Fair skies
The St. Tammany Parish Fair is one of the northshore’slongestrunning traditions, and it’sseen significant changes since it first was held in 1910 - the addition of midway rides, beauty pageants and afull paradethrough
downtown Covington amongthem. But the mission of theSt. Tammany Parish Fair Association andits members remains true 115 yearslater —tostage acommunity-centric eventwithamajor focus on livestock showings,agriculture and food.
Mix in live music,afull rodeo, honored artists and thousands of guestsand the 2024St. Tammany ParishFair,held Oct. 2-6 at the parish fairgrounds,was yet again asuccess.
BY KADEE KRIEGER
Contributing writer
As soon as COAST staff members flicked on the lights and turned the lock to open the doors of the Council on Aging St. Tammany’snewly relocated activity center in Lacombe, membersshowed up by the dozens, eager to sip coffee, play games and exercise in the new space
“Weabsolutely love it and couldn’twait to see it,”said Lacombe resident and COAST member Pam Hernandez, 70. “Wecame during construction and signed and dated our namesinthe wall so we are officially apart of the place.” Hernandez, along with her mom, LouiseWoods, 92,and friends
BOBWARREN
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
The late afternoon sun peaksthrough the Ferris wheel as the sun nears setting over the St. Tammany Parish Fair on Oct. 2. ä More photos. PAGE 4A
PHOTO BY GRANTTHERKILDSEN
Belinda Simms and Brenda Dugue enjoy the porch at the COAST Activity Center and transportation hub in Lacombe.
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district administrators celebrated Woodlake being named to avery exclusive list.
The U.S. Departmentof Education named Woodlake, apre-K through third-grade school in Old Mandeville, as aNational Blue Ribbon School, oneofonlyseven in Louisiana and 356 across the U.S. this year
“This is the award you want to win,” St. Tammany Schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia said. “This is an amazing recognition.”
Woodlake’saward comes two years after anotherSt. Tammany public school, Folsom Elementary,was named aBlueRibbonSchool.And last year,aSt. Tammany private school,Archbishop
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Hannan High School, also received the lofty status. Woodlake principal Kristen Winget, who is inher sixth year leading the school, said the BlueRibbon award is the culminationof years of work by teachers, administratorsand parents to boost student academic performance. Theschool has an enrollmentofaround 450 students. She explained that the U.S. Department of Education, in naming Woodlaketothe list, noted the strides it has made in boosting the testscoresof two subgroups of students: Students learning English andstudents in special education
Averageperformance scores for English learners rose from 46.8 in 2021-22 to 73.1 in 2022-23. Averagetest scores for special education students rose from 56.3 to 88.8 for thesame period,ac-
cording to datathe school supplied.
The average performance score of Black students rose from 48.6 in 2021-22 to 87.3 in 2022-23, according to the data.
Winget said having “incrediblysupportiveparents,” and being more creative withuse of theschool’s teachingstaff helped boost student performance.
The school has a“Power 30”period, 30 minuteseach day before lunch, where students receive more intense instruction in subjects for which they need help.
“You have to be flexible,” Winget said of creating new practices to reach the students.
That, and “a lot of progress monitoring,” she added.
Winget saidshe was told last spring thatthe state Department of Education had nominated Woodlake.
Ateam of faculty members spent hours sweating over an exhaustive application, “then we waited all sum-
mer.”
Word of the award came down two weeks ago.
“It’sanamazing honor,”
she said. “It’sanhonor just to be nominated.”
Jabbia said Woodlake, which also was named a Blue Ribbon School in 1994, has made huge strides in closing learning gaps between groups of students.
“Woodlake Elementary absolutely deserves this honor, and Icannot say enough about the amazing things that their educators and community members do for their students,” Jabbia said.
“There is aclear vision on their campus and that vision is to make sure their students grow and succeed.”
As Winget andJabbia spoke, teachers corralled their excited students, many still clutching the blue streamers and plastic clappers, to lead them back to class.
“This is agreat day for this school and our entire district,” Jabbia said.
“We’ve gotour Beanbag Baseball trophy in there,” Kudel noted Center member Laura Marcotte said she is especiallygladtosee the rocking chairs because of an article she read recently toutingtheir health benefits. “The rocking motion is said tobegood for circulation, breathing and so many other things,” shesaid.“So, I’m very excited to have these here ” LacombeSiteManager
Sheila Parr,70, and Von Golden, 85, were among the first to check out the space, which officially opens Oct. 15. Located on La. 434, south of Interstate 12,the center is part of athree-acre site that includes atransportation hub to house the 33 vehicles used for COAST services, as well as the vehicles for STAR Transit, an on-demand transportation system that COASToperatesfor St.Tammany Parish. COAST Executive Director Amy Kudel, who took over the top position in April, said the previous center located in aLacombe strip mall shopping center becametoo small years ago to accommodate the growingneedfor indooractivity center space for peopleand the parking space for vehicles. The new location is large enough for both the transportation huband alarger center for Lacombe seniors, she said. The center includes atotal of 5,317squarefeet, with 3,850 square feet of indoor space that includes the dining hall and the activity room(for both games and exercise classes), as well as awide screened-inporch with rocking chairs. The activity room features awallto-wall bookshelf that can hold games, exerciseequipmentand trophies earned from competitions among the other centers throughoutthe parish at the COAST annual picnic.
Sherell Thompson saidthe new building is drawing Lacombe seniors to register to be apart of the program, which is offered without chargetoanyone 60 or older.She said the culture of the Lacombe center,inbothits former and new location, is one of friendliness and fun.
“Weare afamily that likes to eat together,play cards or dominoes, exercise andjust have agood time,” Thompson said. “Many people want to come to get out of the house and stay active with
others. We offer so many things to do to get out and away from home.”
Kudel encouraged any senior interested in COAST services to reach out for information. “Wecan connect them with their closest activity center and get them signed up.
COAST offers 22 different services, including some that arebrought directly to seniors at their home, and mostare free of charge. Seniors are requiredtoofficially register at each center
they will be attending, mostly so that there are enough meals for everyone, Kadel said.
COAST is aprivate, nonprofit corporation that serves St. Tammany Parish residents ages 60 and older
It operates underthe state Governor’sOffice of Elderly Affairs andisthe Area Agency on Aging. For information on COAST,its programming or activity centers, call (985) 892-0377, or go online to www.coastseniors.org.
Nicole Messina leads acheer at the pep rally to celebrate Woodlakebeing named aBlue Ribbon School
PHOTOSBYGRANT THERKILDSEN
Children cheer at aSept. 30 pep rally tocelebrate Mandeville’sWoodlakeElementarySchool being named aNational Blue RibbonSchool of Excellence.
PHOTOSBYGRANT THERKILDSEN Lacombe residents enjoysometime together in the newCOAST Activity Center at 61720 La. 434 just south of I-12.
Curtis Malbroughhangs the U.S. flag at the Lacombe center
Schrell Thompson is site manager for the Lacombe center
