Back-to-School Summit reaches more than 1,000 students

Southern University Ag Center sponsored the back-to-school summit lending larger regional support than when it first started seven years ago in St. Landry Parish. Currently the summit is geared towards eighth-graders in St. Landry and surrounding parishes.

“When these students come back from seventh grade they are more mature, and in eighth grade, we can reach them before they enter high school,” said summit co-chairwoman, Edna Lastrapes-Brown.

Students received goodie bags filled with lime green T-shirts, which bears the summit's theme “Call Me,” among other items. The event included booth exhibits, free refreshments, door prizes, and motivational speakers.

“Our goal is to partner with our school districts to provide useful educational information tools to help eighth graders make not only right, but also healthy choices so St. Landry Parish doesn’t have another statistic in the name of (sexually transmitted diseases), substance abuse, violence, teen pregnancy and other life issues,” said summit co-chairwoman and director of the Southern University Ag Center’s Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives, LaVonya Malveaux.

Speakers at this year's event included Danna "Dr. Truth” Andrus, two-time Olympic medalist Hollis Conway, youth pastor Den Hussey, motivational speaker Byron Starks and Rani “Tha Hip Hop Doc” Whitfield, M.D.

The 6th Back to School Summit also took place in Evangeline Parish with 400 participants, and for the first time, in St. Martin Parish with 600 participants, on August 24 and 31 respectively.

The Back to School Summit’s message altogether has reached more than 2,000 students. Both Malveaux and Brown said they hope to gradually expand Summits into the 10-parish region of the Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives.

“If we can save just one out of 1,100 students from becoming a statistic, I believe we have accomplished our goal,” said Brown.

To read more about the summit, see article at the Opelousas Daily World.