Krewe of Awe’s activities support a baby giraffe, other wild animals. Page 2G.
THE ST.TAMMANY
ADVOCATE
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THURSDAY JANUARY 22, 2015 H
COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL THENEWORLEANSADVOCATE.COM
Strutting his stuff
Sharon Edwards TAMMANY TIMES SEDWARDS@THEADVOCATE.COM
Program preps for diploma equivalency Do you or does someone you know want to earn a high school diploma? Registration is underway for a program to help adults achieve their goal. Northshore Technical Community College can prepare St. Tammany residents to earn a high school equivalency diploma through a free program at its HiSET Test Centers, according to Jason Leader, the new director of NTCC’s Adult Education program. “Our program is funded by both state and national grants and we are an official service provider for St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes,” he said. The process is the same as what people may remember as the GED, only the state has gone to a different test called the HiSET. Louisiana is one of more than a dozen states that switched to the HiSET test. Once a student completes the preparation, the HiSET test is taken online. Graduation day for those who complete the program and pass the HiSET test is May 21. Leader emphasized that although the program has changed to HiSET, the outcome is the same as with the GED. The program prepares the student to take the test and earn their high school equivalency diploma. He said associate degrees and many workforce training opportunities offered at NTCC require a high school diploma. “The program is for those looking to advance themselves in the community and the work place,” he said. Day classes are held at NTCC centers at 425 Ozone Park Road, in Covington; and 56707 Behrman St. in Slidell. Night classes are available at the Slidell location and at Fontainebleau High School off La. 59 in Mandeville. New student registration for day classes in Covington and Slidell will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Feb. 23, March 9 or March 23. Registration for night classes at Slidell and Fontainebleau will be on the same dates at 4:45 p.m. Students must arrive on time to take the Intake Assessment Test. Leader said people have strengths and weaknesses in different subjects. They must reach an 11th grade level in all subjects to be ready to take the HiSET exam, he said. Registration is open to all adults 18 and older who have a valid government ID and who complete an Intake Assessment Test. Underage students must have an approved state waiver signed by the Adult Education Director. More than 100 people have graduated through NTCC’s program, he said. For information, visit northshorecollege.edu/content/adult-education; call (800) 732-6640 ext. 128; or email AdultEdInfo@ northshorecollege.edu. Sharon Edwards is community news editor for the New Orleans Advocate. Send news for the St. Tammany Advocate to sttammany@ theadvocate.com.
Advocate staff photo by SCOTT THRELKELD
Arthur Hardy, author of the ‘Mardi Gras Guide,’ at home in Mandeville
Arthur Hardy celebrates new book, new Mardi Gras Guide
Advocate staff photo by SCOTT THRELKELD
Queen Nedra Hays waves to her subjects Sunday as the Krewe of Claude parades in Slidell to the theme ‘The Magical Sounds of Music.’ Reginald Hays reigned as king during the north shore’s first parade of the 2015 Mardi Gras season.
Arthur Hardy has been publishing his Mardi Gras Guide for more than 30 years, and in addition to his 164-page magazine, he released his book “Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History.” Released in November, it is the fifth edition and published by his own publishing company, Arthur Hardy Enterprises. His book chronicles the history of Mardi Gras from ancient times in Europe to post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Hardy will be signing his books from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday IN at the Winn-Dixie on Pontchartrain PROFILE Drive in Slidell; from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. DEBORAH Saturday at Tubby & Coo’s Book Shop BURST in New Orleans; and then from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday at Morning Call in City Park. Hardy grew up in Mid-City, and after getting married in 1972 he and his wife, Susan, lived in Uptown, Gentilly and Metairie, and moved near äSee HARDY, page 2G
Slidell gets rolling
Amanda Abbate, left, and her son, Sam Abbate, 5, catch beads as the Krewe of Claude parades.
Michaela Pino, 7, left, chills in the trunk of her mother’s car as Cody the dog keeps a sharp eye for baubles and bones.
Riders tossed beads and trinkets Sunday as the Krewe of Claude paraded in Slidell to the theme ‘The Magical Sounds of Music.’ Reginald Hays reigned as king and Nedra Hays as queen during St. Tammany’s first float parade of the 2015 Mardi Gras season. Last year, the Krewe of Claude parade followed the Slidellians parade. Claude returned this year, re-establishing its own parade time. Its ball will be Jan. 31. The Krewe of Slidellians parade rolls at 1 p.m. Sunday along the same route. ä See more Carnival news on page 6G and more parade photos on page 2G.
Advocate photo by ABBY DONALDSON
Local sculptor Maggie McConnel creates a new poetry box that will be located in Covington.
Poetry box project takes off in St. Tammany BY ABBY DONALDSON
King Cake 5K organizers start off on the right foot
REC & LEISURE ANDREW CANULETTE
The Christ Episcopal School Athletic Booster Club will host its first King Cake 5K road race on Jan. 31 in downtown Covington. Proceeds from the 3.1-mile race will benefit athletic programs for the more than 600 kids who attend one of the Christ Episcopal campuses in west St. Tammany. According to Christ Episcopal School director of advancement Jerry Henson, as many as 250 people are expected to take part in the inaugural race. “This is still brand-new, re-
ally,” Henson said. “The booster club was founded recently to help the athletic programs make money. We’ve had a golf tournament for four years and a tennis tournament for two years. But this race is more for families and younger students. It’s geared for the whole family. Plus, this is a community event. We’ve got the 15th Street Flyers helping us. They’re the experts at this. The best move we’ve made was to have them be a part of this.”
Special to The Advocate
The Flyers running club, based in Covington, produces quality events and has promoted running on the north shore for years. Approximately a dozen parent volunteers are assisting with race planning, as well. Still, Henson said, there is trepidation when you begin a new event. “When you start something of this magnitude and put it out there for the public to see,
Poetry boxes that were once a draw for controversy have now been embraced on the north shore. “It’s a real molding of the literary and visual arts,” said Susie Deano, explaining the concept of the unique poetry boxes that have popped up throughout Mandeville, Covington and Abita Springs in the past few months, with others planned for Slidell. Deano is one of the leaders of the poetry box project in Mandeville. The poetry boxes can be found attached to walls or connected to tall wooden posts along walking paths. The boxes are hand-constructed and each is unique, but just big enough to fit a laminated poem. Each box has a clear plastic front to show off the locally written or locally selected poem inside. Some boxes are left bare, while others have been turned into pieces of art, made by local artists. One of the first boxes, located on the Mandeville
äSee KING CAKE, page 2G
äSee POETRY, page 3G