'We have gumption': Students share ideas for civic projects

A community garden in Berwick. Benches and wildflowers for a Centerville park. A Big Brothers/Big Sisters program at Franklin High. ACT tutoring in Patterson.
And a makeover, physically and in mission, for the Morgan City Public Library.
Those were the ideas for St. Mary communities dreamed up by high school students for presentation Thursday at the Morgan City Rotary Club’s annual New Generation Forum. For the 26th time, the young people had the chance to share plans for hometown improvements with local officials who can make them real.
The officials always greet the ideas with enthusiasm and, history shows, it’s more than just political happy-talk. New Generation projects have a way of becoming part of the local landscape.
“We have gumption,” said Morgan City High’s Christina Williams, “and optimistic vision.”
Five parish high schools sent two- to five-member teams to this year’s forum, the first in two years because of COVID-19. Scott Melancon served as master of ceremonies.
The student ideas are:
—Morgan City High’s team suggested improvements for the city’s library, including professional landscaping and upgraded windows.
The students also hope they can help the library, in their words, “evolve to a social phase.” Their vision for the library includes group events for story time, tutoring, community events as well as the traditional missions of reading and research. Meeting space could be made available, and coffee and water might be available for patrons.
Just as the founders advertised for “a dream and 50 dollars” to launch the library in the 1930s, the students say, they hope to use social media and the involvement of local officials to get their idea moving.
Team member Antonio Zavala said the school has students who can paint, move furniture and do other tasks. What they don’t have is money.
Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna said he and Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Solar have been talking about “the exact same thing.”
Dragna didn’t commit city money to the project, but “we’re going to show you how to do it. We’re going to show you where to get the money.”
—Berwick High: Students from Berwick floated the idea of a community garden.
That idea drew attention after dentist Scott Sicard suggested a community garden for land he owns on Old Spanish Trail.
The students hope to create a smaller version of the garden at the school to get the project rolling.
Community gardening would involve students and older people who love gardening. The produce raised there could be sold to raise funds or provided to needy people, the students said.
Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur called the community garden project “a wonderful idea.
“There’s a lot of people out there who would love those vegetables but can’t afford them,” Arthur said.
—Patterson High: The students hope to launch an ACT tutoring program.
They were armed with statistics. Zakiyah Merritt said the statewide composite ACT score is 18.7. At Patterson High, it’s 18.1.
Louisiana’s TOPS program, which offers college tuition for good students, requires a score of 17 for the TOPS Tech award, 20 for the TOPS Opportunity Award, 23 for the Performance Award and 27 for the TOPS honor award.
Superintendent Teresa Bagwell said the school budget includes funds for ACT tutoring and teachers who have already tutored students.
“This is doable, Lumberjacks,” Bagwell said.
Patterson Mayor Rodney Grogan said some help may be available through a broadband grant to the city government.
As for the $2,100 needed to get the project started, Grogan turned to a tool often used for fundraising by Patterson civic groups. He offered to run a can shake.
—Centerville. Students hope to improve the community’s park with five benches and more wildflowers along an existing walking trail, plus a backstop for the softball field and paving for a gravel road between the park and Centerville High.
The paved road would help deal with the line of vehicles for car riders to and from the school, the students said.
They may be getting somewhere. Parish President David Hanagriff promised to look at the possibility of paving the road. Dragna offered to donate the benches, and Arthur said he would donate wildflower seeds.
—Franklin High: The New Generation idea is for an after-school and summer program to give young people something constructive to do.
“Running the streets gets old,” said Seth Archangel. “We need something to do after school.”
The Franklin students brought statistics, too. The state has 150,000 kids with one or both parents in jail, they said. And 70% will grow up to be incarcerated themselves.
“We hope to prevent that,” said Sheccid Alamo.
They want to pair upperclassmen volunteers with younger students who share interests in sports, cheerleading or other activities. They hope to make the program year-round and to include nutrition in the offerings.
“I admire you because it takes a lot of courage to stand up here for a noble cause …,” St. Mary Sheriff Blaise Smith told the Franklin team. “I got your back. I got your side. I got you all the way.”