Lifestyle

DeSoto Parish Schools proudly participated in the Love the Boot cleanup with a team of 30 participants, including DeSoto Parish Schools employees and members of Expand Energy, where they picked up trash along Highway 171.

Together, this team collected a total of 60 bags of waste, helping make a visible difference in keeping our parish clean and beautiful. Thank you to everyone who participated, you’re help is greatly appreciated!

Last week, the hose carton was placed in the lobby of the Fire Marshal’s office so visitors can view it while there on business or if they just want to stop by and see it. It dates back to the 1890s and we are proud to have had a part it redoing it for display. Thank you to all that helped us with this project. Thank you to Brain Adams for wanting to show it off in his building. Among those pictured are Michael Cammarosano former Fire Chief of Logansport and Administrative Director of the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshall.

Congratulations to Alice, a talented 4th grader at Logansport High School, whose artwork has been selected for the Sketching the Wild art exhibition! This student showcase — hosted through a partnership between Sci-Port Discovery Center and the Shreveport Regional Arts Council — featured a highly competitive jury selection process.

Alice’s mixed media piece, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, highlights her creativity and passion for art and science.

Her work will be on display at Artspace in downtown Shreveport from April 11 through May 22.

We are proud to see our students exemplifying creativity, excellence, and innovation. Way to go, Alice

On March 21st, Desoto Parish 4-H hosted a chilly bingo, on a hot day. The night might have been warm but inside Blizzard Bingo was filled with fun, laughter, delicious food, and cool prizes! There was a huge array of fabulous bingo awards, a large monetary raffle, and door prizes with plenty of chances to win big! On hand were beautiful designer handbags, exquisite jewelry, and top-notch firearms. Before the games began our guests enjoyed a delicious dinner of pastalaya, salad, and garlic bread catered by Southern Taste Catering. And nothing beats homemade snowballs for dessert by Becky Holton. The night progressed with ten games of bingo and a slew of WINNERS! Including 10 bingo winners, 26 raffle winners, 30 door prize winners, 4 table winners, and 2 table sponsor winners. DeSoto 4-H would like to extend a special thank you to everyone who came out to support our winter fundraiser and a huge show of gratitude to our very own Bingo Committee, Mrs. Terri Burford and Mrs.

Discover DeSoto 2026 brought future educators inside our schools to experience The DeSoto Difference firsthand.

Classroom visits and real connections showcased our commitment to innovative, high-quality educational experiences.

Rooted in High Performance, a Positive & Caring Culture, Small-Town Traditions, and Making a Difference — it’s all about our PEOPLE.

To say competition is stressful would be an understatement for the Junior Chefs of DeSoto Parish 4-H. In the Northern Regional Food Challenge held on March 3rd, three teams from DeSoto made the trip to Ruston to compete against all teams from the Northern Region of Louisiana. The Food Challenge competition is similar to the popular television show, “Chopped” in which you are given a secret ingredient and must create a scrumptious dish. Except in this case, teams have 40 minutes to create a dish and write a presentation to orally present to a judging panel. The presentation must highlight MyPlate (knowledge of food groups, serving size, & healthy daily intake), Nutritional knowledge of ingredients, Kitchen and Food Safety, Preparation Steps, and Cost Analysis for the dish. During their time period they must plan, prep, cook, clean their station, and present their dish. The Desoto 4-H teams have been practicing for this feat since September, and it showed!

The DeSoto Parish Animal Shelter is planning a fundraiser on April 18. The Shelter Slumber Pawty is planned for 24 hours, beginning on Saturday, April 18 at 12:00 p.m. until Sunday, April 19 at noon.

The Shelter is located at 404 Liberty Lane in Grand Cane. The cost involved is 24 hours of your time and some sleep loss.

Activities include fun painting activities, cuddles with adoptable animals, games, snacks, and surprises while participating in 24 hours of fundraising fun. Every dollar raised will help provide food, medical care, and love for the shelter animals.

For more information about sponsorship or to sign up call Barbie at 318-871-2900 or email her at bhigginbotham@ desotoppj.com. The website can be found at www.shelterslumberpawty. com/event/DeSoto- Slumber-Pawty.

March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women throughout history and in our local communities. To honor the month, the Mansfield Library is proud to present a special display of photographs showcasing local women who have made meaningful contributions to the Mansfield community. Curated by Mrs. Doris Ross, Branch Manager/Cataloguer of Mansfield Library, the exhibit highlights leadership, dedication, and quiet strength across generations The display also features books by local Mansfield women authors, celebrating creativity and storytelling alongside community contributions. Visitors are invited to explore the exhibit, reflect on the impact of these women past and present, and share in the spirit of Women’s History Month. As part of the month-long celebration, International Women’s Day, observed on March 8, provides a global reminder to recognize women everywhere and their accomplishments. The 2026 United Nations theme, “Rights.