WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY CELEBRATED

TROJAN

TALK

A mild, sunny morning greeted the red-shirted student body and faculty of LSVI as they made their way to the

front of the LSDVI campus. It was a day all had been looking forward to-- White Cane Day! Since the event was

held on campus, the Louisiana School for the Deaf joined us for the morning activities. As part of the ritual, the

day began with piping hot donuts provided by Krispy Kreme were served to the students by the O & M depart-

ment. Shortly afterwards, the students paired up with deaf students to teach them how to maneuver with a cane.

After declaring White Cane Day as an official day in Baton Rouge, Mayor Kip Holden took his turn walking

under the blindfold with a cane while being instructed by student government vice-president, Dontay Penn. Con-

gressman Garret Graves, Senator Bill Cassidy, and LSU receiver, Kevin Tolliver each spoke to the crowd, as well

as, took turns receiving instruction from Dontay Penn and student government president, Chris Holliday. Each

honored guest received a t-shirt and the White Cane Day calendar of student art. Everyone encouraged them

with clapping and cheers!

Following a delicious lunch of Raising Canes Chicken Fingers and Tony’s Seafood Jambalaya, LSVI student groups

participated in a campus-wide scavenger hunt. At the sound of a whistle, they demonstrated that blind kids can

travel—over fields, concrete, gravel, dirt, and bayous!

Pictures continued on page 5...

VOL. VI, ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2016

Art credit: Jocelyn Haynes,

paraprofessional, fall tactile

bulletin board

Left: Mayor Kip Holden presents the

White Cane Safety Day Proclama-

tion to Director, Bobby Simpson and

SGA president, Chris Holliday

Dontay Penn supervises

Mayor Holden using a cane

Chris Holliday supervises Senator

Bill Cassidy as he uses a cane. Above:

Senator Cassidy sports a WCD t-shirt

Above: Congressman Graves

shares a laugh with the crowd,

then practices cane travel LSU receiver, Kevin

Tolliver receives tips

on cane travel.

SPORTS LINE

TROJAN TALK Page 2

on the topic. Teachers and staff

watched a movie called “A

Girl Like Her,” then discussed

how verbal taunts in the halls

could carry over into bullying

through social media.

Through the month of Octo-

ber students wore orange brace-

lets with the slogan “Be Good

to Each Other” on it in braille.

Also, each week throughout the

month, teachers nominate stu-

dents for practicing good char-

acter in order to win a cup with

the slogan “Stay Calm and

Stand up to Bullying.”

Between the monthly charac-

ter traits education and the anti

-bullying awareness, LSVI stu-

dent are learning to be the best

ally each can be through their

words and their actions towards

one another.

October is the month to en-

courage students to be good to

each other. Leslie Lancaster,

the school’s counselor led a

event through the Ally program

which encourages students to

be an ally, one who is kind to

one another.

Prior to talking to the students

about bullying, Ms. Lancaster

led a workshop with teachers

OCTOBER IS BULLY-FREE MONTH

Following the October 21st game

against Georgia, the LSD football

team with LSVI players, Chris

Holliday and Dontay Penn, are

ending their season with a 8-0 rec-

ord. With the last game played

against North Carolina, the LSD

Eagles end the year with a perfect

record! They are hoping to be de-

clared as National Champions!

After competing on October 14 at

the district level at the local school,

St. Aloysius’ campus, five LSVI stu-

dents advance to the area competi-

tion in soccer kicking: Evan Hack,

Trey Cunrod, Damontae Pounds,

Lakeria Carter, and Kloe Andrews.

Former LSVI student, Gianni

Toce of Mandeville, Louisiana

was named All-American by

the U.S. Paralympics in the

following events: discus, jave-

lin, long jump, and shot put.

Gianni was one of five young

men named for this honor the

week of October 17th. He is

looking forward to Japan 2020!

Allies of the Week:

Chris Holliday, high school

Trey Cunrod, middle school

Gabbie Pierce, elementary

DeMarcus Williams, alternate

track

Allies of the Week:

Dontay Penn, high school

Josiah Singleton, middle school

Claiborne Constance, elementary

JoElle Nyguen, alternate track

Allies of the Week:

Joseph Brock, high school

Tianna Blandin, middle school

Evan-Anthony Hoffman,

elementary

Quincey Leftridge,

alternate track

Vol. VI, Issue 2; OCTOBER 2016 Page 3

O & M INTERN ON CAMPUS

LSVI has had the pleasure of the expertise of Laronda Oak-es, an intern from the Univer-sity of Arkansas Little Rock, working in the orientation and mobility department. “I love how the staff and stu-dents have accepted me as part of the LSVI family. I have many opportunities to expand my knowledge in this field and to interact with the students.” The field of orientation and mobility is a career change for Laronda. Prior to the transi-tion, she served in the Human

Resources department of the Jefferson Parish public school system. She said she was always curious about O & M since her mother, Rhonda, worked as a teacher of visually im-paired in Plaquemine Par-ish before working with LSVI as an outreach O&M specialist. Laronda will be at LSVI until the end of the fall se-mester. She will graduate in December 2017 at which time she plans to leave Belle Chase, her

SPACE CAMP ADVENTURE

Having been among many applicants to apply to

attend NASA’s space camp, Mary Hilton and Josi-

ah Singleton, were chosen to attend the last week

of September. Stacy Cox, O & M specialist, and

Jennifer Gaudet, P.E. instructor, were their chap-

erones. This was the first year for both students to

attend.

hometown, and hopes to

be settled in as an O & M

instructor the spring of

2018.

Above: Laronda calls vendors

for White Cane Day

Right: Laronda instructs Dul-

ce one her travel skills

“LA VENGANZA” OR “REVENGE”

This is the translation of the story written in Spanish by Spanish III student, Kelsin Franklin. His story was

inspired by the unique use of preterite and imperfect tenses in “Continuidad de los Parques” by Julio Cor-

tazar and the vocabulary from “Vampiro” by Emilia Pardo Baz’an.

After working all day, she went to sleep. She set her lesson plans on the desk and went to the bathroom to

take a bath. After bathing, she brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas. She went to bed. She dreamed of a

man. The man was very pale. He had a knife with him. He was in a crypt, kneeling before a grave. Rising, he

swore revenge on the person that had done this. He put the knife in his pocket and left the crypt. He climbed

the stairs. He opened the door and entered the living room through a door under the carpet. He walked down

the hallway and entered the room. As he neared the room, he felt reanimated. After years of pain and rage

absorbing his youthful warmth, his robustness, his aura of life, and his energy until he felt not an ounce of

compassion, he believed that he was capable of meeting his goal. He crept into the room and found a sleep-

ing woman. He moved to the bed and raised the knife. He was about to stab her when a younger man ap-

peared and tackled him. The young man took the knife and stabbed the assassin in the neck.

The woman woke up the next morning. She told her husband about her dream. He only laughed nervously

in response. She stood up, got her keys, and said goodbye to her husband. She got in the car and left the

house, not noticing the unusually large bag near the trash at the end of the driveway.

(Editor note: any errors in previously published Spanish version regretted; paragraphs here shortened per space limits)

OCTOBER’S Students of the Month & WAYNEs

(Wonderful Attitude You Need Everyday)

SNAPS FROM ACADEMIC DAY

Mackenzi Rogers

elementary

Quincey Leftridge

alternate track >>>

Gavyn

Comeaux

middle school>

Devin Pichon

high school>>>> Jocelyn Wayne Haynes,

paraprofessional Dontay Penn,

eleventh grade

ORIENTATION & MOBILITY

SCIENCE

LIVING SKILLS

ENGLISH

PROBLEM SOLVING

COMPREHENSION

STRATEGY

WHITE CANE DAY, (...continued from page 1)

Other October Happenings: Upcoming November Events:

1st-2nd : ACT testing 11th: Veterans’ Day Program, 9:30 14th: 4 1/2 weeks progress report 14-18th: AMP 18th: Senior Cake Auction 21-25th: Thanksgiving Holidays

Yummy Doughnuts Cody Fontenot talks to an LSD

friend about White Cane Day

We can do this! LSD joins in on the festivities

Double fun on White

Cane Safety Day!

Even Mr. Thibodeaux, Superinten-

dent of LSDVI , gets involved!

Chicken or

jambalaya?

Father Pat & 4-legged friend

Blanche

Faulk,

White

Cane Day

Planner

Heather Covington

interprets

Right: Friends, Noah

Mobley and DeMarcus

Williams visit

Team McDanell & Cox