THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, M a r c h 26, 2025
11TH YEAR, NO. 24
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Zachary board addresses arrest of assistant principal BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
A day after the arrest of a Rollins Place Elementary School administrator, Superintendent Ben Necaise addressed the situation at the Zachary Community School Board’s March 18 meeting. Kristy Scott Gilpin, assistant principal at Rollins Place, was arrested March 17 by Zachary police on a count of cruelty to juveniles,
Zachary Police said. Gilpin, 41, accompanied by her attorney, surrendered to the Zachary Police Department early morning on March 17, Chief Darryl Lawrence said. An arrest warrant was issued for Gilpin earlier this month, Lawrence said. The department began its investigation after the parent reported an incident last month. The audience at the board meeting was full, although no formal
public comments were made about the accusations. Necaise read aloud a prepared statement about the issue at the start of the meeting. “First, our dedicated employees need support during this very difficult time,” Necaise began. “Absolutely,” a woman called out from the audience. Necaise continued reading his statement. “That support requires vital
open lines of communication, and the ability of our employees to discuss this matter is imperative,” he said. The district brought in Grady Bray, a crisis specialist, to meet with teachers and staff members at Rollins Place and other Zachary schools. Necaise said the discussions would remain confidential. “The immediate goal is to allow our faculty to freely voice their confusion, anger and frustration,”
he said. “Dr. Bray will report back to our team with categorical feedback from our employees, and it’s my hope that suggestions or recommendations from our faculty and staff will help provide additional supports moving forward.” “Finally, we want everyone to understand that we will follow all the legal guidance provided to us by our legal counsel to support our teachers, staff and all concerned,” Necaise added.
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Celebrate the state champions The Zachary High State Championship Victory parade is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 28, and honors the boys and girls basketball teams. It will be on Main Street from the high school to the Bank of Zachary.
Police division moves The Zachary Police Department CIU Division has moved to its new location. If you need to file a complaint, go to the building at 5160 Old Slaughter Road (at the corner of Montegudo Boulevard).
Port Hudson event coming The reenactment of the 162nd anniversary of the Siege of Port Hudson, 236 U.S. 61, Jackson, is planned for March 29-March 30. Visitors will have access to reenactors from both the Union and Confederate armies with campsites opening to the public starting at 9 a.m. both days. The battle re-enactments are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Demonstrations of other Civil War activities will be held at scheduled times throughout both days, and sutlers selling Civil War era goods and wares will be present. Concessions will be available for purchase from the Zachary High School JROTC program. For information, call the site at (225) 654-3775 or (888) 6773400 or email porthudson@crt. la.gov.
PHOTOS BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
GETTING HOTTER
Lane Regional Medical Center staff member Courtney Day works the city of Zachary Code Red Chili and Salsa Cook-off entry tent Saturday.
Chili cook-off continues to expand as crowd-pleaser
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer
Community History Festival The free 15th annual Community History Festival is at the Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 29. The event will have country fun, food, games, crafts, music and entertainment. This year’s theme is “Country Crafts,” and various artists and
ä See AROUND, page 4G
Staff members from Lane Regional Medical Center volunteer at the Lane Foundation tent during the Code Red Chili and Salsa Cook-off. They are, from left, Dr. Nikki Gautreaux, Liz Sagely and Betty Spurlock.
What started as the Lane Hospital chili event is continuing to evolve in size and scope. The music, food, crowds, corporate sponsors, and vendor participation easily put the annual fundraiser in league with the festivals that flavor spring in the Bayou State. The Lane Foundation’s Code-Red Chili and Salsa Cook-Off celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday with good weather, good music and a great crowd that took advantage of the regular downtown traffic drawn by the Zachary Farmers and Artisans Market. The chili cooking competition added salsa a short time ago and the 2025 event featured 19 teams contending for prizes and bragging rights. Participants paid for tickets that allowed them to taste and vote for their favorite
ä See COOK-OFF, page 4G
Another week, another championship Zachary boys basketball team beats Central Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
Two weeks ago it was all about the Zachary High girls basketball team on their journey that resulted in a state championship. Last week the city was all about the boys who came through with a huge 44-37 win over rival Central on March 15 at Marsh Madness in Lake Charles to claim the Division I non-select state championship. Coach Jon McClinton now has his third state championship — previous titles in 2020 and 2021 — in five seasons. This title is special because it came against his alma mater and against one of his
former coaches, Scott Osborne, from his playing days at Central. The Broncos (28-6) entered the playoffs as the top seed and Central (26-5) was the second seed. Coach McClinton noted that “this team definitely grew up as a unit throughout the season and learned how to handle distractions and fight through them.” This was particularly tough stretch in late January and early February when they lost three of four including a close district game with Liberty.
PHOTO BY KIRK MECHE
Zachary’s Aiden Givens drives past Central Baton Rouge’s Jace Conrad during the LHSAA Division I Nonselect State Basketball Championship ä See BRADY, page 3G game at The Burton Complex in Lake Charles on March 15.