The new minifarm at Northdale Academy keeps students on the go. Six dedicated students are members of the agricultural science program’s “go” team.
“They have to go and take care of my animals. It’s their responsibility,” said ag science teacher Chelsea Johnson, a Southern University graduate who helped start the Northdale program last year.
The two male pigs, six chickens and two female goats started arriving over the summer. The “go” team has received thorough training in maintaining the animals’ physical health and well-being, as well as, cleaning the cages and collecting chicken eggs. Northdale offers Agriculture Science I and II.
“It’s building life skills,” Johnson said. “They have something to like forward. They run to my class. They’re looking, they’re monitoring and they’re excited about it. I love it. I love to see their faces.”
The team will present at the Southern University livestock show in February.
The stadium where Rusty Price led teams for 28 years as the football coach at Broadmoor High School now bears his name. On Sept. 6, the school officially unveiled “Rusty Price Stadium” during halftime of its season-opening 14-0 loss to Ellender.
Price, 77, was surrounded by family and about 100 former players during the special ceremony. A 1967 Broadmoor graduate, Price spent 45 years at the school before retiring in 2022. He is a former Marine and football player at Southeastern Louisiana University.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations and deep gratitude to Coach Price for his enduring dedication to Broadmoor, EBR Schools and the lasting impact he has had on the lives of countless young men and women over the years.
Congratulations to East Baton Rouge Parish School Board President Carla Powell-Lewis for her selection to the inaugural cohort of the prestigious Hunt Institute’s Early Learning Nation Fellowship.
Powell-Lewis is one of only two cohort members representing Louisiana. The invitation-only program meeting will be held Sept. 4-6 in Las Vegas. ELN fellows will engage with one another to learn more about how to navigate local policies that impact early childhood issues.
“I’m deeply honored to be selected for the Hunt Institute Inaugural Early Learning National Fellowship,” Powell-Lewis said. “This fellowship presents an invaluable opportunity to collaborate with thought leaders nationwide, enhancing our collective ability to impact early learning and shape the future of education.”
Organizers said the fellowship program was founded on the belief that all young children deserve a great start in life. The inaugural cohort of fellows will include more than 100 mayors, school board members, city and county council members, and other elected stakeholders from across the country.
“The early childhood landscape can be complex, especially at the local level, and I’m pleased to see so many locally elected officials from across the country come together to focus on investing time in this area,” said Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, the Hunt Institute’s president & CEO. “Equipping policymakers with access to research and national experts is an essential step in building stronger early childhood systems.”
The Hunt Institute, a national nonpartisan nonprofit, was founded in 2001 by four-term North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt. It brings together people and resources to inspire and inform elected officials and policymakers about key issues in education, resulting in visionary leaders who are prepared to take strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success.
The “Showdown on the Bluff” high school football kickoff set for 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 29-30, at Southern University’s A.W. Mumford Stadium has stirred up significant excitement. Superintendent LaMont Cole is among those leading the charge.
“This is a glorious day here on the Bluff,” Cole said during a press conference on Aug. 27 to promote the event featuring 11 EBR Schools and six games. “We are excited to be here. I am so honored that one of the first exciting things we get to do under my tenure as superintendent is partner with the only HBCU system in the world, Southern University.”
Coaches and players from each of the EBR Schools were represented, as well as Southern University Chancellor John Pierre and School Board members Carla Powell-Lewis and Cliff Lewis, a former Southern assistant.
“This is an example of what can happen when two great institutions get together and work collaboratively to help develop minds, bodies, spirits and leaders,” Chancellor Pierre said. “It’s a healthy competition that starts this football season. It’s well worth noting that history will be made this year. We’re so proud because we have many university alums that’s part of the EBR school system that are leaders. The young men that are going to perform (Thursday and Friday) they are also being formed into leaders.”
Cole, a Southern graduate, along with at least five head coaches, emphasized to players the importance of showing what their coaches, teachers and families have taught them about fair play, class and character.
“I want all of you to play extremely hard,” he said. “I want all of you to go on the football field and compete and do your very best to win the game. But more importantly, as students, I want you to win in life. And what you do, how you carry yourself, how you represent your schools, your families and our school system is going to influence and dictate who you are and how to choose to represent yourself in life.”
The games will be broken into 12-minute halves. Admission is $15.
After touring Westdale Middle School’s amazing aquaponics lab on Wednesday, Baton Rouge native and U.S. Department of Agriculture Administrator Daniel Whitley was impressed and a little envious.
“I’m not the jealous type, but I’m jealous that we didn’t have this while I was in middle school,” said Whitley, who attended McKinley Middle and graduated from Tara High, Southern University and LSU. “I’m so excited to be here because it’s programs like these that I know are preparing the next students who will be able to compete against talent all around the world.”
Whitley joined Westdale Principal Ramona Remble, instructors Lauraleigh Eddleman and Laura N. Fitzgerald, EBR Schools Superintendent LaMont Cole, agriculture representatives from Southern and LSU, and other officials for a press conference and to explore the school’s lab.
Aquaponics is the science of growing plants with the support of fish. The nutrient-rich water from raising fish provides a natural fertilizer for the plants and the plants help to purify the water for the fish.
EBR Schools recently announced the creation of an agriculture curriculum to guide students toward career opportunities with the USDA.
“Baton Rouge is poised to develop some of the greatest students and ag minds in the country, and I really do mean that,” Whitley said. “We have two fantastic land-grant universities who are making positive investments and positive strides in agriculture into the communities.”
Westdale has nearly 200 students in the aquaponics program.
“You all are here gathered today to see one of the pride and joys of our campus: our aquaponics program in conjunction with our aquascience program,” Remble said. “Here, we have a huge emphasis on sustainable and renewable energy as well as ways to provide food for food deficients. We’re hoping that what we have here can grow into something that’s even bigger for the state of Louisiana, around the country and around the world.”
Cole applauded the program and the students.
“It’s an honor and a pleasure to see our wonderful students today as we explore the things they are doing in agriculture,” he said. “This is the type of programming we’d like to expand all across the city of Baton Rouge and the state of Louisiana.”
Subaru of Baton Rouge presented a $10,000 check to Woodlawn Elementary School on Aug. 16 as part of the Adopt A Classroom program and the Subaru Loves Learning event. Twenty randomly selected teachers received $500 each to use for school supplies for their classrooms. “All of teachers are exceptional. We just pulled names from a hat,” said Vanessa Bloss, Woodlawn’s principal for six years. “This feels amazing. I can’t stop crying, because these teachers work incredibly hard. I’ve been in education since 1997, and I’ve never seen such a hardworking group of people.” Thank you, Subaru, for your wonderful support of EBR Schools. #ebrschools#WeAreEBR#SubaruLovesLearning#SubaruLovePromise#subie#subaru#community
