The Livingston-Tangipahoa Advocate 02-05-2015

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DENHAM SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL OPENS HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS, PAGE 3G

ADVOCATE THE HE LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA

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DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND • PONCHATOULA

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2015 H

THEADVOCATE.COM

Christine Morgan AROUND LIVINGSTON

CMARCENEAUX@ THEADVOCATE.COM

Free health screenings to be held Free health screenings will be offered at different locations Thursday. Tests include blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C, waist circumference, body composition and body mass index. Testing is being offered from 9 a.m. to noon at James Drugs Store, 257 Florida Blvd., Denham Springs, and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Thrift Town Drugs, 29680 S. Frost Road, Livingston. Appointments are not required. For information, go to healthmart.com/tour.

Bead wreath

The Livingston Branch Library will host patrons 18 and older to create a Mardi Gras bead wreath at 10 a.m. Thursday. The library will provide supplies and beads, but participants may bring medallions, bows or items they would like to add to their wreaths. Registration is required by calling (225) 686-2436 or register online at www.mylpl.info.

Young Writers Club

The Denham SpringsWalker Library’s Young Writers Club meets at 5 p.m. Thursday and Feb. 18. The program is open to anyone from the ages of 10 and 17, and the goal of the club is to write for both publication and performance, organizers said. Young writers are encouraged to explore their writing interests and develop their voice and style through exciting collaborative activities, they said. The program also offers free workshops in poetry, short stories and creative nonfiction. For information, call (225) 665-8118.

Advocate staff photo by VIC COUVILLION

Becky Guillot, quilting instructor for a class offered Jan. 29 at the Livingston Parish Library, teaches Sarah Watson how to stitch squares.

Advocate staff photos by HEATHER MCCLELLAND

Damien Cedotal, 16, works with Blue at Horses of Hope during a therapy session on Saturday. Much of the work is about making a connection with the horse and using that to build a foundation for understanding how an individual’s behavior affects others.

Families find a way to deal with behavioral issues by making connections in equine therapy sessions BY CLAIRE SALINAS

HEALING

HORSES

Rachel Araque gets emotional as she describes how much Horses of Hope’s horse therapy has helped her son Damien Cedotal, 16, during a session on Saturday.

Special to The advocate DENHAM SPRINGS — Damien Cedotal, 16, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and deals with anger problems. After being diagnosed, Cedotal said, he talked with a therapist but said, “She mostly talked to my mom instead of me, and it felt like I was invisible.� Everything changed for Cedotal when he started going to therapy sessions at Horses of Hope in Denham Springs. “I love it here; my anger issues I had, it’s helping a lot,� Cedotal said. “It helps control the stress and it’s a stress reliever.� Cedotal’s mother, Rachel Araque, said she will be forever grateful to

the program and what it has done for her son. “Watching him and the horses, it’s magic, how they connect and they sense his feelings,� Araque said. “It’s really helped.� Rebecca Bombet is an advanced practice registered nurse who spe-

cializes in child and adolescent psychology and is a co-founder of the program. Bombet feels this particular form of therapy is incredibly effective. “When they (those in therapy) can’t äSee HORSES, page 3G

Class learns basics, history of quilting process Many motivated by family memories

BY VIC COUVILLION

Special to The Advocate LIVINGSTON — A group of quilting enthusiasts gathered at the Livingston Parish Library Thursday to learn about the age-old art of quilt making. The dozen women, led by Becky Guillot, president of the Livingston Parish Quilting Guild, received an overview of the history of quilt making and were introduced to the basics of the hobby. Class participants said they wanted to know more about quilting because making quilts brought back fond memories of their mothers, grandmothers, aunts and friends who made hand-crafted covers they remember fondly from their youth. “It’s a pleasure to put together something as beautiful and useful as a quilt,� said Guillot, who is retired from LSU, where she worked in personnel. “Designing the quilt cover gives one a great deal of satisfaction, and when the quilt is finished, there’s a feeling of satisfaction and joy in knowing that a project has been completed.�

Valentine’s dance

The Livingston Council on Aging will host a Valentine’s Dance for persons 25 and over from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday at the Denham Springs Meal Site, 949 Government Dr., Denham Springs, next to City Hall. The cost is $6 per person and $10 per couple. Refreshments and door prizes will be offered. No alcoholic beverages will be allowed. For information, call (225) 664-9343.

Parenting series

New mothers can visit the Denham Springs-Walker Library’s parenting series for information about topics including breast feeding, nutrition, car seat fitting and äSee AROUND, page 3G

äSee QUILTS, page 4G

Seventh Ward School turns 100

BY CHRISTINE MORGAN

cmarceneaux@theadvocate.com DENHAM SPRINGS — Former students, some from the 1940s and 1950s, will have a chance to travel back in time Feb. 27 when they celebrate the 100th anniversary of Seventh Ward School, now an elementary school. The school, which still contains a part of the original structure completed for the 1915 school year and located in Ward 7 after the former Wardline School closed, was a single wooden structure with no cafeteria or indoor plumbing, said former teacher Charmaine Vernon. Now retired after 20 years at Sev-

enth Ward, Vernon spent more than a year interviewing former principals, staff members and students to gather material for the school’s history. The former students she interviewed recalled learning much more than reading, writing and arithmetic. “Teachers would arrive early, light the wood stove and make hot chocolate on cold winter mornings for students,� Vernon said. “In the beginning, the men of the community cut the trees to build the first lunch room in the parish,� she said. “It sat on wood blocks cut from trees. Students were responsible for cleaning the lunch tables,

sweeping the floor every day and mopping on Fridays. “The men of the community kept the firewood cut for the teachers and students,â€? she said. Despite the workload, the students were able to make regular visits to Clarence Joe O’Neal Jr.’s store, formerly on La. 16, which in the 1950s was a gravel road. “They couldn’t buy jawbreakers,â€? O’Neal said to Vernon. “They couldn’t finish (the candy) at recess Photo provided by CHARMAINE VERNON before classes resumed.â€? When Seventh Ward first opened, A photo of the original building that once housed it had three classrooms, each hous- the first students at Seventh Ward Elementary ing two grades, Vernon said. Three School in Denham Springs is one of the items on display at the school during their upcoming 100th äSee SCHOOL, page 2G anniversary celebration on Feb. 27.

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