News & Current Events

Meet Six Exchange Students Who Would Make Great Honorary Cajuns The exchange student program was established to encourage Americans to share their culture while experiencing a new one. At its core, it serves as a tool for international diplomacy. It's an incredible opportunity that you can learn more about here. As a local coordinator, I have the joy of reviewing exchange student profiles to find students who will fit in well with our vibrant Louisiana culture. As we approach the upcoming school year, I’d like to take a moment to introduce a few exchange students who are still searching for a host family and would be the perfect addition to a Louisiana family. Ambroise from France Ambroise gets an automatic honorary Cajun point...

True Life Mom Confession :: “I’m A Member Of The Beyhive” It all started back in 1998 when I first saw the music video for Destiny Child’s “No, No, No (Part 2).” The catchy hip hop beat, the lyrics and the four young sirens singing them had teenage me hooked from that point on. While the group line up changed over the years going from four girls to “DC-3,” the standout star was always Beyoncé. She was beautiful but also down to earth with a cute country accent that was relatable to Southern girls like me. Before I knew it, I was a member of the Beyhive! Not in the obsessive Swarm kind of way, but I've followed her career from her...

The Struggle Is Real :: Overworked Educators And Stressed-Out Moms Amidst The School Bus Saga The recent school transportation issues have highlighted a major issue in education: underpaid school bus drivers. This ongoing battle is causing stress and disruption for school leaders, educators, and parents, as they try to cope with the lack of adequate transportation. This battle has exposed how school boards and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education fail to provide adequate support to school systems, leaving students and their families without access to reliable transportation and consequently inadequate opportunities for academic success. The struggle of both educators and stressed-out moms is real, and it's time for real solutions to be put in place. The recent school transportation issues...

Songs That Won't Leave You Alone :: Revisiting Sinéad O'Connor As A Middle-Aged Mom We lounged comfortably in the backyard. The boys played in the pool; I had a journal and fountain pen; my sister, niece, and mom had their phones. Out of the blue, Mom went, “Oh!” and, to our inquisitive looks, said “Sinéad O’Connor died.” The news felt incomprehensible. Sinéad O’Connor? The rebel yell against Margaret Thatcher’s England and religion that only worked if it hurt? She Who Was Banned From NBC For Life? The priestess? She was a force of nature, a name that channeled truth like a raw steak, so bloody you can’t look at it without physical discomfort. Died? What? Since July 26, like many people...

Barbie, Made For Mothers And Daughters "We girls can do anything, Right Barbie?" That was the slogan I would proudly sing aloud as a little girl playing with my Barbie dolls back in the mid-80’s. If you’re a young Gen X / elder Millennial Mom (a Xennial, if you will), you were probably singing along too.Barbie was not without controversy, but for many of us she symbolized what we hoped to be; beautiful, independent, successful, and happy. Luckily, for little Black girls at that time, Barbie could also be Black! Thanks to Mattel’s Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts, Louvenia (Kitty) Black Perkins, the first Black Barbie was created in 1979. Barbie was living her best life and she...