Around the Westside for Nov. 26, 2008

• By KORAN ADDO
• Advocate Westside bureau
• Published: Nov 26, 2008 - Page: 3B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Pointe Coupee Parish plans to host a “visioning workshop” in New Roads on Dec. 3 to gather suggestions on how to help plan the future direction of the parish.

Parish residents are invited to attend the workshop to voice their opinions on economic development, housing, transportation, environmental protection and other issues.

Parish official Jimmy Lyles said the workshop will challenge residents and parish stakeholders with the task of planning what form new growth should take and where growth should and should not occur.

Parish residents also will be asked to consider the type of transportation systems the parish would need to accommodate future growth.

Registration for the workshop begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Scott Civic Center in New Roads. The workshop will begin at 6 p.m.
For information, phone Jimmy Lyles at (225) 270-4803 or visit http://www.futurepointecoupee.com.

Exemplary scores
The West Baton Rouge Parish school system has been recognized by the Louisiana Department of Education for academic achievement based on student testing conducted during the 2007-08 school year.

In particular, Brusly Elementary, Chamberlin Elementary, Lukeville Upper Elementary, Devall Middle and Port Allen Middle schools have been recognized for achieving “exemplary growth.”

Brusly High and Port Allen High schools were also recognized for improving student test scores.

All of the recognized schools will be eligible for monetary rewards from the state and a flag denoting their achievements.

Dow promotes science
Stacey Chiasson of Dow Chemical recently presented Joy Hobbins, the coordinator of the West Baton Rouge Parish school system’s Hands-on Science Program, with a $15,000 gift to help further the program.

The goal of the science program is to help students use scientific principles and processes in making personal decisions and to participate in discussions of scientific issues that affect society.

Since the program’s inception in 1991, Dow has contributed $405,000.

Soccer registration
The West Baton Rouge Parish Basketball League is accepting registrations for youth soccer through Dec. 5.