Lifestyle

This year at the Southern Plant Trials, I fell in love with the herbaceous perennial agastache. This perennial stood out to me with its profuse blooms and delightful fragrance.

At each location I visited, the agastache was buzzing with pollinators. In the third week of June each year, Americans celebrate National Pollinator Week. So now is a perfect time to add a color splash of agastache to your garden.

Commonly known as giant hyssop or hummingbird mint, there are 22 species of agastache native to North America and some to China and Japan. This group of perennials is related to bee balm, salvias and coleus, and all belong to the mint family of plants. They all sport the typical square or angular stems of members of the Lamiaceae or mint family. Many are fragrant and have unique flower forms.

Northwestern State University has reorganized academic units within the College of Arts and Sciences to create the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The School will include the Department of Biology and Microbiology, the Department of Engineering Technology, Division of Mathematics, Department of Physical Sciences and the Department of Veterinary Technology.

The new structure has several advantages for faculty, staff and students with streamlined administrative responsibilities, such as payroll, purchasing and academic advising, a single integrated system for personnel and budgetary decisions and better management of laboratories and classrooms in Bienvenu Hall, Fournet Hall, Kyser Hall and Williamson Hall.

The Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University has been approved for an $11,000 Grants for Arts Project award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The award will support the 43rd annual Natchitoches- NSU Folk Festival, to be held on July 22 in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum on the Northwestern State campus in Natchitoches. The Louisiana Folklife Center’s project is among 1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2023 funding.

Pending the signature of Gov. John Bel Edwards, Northwestern State University is set to receive $65.1 million in capital outlay for three facility projects. Those projects include the planning and construction of a health performance center, renovation of Warrington Place at NSU’s Shreveport campus and replacement of Kyser Hall, the school’s main academic building.

With the legislative session having ended June 8, House Bill 2 is now in the hands of the governor awaiting his approval.

Capital outlay is state funding designated for facility and infrastructure improvement projects that is not part of the university’s operating budget.

You are invited to a community meeting to give your input on the design of the gymnasium—Phased I of the Sabine High School Revitalization Project located on the campus of Sabine High School – 850 Highland Ave. – Many, LA.—in the cafeteria. The meeting is being held on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. Also, you will receive an update on the project and to answer any questions from people attending the meeting about the revitalization project.

BOM’s Many location hosted a split the pot fundraiser for the United Way of NWLA. Congratulations to Jeremey Allen on being our lucky winner. Pictured left to right: Ayzlea and Aybree Allen and BOM’s Kayla Sepulvado.

BOM is a sponsor of the Negreet Dixie Youth program. Pictured left to right: Caleb Veuleman and BOM’s Twyla Lovelady.

The House Education Committee advanced a bill Tuesday requiring high school students to take a financial literacy course starting with the 2026 and 2027 graduating classes.

State Superintendent Cade Brumley and State Treasurer John Schroder joined Rep. Nicholas Muscarello Jr., R-Hammond, to introduce the bill. It would integrate instruction in life skills with instruction in economics, including income and taxes, money management, investment and spending and the importance of personal savings.

“Financial illiteracy is an epidemic in the United States,” Rep. Muscarello said.

While the bill would require 11th and 12th grade students to take one unit of financial literacy, it would not create an additional course required for graduation. Instead, financial literacy would be worked into the pathway, acting as a replacement for a math course or an elective.

Northwestern State University’s School of Education recentlywelcomed 67 students into teacher candidacy during a Teacher Candidate Celebration.

“Teacher candidacy signifies the move from education major to teacher candidate within the School of Education,” explained Dr. Katrina Jordan, director of the School of Education. “During this ceremony the students receive a red apple pin to signify their status as a teacher candidate.”

When these students graduate, they will receive a gold apple pin, which waspresented during an apple pinning ceremony.

Most School of Education students are accepted into teacher candidacy in their sophomore year. To be accepted into candidacy, the students must successfully complete their freshman courses (30 hours), maintain a 2.5 GPA, have no grades lower than a C and receive a favorable dispositions (professionalism) review by an education professor.

Northwestern State University will hold Spring 2023 commencement exercises with three ceremonies over two days in May. Ceremonies will take place on Wednesday, May 10 at 10 a.m. and. 2 p.m.and on Thursday, May 11 at 10 a.m., according to University Registrar Barbara Prescott. The ceremonies will take place in Prather Coliseum and will be streamed on the university’s website, www.nsula.edu.

On May 10, graduates from the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health will receive diplomas at 10 a.m. The ceremony for graduates from The College of Business and Technology and the Gallaspy Family College of Education and Human Development will be held at 2 p.m. On Wednesday, May 11, graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Louisiana Scholars’ College will receive diplomas at 10 a.m.