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2021

LFF_Blog_May2022_Restaurant

Restaurant Highlight – Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant

 

LASYONE’S
MEAT PIE RESTAURANT

 

 

LASYONE'S MEAT PIE RESTAURANT

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Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant – A TRADITION SINCE 1967

Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant is an authentic, soulful Creole Cuisine experience. Their recipes are handed down from their family and always prepared with love from the soul of their deep southern roots. Famous for their meat pies, this family-owned and operated restaurant boasts many unique dishes you will always enjoy. Lasyone’s is recognized nationally by restaurant industry leaders, travelers from around the world, and in Natchitoches, La. as a local favorite. Once you experience the Lasyone’s Louisiana Creole tradition, we know you’ll be back!

History of the Restaurant:
Mr. James Lasyone was a butcher at Live Oak Grocery for 25 years. He first started working on his meat pie recipe in the 1950s. After grinding the meat for the ladies who made them in their homes for many years, James Lasyone started experimenting with a recipe of his own. In 1967, Mr. Lasyone rented the bottom half of a building that once was the home of the Phoenix Lodge #38, built in 1859. While the Masons still occupied the top portion of the building, James Lasyone started his Meat Pie Kitchen.

James got his first national break when the editor of “House Beautiful” magazine dropped in for a couple of meat pies in the early 1970s. After that, people from all over the world stopped in to try Lasyone’s meat pies, from local townsfolk to Charles Kuralt, Lorne Greene, Vanna White, Daryl Hannah, and a host of others. Lasyone’s Meat Pie has been recognized and raved about by a score of magazines, including Southern Living, Cooking with Paula Deen, The New Yorker, Glamour Magazine, and Gourmet Magazine. Reviews have also included articles in books such as Jane & Michael Stern’s Good Food, Jane & Michael Stern’s Road Food, and Calvin Trillin’s Third Helpings. In addition, major newspapers such as The Houston Chronicle, Times Picayune New Orleans, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times have found their way to Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant. It has also been featured in many other national newspapers as well as international papers from France, Italy, and Spain. It has also made its way on the national airwaves, having been featured by On the Road with Charles Kuralt and Good Morning America with Bryant Gumble, and many other statewide and Texas news broadcasts.

Although famous and the most popular item on the menu, the meat pie is not the only thing that makes this restaurant a proud favorite. The Crawfish Pie was introduced in 2008 and quickly became the new item to try. Adding to those already highly recommended fares are the restaurant favorites such as Red Beans and Sausage, Dirty Rice, Southern Fried Catfish, Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, and don’t forget the chicken and dumplings on Thursday as well. Chef Angela Lasyone and Tina Lasyone Smith run the kitchen and restaurant just as it has been run for over 40 years, so you know that all the food is prepared the old-fashioned way-homemade with lots of soul and love! Our down-home atmosphere and old family recipes will make you feel like you’ve come home for that special meal.

Information and pictures gathered from  http://lasyones.com

622 Second St.
Natchitoches, LA
(318) 352.3353

 

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Feature: Rev. Dr. Rodney Wood

 

Advent:
Our God Came, He Comes,
and He Is Coming Again!

Written by Rev. Dr. Rodney Wood

 

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ADVENT:
Our God Came, He Comes, and He Is Coming Again!

 

Written by Rev. Dr. Rodney Wood

I am very grateful to First Lady Donna for inviting me to share some thoughts during this special season of the year.  

Advent, as you may know, means “Coming.”  The Story of the World pivots on that one word – adventus!

When we hid from God in shame in the garden, what did He do? He came to us!  He immediately showed that part of His character without which we would be undone.  Then throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, in various ways, He lovingly and repeatedly says, “I am coming!” And the story of your life and mine pivots on our response to Him who said, and is saying, “I am coming!”

During these days of Advent, Jesus wants to take you into your fullest, personal experience of His comings:  His first coming, His present comings, and His second coming. Let Him lead you into prolonged ponderings of the Holy Scriptures wherein He will tell you about both His first and second comings.  As you deeply contemplate all that you are told about His wonderful advents into His world, you will be taken up into extraordinary feelings of amazement, gratitude, and love.  Your continued meditation on the facts of His story will become like a casting of fire logs onto the flames within you.  It is by those flames that your heart and mind will be transported back to the time of His birth and His life as the Suffering Servant, and you will be launched forward to see the day of His return as the Victorious King.  Your ongoing experience of these two great advents of our Lord will then cause you to have a greatly heightened awareness of His constant, present comings in your life.

His First Coming:  Jesus, Almighty God the Son, came for our redemption. This is the bedrock of our faith.  Our foundation is not our personal experiences, as wonderful as they may be.  The underpinning of our faith is an historical event:  the coming of God into His world as a Man.  

Over fifty years ago, when I was a university student, I was struggling greatly with uncertainty about the truthfulness of the Incarnation.  I knew that if this seemingly bizarre idea was not true, this whole Christian religion was nothing: it was absolutely nothing for me to be concerned about.  On the other hand, if it was true, then it was everything – everything my whole life was about, everything the whole world was about.  Knowing that it was possible that this might be true, and therefore in fact be everything, I knew right then and there that I could not pass through this short life without at least trying to find out whether this was true.  Soon after this, in God’s kind providence, I had the opportunity to go with some friends to a beautiful farm in Washington Parish to hear a talk by a Harvard graduate who was involved in campus ministry at LSU.  His lecture was exactly what I needed to hear.  He spoke on Christ’s perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament’s messianic prophecies.  Here is a very brief synopsis of what we heard:

It was in Genesis 3:15 that God announced His redemptive plan as He declared that the “offspring” of the woman “will crush the head” of the serpent.  Centuries later, the prophet Isaiah said that this woman would be a “virgin.” The prophets also said that this Man would be a descendant of the Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that he would be of the lineage of King David who was of the tribe of Judah.  They said that He would be born in the small town of Bethlehem and that He would spend time as a child in Egypt and that a massacre of infants would occur at his birthplace and that He would be called a Nazarene. He would begin His ministry in Galilee, and during His ministry, Gentiles would come to Him.

Possibly most fascinating of all is the detail with which the prophets described his crucifixion and the events attendant upon it.  He would be betrayed.  He would be abandoned by His closest friends.  He would be falsely accused and would give no answer to His accusers. He would be mocked and ridiculed and spat upon and struck.  He would be executed with criminals, having His hands and feet pierced. Soldiers would gamble for His garments.  He would be given vinegar for His thirst. His bones would not be broken.  His side would be pierced. He would be buried with the rich. He would be resurrected from the dead. And He would ascend into heaven.  

And who exactly would this Messiah be?  The prophet Micah said, “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” And Moses said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.” In the New Testament, as Jesus stood on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah, God the Father echoed Moses’ prophetic words, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

As I sat there, on that night in Washington Parish, I was convinced that it was true:  Jesus of Nazareth really was and is Eternal God the Son.  God really did come into this world as a Man.   

And why did He come? As the songwriter said,

He paid a debt He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay,
I needed someone to wash my sin away

And now I sing that brand new song: Amazing Grace
For Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

Let Jesus take you back to the feed trough in Bethlehem where in humility He lay. And let Him take you back to the cross where He paid our dreadful debt.  Hear Him say, “I came for you!”

His Present Comings: Jesus comes to us again and again as we face the challenges, disappointments, sorrows, and perplexities of this world. Sometimes He comes to deliver us, and sometimes He comes to sustain and strengthen us.

When King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace, they replied: “… the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, … But even if He does not, … we will not serve your gods.”  When they were then thrown into the fiery furnace, what the king saw bewildered him greatly: “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? Look! I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”  The “fourth” is believed by many to have been a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.  But even if it was through the agency of one of His holy angels, God came. He delivered them. However, the greatest testimony of these three men’s lives was not their deliverance: it was their declaration of their unconditional loyalty to their God and their absolute trust in His wisdom and goodness: “But even if He does not …!”

When our youngest son John had leukemia twice in the nineties, in our desperation for God’s help in processing this grave situation, my wife Becky and I felt led to continually read and meditate on Psalm 91. The entire psalm was a source of strength over a period of eight years. We had no assurance that John would live, but we sought to hold onto these words from that psalm: “I will be with him in trouble.”  We knew that God may not deliver him out of trouble, but He told us that He would be with John “in trouble.”

Jesus may not always deliver you from difficult, even tragic situations, but He will “never leave you nor forsake you.”  He will always come!

His Second Coming:  Jesus will come to gather to Himself all who belong to Him.  

Jesus says: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory.”

The Apostle Paul vividly describes that glory-filled day: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”  

And in The Revelation, the Apostle John tells us that all the pain of this world will be over: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain:  the first things have passed away!”  

In the final chapter of Holy Scripture, three times our King speaks of the imminence of His coming. He says, “Behold, I am coming soon. … Behold, I am coming soon. … Surely, I am coming soon.”  And we, whom He calls His “bride,” cry out in reply, “COME!” With the Apostle, we say, “COME, LORD JESUS!” This will be our unceasing prayer until He comes again!

Dear friends, our Savior came for our redemption.  He continually comes to help us in our present condition. And soon He will come again, and “… we will be like Him” – full of goodness and truth and the beauty of holiness!  

Adventus!  It’s The Story of the World!  It is to be the story of your life and mine!

 

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Louisiana Fosters – The Importance of Foster Families

 

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The Importance of  Foster Families

Written by Tiffany Anderson Cruz

Louisiana Fosters Ambassador

 

 

The Importance of Foster Families
Written by Tiffany Anderson Cruz

 

If there is one thing you may know about children in foster care, they often live in multiple different foster homes and usually age out of care. While the goal of foster care is to reunify the child/youth with their parents, it is not always a possibility. This situation is something to which I can relate. When I entered the foster care system with two of my three siblings, there was no chance of reunification because both of my parents were set to be incarcerated for a long time and, in turn, had to have their parental rights terminated. I lived in five different homes, the last of which I was placed just seven months before I aged out of care. I believe a child’s success in the system is influenced heavily by the support system they have.

Most children who come into care experience a lack of control in their lives, even more so after being taken from their families. Too often, these children find themselves in similar situations as mine while in care. Every foster child deserves a family to support and love them unconditionally. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. These children have almost assuredly experienced all ranges of trauma throughout their young lives. They do not trust or become attached easily to their foster families because they know they probably will not be in the home long.  Earning the trust of these children, especially teenagers, is a feat that takes time and does not happen overnight. These children need to know they are not at risk of being sent to a different home at the first offense. They need someone to stand by their side, support them, encourage them, and understand it will not always be easy, but it is worth it.

I can say from my experience these children know which families are not in it for the right reasons and which ones genuinely care about their well-being. I knew I was not an easy youth to deal with when I was younger. I lived a life with my biological parents, who exserted full of control over me, and decided I would not allow anyone to control me after that. I fought against anyone who tried to have any level of control over me. I believe foster families must be able to manage their expectations when dealing with teenagers. These children have been raised in a way that may not match the way the foster family has raised their children or even the way they themselves were raised. I feel lucky to have found a family that persevered through the hardships to meet me through it. I asked this family to adopt me when I was 22 years old when I realized they truly became my family and how grateful I was for all they had done for me.  An essential piece of being a foster family is that when the youth turns 18, it is vital to continue supporting them and being there for them. Fostering is not just a short-term commitment but a lifetime. You would be changing these children and youth’s lives for the better.

Written by Tiffany Anderson Cruz
Louisiana Fosters Ambassador

Visit the Louisiana Fosters Website

 

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Featured Recipe: Christmas Cookies

 

CHRISTMAS
COOKIES

 

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

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Everyone needs a quick recipe for cookies during the holidays!
Try these and add fun sprinkle toppings to make them festive.

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar 1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

 

 

 

Servings: 48
Yield: 4 dozen

Directions:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

Step 2

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto un-greased cookie sheets.

Step 3

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

 

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The Governor’s Mansion: China

Governor’s Mansion:
China Collection

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 Governor’s Mansion
China Collection

Upon entering the Governor’s Mansion, you’re immediately taken aback by the stunning historical architecture and walls covered in fine art. As you progress through the foyer, you’ll notice two rooms, one on the left, one on the right. The room to the right is the State Dining Room which contains many historical pieces of art, but the one we’ll focus on in this month’s blog is the beautiful wooden china cabinet and what resides inside.

When you see this immaculate and illuminated cabinet, you start to see a story of some of the Governors who have lived in the Mansion since its construction in 1963. Each shelf is home to a different set of china, designed by Governors and First Ladies throughout the years. Governor Jimmie Davis and First Lady Alvern Adams Davis, Governor John McKeithen and First Lady Marjorie McKeithen, Governor Edwin Edwards and First Lady Elaine Edwards, Governor David Treen and First Lady Dolores Treen, Governor Buddy Roemer, Governor Mike Foster, and First Lady Alice Foster, and Governor John Bel Edwards and First Lady Donna H. Edwards, all have china in this lovely, historical cabinet.

In 1998, the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion Preservation Foundation purchased the First Lady’s china to serve as the china used during luncheons the First Lady was hosting. Its beautiful butterfly and floral design brighten every room it enters and every table it touches.

In 2018, Governor and First Lady Edwards designed the new Louisiana state china and Johnny Tate and Lindsay Guerin from Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry designed the new Louisiana State china. The china is American made by Lenox and is beautifully set in lapis blue and gold, Louisiana’s state colors. In addition to the blue and gold, they added sixty-four fleur-de-lis around the outside of the dinner plate for our sixty-four parishes and eighteen stars around the cup to remind us that Louisiana was the 18th state to join the United States. Many people and groups helped purchase this Louisiana-styled china, and each of their names appears on the back of a dinner plate.

 

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Women’s Health – December 2021

 

Women’s Health

WOMEN'S HEALTH BLOG December 2021

A Woman’s Self-Care During the Holidays

Written by
Kimiyo Harris Williams, M.D., FAAP             
 

The chill of winter approaches as Autumn’s colorful scene sets the stage for a season of festive celebration. The heavy, cozy coats coupled with brilliant orange fireplace flames keep us warm as we snuggle in our favorite red blanket on crisp December night. As we embrace this holiday season, remember that self-care is essential. It should be one of our highest priorities as wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, and friends.  Even as we plan our family holiday meals and shop for holiday gifts for those we love, let’s not forget to invest in our well-being.

Here are some practical tools and tips to help foster self-care during the holidays from the Harvard Health Blog. October 22, 2019, By David R. Topor, Ph.D., MS-HPEd.

Regularly schedule a time to engage in self-care activities. Schedule self-care activities (exercise, meditation, a hobby you enjoy) at the same time each day so they become routine, or set a timer or alarm to remind yourself.

Practice gratitude for the people and events in your life. This practice might include writing in a journal about what you appreciate in your life or letting others know the gratitude you feel.

Engage in deep breathing or other relaxation skills. Include listening to soothing music or engaging in an imagery exercise. You can also engage in several other relaxation skills that include: breath focus; body scan; guided imagery, mindfulness meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qigong; repetitive prayer.

Tune into the emotions you are experiencing. Emotions may be positive, negative, or a combination of the two. Call “time outs” for yourself and check in on your feelings. Write down your emotions in a journal.

Try to understand why you might be experiencing negative emotions. For some people, negative emotions might be related to unrealistic expectations or goals around the holidays or feeling overwhelmed. Readjust goals, so they are specific and attainable.

Monitor your stress level. Write down your stress level in a journal at various times during the day. Take note of the situation you were in when feeling stressed. Is it around certain people? Were you engaging in specific activities? Have a list of activities you can engage in to relax for a few minutes. Perhaps this is taking a walk, doing a few minutes of yoga, or watching a favorite TV show or movie.

Be present around the presents—practice mindfulness and meditation, including spending a minute or two being present in your environment. Take notice of the smells, sounds, and sights of the holidays. Notice the differences between the holiday season and other times of the year. Mindfulness techniques can be more than quiet contemplation.

Take care of your physical health. Ensure adequate sleep and a nutritious diet. Develop a plan to enjoy the special foods and treats around the holidays while balancing them with healthy eating.

Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/self-care-strategies-holiday-season-2017121812926 

I encourage you to embrace and enjoy this holiday season. However, take the time to be “still” and assess your needs, wants, and desires.  Be intentional about your self-care so you can be well equipped to care for those you love.

I Am My Sister’s Keeper!!!

-Kimiyo Harris Williams, M.D., FAAP                  

 

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Kimiyo Harris Williams, MD, FAAP

Kimiyo Harris Williams, MD is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. Educating her patients and encouraging healthy habits has been the foundational framework of her practice of medicine. She strongly supports health advocacy and empowers her patients and their parents to be intentional regarding their health and wellness. She graduated cum laude from Xavier University of LA, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Pre-Medicine. Upon completion of her studies at Xavier University, she embarked upon a career in research in the department of Pulmonary Critical Care at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Her desire to transition her career to clinical medicine led her to pursue a Doctor of Medicine degree. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans and completed her pediatric residency training at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans and LSU Health Sciences Center Pediatric Residency Program. Dr. Williams’ career includes both academic and clinical medicine over the past 20 plus years.

Dr. Williams is the President of K.H. Williams Enterprises, INC., an executive health entity focused on health advocacy, clinical practice, and medical consulting. She has been affiliated with the Delta Research and Educational Foundation Research Matters for All of Us Initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program since 2018; serves as Co-Chair of the Louisiana Regional All of Us Advisory Board and a medical expert consultant for other organizations funded by the NIH All of Us Research Program. In 2020, she was appointed in a volunteer role as a Public Health Equity Ambassador by the Louisiana Department of Health. She was the inaugural author of the Women’s Health Section in First Lady, Donna Edwards’ Louisiana First Foundation’s (LFF) monthly blog, a featured author of several additional articles and currently serves as its Women’s Health Editor. Dr. Williams was honored to present the keynote address at the “Louisiana Women’s Day and Retreat” event held at the Louisiana State Capitol in the Governor’s Press Conference Room in May of 2018. In May 2020, Dr. Williams served as a guest speaker and panelist for National Women’s Health Week “More Power: Women at the Polls and in Policy” Women’s Day Webinar. She has been a guest speaker and panelist at numerous meetings throughout the years.

Personally, Dr. Williams cherishes being a wife, mother of two sons, bonus mother of three and grandmother of four.

You can connect with Dr. Kimiyo Williams via email at kwilliams@khwilliamsenterprises.net.

 

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People of Louisiana – Business (December 2021)

 

JILL
DIMARCO,
DMCP/CMP

SIGNATURE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT, LLC

JILL DEMARCO, DMCP/CMP SIGNATURE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT, LLC

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Jill DiMarco is the owner of Signature Destination Management, LLC.  Signature DMC is a full-service Destination Management Company that works with corporations and convention groups traveling to New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast. The past two years have been particularly devasting to the tourism industry.   Jill’s team of meeting and event professionals are inspired to introduce clients once again to the culture and authenticity of the region.   From Events, Conventions, Tours, and Teambuilding, they work with local vendors and businesses to produce nationally acclaimed and award-winning programs.  They are so excited to showcase New Orleans once again to their clients.   When clients book with Signature DMC, they know that it is a turnkey service and that Signature will take care of all the creativity and nitty-gritty details.

Jill and the Signature team have proudly collaborated with the Zurich Classic PGA tournament since its inception in 2005.  And are thrilled to be working with the Louisiana First Foundation on the National Coalition for the Prevention of Human Sex Trafficking Fund Raiser.

Signature DMC is a certified WBENC. Jill is serving a second term on the Board of Directors of New Orleans & Company (New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.)  She holds the designation of Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) and Destination Management Certified Professional (DMCP). She is a member of the Association of Destination Management Executives (ADMEI) and is currently on her second stint on the ADME/Accreditations and Certification Board. She is also a past chair of this board.  Jill is married with two children and a fighting tiger from LSU.

Website: www.signature-dmc.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=signature%20destination%20management

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/signaturenola/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-dimarco-703440154/

   https://www.linkedin.com/company/76915365/admin/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxkdGTn4y748SVQQcKx0VyA

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People of Louisiana – Military (December 2021)

 

WREATHS
ACROSS
AMERICA

Louisiana Department
of Veteran Affairs

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
DECEMBER 18

As we move past Veterans Day, we must not forget an important date in December: Wreaths Across America Day. Annually on Dec. 18, ceremonies are held across the nation at more than 2,500 memorial sites to remember, honor and teach. Right here in Louisiana, people gather at our five state-run veterans cemeteries to fulfill the mission of Wreaths Across America so that no veteran is forgotten.

There are two ways that Louisianans can be involved: Purchase a wreath, or multiple wreaths, or attend a ceremony at one of our five cemeteries. If you would like more information, contact one or more of Louisiana’s veterans cemeteries:

Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
337.238.6405
james.armes@la.gov

Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
318.728.4346
tim.johnson@la.gov

Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
318.925.0612
don.howard@la.gov

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
985.646.6458
daniele.palen@la.gov

Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
337.246.7094
dwayne.guidry@la.gov

It is important that we show a united front of gratitude and respect across our state as we remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach our children the value of freedom. We encourage every person who places a wreath on a veteran’s grave to say that veteran’s name aloud and take a moment to thank them for their service to our country. It’s a small act that goes a long way toward keeping the memory of our veterans alive. Remember, we are not “decorating graves.” We are to remember not their deaths, but their lives, and each wreath is a gift of appreciation.

For more information about LDVA, visit vetaffairs.la.gov, email veteran@la.gov, call 225.219.5000 or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

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People of Louisiana – Schools (December 2021)

 

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KAITLYN
RICHARD

Beauregard Parish

South Beauregard Elementary

2022 Louisiana Elementary School State Teacher of the Year

KAITLYN RICHARD

Beauregard Parish

South Beauregard Elementary

2022 Louisiana Elementary School State Teacher of the Year

Engagement through Classroom Transformations


As we begin the winter season, our school days are often filled with busy schedules, making plans, meeting deadlines, and most importantly, excited students! The weeks that fall from Thanksgiving until the New Year can bring lots of excitement in the classroom, so it is important as teachers to keep the excitement going when the students return from winter break. There are many ways that teachers can incorporate engagement strategies in the classroom and ensure that all students are excited to learn each and every day. As I begin to plan something new for my students, I like to keep in mind my 3 E’s of Engagement: Effective, Engaging, and Exciting.

One of my most favorite things to do as a classroom teacher, is to bring the element of surprise to my students through classroom transformations!  Every day as children arrive at school, teachers have the opportunity to make an everlasting impression on their students and the way that they learn. Many days throughout the year, my students will arrive, expecting a normal school day, and then the classroom is transformed into a new environment!  Whether they arrive at a Fractions Pizzeria, StarBUCKS Cafe, NFL Touchdown to Learning, or Inferencing Class Detectives, the students are involved and enthusiastic about the lesson activities.  By incorporating classroom transformations, you will be surprised at how effective, engaging, and exciting your lessons will be!

Effective

As teachers create lesson plans, students have a variety of objectives and standards that need to be met. It is important as teachers to be sure that all students are able to successfully meet those expectations. With classroom transformations, students are motivated, involved, and eager to achieve any educational goals that are set for the day. By having effective lessons, students are more likely to achieve higher levels of academic success. The more often I do classroom transformations, the more times I find my students referring back to those lessons when accessing prior knowledge and talking about their experiences for days to come. That is when I know that classroom transformations not only effectively achieve lesson objectives, but also create memorable learning experiences!

Engaging 

Capturing student’s engagement is key to the success of classroom transformations. As the students walk in the door on a transformation day, or begin their lesson activities, they are instantly engaged with the new, personalized learning environment! Classroom transformations allow students the ability to use the skills that they have learned, and use them in a fun, more engaging way. When teachers use classroom transformations in the classroom, it provides the students with a hands-on approach while giving them the opportunity to create, collaborate, and discover a new love for learning. This engagement will give students the motivation and determination to complete any task that you have planned for them. When students are engaged in the lesson, they are more likely to show growth and push themselves beyond their expectations!

Exciting

There is nothing more exciting for a student than to be surprised when they walk into their classroom and see something unexpected! By getting the students excited about the upcoming school day, it inspires them to complete the lesson activities as they anticipate what is to come. During these transformations, students are using the skills that they have learned and applying them to real life situations and environments. This allows students of all abilities to connect to the outside world, while giving them an experience like no other. As I plan each of these classroom transformations, I am reminded of all of the joy and excitement that it brings to my students, which inspires me to continue to provide an unforgettable learning experience for my students!  

Planning a Classroom Transformation

When planning your first classroom transformation, there are a few things to keep in mind so that both you and your students can fully enjoy the experience.

  1. Keep the decorations cheap and easy!

Classroom transformations do not have to be expensive or time consuming. Simple decorations such as plastic table cloths, a poster, sign, or banner, and activity supplies will help bring your classroom transformation to the next level. A few decorations to match the theme is all you need for the students to recognize that they will have something new and exciting during their school day!

  1. Focus on the content.

The goal of classroom transformations is to bring life to the skills or content you have already been teaching, and present it in a different way.  Sometimes, this could be as simple as finding the difference between two scoreboards during a football transformation, or other times applying what they have learned about counting coins to make change during a cafe’ transformation. This gives teachers the opportunity to give students real life experiences and inspire them to think outside the box.

  1. Have fun!

What brings the most joy to students during a classroom transformation, is when they see their teacher excited about learning, too. By wearing a referee shirt and whistle, or using your best Italian accent, the students are sure to buy into the theme and enjoy the excitement that is to come.

By incorporating classroom transformations into your classroom after the winter break, you are sure to bring a new level of excitement into the classroom. This level of engagement from your students just may inspire you to continue to provide these exciting learning experiences, throughout the remainder of the year! As I plan each of these transformations, I am reminded of how important it is to involve students in their learning so that they may reach past the expectations that we have set for them. It is crucial that all students are given the opportunity to achieve excellence in the classroom, which is why I am motivated to give them memorable learning experiences through classroom transformations!

Kaitlyn Richard
Beauregard Parish
South Beauregard Elementary
2022 Louisiana Elementary School State Teacher of the Year

Twitter: @KaitlynHRichard
Instagram: @kaitlynhrichard

 

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People of Louisiana – Community (December 2021)

 

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COMMUNITY
FRIDGES
IN LOUISIANA

 COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY FRIDGES Is There One In Your Area?

Community Fridges are popping up all over the state. Community Fridges are filling a need across our state. It usually works when community groups team up to place a refrigerator and pantry in an area in need. They are usually registered places where surplus food is shared within a local community, by businesses and individuals, and provide welcoming, social spaces open to all.

The fridges are kept up through social media and other means, providing free groceries. Check social media by searching “Community Fridge” to see if there is one in your area.

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