Japanese St. Ed’s maples create to hold tranquility holiday Page 2 tournament Page 7 The Eunice News VOL. 116 NO. 103 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2020 $1.00 New Hope Church announces a new private Christian school Eunice Christian Acad- include Joy Jodon, admin- credibly excited to begin emy (ECA) will be open- istrator and teacher; Ka- this journey and be the ing in August 2021 for the tie Richard, early child- start and the foundation 2021-2022 school year. hood curriculum director of Eunice Christian Acad- ECA is a Christ-centered, and teacher; Wendy Nu- emy.” private school serving gent, teacher; Margaret Students at ECA will pre-kindergarten to sixth Gil, teacher; Katie Savoy, experience daily worship, grade. office manager; and Ev- prayer, and devotions to “We offer hands-on elyn Ashford, aftercare begin every day, and these learning, enriched with director. Biblical foundations will creative and innovative All teachers have bach- be incorporated through- ways of teaching while elor’s degrees and/or out the accredited Abeka also equipping students teaching certificationscurriculum. “We believe with Christ-like purpose,” along with years of class- by setting this type of said Megan Frye, direc- room experience. Christian environment tor of development. While Of the staff, Frye said, we provide a safe and nur- New Hope church will “We are very passionate turing atmosphere where facilitate the school, stu- about providing the best students and families can Staff at the planned Eunice Christian Acad- director and teacher; Joy Jodon, adminis- dents from all religious education possible while explore and understand emy includes, from left, Katie Savoy, office trator and teacher; Margaret Gil, teacher; backgrounds are invited instilling Biblical prin- their identity in Christ,” manager; Megan Frye: director of develop- and Wendy Nugent, teacher. (Submitted to attend. ciples and a Christian ment; Evelyn Ashford, aftercare director; photo) The staff at ECA will worldview. Our staff is in- (See School, Page 5) Katie Richard: early childhood curriculum Ann Savoy completes second Priest shares how volume on Cajun music, culture hunting By John Wirt The Advocate Ann Savoy has completed the long-awaited second vol- brings him ume of her landmark book, “Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People.” closer to A Grammy-nominated musician, writer and photog- rapher in Eunice, Savoy pub- lished the first volume of her his faith now two-part compendium of Cajun music and culture in By Claudette Olivier 1984. She continued gather- The Church Point News ing material for the second As a priest, many mornings volume until the early 1990s, of Father David Rozas’s life are when family responsibilities spent in his natural habitat, the and her music-making com- church, but as a born and bred pelled her to put the time- resident of the Sportsman’s Para- consuming book work aside. dise, he can also be found in plac- “I was touring, I had four es some of his parishioners may children and I was making a be surprised to find him. bunch of records,” Savoy said Père Rozas, as he is more com- last week. “It was crazy. So, monly known in the area and at I put the book in a box and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart thought, ‘My kids can finish Church, said, “Sometimes the this.’ ” only time people ever see us Savoy’s now grown chil- (priests) is behind the altar. I’ve dren — including Cajun been very fortunate that people musicians Joel, Wilson and are very open and invite me to Sarah — and their friends their houses or hunting or what- later encouraged her to com- ever, and I get to meet them and plete “Cajun Music: A Reflec- be with them and just get to tion of a People, Volume II.” share life with them.” “They said, ‘You’ve got to On the opening day of squirrel get that out of the box.’ And season, Oct. 3, Rozas traded his they helped me get it going vestments for camouflage and again. It was a major project, mosquito repellent and shared as you can imagine when you his morning with a fellow hunter. see how huge it is.” “We need recreation to be rec- Exhaustive though the two reated,” Rozas said. “The Lord volumes of “Cajun Music: A Jesus Christ would go, be quiet Reflection of a People” are, and pray, we have to go, be quiet Savoy never intended them and pray. I pray at home. I prayed to be definitive accounts of my morning prayers before I Cajun, Creole and zydeco came, and then while I was in music. the woods being quiet, I started “They contain musicians praying the rosary. I go hunting whose music I personally as a good steward of creation be- love,” she explained. “It’s not cause we have to maintain cre- a reflection of who the most ation — myself, the land and the important artists are. And animals.” I don’t put modern people Two days prior to the trip, Ro- in there, except a couple of zas traveled over to Chataignier Creole and zydeco guys. I in Evangeline Parish to the hunt- usually don’t put any young ing spot, a piece of family prop- people in my books. That’s erty, to scout the area. Rozas said kind of the rule. I’m docu- he located a squirrel nest as well menting the old folks, the as several areas with pecan cut- ones who created the music tings. Rozas also said the proper- and made it what it is. The ty had acorn-producing trees, but power in the traditional Ca- he found very few acorn cuttings Ann Savoy is shown performing at the Experience Louisiana Festival in 2015. Savoy has completed the (See Savoy, Page 5) second volume of her landmark book, “Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People.” (Photo by Harlan Kirgan) (See Pries, Page 5) Kip & Angie...Teamed Up Again! www.wsbankla.com 1020 West Laurel Ave • Eunice • 337-457-8952 2 Sunday, December 27, 2020 News The Eunice News www.eunicetoday.com Quilts donated Get it growing Japanese maples can create an area of tranquility By Heather Kirk-Ballard Red Dragon LSU AgCenter horticulturist is said to Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is one of my be more heat favorite small trees for the landscape. These tolerant, trees can provide a unique look to your but it is a garden and be a focal point of your landscape. slow-growing The thought of Japanese maples brings an air of tree that may The Eunice City Marshal’s Office, in conjunction with the tranquility and visual Richie Volunteer Fire Department, collected socks, lotion, thoughts of an Oriental be suitable for body sprays and blankets to donate to the residents of garden. Oak Lane Wellness. The Marshal’s Office thanked Rowe- Japanese maples made more southern na Albert, an 82-year-old Youngsville resident, for making their way from Japan and donating 73 crocheted blankets. Terry Darbonne, city to Europe and the onto climate marshal, said, “A heartfelt thanks to all that donated items the United States in the so that the Marshal’s Office can help to make Christmas a 1800s by way of a Swed- of the state. little brighter for these people.” (Submitted photo) ish doctor and botanist, Japanese maples provide gorgeous fall foliage in the late Carl Peter Thunberg, who for up to 100 years, so fall and early winter. (Photo by Buddy Lee) traveled to Japan and fell they are a long-lived in love with these beauti- tree. Once established, Donation to Food Bank ful trees. Thunberg is Japanese maples are low- credited with naming the maintenance trees. You plant palmatum because can prune them lightly the leaves are shaped like during winter for the a hand or palm with five first five years to obtain points. the desired shape. Apply There are many differ- light applications of slow- ent varieties of Japanese release fertilizer in early maples, with some grow- spring before new growth ing to a height of 15 to once a year for the first 20 feet at maturity and few years. You can fertil- a width of 10 to 15 feet. ize every couple of years Spreading forms grow thereafter. wider than tall. Some Red-leaf cultivars re- have with umbrella- main the most popular, shaped canopies. You with the bright green can also find cascading cultivars being a second forms and some dwarf favorite. There is a spe- varieties. All have unique cies designed to thrive in leaves that make them so almost every type of soil Shelsy Williams, president of the NAUW Eunice Branch, distinctive. condition. However, none left, and Carolyn Baldwin, past president and member of Leaf color and shape fare well in overly boggy the branch, right donate food items to the Eunice Food come in many variations conditions, and they must Bank recently. Accepting their donations is Cynthia Tan- from intricately serrated be watered during times ner, a volunteer at the Food Bank. (Submitted photo) and jagged to a finer- of drought. textured foliage referred In addition to their gor- to as thread leaf forms. geous leaves, Japanese Leaves come in varied maples also produce Fire Marshal offers safety tips shades of lime, green and inconspicuous flowers Highly variegated foliage of Kagiri Nishiki Japanese red all the way to a deep that are followed by fruits maples needs a shaded location in the landscape. (LSU ahead of the New Year holiday maroon. called samaras. These AgCenter file photo by Allen Owings) Japanese maples provide fruits are tiny nutlets BATON ROUGE — As structure or tent while interest in the landscape enclosed in a papery tis- sue in the shape of wings Emperor One, Fireglow the maple is called the another fireworks sales maintaining a social dis- year-round.