Miss-Lou students, teachers and staff spent last week preparing for today, the first day of a new school year.

Before we start the week ahead, let’s take a look back at some of the good news from last week:

-Teachers and administrators for Natchez and Concordia Parish schools gathered separately last week for training sessions and a formal kick off to the new school year. Natchez personnel heard the surprisingly wise words of a local seventh grader who told them to believe in themselves and their students. Concordia Parish personnel learned more about the gadgets inside their classrooms that can help educate young minds. We wish all those in our schools a great year ahead.

-Hayes Daly spent the last days of his summer volunteering at the Natchez Children’s Home pulling weeds out of a flowerbed and assisting in any way he could. Daly helps manage the lawn, the garden and with any dusting or sweeping at the home on North Union Street all as a way to help rack up his service hours for the Boy Scouts of America Troop 158. We thank Daly for helping out his community.

-A group of Natchez residents are getting creative to help a New Orleans teenager fight cancer. St. Mary Basilica Healing Hand’s ministry started a program called Berkeley’s Bracelets to help Berkeley Mardis, 15, who is the granddaughter of a church member. The group members make knitted friendship bracelets, which are sold to help support Berkeley’s hospital bills. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Berkeley and her family, and we wish the group success in their fight.

Another school year brings about a chance for the future leaders of our community to shine inside and outside the classroom, so let’s start off on the right foot on the first day of classes in the Miss-Lou.