Voter Registration Week underway
Voter Registration Week runs through Friday,Sept 20. The week has activities aimed at registering Louisiana citizens to vote ahead of the Nov.5election. The deadline to register to vote in person or by mail is Oct 7, and the deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote Online Registration System is Oct. 15.
To register and vote in Louisiana,individuals must:
n be aU.S. citizen
n be at least 17 years old (16 years old if registering in person at the Registrar of Voters Office or at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles)toregister and 18 years old before the next election to vote
n not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of afelony or,ifunder such an order,not have been incarcerated pursuant to the order within the last five years, and notbe under an order of imprisonment related to afelony convictionfor election fraud or any other election offense pursuant to La. R.S. 18:1461.2
n not be under ajudgmentof full interdiction for mental incompetence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights
n be aresident in the state and parish in which they seek to register and vote n apply at least 20 daysbefore an election if registering online or 30 days before an election if registering in person or by mail.
Citizens with avalidLouisiana driver’slicenseorLouisiana ID card can register online 24 hours aday,seven daysa week by visiting https://voterportal.sos.la.gov.Louisiana residents can also register in person at their parish Registrar of Voters Office, when they apply for or renew their driver’s license at any Office of Motor Vehicles, or when obtaining services at public assistance agenciesand Armed Forces recruitment offices. Baker BuffaloFestivalcoming
The 2024 Baker Buffalo Festival is Oct. 24-26 at the Municipal Center,3325 Groom Road. Events include aparade with afloat and marchingband contest, live music, rides, food, vendors, car show and more. Parking is free. Vendors need to register For information, call (225) 778-0300 or Ashley Williams at awilliams@city of baker.com. Hunter sight-in set
The East BatonRouge Sheriff’s Office invites the public to its annual Hunter’sSight-in Program from 9a.m. to 3p.m., Sept. 20.This event giveshunters theopportunity to make sure hunting and sportingrifles are safely zeroed-in before the opening of hunting season. The event is at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office Firearms Training facility,999 W. Irene Road, Zachary
n All weapons will be sighted in by the range staff only
n All weapons must be in good working condition.
n Firearm must be unloaded.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
People aremovingtoZacharyarea
will put on local schools. Arecently completed demographic study commissioned by theZachary Community School District, however,begs to differ.
beyond Zachary city limits —grew by 23% between the 2010 and2020 censuses. In 2022, it was estimated that 26,753 people resided within district lines.
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
Foryears, prevailing wisdom has held that people move to Zachary for theschools. And with thearea’spopulationgrowing in recent years and several new subdivisions being proposed, many residents have become concerned aboutthe potential strain this trend
It’struethat more people have moved into the district —but demographer Mike Hefner’s study found that many of them are older and do not have school-aged children. That means schools haven’tseen alarge spike in enrollment. Hefner presentedthese andother findings to theSchool Board at its Sept. 3meeting. He saidthe number of people living inside theboundaries of the district —which extend
CouncilhonorsNoel, volunteers
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
From aMetro Council membertoseveral volunteer organizations, the Zachary City Council dedicatedmuchofits Aug. 27 meeting to honoring those who have madeadifference in the community
First up wasBrandon Noel, who represents the Zacharyarea on the parishwide Metro Council andrecently was named mayor-presidentpro tempore.
“It isthe very first time in thehistory of our parish that Metro District1has held the mayorpro tempore seat,” said ZacharyCouncilwoman Ambre DeVirgilio.
Noel,who previouslyservedonthe Zachary City Council,said he was surprised when his fellow Metro Council membersselectedhim for theposition
“I actually nominated someoneelsefor the role, and it ended up coming full circle to me,” he said. “Iamvery thankful for my colleagues’trust in me.”
Noel assuredZachary officials that he will
continue to make time to help them.
“It doesn’tchange what Idofor you all,” he said. “I’mstill here for you. My office is open, andI’m willing to do anything Ican to help you represent your constituents, which are in turn my constituents.”
Next,several volunteer groups were recognized.
“Thank you for all that you do for our community,”DeVirgilio told the volunteers.“And Ihopethatthismessage tonight gets out— that others can join us. Even if it’sasmall role, weall have worktodo, andthishelps build ourcommunity and create asense of closeness. This is what keeps Zacharythe smalltown community that we love.”
DeVirgilio and Councilman John LeBlanc presented certificates to thegroups. Those recognized included: n TheZachary Really Hot AirBalloon FestivalCommittee, which works year round to plan theevent. This year’sfestivalwas held Aug. 10.
“Yourlargest group thatgrewbetween 2017 and2022 was your 65-to74-year-old age group,”Hefner said. “That was followed by your 45- to 54-years-of-age age group. Those arethe ones thattypically move in when their kids are already through the school system. So they’re notbringing preK-12studentswith them.”
ZHSswimteam divesintoseason with bigsplash
The Zachary High swim team under the leadership of coach Julie Peveto began the 2024 season with amajor splash with adual meet (835-702) victory over Denham Springs High School on Aug. 27.
In the opener Joseph Johnson and Jamarcus Samuel each had twowins. Johnson’stimeinthe 50 and 100 freestyle already qualified him forthe Division 1state meet AvaOrdonio wasadouble winner forthe girls in the 100 and 200 freestyle while Evelyn Deroche posted Division IState meet qualifying times in the 50 free and 200 IM In the Capital City Swim League kickoffMeet on Sept. 9 at CrawfishAquatics the Broncos girls finished 5th overall and the boys finish third.
Deroche qualified forthe Division IState meet in the 110 butterfly.The girls registered 9personal best times on the data and the boys posted 17 personal bests. Joseph’stimes in the 200 and 500 freestyle qualified him forstate.
On the 2024 season, Peveto said, “I am very excited to see what this team will do as there is lots of potential forgreat swimsand growth to come.”
She emphasized the importance of preparation when she said “they have been training every well and putting in the work toward their goals.”
To expedite this progress Peveto has added twoadditional morning practices this year to give the Broncos the opportunity to improve, and she noted that “they are taking advantage of them.”
TiffanyBlackwell, left of No KidHungry,is pictured with Bianca Coats,child nutrition supervisor forZacharyschools.
Zacharyplans to serve ‘secondchance’ breakfast
BYOLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
Some kids don’tlike to eat first thing in the morning. At Zachary High School, students who don’tenjoy early meals will soon be able to take advantage of a“second chance” breakfast after their first classes of the day
The initiative is being funded by a$9,000 grant theschool district recently received from No KidHungry,anonprofit organization. The school board heard about the effort at its Sept. 3meeting.
Bianca Coats, Zachary’schild nutrition supervisor,applied for the grant in hopes of increasing breakfastparticipation numbers,
PHOTO BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
ä See MOVING, page 2G
Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
PROVIDED PHOTO BY SHARON PHILLIPS
Metro Councilman Brandon Noel accepts acertificate from ZacharyCity Councilwoman Ambre DeVirgilio honoring Noel’srecent selection as mayor-president pro tempore.
AROUND
from page1G
n Ear protection available, butattendees arehighlyencouraged to bring their own.
n No muzzle loaders.
n Shotguns foruse withslugs only(No buckshot, birdshot,etc.)
n Bringthe ammunitionyou use in the rifle for hunting.
n Only factory loaded ammunition will be used.
Halloweenaroundthe corner
Zachary inviteslocal businesses and organizations to decorate atrunkfor the fourth annual Trunk or Treat from 3p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 27 on Lee Street
Around 1,500children areexpected
Setup starts at 1p.m. and must befinished by 2:40 p.m. Register by Oct.14athttps:// forms.office.com/r/g35VpCq0Az. For information, contact ashleigh.mchugh@ cityofzachary.org.
Pink OutZachary
The Zachary Chamber of Commerce Leadership North Group is holdingaBust Out Cancercampaign. Amongthe awareness campaigns are two Pink Outdays.The
schools will use Oct. 18 as their day.Mayor David McDavid has designated Oct.24at thedate for theentire city.T-shirtsfor the dayare onsale at https://shorturl.at/3BE2r Deadline to order is Sept. 6. Proceedswill go to Woman’sHospital.
Prayer luncheon set
Mayor David McDavid invites all community members to join the Mayor’sCommunity Prayer Luncheon on Oct. 25 at the Family Life Center of First Baptist Church Zachary,4200 Main St.This year,the event will beheld as aluncheon, making it more convenient for everyone to attend.
Acomplimentary fried fish lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1p.m. The luncheon will feature guest speaker Col. Paul Pride, aretired superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The theme for the luncheon is “Faith and Service.”
“The community prayer luncheon is a meaningful opportunity for our citizens to cometogether,reflect on our shared values of compassion and service, and pray for a prosperous and safe future for our city,” McDavid said.
Lanternfestivalrescheduled
The Water Lantern Festival, at Zachary Community Park, 20055 Old Scenic Highway,has been pushed to Sept. 21. Visit
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He added: “Thismay become more and more of a retirement community peoplelooking to trade up, maybe scale down, get anicer house but smaller square footage.”
This pattern could bode well for the school district.
Hefner’s studyfound that people seem to be moving to Zachary and staying put. Longer-term residents are more likely to invest in their community,including its schools, he said.
“If they’re going to stay here, they’regoing to make sure the community is better for them and for their fellow citizens,” he said. “And that’s good foryou as aschool district, and Ithink it’swhy you’ve been ahighperforming school district for so many years.”
Because districtwide enrollment has been fairly steady,facility capacity should be adequate in the
tinyurl.com/556f2tu8 for details. Novemberfest seeksvendors
Crafters and vendors are invited to participate in St. Patrick’sNovemberfest from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Nov.2for food, fun, games, activities, crafts/vendors and more. The church is at 1322 ChurchSt. in Zachary.For information or applications, go to www.stpatsla.org, email churchoffice@ stpatsla.org or call the church at (225) 6544091.
Christmasparade
In arecent newsletter,the Zachary Chamber of Commerce announced the Zachary Christmas Parade is at 10 a.m. Dec. 14. The theme will be “Luau Under the Mistletoe.”
SpeakFrench, find activities at library
n Adults interested in speaking French are invited to the Zachary BranchLibrary,1900 Church St., for Zachary’s French Table at 6p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month. Adults at any level of French are invited. Call (225) 658-1840.
n The Pride-Chaneyville Branch, 13600 Pride-Port Hudson Road, will host Bridgerton: Tea, Trivia and Strategy Gamesat 1p.m., Sept. 21. Twenty-somethings will
coming years, he said. Zachary schools educated 4,880 children in 2010. As of last month, the district has 5,538 students.
“The thing that’sreally unique about thisdistrict is your enrollment is not correlating with your increase in population or your increase in housing,” Hefner said.
In fact, he noted, “you are seeing some declines in enrollment, particularly some of those early years.”
Besides the increase in older residents without young children, some potential explanations forthis includeparents optingfor private, parochial, charter and online schools as well as home study,Hefner said.
The number of Zacharyarea residents working outside of East Baton Rouge Parish has risen in recent years, he said, so parents may be choosing to enroll their kids in schools closer to their workplaces. He pointed out that this employment shift also has changed commuting patterns in the area.
play games with the goal of an auspicious marriage proposal. Afternoon teaand tea trivia round out the event. Call (225) 6581540.
n The 47th annual Author-Illustrator Program featuring Jerry Pallotta is set for Sept. 26-27 at the Main Branch on Goodwood Boulevard, Baton Rouge. School librarians, teachers and administrators areinvitedtoregister foraVirtual School Visit with Jerry Pallotta at 10 a.m Sept. 26. Registeratwww.ebrpl.com/ events.html#/events by Sept. 24 to receive the virtuallink.
All ages are welcome to meet Pallotta at the Main Library at 7p.m., Sept. 26. An autograph sessionand reception will follow the free presentation. No registration is required. Teachers, librarians, writers, parents and lovers of children’sliterature are encouraged to attend Behind the Writing at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 27.Registration is required, but the event is free. Call (225) 231-3760 or email tdearing@ebrpl.com Snacks will be providedduring breaks, and an autograph sessionwill followthis professionalpresentation.
Sendnewsand events for theZachary area to zachary@theadvocate.com by noon Fridayorcall (225) 388-0731.
Continued
FILEPHOTO BY TRAVISSPRADLING
Construction began Jan. 27, 2022, on CorrensLane in thenew D.R. Horton subdivision ‘Miraval’ just outside Zachary, where city officials were saying the cityisgrowingsofastthatthe infrastructure for the city and school system cannot keep up.
Zachary students invited to join advisory panels on school system policies
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
Zachary school leaders want to hear students’ voices as theyembarkuponstrategic planning for the next five years
Students in the fifth through 12thgradescan sign up to join advisory panels that willhelp guide the district in setting policiesand launching initiatives.
To be considered, interestedstudents from Copper Mill ElementarySchool, Northwestern Middle Schooland Zachary High School should fill out a form available online at https://forms.office.com/r/ Ck4TzYa9Aj.
Studentswill be notifiedifthey’reselected.Meetings, which will be held duringschooldays, will begin in late September or early October
In addition to the student panels,the district also has parent, teacher,supportteam and community advisory groups.
Aletter fromSuperintendent BenNecaise describing the effort says the goals of the panels include enhancing communication,collaborative decision making, supportingstudent success, community engagement and addressing concerns
“Wefirmly believe that the success of our schools depends on the active participation and input of all stakeholders,” Necaise wrote in the letter.
BREAKFAST
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especially among the high school’sroughly 1,500 students.
“Weonly feed about 10% of those studentsduring breakfast —and, of course, that’sbecausealot of times,itmay be alittle too early,” Coats said. “We serve breakfast at 6:30, and we have some competition going on with our coffee shopsand other things.”
She’sinthe process of buying equipment to implement the program. The second chance breakfast will be served around first or second hour,she said.
“We’llbeable to serve what we’re serving during breakfast along with additional items likecoffee,” shesaid.
The school district and nutrition programlose out on federal reimbursement dollars when students don’teat breakfast at school.
“We’re tryingtodoother things where we can bring the money back to child nutrition, whichwill help us to bring in federal funds to the district,” Coatssaid. “Sothat’sreallythe pointofitall —is being able to upkeep ourprogram forchild nutrition and our federal funding.”
Tiffany Blackwell,asenior manager with No Kid Hungry,toldthe board she looks forward to working withCoats and the district.
BRADY
Continued from page 1G
Peveto commented on the camaraderie and encouragement that she finds both heartwarming and important for the team. Each week swimmers nominate ateammate for the “Nemo” Award. The most recent winner was Richard Wells who teammates identified and nominated “based on his encouragement at practice, support and full energy during the duel meet” Peveto said.
The team returns six of the seven 2023 state qualifiers including junior Chloe Weblad and senior Jamarcus Samuel. The 2024 team captains are Joseph Joynson, Matthew Hughes, Maddy Snyder and Isabella (Izzy) Peterkin. Peveto identified her dark horse up-and-coming girl swimmer as junior AvaOrdonio with freshman Warren Griffin identified by Peveto for the boys as an up-andcomer
The team will compete in two Capital City Swim League cluster meets on Sept. 21 and Oct. 12 at Crawfish Aquatics before the City Championship, also at Crawfish Aquatics, on Nov.1-2.
Three weeks later on Nov.2223, the State Championships will be held at Spar Aquatics in Sulphur
Former Broncosinthe Bigs
When we last left Boston Scott he had just been cut by the Los Angeles Rams after signing as afree agent after playing for the Philadelphia Eagles for six seasons. Great news! Last week the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up Scott and placed him on the practice squad. Also in case you missed it, senior Chandler Whitfield scored the first touchdown for Southern in their Sept. 7 home opener against Savannah State. Not to be outdone, LSU true freshman Trey’Dez Green scored his first career touchdown against Nicholls State. There are others; In fact there are over 30 others
SouthernUniversity Jaguars wide receiver Chandler
(19) carries past the reach of McNeese State Cowboys defensiveback Levi Wyatt (2) during their game at Cowboy Stadium in LakeCharles on Aug. 31.
former ZHS Broncos playing college football in 2024. Consider Elis Holstein who after ayear at Alabama is now the starting quarterback as aredshirt freshman at Pitt. In the season opener with Kent State Holstein when 30-40 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Yeah, well it was Kent State, right? The following week on Sept. 7 he started 5-14 for 46 yards through the third quarter and Pitt was down 27-6. Maybe channeling former Pitt alum
Dan Marino, Holstein exploded at the end of the third quarter and went 10-11 for 198 yards with 2touchdowns in the fourth to lead the Panthers to acomeback victory (28-27). Please let us know if there are performances not identified herein that need to be relayed to others in Zachary
Warren Brady covers sports for ThePlainsman. He can be contacted at zachary@ theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein throws during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati on Sept. 7in Cincinnati.
STAFFPHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU running back Ju’Juan Johnson (8) celebrates atouchdown with tight end Trey’Dez Green (14) against Nicholls in the second quarter Sept. 7atTiger Stadium.
PHOTO
Whitfield
COUNCIL
Continued from page1G
n Organizers of the Zachary Back to School Family Day,acelebration featuring numerous activities. It took place Aug. 17.
n The Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.Committee, which honors the workofthe civil rights leader by organizing events such as an annual scholarship ball and school supply drives.
n Zachary’sElementary PTO, or ZEPTO. Members
CityCouncil’sAug.27meeting. From left are Ashleigh McHugh, Joey Welch, Shawnel Hebert, council members John LeBlancand Ambre DeVirgilio,David Gautreaux and Nita Edwards.
fundraise,volunteer in schools, coordinate uniform drives, provide teacher grants and more.
n The Zachary Charity League,which focuses on serviceand fundraising. One of the group’sprojects involvespacking healthy snacks for more than 200 local students every week.
n The ZacharyMen’s Club, acivic group that contributestomanycommunity causes. The organization recently hosted a back-to-school eventthat providedsweatshirts to 300 students.
meeting.From
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Members of Zachary’sElementaryPTO were honored at the ZacharyCityCouncil’s Aug. 27
left are Meredith Lampton, Ityonnie Jackson, Shannon Jefferson, Melanie LeBlanc,council members Ambre DeVirgilio and John LeBlanc, Kateeka Johnson, Neshia Dixon and Jessica Johnson.
Members of theZachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival Committee were honored at theZachary
Members of the Dr.Martin Luther KingJr. Committee were honored at the Zachary City Council’sAug.27 meeting.From left are Marcia Palmer,JohnnieEvans, Brenda Barber,council members John LeBlanc and Ambre DeVirgilio, JoAnne Sanders, Michael Brown and Tina Clark.
Members of the Zachary Charity League were honored at the ZacharyCityCouncil’s Aug. 27 meeting.From left are Nicole Jarreau, Shannon Woodside, Carrie Godbold, Kristen Lassiter, council members Ambre DeVirgilio and John LeBlanc, Claire Simmons,Marcelle Gautreaux and Emily Hebert.
Members of the ZacharyMen’sClub were honored at the ZacharyCity Council’sAug.27meeting.
Carter,Joe Knight, the Rev. Marvin Moore, CouncilmanJohn LeBlanc, Charles Duplechain, Councilwoman
Floyd Pelichet, Gayton Montgomeryand CarlDawson.