CELEBRATING LOUISIANA'S BICENTENNIAL

  Bossier Parish students celebrated Louisiana's 200th year of statehood in grand style, from beignets and dancing to crawfish races and playing spoons.

  A number of schools observed the Bicentennial in various ways. At Stockwell Elementary, students got up close and personal with a baby alligator -- its mouth taped shut, of course. They ate gumbo, sampled crawfish and devoured jambalaya and red beans and rice. Then they polished it off with something sweet, in this case king cake and beignets reminiscent of Cafe' du Monde in New Orleans. Another first for most of the kids was chewing on sugar cane. State Representative Jeff Thompson also came for the celebration, presenting Principal Rhonda Schnell with a Louisiana flag that had flown over the state capitol the day before.

  At Haughton Middle School, teachers got in on the fun by racing crawfish. To the delight of the student body, teachers faced off against their colleagues, banging on the metal table to make their crawfish scoot across the finish line. The kids also enjoyed birthday cake in their Louisiana Studies classes. 

  Curtis Elementary School got in on the lagniappe, too. Students rotated to various stations and classrooms where they played home-made washboards with spoons as they sang "You Are My Sunshine." They learned a few Cajun dance steps, participated in a Poverty Point archaeological dig and learned to peel crawfish. For a fourth grader named Jeremiah, the grimacing look on his face after trying the boiled crustacean was priceless. "I like to eat crab legs!" he declared. That one crawfish tail was enough for him.

  Yes, Bossier students had a grand time learning about the state they call home. After all, everyone loves a good party -- Louisianans especially!