One of the areas in which school districts are evaluated is the dropout rate of the district. Recent studies have indicated that our state ranks 47th in the nation in our high school dropout rate. We graduate about 61% of our students. The dropout rate is a major cause for concern.

My mom taught school for 30 years. Seventeen of those years were at Plainview, Louisiana, and 13 of them were at Hornbeck, Louisiana. In those 30 years, she taught a lot of students. One of those students was Wingate Dowden.

Throughout movie history there have been several shows with similar names. These have included, “The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes,” “The Attack of the Clones,” and “The Attack of the 50-Foot Woman.” I am happy to report that I have seen none of these (I’m especially glad that I missed the last one of the above-named movies). I have not been able, however, to miss “The Attack of the Rufous-Sided Towhee.” This is a little drama that has been enacted for the past several years at the sliding-glass doors of our den.

Our Baptist Men are promoting an emphasis called "Buckets of Hope." This program, originated by the North American Mission Board, encourages persons to prepare a 5-gallon-bucket of supplies to send to Haiti. The bucket will contain enough supplies for one family for one week. They can then use the bucket when they have finished using the supplies.