Einstein Charter School Sherwood Forest’s ESL (English as a Second Language) program earned “Super School” honors from Imagine Learning Thursday.  Imagine Learning is an innovative language and literacy software program for ELLs (English Language Learners), struggling readers, early childhood education, and Special Education students. 
 
“I am proud of Einstein Charter School Sherwood Forest for receiving recognition for embracing Einstein’s belief of equity in education, for all populations,” said CEO Shawn Toranto.

Of the more than 150 students that enrolled in the Louisiana Connections Academy full-time virtual K-12 public charter school due to the historic summer floods of 2016, more than 135 have made the school their permanent home and one of them is Cassidy Ainsworth.

The storms that impacted many of the central Louisiana region left public schools closed and parents scrambling to find their kids temporary or new schools while rebuilding their personal and professional lives. The scramble went across public, parochial and private school lines, said LACA Communications Director Michael Marsh.

Parent Shawn Ainsworth of Livingston Parish and her family was one of the impacted. She didn’t know what to expect when enrolling her daughter Cassidy, a senior, and other daughter, Alison, 10th grade, in an online school but then she heard LACA’s radio ad.

“We talked with several educators in and outside our family and only heard positive comments about LACA and virtual schooling,” said Shawn.

Chief Municipal Court Judge Desiree Charbonnet announced her candidacy to fill the unexpired term of Judge Paul Bonin on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, Division B.

Judge Charbonnet was first elected to Municipal Court in 2007, and since has presided over thousands of criminal cases. She has earned a reputation for being tough on crime, but innovative in helping non-violent offenders overcome addiction and homelessness, or gain treatment for mental illness.

In 2012, her colleagues on the bench elected her Chief Judge to preside over the court en banc and manage its $4 million budget. She’s also earned accolades from the National Association of Women Judges and other legal organizations for her innovative approach to the resolution of prostitution/human trafficking cases.

Statement recognizes the economic impact visitors have on the local economy
 
On Tuesday, December 13, 2016, the Monroe City Council passed a resolution recognizing the cultural, educational, recreational, and economic benefits America’s national parks provide to the region by asking Congress to provide dedicated funding to fix park areas like Poverty Point.
  
In light of a history of congressional underfunding, Congress is asked to create a reliable and predictable stream of resources to help the National Park Service (NPS) address deferred maintenance at its more than 400 sites across the country. It is estimated that the current backlog of overdue park repairs—including crumbling roads, rotting historic buildings, eroding trails, outdated public buildings, and safety hazards such as deteriorating water and electrical systems—totals $12 billion. In Louisiana, that total exceeds $15.1 million.
 
Fixing parks will help support an important economic engine for Louisiana, as NPS reports that during 2015, state park visitors spent an estimated $28.3 million in local gateway regions like Monroe while visiting NPS sites, including Poverty Point. According to NPS, such spending helps to support 439 Louisiana jobs and provides the state an economic boost of $36.7 million in labor and value added income.
 
To read the full report on Louisiana park contributions, go to https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm. ​

See the Monroe City Council Resolution here. 

Veteran New Orleans Attorney Suzanne “Suzy” Montero, a seasoned litigator with nearly 25 years experience in almost every state and federal court throughout south Louisiana, announced her candidacy for the unexpired seat in Division B of Orleans Parish Civil District Court. 

Who: 
CC’s Coffee House Licensee Owners Anthony and Nicole Marullo

Where: 
2323 Canal Street across from the new Veterans Administration Hospital

What: 
Now open for business: a 1640-square-foot CCs store that offers the full-line of CCs coffees, teas and pastries; employs 18 young men and women and can serve up to 14 cars at an estimated three-minutes per order at peak times at its drive-through window. There are also 10 parking spaces for those who wish to linger longer, as well as an outdoor patio. 

Eight Ben Franklin junior and senior students have collaborated with students from Metairie Park Country Day School to create a radio podcast that will be aired on WWNO radio beginning on Thursday, December 15.

The Franklin students, members of the NOLA scholars program, have worked throughout the fall semester to create this radio microdocumentary.  The podcast will be aired as part of a series produced by WWNO radio, called TriPod: New Orleans at 300, developed to help celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of our city. The TriPod presentations move beyond the familiar New Orleans history to focus on forgotten, neglected, or forgotten pieces of the city’s past.