Bicentennial Bash for Louisiana’s Birthday

[FULL STORY]

Monday, April 30 was the state of Louisiana’s 200th birthday, and to observe the bicentennial, the School held a day-long celebration across the entire campus. Food, music, games, and even a speech by a major historical figure marked this special day. The brainchild of Middle School Dean of Students Michael Riemer and math teacher Kathryn Simons, the Bicentennial Bash was a wondrous and unforgettable event for the whole School.

From the moment the students stepped onto the school grounds, the celebrations began. Greeters in front of the school entrances on Jefferson, Loyola, and Danneel welcomed the students to school with a warm hello, bicentennial sticker, and Newman-green gator necklaces.

During regular advisory time, students in the Middle and Upper Schools were treated to a campaign speech by former Governor Huey P. Long, played by sophomore and debate champion Matthew Meyer ’14. The speech offered a window into Louisiana’s past and offered the listeners a snapshot of one of Louisiana’s most colorful and controversial leaders. At the end of the speech, the students enjoyed a Louisiana favorite: a Hubig’s Pie.

All through the day, regular PE was replaced by a series of Louisiana-based games. Older students from the Middle and Upper Schools helped coach and encourage the younger students as they played a variety of games with a Louisiana twist. On part of the field, students held a relay race to see who could fill a shrimper’s boot with the most plastic crawfish. On another part of the field, the children competed by tossing strawberries or hunting for a small bottle of hot sauce in a pot full of “red beans and rice.” It was wonderful for the younger students to have the older kids guiding and interacting with them, and rewarding for the older students to help direct the play.

At lunchtime the Bash continued with a Louisiana Lunch for all of the students, faculty, staff, and a few parents. The School’s facilities department worked tirelessly to decorate the Valmont Courtyard for the event, and the results were breathtaking. The courtyard’s oak tree was festooned with blue and white banners, and statues of a brown pelican, snowy egret, and several catfish were stationed around the tree, along with crab traps and other state accoutrements. A group of parents also helped with the overall design and setting up each table with rustic and traditionally Louisianian centerpieces.

The Sage Dining staff came in early and poured themselves into their work, preparing a wide array of local delicacies, all of which were delicious. Students could choose from crawfish, catfish, jambalaya, gumbo, potatoes and corn, red beans and rice, salad with candied pecans, Zapp’s chips, and bread pudding, all washed down with a frosty Barq’s root beer (or water). The service ran seamlessly, and upper schoolers again had an opportunity to interact with the younger kids, serving food to the lower school students.

All of the attendees also had a variety of great entertainment. The Cajun band Bayou DeVille played under the tree to delight diners and dancers alike. An alligator wrangler set up an impromptu gator petting zoo for the children. The Greenie Gator stopped by to high-five and hug the lower school students, and the Zephyrs’ mascot Boudreaux visited with students in all three divisions. Though they did not eat lunch, the Greenie House students came out to celebrate with the older students as well.

It could not have been better weather, and it could not have been a better time. Please join us in thanking the organizers, workers, and helpers that combined their efforts to make the Louisiana Bicentennial an unforgettable day.

Click here to view a photo album and slideshow of the event.