Monthly Archives: September 2021

Dear Ascension Public Schools Family,

Ascension Public Schools will resume instructional services for students on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, with a one-hour delayed start and relaxed dress code rules. All schools and programs except for Donaldsonville High (DHS), East Ascension High (EA), Gonzales Middle (GOMS), Lowery Elementary (LOE), Lowery Middle (LOMS), and Sorrento Primary (SOP) schools will be open for in-person learning. These schools that either have power issues (DHS, EA, GOMS, LOE, LOMS) or require moisture/mold remediation (SOP) will work with their families to provide remote learning that could include online services for those with Internet access, paper packets, or outreach by phone and other instructional apps.

The relaxed dress code and one-hour delayed start will be in effect both Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, and Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Schools will dismiss at normal times. This is to address barriers voiced by our community regarding access to washing clothes and navigating streets with potential debris during daylight hours. It is also important to note that schools will work with families who have extenuating circumstances that will not allow them to participate either in-person or remotely.

We know this has been a very difficult two weeks, and we know everyone has unique circumstances and needs. We want to open where we can and begin providing services for our nearly 24,000 students. Where we cannot open, we want to be as innovative as possible to provide learning opportunities. A drive-thru pickup of hot meals for children ages 0-18 will be available on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at both Donaldsonville Primary and Sorrento Primary schools.

Our school leaders will send out detailed information this evening about specific arrival times, relaxed dress code guidelines, and how to contact the school should students have barriers to learning.

Please note, we do not currently anticipate having to make significant calendar changes that impact planned staff development days or holidays. However, early dismissals may be adjusted and would be announced at the school level.

We welcome your patience and prayers as we slowly move towards normal operations. We can overcome all challenges together!

Respectfully,

David Alexander

Superintendent

Ascension Public Schools

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Most schools reopening today in Ascension - pelicanpostonline.com

Debris pick-up began in Ascension Parish on Monday, and for some, the devastation is surprising.

"Florida all the way to Albany, just power lines seen laying all the way down," David Bankston said.

Christian Perez and Bankston, work for Severio Specialty Construction and say clean-up has been a grueling process.

"It's been a mess. There's trash everywhere. Debris, it's not easy. Busted poles make it harder to get everything out," Perez said.

Both have been in the business for 15 years, and they said nothing compares to this.

"It's probably the worst, actually. The flood wasn't even this bad," Perez said.

"The debris is a lot more. I'm glad it didn't flood though, having to do all the sheetrock and just piles and piles of stuff, but it took a lot of trees down. I see a lot of trees have been snapped," Bankston said.

For residents cleaning up, the parish has some things you may need to know. Make sure you separate vegetation from construction debris in separate piles, otherwise it will not be picked up. Also, do not place your debris next to any mailboxes, electrical poles or fire hydrants.

The pick-up process could take up to 12 weeks.

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Debris pick-up starts in Ascension; here's what you need to know - WBRZ

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Ascension St. Thomas stopping all non-urgent elective procedures - WSMV Nashville

Geismar Fire Chief Nat Stephens, dripping in sweat, spent Friday morning directing traffic as dozens of volunteers helped distribute supplies to families impacted by Hurricane Ida.

Wearing a safety vest, Stephens stood in front of the La. 73 fire station, trying to organize the traffic traveling the highway and those looking to pick up supplies at the drive-thru distribution.

Across Ascension Parish, groups were dealing with traffic, the heat and long lines of hungry and tired residents looking for relief after the hurricane left most of the parish without electricity. Trees took down power lines and damaged houses throughout the parish.

"It's the Ascension Parish way. We help people," said Sharon Morris, a volunteer helping out.

The Geismar distribution was organized by twins Thurman Thomas III and Torrence Thomas, who make their home in Austin, Texas, and Gonzales. The brothers attended school in Dutchtown. They founded Tankproof in 2012 to provide free swimming lessons for those who can't afford them. Over the years, the twins, who are musicians and businessmen, have expanded their nonprofit to provide services for people in need.

The brothers, accompanied by their mother Connie King, were busy Friday organizing volunteers from Dutchtown High, local businesses and other groups. Residents were able to pick up bottled water, baby supplies, snacks and other needed supplies. Diapers seemed to be the most-requested item.

Down the highway, volunteers with Alabama-based Here to Serve were packaging meals for hungry residents. The group found out about the need through a message posted on a Baton Rouge sports website. After a few messages and phone calls, Michael Anderson and five volunteers were packing up their cooking equipment and heading for Louisiana.

Here to Serve was started after hurricane Sally and helped last year in Lake Charles after Delta hit that city.

"We believe this is where God is leading us to come," Anderson said.

They arrived with 2,000 hamburger patties, 400 pounds of chicken breast and supplies needed to feed at least 500 people a day. They came with menus planned out.

"Helping is a southern thing. We help each other," Anderson said. He remembers when a tornado ripped though Tuscaloosa and people came from several states to help.

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Here to Serve will be serving lunch and dinner at the church through Monday.

Fellowship Church volunteers provided meals to more than 100 people seeking shelter at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center for the first 72 hours after Ida hit. The Rev. Brian Robert, community impact pastor, said his church partners with Volunteer Ascension to coordinate where the need is greatest.

And, he said, the need is great, but so is the willingness to help out.

Around 11 a.m. Friday, Gary Smith, with Texas Baptist Men, was sitting in his group's command center parked at Ascension Baptist Church. Under several tents, volunteers were preparing 1,800 meals to be delivered by the Red Cross.

Smith, who has been working with the group for 29 years, said more than 80 volunteers from Texas drove to Gonzales to help out. The delegation brought cooking supplies, the command center, a charging station for cellphones and a shower trailer. They've been doing emergency relief for a while.

Texas Baptist Men were invited to Gonzales by Louisiana Baptist Convention Disaster Relief, part of the North American Mission Board that includes churches from more than 40 states.

In addition to the group's mission to provide meals to the American Red Cross to distribute across the area, crew with Texas Baptist Men are helping with tree and debris removal and the clearing of homes damaged in Ida's winds and rains.

This is the first big trip for the group's new command center, an air-conditioned trailer with computer stations, printers and all the tools needed to organize recovery efforts.

Smith was quick to explain why he left his family and headed to Gonzales: "Jesus asked us to." He said the Christian-based group's mission to "to give a cup of water in Jesus' name" to anyone in need.

Their goal is to provide up to 30,000 meals a day to the Red Cross. Smith and his band of volunteers said they were up to the task, but they could use some help. Anyone wishing to help prepare meals or perform needed tasks can show up at Ascension Baptist Church on Airline Highway. Training will be provided.

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Locals and out of state groups come to Ascension Parish to help hurricane victims - The Advocate

Ascension Parish schools sent out an update Sunday saying they hope to have schools fully operational by Wednesday, Sept. 8.

Read the full statement below:

In summary, the following are our plans, thus far:

-Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, extra-curricular activities may resume,

-Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, employees only report to work for a planning day, and

-Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, students should tentatively plan to return to learning.

We continue to be grateful for the progress being made for this recovery effort.We know the community and its citizens will be back on their feet very soon. As is always the case in Ascension Parish, we continue to witness how citizens of a community rally around theirneighbors to overcome the challenges and frustrationsthat result from these kinds of events.We all continue to pray for our neighboring parishes who experienced even greater impacts and are faced with even greater challenges.We are confident that, with patience and continued support of each other, we will see these communities completely restored.

Originally posted here:

Ascension public schools planning to have students in the classroom by Wednesday - WBRZ

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Review

Since the PC port has no keyboard support, I bought an Xbox controller specifically to play El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. I do not regret this decision. In El Shaddai, you will fight blob people wearing armor that lets them transform into jet planes and flaming boars crossed with trains. You will parkour your way across giant color-changing hollowed-out logs, climb wireframe staircases, and literally beat the pants off most of your foes. It is very difficult to describe what actually happens in this game because barely any of it makes sense, but when youre actually playing that doesnt even matter. Its all about the experience, the trippy visuals, and the incredible soundtrack, all of which hold up surprisingly well for a decade-old game.

The premise of El Shaddai is relatively simple: you play an Enoch, a mortal scribe who used to work in Heaven before seven angels known as the Grigori decided to descend to Earth with stolen shards of Gods wisdom. While their intentions were good, the fallen angels dont truly understand humanity, and their attempts to help mortals only end up causing chaos and destruction. Enoch is sent after the Grigori to find them, seal them, and set history back on its proper course so that God wont have to send the Great Flood. To accomplish this, hes given magical armor and very anachronistic blue jeans, sent down to Earth on a giant robotic hand, and must climb an interdimensional nightmare Tower. After that, things get trippy.

If any of that plot sounds familiar, its because El Shaddai is loosely based on the apocryphal Book of Enoch, which tells the story of a man who ascends to heaven while still alive. Popular folk tradition has Enoch become the angel known as the Metatron, considered to be the voice of god. However, El Shaddai begins with Enoch departing heaven for Earth. Accompanying him is the cryptic but charming Archangel Lucifel, who spends a lot of time talking to god on a cell phone despite the game taking place 14,000 years ago. His anachronistic tech and flashy modern dress are explained by his explicit control over time and the implication that he experiences time in a non-linear fashion. Lucifel also serves as the games save point, which might explain why I like him so much.

Is El Shaddai a religious game? After playing it, I can firmly state that I have no idea. It is certainly a game about religion, however, and it captures the dream-like atmosphere of true faith remarkably well through its surreal visuals and breathtaking soundtrack. This is a 10-year-old game now and it does show, especially in the character models. However, the game is surreal and stylish enough that its imperfections generally add to its charm, especially during the more dream-like sequences. It often looks like a watercolor painting and its psychedelic imagery still holds up today.

Some games try to make you feel like an unstoppable holy warrior with flashy graphics and devastating combo attacks. El Shaddai certainly uses both, but the main way it made me feel like an unstoppable warrior of god was by making damn sure I couldnt be stopped permanently. There are a ton of ways to revive after defeat in this game, from button-mashing after death to quickly regain a base level of armor to clearing a short level in the Netherworld, and all of them demand something from the player. The game will give you the option to go on, but you must be the one who keeps walking.

The port is very well done, though the fact that it doesnt have keyboard support is a major downside. El Shaddai shifts between 2D and 3D for both platforming and combat, though combat is usually in 3D and platforming is often in 2D. Since your movement and jumps are affected by the weapon you have equipped, this can mean trouble. Combat is challenging and the effectiveness of blocking is questionable, but the fast-paced action reminded me a bit of Devil May Cry 3. Enoch switches between the agile Arch, the long-distance Gale, and the powerful Veil. You can only wield one at a time, but therell be a steady supply of new weapons so you dont really have to worry about locking yourself in. Stealing weapons from your opponents is a surprisingly important gameplay mechanic, as is purifying your holy weapons of the taint they accumulate during battle. Youll automatically purify a stolen weapon, which can be really useful. Choosing which enemies to focus on and steal weapons from can require some serious strategy.

There is a lot of loading in this game. However, the developers decided to conceal it behind highly stylized playable sequences or expository cutscenes, which makes the game feel a lot more seamless than it actually is. Your healthand your enemies healthis visually displayed through clothing damage, which means I spent a lot of time running around in blue jeans and smacking the pants off humanoid opponents. An interesting experience, for sure.

If you like weird games, play El Shaddai. If you like games with incredibly creative visuals and great music, play El Shaddai. If you like games where half-naked men beat the crap out of each other for very poorly explained reasons, play El Shaddai. The only reasons you should skip this title are if you hate platforming or you need the plots of your games to actually make sense.

***PC game code provided by the publisher***

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El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Review - The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways - COGconnected

Lafayette High and the Ascension Episcopal squared off in a rare Saturday afternoon game after neither could find a Week 1 opponent, and it did not disappoint from an excitment standpoint.

The Mighty Lions used their physicality up front to make a late push in a 30-23 come-from-behind overtime victory over the Blue Gators.

The Mighty Lions offense struggled early, but they cooked up some late-game magic with quarterback Grayson Saunier throwing the game-winning touchdown to Ethan Jean in overtime.

Anytime you win, its good, Mighty Lions coach Cedric Figaro said. The way you win, thats the tough thing. Weve got coaches coaching their butts off, and our kids are trying their butts off, but sometimes it just doesnt mesh. Today it looked like the signals were a little crossed between the coaches and the players, especially in that first half.

"The second half we came back a little bit and ended up winning the game, but Ascension is a tough team. They gave us everything today.

Saunier cramped up in the third quarter and had to sit out a few plays, but he finished strong, throwing for 197 yards and two touchdowns along with 45 yards rushing and a touchdown.

It (the win) is a great feeling, but at the same time we definitely shouldve done better offensively, Saunier said. Im pretty disappointed in my performance, so weve got to get back to work this week.

"The coaches tried to pick me up at halftime telling me what Im doing wrong, what to correct. I tried to come out stronger in the second half, and it helped for the most part.

The Mighty Lions made offensive adjustments at halftime, and while they still werent up to Figaros liking, they did what they needed to do to win as running back Jakaylib Anderson stepped up with 108 yards rushing.

We were able to pound the ball a little more and run the ball offensively, Figaro said. We still missed some wide plays that if were going to do well in our league and district, we have to make those plays. (Saunier) stressed and ran too much. Thats probably why he cramped up, but hes young. This is his first start, so theres growing pains. Weve got to grow together.

The Lions defense was stout against the run, but they struggled against long passes, as Blue Gators quarterback Cade Dardar hit wide receiver Britt Campbell on several big plays. Campbell finished with four catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

We thought our DBs wouldve been a little bit better covering guys one-on-one, Figaro said. But like I said, Ascension had some good guys. When we didnt get the pressure on, that guy (Dardar) put it up in the air. I thought it was 50-50 balls that receiver came down with, and thats a tribute to them and their coaches.

It was a hot, physical where both teams battled cramps in, but it turned out to be a learning experience for both considering the alternative was not playing.

Im so proud of my kids' effort, Blue Gators coach Matt Desormeaux said. Our guys competed for over 48 minutes and battled with a lot of guys having to go both ways and battling through cramps and this and that. Im so proud of our effort. Obviously you never want to lose a game, but I couldnt be more proud of our guys right now even if we wouldve won.

Next up for the Mighty Lions is another strong 2A opponent in reigning four-time state champion Lafayette Christian. The Blue Gators wont have to face another 5A school, but they will be facing a formidable Class 1A foe in Catholic-Pointe Coupee.

Our kids fought hard today on both sides of the ball, Figaro said. It was a good game. The jamboree didnt go how we wanted it to go, so that's why we needed this game. We missed plays, and we figured we pick this game up, maybe well make those plays, but we missed them again. Now were playing a state championship team where we cant miss these plays. You cant miss that against a team like that (LCA), theyll take advantage of it.

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Lafayette High pulls off thrilling comeback victory in overtime over Ascension Episcopal - The Advocate