They may only be in middle school, but for at least one day recently area students made "real world" decisions as part of pseudo families that had a budget, bills, expenses and other responsibilities.  As of October 22, 2,175 students had received curriculum and 1,737 students had attended the one-day Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park at Cortana Mall.  And many more experienced the program before the doors closed at the end of October.

In an original opera written, designed, directed and acted out by fourth-grade students at the Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts (BRCVPA), characters on a local beach encounter the oil spill and begin to wonder what it would be like to be a pelican dealing with oil-related problems.  During the production, held in late October at the school, they soon become stranded pelicans who are treated by rehabilitation workers.  When they snap back into reality, they discuss the experience and how the oil is still lurking under the beautiful water.  Their solution:  collecting pennies for pelicans.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System's Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) Project handed out two awards for those making a difference in problematic student behaviors during a seminar held October 28 at the district's Instructional Resource Center.

The football-themed, district-wide 2010 United Way campaign, "Get off the Bench - Get into the Game!," started with a kick off October 28 at The Dufrocq School.  The event included an exciting opening by the Tara High School band and cheerleaders while toy footballs, T-shirts and rally towels were thrown into the audience.