Medicaid Expansion Advocates will gather this Thursday on the steps of the State Capitol at 10:30 AM for Behavioral Health Day.  Our # 1 goal for this session is Medicaid Expansion.  All are welcome to attend.  Please see the expected agenda below. 

LEESVILLE- In a planned site tour to Leesville High School after a standing room only luncheon for U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) hosted by Fort Polk Progress, the Senator congratulated students, faculty and Vernon Parish Superintendent of Schools Jackie Self on the new facility now under construction at Leesville High School.

 The school, which is approximately 40 percent military, according to Self, is currently undergoing significant renovation and new construction. The project, undertaken at the request of the Army and with the Senator’s support, has been and will continue to be a major investment by local taxpayers who are utilizing more than 85 percent of the school system’s total bonding capacity to renovate this one facility.

 Benjamin Franklin Senior High School is pleased to announce that senior William J.  McGrew has been named to the 49th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars.  McGrew is one of 141 high school seniors nationwide recognized for their accomplishments in academics or the arts. McGrew joined Aidaana U. Amanbekova of Mount Carmel Academy in this honor.
 
       
 "The Franklin family is so proud of Will's accomplishments and his commitment to excellence," said Principal Timothy Rusnak.  "He is an extraordinary young man who exemplifies the capacity for greatness in our nation's young people."

William  named Franklin College Counselor Beatrice Flair as his most influential teacher.

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Obama, selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals. Of the three million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 3,300 candidates qualified for the 2013 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, and through nominations made by Chief State School Officers or the National YoungArts Foundation's nationwide YoungArts™ competition.

The 2013 U.S. Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored more than 6,000 of the nation's top-performing students with the prestigious award given to honorees during the annual ceremony in D.C. The program was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts.

The 2013 ceremony will be held June 16, when each honoree will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion.

Benjamin Franklin High School, located on the University of New Orleans campus, was founded in 1957, its stated mission, to prepare students of high academic achievement to be successful in life. Franklin has been consistently ranked as a “top public high school in the nation” by U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek and Business Week magazines and has received the highest School Performance Score in Louisiana, making it the #1 public school in the state again this year.

Franklin Students Win at Key Club Convention

Franklin Key Club members Sarah Marble, Rachel Crov, Samantha Shedd, Ellye Groh, Daisey Huck, Xavier Reed-Molina, Noah Albright, Elijah Scarlett, Elise Gonzalez, Lucy Cho and their sponsor Mr. John Parauka attended the LAMISSTENN District Convention in Lafayette, Louisiana in April. At the convention the students attended workshops that taught leadership skills and provided information on service activities in our community. While at the convention the members competed in several competitions and placed in three of the competitions, the most of any club in their district. Addison Howenstine won first place for his Digital Media Poster. The poster will now go on to the International Convention in July to be judged for the International Prize. Elise Gonzalez won second place in the Impromptu Essay Contest about the Key Club Mission. Finally, Xavier Reed-Molina a Franklin senior won second place in the Talent Show Competition. Xavier sang and played the guitar.

Benjamin Franklin Student Zoe Zemmels Wins First Place at Louisiana State History Day

Ben Franklin Junior Zoe Zemmels won first place at the Louisiana State History Day for her performance of "Darwin's Theory of Evolution: A Turning Point In the Human Experience." She competed with 1200 other students and will be representing Ben Franklin High School & Louisiana at the National History Day competition June 9th - 13th.

Benjamin Franklin Junior Lucy Cho Qualifies for State Golf Tournament
 
Junior Lucy Cho advances to State after a strong performance at the 2013 Girls Region II Golf Tournament held on April 24, 2013 at the LSU Golf Course in Baton Rouge.  Competing against  29 golfers, representing 16 Division I Region II schools, Lucy finished in 9th place with a score of 103. The 2013 LHSAA Girls State Golf Tournament will be held this month.

International School of Louisiana (ISL) Head of School, Sean Wilson announces Adierah Berger as Principal of the Jefferson Parish Campus.  Ms. Berger will open the new ISL-JP campus located at 8101 Simon Avenue in Metairie, the former Ralph J. Bunche Accelerated Academy, for the 2013-14 school year.
 
“We are excited and eager to move to our new and permanent campus in Jefferson Parish,” said Head of School Sean Wilson. “We are fortunate to have the experienced leadership of Ms. Berger to bring ISL's language immersion curriculum to Jefferson Parish residents.”
 
A native New Orleanian, Adierah Berger began working for ISL in 2009 as a Middle School Science Teacher, working her way up to a Lead Teacher in 2011, and ISL-JP’s Assistant Principal in 2012.  Ms. Berger holds a Bachelors Degree in Biological Sciences and Chemistry from the Universitiy of New Orleans and a Masters from Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.  She is currently a member of the School Leadership Center Fellows Program and Alternative Certification Program.
 
“I am thrilled to begin this new chapter at ISL Jefferson Parish,” said Ms. Berger. “As Principal, I will strive to use my background and experiences to advance ISL’s mission and its continued academic success.”
 
For the 2013-14 school year, ISL-JP will offer traditional language immersion in Spanish and French for grades K-8 and a language intensive program in middle school.  Students in 2nd-5th grades need prior language immersion experience.  To learn more about ISL-JP and its programs, a tour for prospective Parents/Guardians will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14 at ISL-JP’s temporary campus, 822 S. Clearview Pkwy., in Elmwood. The new Principal will be there.
 
ISL-JP is only open to Jefferson Parish residents.  In addition to the Jefferson Parish campus, ISL has two language immersion schools in Orleans Parish.  ISL consistently ranks as one of Louisiana’s highest-performing, open admissions charter school, according to state test-score rankings.
 
For more information, please contact Karla Rivera, Marketing and Development Coordinator, 504.274.4578 or Heather Harper, Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools (ECCS) 504.289.0499.  ISL is a member of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools.
 
 
ISL is the first multi-language immersion school chartered by the State of Louisiana. From their first day of school at ISL, students are taught core academic subjects in a chosen target language.   At ISL children learn a second language naturally, through everyday conversation and classroom instruction.  In 2007 ISL was named a national “Charter School of the Year” by the Center for Education Reform, the only Louisiana charter school to receive this honor.

We have all heard how we need higher SWB rates, new millages, etc. to pay for physical and safety improvements. What if I told you I found at least $12 million and we don't have to tax any locals? Right...the hotels are willing to increase taxes paid by tourists! It's all in SB 242 and it would pay for one of the consent decrees! Totally awesome. And if the hotels demand on keeping at least half, well that is still anyway from $6 to 8 million. Imagine the police officers we could hire! Let's get that money (needs an amendment to direct it to the city and not to the Convention Bureau, but that's pretty minor) and pass this bill now!

Here's the scoop: http://www.stuarthsmith.com/stop-the-bass-ackwards-plan-for-new-orleans-tourism/

On May 17, Warren Easton Charter High School Foundation will host its annual Warren Easton Hall of Fame ceremony at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium at 3019 Canal St. The ceremony is free and open to the public. 

Fort Polk Progress is set to honor U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-New Orleans) for her efforts on behalf of Fort Polk at a special luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 13 at the Landmark Hotel, located at 3080 Colony Blvd in Leesville.

Tickets for the event are $18 per person and should be purchased ahead of time by calling the Vernon Parish Chamber of Commerce at 337-238-0349; the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce at 318-442-6671; the Beauregard Parish Chamber of Commerce at 337-463-5533; or the SWLA Economic Development Alliance at 337-433-3632.

I have been lucky, as a business owner, to have had great mentors in this journey I've been on, and certainly one of those important early in my career as an entrepreneur was Pat Evans, who passed last week unexpectedly.