SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
The
W atchman
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
T h u r s d ay, N ov e m b e r 28, 2024
$1.00N
West Feliciana school system named top performing district After two decades at the top, Zachary is no longer top-rated school district
West Feliciana scores rise
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
After nearly two decades leading the state, Zachary has been dethroned by neighboring West Feliciana Parish as the highestperforming school district in Louisiana, according to school district rankings released Nov. 20. Zachary schools this year slipped to fifth place, tied with Cameron Parish. The suburban Baton Rouge school district has consistently held the top spot since it broke away from the East Baton Rouge Parish school system in 2003. Districts from the Baton Rouge region ocPROVIDED PHOTO cupy five of the top 10 spots. Ascension Parish is tied for second place West Feliciana Superintendent Hollis Milton, center seated, and staff cheer when they are with DeSoto Parish, followed by Central told the system ranked first in the state. in fourth place. Livingston Parish schools came in at 10th place, improving their letter grade from a B to an A. hard every day,” said Hollis Milton, West for our students is love our children every “We are super grateful. We know it’s a shot Feliciana superintendent. day and provide them a good education,” in the arm for teachers and staff who work “I always say, the two things we need to do Milton continued.
West Feliciana Parish schools saw less decline during the pandemic than other districts — it would have been number one in 2021 if the state had issued letter grades that year — but it has had its own challenges. Milton said that his teachers sought to be more precise in how they intervene to help and in having extra tutoring available. “We try to be specific about what a child needs that very day at that very time,” he said. “Our families and community support our efforts and that creates a winning combination.” Superintendent Hollis Milton Each year the district’s goal is to rank in the top 10 of every grade level and every subject area tested, Milton said. “The school district met that goal in almost every area including first in the state in third grade in all subjects” he said. “The percentage of students who score mastery and advanced at WFMS and Bains Elementary are at an all-time high. WFHS’ strength of diploma skyrocketed this year with more students earning Advanced Placement credit, more students taking dual enrollment courses for college credit, and more
ä See SCHOOL, page 3G
MAKING FRIENDS
PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Avery Landrum performs Oct. 26 at the music tent of the Yellow Leaf Arts Festival. Landrum is a self-taught musician influenced by the mentors in the area arts community and the Songbird Music School.
PHOTOS BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
Picking their friendship bracelet beads are, from left, aunt Kelli Daniel and Elise Wax next to Aniryah James.
Swifties create memories and friendship bracelets at library program BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
Contributing writer
Taylor Swift fans shared their love of the musician and her music Nov. 15 during a Swiftie party at the West Feliciana Parish Library. Nine Swifties — Taylor Swift fans, eight girls and one boy — were hosted by library technicians Logan Landrum and Lillian Russell. They provided the materials to create friendship bracelets, which Swifties make and trade. One of the young Swifties
Early arrivals for the Swifties party at the West Feliciana Parish Library, from left, are Addyson
ä See SWIFTIES, page 2G Jackson, Sutton Lott and Aria Breaux.
Libraries closed for holiday The Audubon Regional Library and the West Feliciana Parish Library will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28.
Donate socks
Leila Pitchford AROUND THE FELICIANAS
All branches of the Audubon Regional Library will be holding the annual Sock It To Me sock drive through Dec. 6. Bins will be available to drop off sock. All sizes of new socks are needed.
Afton Villa fall season The gardens are open for the fall 2024 season at Afton Villa until Nov. 30.
ä See AROUND, page 3G
Songbirds leave nest, flock back to roots at Yellow Leaf BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer
When the Yellow Leaf Arts Festival celebrated its 21st anniversary the last week in October, it drew on the musical arts and the connections to the young musicians influenced by its sister event — the Songbird Music School. Featured acts Prague, Caylen and Cam, and Avery Joyce Landrum were influenced by the arts camp either in their youth or young adulthood. Members of the teen band Prague, Terry “T Paul” Morgan, Ian Brulte, John Lemoine, and Luke Clyde, opened the Yellow Leaf music. Their faces say high school, but their sound and seriousness about making good music has flashbacks to the 1970s AC/DC and 1990s band Korn. The 11th and 12th graders jam under the name Prague, an idea that Brulte had
ä See SONGBIRDS, page 4G
EAST FELICIANA
Property tax increase to fund road projects carries risk BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
East Feliciana Parish has the lowest property taxes in the state, but companies with little or no physical presence in the parish account for about 60% of the parish’s property tax base,
according to a Nov. 18 report to the Police Jury. Parish Assessor Jeff Gardner said certain “public service” companies, such as barge lines and railroads, are authorized by the state constitution to declare their domiciles in any parish they wish.
Those companies, naturally, choose the parish with the lowest taxes. All the company has to do is name an agent in the parish to represent it before the Louisiana Tax Commission, which sets the taxable value
ä See TAX, page 2G