ST. JOHN PRIMARY SCHOOL PRE-K IS OUR FIRST CLASSROOM OF THE MONTH
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THE ASCENSION
ADVOCATE
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DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT • SORRENTO
THURSDAY MARCH 19, 2015 HH
THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Society to honor St. Joseph’s Day The St. Joseph Society of Donaldsonville is holding two events this weekend to honor St. Joseph’s Day, which is celebrated by Catholics on Friday. Society members will march Saturday from the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church parish hall to the church to attend 4 p.m. Mass, organizers said. On Sunday, the group will host its annual St. Joseph Altar at St. Francis of Assisi Church Hall. The altar includes breads, cookies and meatless items to honor St. Joseph. The blessing of the altar is set for 10:15 a.m., and the Ritual of the Saints is set for 11 a.m. at St. Francis church. Free food will be served starting at 11 a.m.
Expansion aids hospital turnaround BY DAVID J. MITCHELL
million while its operating expenses increased 1 percent, or just $79,939, to $6.9 million. The upswing in revenues over Flush with sales tax revenue from the CF Industries expan- expenses in 2014 and improved sion and far lower losses from investments meant the hospital unpaid medical bills, Prevost saw its annual bottom line from Memorial Hospital in Donald- business operations turnaround sonville ended fiscal 2014 near- more than $3.5 million between ly $3 million to the good, a new the ends of its fiscal years in 2013 and 2014. financial audit says. The hospital, whose fiscal The 25-bed critical access hospital saw its total revenues year ends on Aug. 31, took a increase by 42 percent to $9.9 $570,430 loss in fiscal 2013
dmitchell@theadvocate.com
while in 2014 the hospital added nearly $3 million to its surplus after expenses were paid. Formally known as the West Ascension Parish Hospital Service District, the hospital collects a half-cent sales tax on the parish’s west bank. The hospital’s sales tax revenue rose nearly 70 percent between 2013 and 2014 from $1.3 million to $2.2 million. Jane Arboneaux, the hospital’s office manager, said this
month that the majority of the increase stems from the CF Industries expansion. The Mississippi River fertilizer complex is the world’s largest nitrogen plant and has been undergoing a $2.1 billion expansion since mid-2013, bringing as many as 2,500 temporary workers to the river community. Though the boost in sales tax revenue has provided a shot in the arm, patient revenues still comprise 70 percent of the
hospital’s revenues and strong improvement happened in that revenue sector as well as in 2014. Total revenues for hospital services rose 3 percent to $10.6 million in 2014, but the hospital’s audit shows that Prevost managers also were able to reduce their allowances for bad debts from patients by 50 percent between fiscal 2013 and äSee TURNAROUND, page 4G
PAWSOME FUN
Barbecue chicken lunches
Barbecue chicken plate lunches will be sold starting at 11 a.m. Saturday at Delaune’s Do it Center on La. 44 to raise money for the Galvez-Lake Volunteer Fire Department. The lunches, which include barbecue chicken, beans, salad, homemade cookies and bread, will be $7. In the event of rain, the lunches will be sold at the station on Joe Savario Road.
ABOVE: A sign directs both two- and four-legged walkers at St. Amant High School FFA’s Pawsome 5K and 1-mile Fun Run for people and their dogs Saturday at Duplessis Park in Gonzales. LEFT: Looking Fur Love Dog Rescue President Kitty Moak, left, leads Baxter, a Chihuahua, as her daughter Kelsie Moak leads dachshund-terrier mix Ally during St. Amant High School FFA’s Pawsome 5K and 1-mile Fun Run on Saturday at Duplessis Park in Gonzales. Both dogs are fostered by LFLDR, which finds foster homes for canines. Donations for those who missed the event can be made through the group’s website at www.LFLDR.com.
Nonprofit holds gala
A nonprofit group that helps families after a loss of a child is having its fourth annual gala and auction Friday at Elegant Affairs in Gonzales. Erin Bourgeois, the Louisiana representative of the Shana Rae Project and the Zoe Foundation, said the Masquerade Gala and Auction starts at 7 p.m. Bourgeois and her husband started a nonprofit group after the loss of their daughter in 2010. For information about the organization, visit www.facebook. com/shanaraeproject. The gala will include music, food and a cash bar. Guests are asked to wear masks. Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 at the door. For tickets, visit www.zoefoundation.org. äSee AROUND, page 3G
ä See more photos from the event on page 4G and at www.theadvocate.com.
Advocate staff photos by TRAVIS SPRADLING
Teacher leadership program earns Pecan Grove $50K prize BY DARLENE DENSTORFF
ddenstorff@theadvocate.com Pecan Grove Primary School’s celebration of a national award received Friday at a Los Angeles conference for the school’s highly touted TAP program has to wait because of this week’s standardized testing schedule. Students and most teachers found out about the award, which comes with $50,000, when Principal Marjorie Meyers called to announce that her school had
ä See a video about Pecan Grove’s implementation of TAP at www. theadvocate.com/ news/ascension/. won the TAP Founder’s Award at a Los Angeles conference. Funded by the Lowell Milken Family Foundation, the TAP Founder’s Award is given annually to one school for exceptional efforts to implement and repre-
sent the principles of TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement, a news release from the conference said. Meyers and an eight-member delegation from her school were in California to lead a workshop about their program. The program aligns teacher leadership, daily professional development, and opportunities for performance-based compensation. “The faculty of Pecan Grove äSee PRIZE, page 4G
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Photo provided by National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
Pecan Grove TAP Career Teacher Jennifer Rudy, left, and Ascension Parish Schools Superintendent Patrice Pujol celebrate Pecan Grove’s TAP Founder’s Award during a Los Angeles conference on Friday.