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6 days ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Courtney Mott, 35, dreamed of being a teacher since she was young. She was born and raised in Mamou, and educated by the teachers there. Those educators emboldened her to become one herself because of the way they instilled the love of learning in her. But this wasn’t the most important impact they had.
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1 week ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 5:55 pm Friday, April 18, 2025 Southwest Louisiana is invited to celebrate the Earth this weekend with art, music and action. Earth Fest is a two-day festival celebrating local artistry, live music and environmental sustainability. Hosted by Grateful Dave’s Foundation, a local non-profit focused on sponsoring live music and community-based events, the festival offers two days of fun that highlight environmental causes.
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1 week ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 1:52 pm Friday, April 18, 2025 The Sulphur City Council will make several fiscal decisions next month. Proposals about water, sewer and trash collection fees, and next year’s budget, were introduced at the City Council meeting on Monday. Last year, the American Press reported that the council approved $5.75 in utility increases: a $1.50 water increase, $2.90 sewer increase, $1.45 capital recovery fee — a charge that goes directly to the Water and Wastewater Capital Fund.
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1 week ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 9:50 am Thursday, April 17, 2025 The Westlake High Theatre group is bringing the story of Tarzan to the stage at 7 p.m. tonight at the school, 1000 Garden Drive. The group will perform the full-length, 90-minute Broadway musical production of “Tarzan.” Based on Disney’s 1999 animated film of the same name, “Tarzan” tells the story of a baby orphaned after a shipwreck on the West African Coast. He (portrayed by Kaden Hasty) was taken in by a troop of gorillas and raised in the jungle.
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1 week ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 2:51 pm Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Bess the Book Bus began its annual expedition across the United States this month to deliver book ownership to early elementary students. On Monday and Tuesday, the bus made stops in Lake Charles. Based out of Tampa, Fla., Bess the Book Bus is a nationwide mobile literacy initiative that aims to bring the joy of reading and book ownership to students, educators and families in economically vulnerable neighborhoods.
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1 week ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 10:03 am Sunday, April 13, 2025 The Beauregard Parish School Board will purchase 20 open-gate metal and weapons detectors for all 13 Beauregard Parish campuses. At a Thursday meeting, the board unanimously approved the purchase of the metal detectors at the base cost of approximately $370,000, including training costs. Additional items, like suction cups, can be purchased at an additional cost. They will be placed at the entrances of each school.
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2 weeks ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 5:12 am Friday, April 11, 2025 At the end of her 16th year as a teacher, Meghan LeBert, 39, is certain that students are the center of a teacher’s profession. Teaching involves several tasks and responsibilities – paperwork, grading, lesson planning – and “sometimes anxiety-inducing obligations.” But at the core of teaching is the actual act of teaching students, and this is LeBert’s favorite part of the job.
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2 weeks ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 12:49 pm Thursday, April 10, 2025 With a new musical festival comes a fresh perspective and a message of hope. The Inaugural Hope Fest will be hosted from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, on the Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds. 554 West Drive. This alternative music festival is more than a opportunity for Central and Southwest Louisiana to enjoy several genres of rock & roll and metal. The money raised by the festival will be funneled back into the community.
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2 weeks ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
With the 2025-26 school year will come a new era for both Ralph Wilson and J.J. Johnson elementary schools. The Calcasieu Parish School Board finalized a Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) Committee decision to reconfigure the two schools with unanimous approval on Tuesday. This move will turn J.J. Johnson into a kindergarten through fifth-grade school and convert Ralph Wilson into the Ralph Wilson Center for Opportunities.
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2 weeks ago | 
americanpress.com | Emily Burleigh
Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, April 8, 2025 With the 2025-26 school year will come a new era for both Ralph Wilson and J.J. Johnson elementary schools. The Calcasieu Parish School Board finalized a Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) Committee decision to reconfigure the two schools with unanimous approval on Tuesday. This move will turn J.J. Johnson into a kindergarten through fifth-grade school and convert Ralph Wilson into the Ralph Wilson Center for Opportunities.
