Mamou Rotary Club promotes beautification, reinstates Garden of the Season awards

The Mamou Rotary Club has reinstated its Garden of the Season awards by presenting the first awards to Mamou High School and the residence of Alvin C. and Cynthia Lavigne. Mamou Rotary President Valli Soileau wants to help beautify the city and has encouraged the community to take pride in their yards and spruce them up this summer.  Mamou High School Principal Liz Chatelain stated the school received a community grant from Lowe’s, which was used to beautify the front of the school. Two matching beds are featured on each side of the main entrance to the school and feature many beautiful and colorful flowers, as well as a rock water fountain in each bed. A fun touch to the bed design is added with several MHS-decorated gnomes hiding in each bed. Chatelain noted that 30 cinder block benches are also in the process of being designed and painted by students in the workshop department. She said something is done to freshen up the school each summer so that the staff, students and community continue to take pride in their school. In addition to this award, the school and Mamou Rotary Club have teamed up to raise funds for the purchase of a new air conditioner unit for the high school gym. The fund raiser kicked off last weekend during the annual alumni tournament, with $300 raised in the first half hour through donations from proud school alumni. Alvin Lavigne said his sons, Joshua and Christopher, were a tremendous help in getting his beautiful yard in shape. He said God has blessed him and he wants to make his yard shine. He recalled that his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Charles, were very diligent in keeping their yard tended and landscaped and took great pride in their yard. That is what motivates him to keep his own yard neat and landscaped.