children. Amy Mckinney is a mother of two daughters and her treatment was more severe for her children. “They were very hard to get rid of,” says Mckinney. “They ended up having lice three times in four months!” During that four month period, Mckinney tried a number of different treatments before they found what worked best for them. “First, we simply went and did a Nix kit and treated both of them and myself and my husband,” says Mckinney. “It took a week before we actually were able to get rid of the nits, and the next time they had it, we did the same treatment. It is so hard to get rid of all of the nits. This time, I was desperate!” she says. “I called a lice treatment place and got their treatment kit. Once I got home and used the kit, it was similar to the one in the stores and it had natural products. Once again, we thought we were lice free!” Every child is different, and because of this, there is no guarantee that home treat- ments will work

effectively. It all depends on the level of severity, and sometimes, you may need to build upon what you have done before. “The third time they had it, I was talking to a friend who mentioned calling a lice treatment company to come to her house to get rid of the lice and nits. They did the treatment just like I had done before, to kill the live bugs. But once the hair was treated and dry, she started with a nit comb and conditioner, and she sectioned the hair and used generous portions of conditioner on each strand. When combing with the nit comb, the nits just slid out! After hearing the advice, we used this method and it worked! We did this nightly until I didn’t see any nits from the conditioner treatment. It only took about three nights and we were rid of the nits,” says Mckinney. Nitwits also offers a similar service for tougher cases, however, they use a different treatment to clear the bugs out. “We use safe non-toxic treatments to get rid of lice and provide efficient products that will rid your children of lice if done faithfully,” says King. It also helps teach children not to use other’s hair accessories or brushes, whether they have lice or not. “Light hair spray helps, but teach [your children] to not share brushes, headbands, basically anything that goes on the head,” says Kea. While sharing is an important lesson, it may teach your children to not share everything. ■