Sept. 8
September 8, 2009
Wilda Marie Boudreaux Molaison
September 10, 2009
The Chamber of Lafourche & the Bayou Region is working with the Lafourche Parish School System to offer students and their families one night of reprieve from homework or testing.
The program, now in its eighth year, is called Families First Night. According to Lin Kiger, executive director with the Lafourche Chamber, it is designed to unite families, schools and the community.
“This program helps give families the opportunity to spend time together,” Kiger said. “Teachers refrain from assigning homework or studying during each scheduled Families First Night.”
Families First Night is scheduled for Sept. 30 and again on Jan. 27 and March 24.
Cynthia “Cindy” Eliser, Title II supervisor with the Lafourche Parish School Board, said the days coincide with early dismissal days the parish school system has built into its instructional calendar.
Eliser, a former principal in the Lafourche Parish School System, was the educational liaison between the chamber and the school system when the program began.
“We are asking the business community to help support the program by offering incentives for families,” Kiger said. “Incentives can be things such as rent one movie get a second movie free or buy one pizza and get another one for half price.
“If you don’t have a business that can offer a discount service for families, consider hosting contests like a coloring contest,” he added, “or with the name of the business see how many words they can make with it.”
Eliser said the program is a “win-win” relationship.
“The business community sees it as a benefit because those families are coming into the stores, and they are getting free advertisement from the school system,” she said. “It’s a win-win for everyone. These businesses support the school system and we give them an opportunity to increase their business.”
The response to the program has varied from year-to-year. But, parents, business and students look forward to it every year Eliser said.
“We are always trying to encourage the businesses to give the families a variety of things to do,” Kiger said. “”But it seems that in the past it is been mostly restaurants that have participated. Movies stores have also been really good about participating.”
Nathan Zeringue, 12, a seventh grader at Sixth Ward Middle School in Chackbay and his father Glenn take time Labor Day weekend to browse Thibodaux’s Movie Gallery collection of video games. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN
