Belles Win at Nationals
The Bronco Belles made history on February 3, 2023, at the UDA National High School Dance Championship. For the first time ever, the team won a first-place trophy for their Hip Hop routine. Additionally, the team won fourth place in Large Varsity – Kick.
Almost every other year, Coral Reef High School, a large, performing arts school, has won first place in Hip Hop, so Coach Melanie Anderson was ecstatic about this year’s results!
“[Coral Reef is] fantastic, and we’ve always been like, ‘I guess we can’t even compete. Let’s go do our best.’ And that’s what we did this year, and we finally won,” Anderson said, “I mean at first we were kind of in disbelief, and then all the other coaches were all excited for us. And the kids were not expecting it at all.”
This award is a recognition of the team’s hard work over the course of the year. They began learning the routines in March for the National competition in February. No other team at Zachary High is as consistently committed to their sport as the Belles.
“We take that routine, we grow from it, we change routines, but they’re in practice all the time. They’re having to work new tricks, formations, things like that,” Anderson said, “I like to see the kids… prove to themselves that what they’ve been working on all year pays off.”
Zachary High is extremely proud to call the Belle’s team their own. We’ve never been the home of a nationally ranked team, until now. Congratulations girls!
The Kindergarten Mardi Gras Parade
Family members look forward to experiencing the magic of the Kindergarten Mardi Gras Parade every year on the Friday before Mardi Gras Break. Each year Northwestern Elementary hosts a charming Mardi Gras parade, where kindergarteners decorate wagons as floats according to their class’s theme and parade down Rollins Road. The students at ZELC and Rollins Place get to enjoy the parade and catch candy from the sidewalk, while the middle schoolers and high schoolers pull the floats. Growing up in the Zachary school district means being a part of the parade; it’s something that builds Zachary’s strong sense of community. Here are some stories of past parades that these students deeply cherish.
Makenzie Brown (12) remembers her own kindergarten parade like it was yesterday! Her class’s theme was princes and princesses, so Brown dressed up as her favorite Disney princess at the time, Tiana.
“… we decorated [my wagon] with, like, green tool and stuff like that, and I had on my little Princess Tiana dress with a cute crown,” Brown said.
Unlike some kindergartners, who shy away from too much attention, Brown remembers proudly waving and throwing candy.
“I was so ecstatic. Because you know I’m in theater, so I love attention, so… I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I get to throw candy at people and be in a float and wave at everybody,’” Brown said.
Now, twelve years later, the roles are reversed. Brown is the one pulling the kindergartener in the wagon. It’s a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, she’s maturing and entering a new chapter of her life; on the other, she’s going to miss her childhood.
“It felt kind of surreal… like I was in that float before. And it’s just kind of a little bit sad,” Brown said.
From left to right: Brian, Crumholt
Just a few months away from graduation, Emilee Crumholt (12) is grateful for the childhood experiences she gained from Zachary schools, like the Kindergarten Mardi Gras Parade.
“I started out in Zachary pre-k and now I’m about to finish as a senior,” Crumholt said, “I just want to cherish everything that I got through Zachary.”
At her own kindergarten parade, Crumholt recalls wearing purple, green, and gold to match the Mardi Gras theme of her class. She remembers feeling unbelievably special with all eyes on her. Plus, being pulled by an older kid was a dream come true for six-year-old Crumholt.
Jayden Bessix (11) had an exciting time, playing his saxophone, at the Kindergarten Mardi Gras parade this year. He loves making music for others to enjoy!
“It was just nice to see everybody outside, dancing, and having fun to the music we [were] playing. And you could see a lot of people who were pulling the floats too; they [were] having a good time,” Bessix said.
In the past, Bessix participated in the parade by pulling floats when he was in seventh grade. He recalls feeling pleasantly surprised by the kindness of the parade spectators.
“They [were] so nice, like they [were] just giving me candy, and I wasn’t even asking for it. Yeah, it was just nice to see everybody just being around each other, having a good time,” Bessix said.
Though he will miss the sense of community he has grown accustomed to in Zachary, Bessix is excited to graduate and enter a new chapter of his life next year.
“I’m excited, but I’m going to miss a lot of stuff too. It’s kind of mixed emotions, but I’m mostly excited,” Bessix said.
Here are some additional pictures of Zachary High students from the parade!
Black History Dress-Up Week and SU Experience
The school celebrated Black history month with a week of dress-up days from February 19 to February 23! This was the first time Zachary High has ever incorporated a dress-up week into the Black history month celebrations, so the entire school was eager to participate!
Monday was “Melanin Monday,” where students wore brown and beige tones, Tuesday was “Blackout Day,” Wednesday was “Pretty Wednesday,” where students wore their Sunday best, Thursday was “For the Culture,” where students wore yellow, red, green, or African attire, and Friday was “HBCU Day,” where students sported sweatshirts and t-shirts from historically Black colleges.
Additionally, Southern University’s band (Human Jukebox), cheer team, Code Blue Stomp and Shake, dance team (Dancing Dolls), and members from the Divine9 Fraternities and Sororities visited strolled in the courtyard at Zachary High on Friday, playing music and dancing with students.
Assistant Principal Erica Henry organized the entire week! She believes that celebrating the lives of Black Americans is of the utmost importance because of the difficulties and injustices they’ve faced in the past, and even in today’s world.
“It’s important because Black Americans have been through so much… So, I wanted to emphasize the great things African Americans do,” said Henry, “I mean, I’m an African American woman, and I face hardships every day.”
Bringing in the Southern University band was an incredibly innovative idea on Henry’s part. Every other school celebrates Black history month by focusing on the past successes of African Americans. But Henry wanted to take a more modern approach to celebrating Black history month. By inviting the Southern band to Zachary High, she created a fun, fresh environment to highlight the modern-day culture of Black Americans.
“I wanted to do something different because every year we have a like the trivia questions [and] the quotes. And I wanted something different,” said Henry, “Every school does the same thing. We all do Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, but what else can we do?”
The week was a huge success! Here are some pictures from the dress-up days and SU Experience!
Special Needs Prom
Special Needs Prom took place on February 24 and was fun for everyone. The regular school prom is too overstimulating for many of the special needs students at our school, so offering a special needs prom is a way for them to experience a major part of high school in a safe, comfortable environment.
“Sixteen hundred kids in one room is just too many. Sometimes they have strobe lights and stuff, and our kids can’t do that because of seizures. So, [the special needs prom is] just giving them the opportunity to, you know, just be like any other normal kid and enjoy prom,” said special needs teacher Jamie Byrd.
Along with the special needs students, the Bronco Buddies (made up of the football team, cheer team, baseball team, and Ag classes) were invited to make the dance extra special. Watching the Bronco Buddies interact with the special needs students was truly heartwarming. Whether it was helping them form a line dance or posing with them for pictures in front of a backdrop, all the volunteers made the event exciting and memorable for the special needs students.
Seeing her students enjoy a normal high school experience was so uplifting for Byrd. She loves her students and wants them to experience the happiness that comes with prom.
“They deserve the day to be beautiful and to dance and have cute little dates,” said Byrd, “It was wonderful.”
And, of course, prom wouldn’t be prom without a beautiful prom court. Meet this year’s special needs prom court!
- Prom King Lucien Foy-Dyer (12) and his date Blaire Bentley (12)
- Prom King Traivs Robinson (12) and his date Caroline Murphey (11)
- Prom King Daveon Williams (12) and his date Abby Morris (12)
- Prom Queen Rayne Williams (12) and her date Talan Wallace (12)
- Prom King Roderick Williams (12) and his date Kaylea Marionneaux (11)
