School superintendents Hollis Miltonin West Feliciana and Keisha L. Netterville in East Feliciana say their school systems are ready for the new school year
Milton reminds everyone, “Communication between parents, teachers and the school is vital to our students’ success. We encourageparents to stay connectedaswe partner to make the 2024-25 school year another great year in West Feliciana.
“Asalways, we are grateful for thesupport of our community.Workingtogether, we will continue our long history of success on behalf of our students.”
Netterville said, “Three years ago, our communitycametogethertobegin thework of #HomegrownPride, EastFelicianaPublic Schools’ five-year strategic plan.We’ve worked together,making clear plans, setting intentional goals, and monitoringour
progress on those plans and goals. As a result, ourteachers are delivering higher quality lessons, ourstudents are taking smarter,more aligned assessments, and we are providing our students with more specific support based on theresults of those assessments.
“Because of this purposeful and collaborativework, student reading and math achievement in East Feliciana Public Schoolsisatahistorichigh. According to theEducationRecovery Scorecard (educationrecoveryscorecard.org/states/louisiana),schools across the country experienced substantial learning loss in the wake of theCOVID-19 pandemic. In fact, Louisiana is one of three states where 2023 reading achievement is exceeding 2019 reading achievement.
“Inmath, students acrossthe country have only madeupathird of their learning loss. The EducationRecovery Scorecard re-
portsa differentstory in East FelicianaParish. While studentsinother schoolsacross thestate and country lost reading and math learning during the pandemic, reading achievement remained constant and math achievement continued to increaseinour schools.”
Here are specifics each superintendent wanted to share: West Feliciana/HollisMilton
“As we approach thestart of the2024-25 school year,Iwanted to take amoment to reach out and share someexciting news and important information,” Milton said.
Uniformsand other information
n All uniform and school supply informationcan be found on theschool’swebsite and inthe school’shandbook at www.wfpsb.org.
n Bains Lower Elementaryand Bains Elementarywillcontinue to offerbeforeand after care this school year.The schools will
send home.
n West Feliciana Schools License Plates are now available at the Office of Motor Vehicles. For information, visit www.expresslane.org/vehichles/plates or call the specialized vehicle unit at (225) 925-6278 or (225) 925-6146.
Improvements “Improved facilities lead to higher expectations, bring increased pride forour community schoolsand,mostimportantly, demonstrate our collective investment in our students,” Milton said.
High SchoolAthletic FieldHouse: The new Athletic FieldHouse will be completed in spring 2025. The enhancement will complement the improvements madetothe stadium in 2022 with artificial
SUMMER CAMP
Led by the teenagers andadults,
BY MELINDARAWLS HOWELL
Contributing writer
Camp Firelight: ASummer
Camp Adventure withGod wasthe themeofthe recent vacation Bible school at Jackson United MethodistChurch vacationBible school. Children ages 4through 12, afew teenager helpers andadults took part in the July 15-19 camp. Adaily collection raised money forthe Methodist Childrens’ Homeand local food bank. Each day’slesson focused on adifferent story taken from Scriptures in both theOld and
New Testaments. The Bible verse learned and repeated each day as a camp call-out was Psalm 56:3. The morning assembly and gathering before dismissal were led by Susan Vidrine,playing the part of camp counselor,with afirefly puppet namedLujoining in the discussion.The Camp Firelight music at assemblies and class time for the different age groups were led by Rhonda Tomb. In addition to theclassroom lesson, students visited ascience station,enjoyed making crafts and
Fine free at AudubonLibrary
Pitchford
The AudubonRegional Library announced onFacebook that it is now fine free. Also, thelibrary will now allow patrons to print or make copies for free, up to $1 aday.Outgoing faxes will be free upto$10. Winner announcement postponed
The Clinton Is Home committee said it has postponed theannouncement of theart contest for Clinton’sbicentennial.The committeesaid so manypieces came in near the deadline, it needs more time to reach adecision.
ä See AROUND, page 4G
GABBY JIMENEZ Staff writer
PHOTO BY MELINDARAWLS HOWELL
Scripture is acted out in skitsatthe Bible Story Station.
Students and teacher observe and participate at the Science Station during Jackson United Methodist Church’svacation Bible school
CAMP
Continued from page1G
had time playing outside or in the recreation hall. They also watched and sometimes participated in the skits performed daily by several youth and young adults. The colorful decorations andprops for the camp theme were spread throughout the church even into the social hall where snacks were served. Another serviceoffered at theVBS wasthatthe Jackson Lions Club also checked, withthe parents’ permission, the vision of the children attending. The weeklong Bible school concluded with a closing program for families and students at noon. The Rev.Chris Curry thankedall the volunteers for making VBS possible, the students for attending and the parents for allowing them to come. All were invited to the social hall for refreshments following the program’sconclusion.
THE WATCHMAN P.O. Box368 Clinton, LA 70722 (225) 388-0215
because theshootings happened before 2019 and prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty Under the law in place then, after the panel reached more than 10 guilty votes, it no longer needed to deliberate.
388-0128
EMAIL: weeklylegals@ theadvocate.com
(225)388-0625 Jackson United Methodist Church’s vacation Bible school students in the 11-12-yearold classroom.
At the 2019 trial, DeFranceschi’swife, Kaylene,described himasa “fearless father” who told herhis family shouldn’t live in fear,despite her worries about the streak of seemingly random violence near their home the night before he died.
Kaylene hadtestified at the 2019 trial that she was inside helping her12-year-old son with schoolwork when she heard aloud crackling noise. Shesaidshe saw her husband through the window as he fell back from ashotgun blast. He died in her arms.
DeFranceschi was one of three peopleauthorities say Sharpe fatally gunned down during a streak of violence across East Feliciana and East Baton Rouge parishes in 2017.
Sharpe is also accused in the shooting deaths of Tommy Bass, 62, in East Feliciana and Carroll Breeden, 66, aformer BREC commissioner who was shot while doing yard work in front of his East Baton Rouge home
Email Gabby Jimenez at gabby.jimenez@ theadvocate.com.
