CARVER PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS LEARN LESSONS ON HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING ä Page 6G
THE ASCENSION
ADVOCATE
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THURSDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2015 H DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT • SORRENTO THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
West Bank parents invited to meeting The Donaldsonville community is invited to a town hall meeting regarding Ascension Parish School Board’s District 1 from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Monday at Donaldsonville City Hall. Administrators from each of the five schools on the West Bank have been invited to attend. Parents and guardians will have the opportunity to ask questions after the administrators’ presentations. A door prize will be given to the first 50 attendees. One grand prize will be awarded at the end of the meeting. For information, call Robyn Penn Delaney at (225) 717-1134.
Ministry on a mission close to home
BY KATE STEVENS
Special to The Advocate GONZALES — Congregation members at First United Methodist Church of Gonzales have been conducting missionary work in other parts of the United States and overseas for years. But, here at home, the need is just as great. That’s why Ed and Margaret Holton, of Maurepas, revived the church’s defunct Helping Hands ministry earlier this year to help the elderly and disabled in Ascension Parish. “It’s amazing what you see in your own community,” said Ed Holton, 58. “The people who
are struggling just to have a decent roof over their heads and a floor under their feet.” The church’s Helping Hands Ministry provides minor home repairs for those in need, particularly if these much-needed repairs affect the health and safety of the home’s residents, Holton said. One of the greatest needs the ministry has seen is a request for wheelchair ramps, he said. The ministry has partnered with the Ascension Council on Aging for help in identifying needy residents and raising funds for the project, said Darlene Schexnayder, COA executive director. “They’re doing great work,”
said Schexnayder. “We appreciate all the work they’re doing for the senior citizens.” The COA is a nonprofit group formed to help Ascension senior citizens remain independent and self-sufficient as long as possible, Schexnayder said. Holton approached the COA for help in identifying those who could use assistance and Schexnayder said she “jumped at the chance.” The COA depends on volunteers plus social workers, home aid workers and even home meal delivery drivers to identify those in need of services, she said.
Photo provided by ED HOLTON
Helping Hands ministry volunteers constructed a wheelchair ramp for Gonzales resident Rosalie Scott on Nov. 9. Gathering are, in front, Tomy Zacariah, and from left, K.E. Mathew, Margaret Holton, Ed Holton, Jerry Mayfield and Dewey Grice. äSee MINISTRY, page 3G Scott’s daughter, Denise Gordon, stands at the home’s doorway.
An Evening Stroll
Government offices closed
Advocate photo by KATE STEVENS
All Ascension Parish government offices and departments will be closed Thursday and Friday in observance of Thanksgiving Normal business hours will resume on Monday.
Dutchtown Middle School eighth-grader Peyton Hoyle writes on the new ActivWall technology board as if it is a whiteboard to help his classmates find the solution to a math problem.
Libraries closed for holiday
Remember, all branches of Ascension Parish Library are closed Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Trimming the children’s tree
Ascension Parish Library invites children to stop by any branch location through Dec. 23 to color an ornament to hang on the children’s Christmas tree. Children will receive a coloring booklet and sticker. For details, call the Gonzales Branch at (225) 6473955, Donaldsonville Branch at (225) 473-8052, Galvez Branch at (225) 622-3339 or Dutchtown Branch at (225) 673-8699.
Fun with Mrs. Claus
Mrs. Claus and Jingle the Elf will stop by the Galvez Branch of Ascension Parish Library for a visit at 6 p.m. Tuesday. They will read stories and sing Christmas carols with children. Children will get to write a letter to Santa that Mrs. Claus will hand deliver. Parents are encouraged to bring their cameras to take photos with Mrs. Claus and Jingle after the program. Call (225) 622-3339 for information.
Small business seminar
Ascension Parish Library will hold a free seminar on starting and financing a small business at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Donaldsonville Branch. The program will focus on determining the feasibility of a business idea and how to obtain a small business loan. The speaker is William Hawn, a business consultant with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University and A&M College — Baton Rouge. Advance registration is äSee AROUND, page 2G
Advocate staff photos by CHARLES CHAMPAGNE
Guests ride the trolley down Railroad Avenue on Saturday during the Avenue Evening Stroll in Donaldsonville.
Donaldsonville gets decked out for old-fashioned holiday
BY KATE STEVENS
Special to The Advocate
BY VON DE LEIGH HATCHER Special to The Advocate
Dutchtown Middle School students have a bigger and better way to learn, thanks to a generous donation from two corporations that recently picked Ascension Parish to nationally debut their latest advancement in interactive classroom technology. Promethean and AXI Education Solutions presented the brand-new, 102-inch Promethean ActivWall technology board with ClassFlow Connect software Nov. 17 during an eighthgrade math class at Dutchtown Middle. Although the Lafayette Parish school system recently received similar technology at its district training center, Dutchtown Middle is the first in the country to have the Promethean ActivWall with ClassFlow Connect installed in a classroom, said Suzy Swindle,
Visitors celebrated an old-fashioned Christmas on Saturday in the heart of Donaldsonville’s Historic District during the annual Avenue Evening Stroll. Crowds gathered in Louisiana Square for a night of music and entertainment and strolled along Railroad
Dutchtown gets first crack at cutting-edge smartboard
ABOVE: Merle Norman displays holiday items as guests shop on Railroad Avenue. RIGHT: Santa Claus greets and takes photos with kids during the Avenue Evening Stroll.
Avenue for shopping, eating and togetherness in “the most special small town in Louisiana,” said Lee Melancon, the director of the Donaldsonville Downtown Development District’s Mainstreet program. äSee STROLL, page 2G
äSee SMARTBOARD, page 5G
Gonzales celebrating with tree lighting, parade Advocate staff report Gonzales city officials will kick off the holiday season at 6 p.m. Tuesday with the annual Gonzales Christmas Tree Lighting event in front of City Hall and at the Gonzales Civic Center. Mayor Barney Arceneaux and other city officials will turn on the lights around City Hall, Jambalaya Park and the civic center before heading over to
the civic center for a visit with Santa and entertainment. Santa and his elves will be inside the civic center giving a gift to each child visiting. On stage, performers with Center Stage Performing Arts Academy will entertain the crowd and several Girl Scout troops from across Ascension Parish will be singing Christmas carols outdoors. Hot chocolate and jambalaya provided by the Jambalaya
Festival Association will be served. “Mayor Barney Arceneaux, the entire City of Gonzales Council, administration and staff look forward to this event annually,” said Public Information Officer Charlotte Guedry. “Seeing the coming together of our area families at one of the most magical times of the year is a joy for us all. No one throws a celebration like the city of Gonzales, and our Christmas
event is no exception. We urge everyone to join us for family, festive fun.” The fun continues on Dec. 13 when the Jambalaya Festival Association hosts the annual Christmas Parade through the streets of Gonzales. Tuesday is the deadline to register for participation in the parade. For information or to register for the parade, email jamfestassociation@gmail.com;
call (225) 647-2937 or (225) 7154383 or visit jambalayafestival. org. The city also sponsors its annual Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Gonzales Civic Center. A meal, provided by “Tee” Wayne Abshire, LeBlanc’s Foot Store and Carli-Co Café, will be served to senior citizens. Santa will be there and music will be performed by musicians led by Kenny Fife, Guedry said.