NJH’s Inaugural Career & Enrichment Day is a resounding Success!

The young men and women of the Natchitoches Junior High School had an exciting and educational day Wednesday, November 13 as their school held its first Career and Learning Enrichment Day. The event consisted of a series of activities in and out of school with various community partners. Among other activities, students were introduced to Yoga, on-line safety, a local educational institution presented a "Check into College" program, and the Bank of Montgomery introduced the youngsters to financial literacy. Students also learned about the Real Estate and Cosmetology industries from local practitioners. Natchitoches' First Lady Tiffany Williams made paracord bracelets with her students. The students also had sessions centered on personal improvement and growth.

Not all of the learning took place on campus, however. The NJH Art Club visited the Alexandria Museum of Art where they toured the exhibits and tried art related activities. Another group went to the food bank in Alexandria. Locally, students visited the Ben D. Johnson Educational Center, Community Care Nursing home, L.P. Vaughn school, a childcare facility, and a gardening nursery.

The day also featured a fierce legal battle at the Natchitoches courthouse as a group of students participated in a mock trial. Judge Desiree Dyess of the 10th Judicial District Court and District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington spoke to the youngsters about the legal profession. Students filled every role in an actual trial, from defendant to judge, jury, prosecutor, bailiff and defense attorney. First Assistant DA Cloyd Benjamin advised the prosecutor while local criminal defense attorney Howard E. Conday assisted the defense. Judge Dyess' alter ego presided over the trial as the two sides tried to establish if the defendant was guilty of stealing a peanut butter sandwich.

The Career and Learning Day was the idea of NJH's dynamic 4th year principal, Alexa Bernard, who started a similar event while teaching in Washington, D.C. and had the opportunity to bring the idea to her school in Natchitoches. Principal Bernard, a Howard University alumna, spent the past summer at Harvard University in a leadership development program for principals.

The first thing a visitor, and more importantly the children, see when they walk into the school are banners announcing "Welcome to Top Tier Country". That is indeed the case!