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For an eighth-grader sitting at their desk, the future can seem uncertain when it comes to a career path.
On Wednesday, 201 eighth-graders at North Vermilion Middle School found no better time than the present to develop a clearer idea of what they may want to do when they grow up.
The school held its second Career Day. More than 20 local businesses, along with the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Maurice Volunteer Fire Department, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and branches of the U.S. Military, gathered to provide students with some insight into what they can offer.
“This is planting a seed,” NV Middle Principal Kandice Broussard said. “To me, it’s part of our responsibility as middle school administrators and teachers to get them ready for the future in school. We get them ready to take on their responsibilities on campus and also to enter those career paths. Will that lead them to a university or another career path?
“We have so many companies out here that encompass so many things that can give them an idea.”
Averie Monte, one of those students, said she enjoyed the event.
“I’m glad that our school can put on something like this for our students to see what we want to do,” Monte said. “We can see what we may want to study in college. It definitely gives you a different perspective.”
Did anything in particular strike Monte on Wednesday?
“I’m not 100% sure what I want to do yet or what I’m passionate about,” Monte said. “I’ve looked at nursing, with Ochsner {Health} being here. The fire department was interesting. This day just gave us an opportunity to connect and communicate with adults and get ideas of what you’re interested in doing when you grow up.”
In April, the NV students will have a chance to get a closer look at their various interests. The students will select from job shadowing opportunities with companies at the career day. Emily Miller, an 8th-grade social studies teacher involved in the career day, said job-shadowing is another layer.
“They’re going to go out in the community and go to work for a day,” Miller said. “They can see what it’s like being on the job. Talking about a job and doing a job are two totally different things. They get to see the real world.”
Miller said she is excited for the students.
“It makes my heart so happy knowing that the students wanted to be here,” Miller said. “You see the spark in them.”

September 15, 1943 — March 18, 2026

A Mass of Christian Burial officiated by Reverend Mikel Polson will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church honoring the life of Adam Charles LaViolette, 82, who passed away on March 18, 2026, at his residence. He will be laid to rest at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers will be Jake McLeod, Kelsi Duhon, Vincent LaViolette, Jason McLeod, Seth LaViolette, Jacques LaViolette, and Jace LaViolette.
A visitation will take place at Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan on Friday, March 20, 2026, from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. with a rosary being prayed at 6 p.m. The visitation will continue Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 8 a.m. until the procession departs for the church at 10:45 a.m.
Adam Charles LaViolette was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and son whose life was rooted in family and hard work. He attended trade school, earning a degree as a farm mechanic, a skillset that reflected his lifelong connection to the land and machinery that kept it running.
A proud veteran of the United States Army, he served a tour in Vietnam as a demolition specialist with the Engineers. His service to his country was a source of pride and a defining chapter in his life.
Farming was always in his blood. He began at just 18 years old with a rice crop and later expanded into soybeans and crawfish. Throughout his life, he also raised cattle, a constant passion that stayed with him through the years.
He made his home in Patterson for 37 years, where he built a life centered on family, work and community. Over the course of his career, he worked for 26 years for Cameron Iron Works, followed by 5 years with Newpark Environmental, where he learned to operate a friction crane. He later dedicated his time to the Vermilion Parish Police Jury, where he worked until his retirement.
He was also known for his talents in the kitchen, especially for making what many considered the best turtle sauce piquant and gumbo. His cooking brought people together and created lasting memories for family and friends.
A lifetime member of the VFW and a member of the American Legion, he remained committed to supporting fellow veterans. He also gave back to his community as an assistant Boy Scout leader, always willing to lend a hand and share his love of the outdoors, especially through camping.
He will be remembered for his dedication to his family, his strong work ethic, his service to his country, and the many lives he touched along the way.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, JoAnn Vincent LaViolette of Kaplan; his children, Tanya Lynn LaViolette McLeod (Jason) of Kaplan, Christopher Charles LaViolette of Kaplan, Seth Vincent LaViolette (Amanda) of Oberlin, and Jacques Adam LaViolette (Taylor) of Kaplan; his grandchildren, Amanda Duhon (Kelsi), Jacqueline McLeod, Mackenzie McLeod, Jake McLeod, Jace LaViolette, Jeffery LaViolette, Vincent LaViolette, David LaViolette, Oliver LaViolette, Parker LaViolette, and Ella Rose LaViolette; his great grandchildren, Wyatt James Duhon, Walker John Duhon, and Wylie Adonis Duhon; and one sister, Deanna LaViolette Manceaux.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Sevea Laviolette and the former Aline LeMaire; his granddaughter, Celeste LaViolette; his sister, Iris Broussard Lege (Saul); his brother-in-law, Roland Manceaux; and his in-laws, Eldridge and Dorothy Mire Vincent.
The family would like to extend special thanks to Hope Hospice Nurse, Melanie and the caregivers who became family; Kizzy Syon, Rebecca George, Melinda Landry, and Mary Gage.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan (337) 643-7276.

Art and creativity will once again fill the streets of downtown Abbeville as the community gathers for the Second En Rue de Concorde Art Walk.
Hosted by Vermilion Art Council, the event invites residents and visitors to experience local art while exploring the charm of historic downtown. It will take place this Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Mission of the Vermilion Arts Council (VAC) is to “Engage, Enrich, Experience the Arts in Vermilion Parish.
The Art Walk will feature a variety of artwork including, paintings, photography, crafts and other creative displays by local artist. Guests are encouraged to stroll from location to location, meet the artist, and enjoy the atmosphere that makes downtown Abbeville so special.
This year’s ArtWalk is part of the, Vermilion Arts Expo, a larger community-wide celebration, presented in partnership with the Acadiana Center of the Arts. The Expo is a celebration of Vermilion Parish student artists showcasing all artistic disciplines on three stages and multiple exhibitions located in Magdalen Square.
“You will not want to miss the colorful art exhibits at the Cultural Center,” Abbeville Main Street Manager Charlene Beckett said. “Events like these highlight the talent and heritage we are so proud of in Vermilion Parish.”
In addition to the Artwalk and Vermilion Arts Expo, the Abbeville Sicilian Celebration will take place at the Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop Museum from 10am-3pm. Celebrate Sicilian culture with a museum tour, blacksmith demonstrations, live music, and a cooking contest. Everyone is invited to come out, take a walk-through downtown and celebrate the culture and the arts in Abbeville

Chris Crusta Memorial Airport has long been an asset for the city of Abbeville.
Recently, the Louisiana Aviation & Aerospace Economic Impact Study showed that the airport supports 471 jobs and contributes $62.4 million in annual economic output to the city.
Officials continue to work on the assumption that the airport can return even greater dividends to the city.
During its March 3 meeting, the Abbeville City Council heard from Chris Groh of Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm based in New Orleans and Lafayette. The firm has worked closely with Abbeville during the past couple of years.
“We work specifically with airports in Louisiana,” Groh said, “trying to help them develop new projects as well as maintenance and repair projects for buildings and runways.
“We help secure funding and make sure that all the red tape between the FAA and the state is all cleared up.”
Groh said earlier in the day, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) aviation presented the first part of its capital program to the state legislature’s transportation committee. Groh explained that the city will be receiving a pair of grants through that program. One will be $39,000 for the airport master plan, which will offset the FAA-mandated match.
“The other grant is expected to be $1 million to do some airfield pavement maintenance,” Groh said. “It will rehab the taxiway and the apron to keep the airport operational.”
Mayor Roslyn White said the airport is its own economic driver and should be treated as such.
“We’ve been meeting about some opportunity for growth and business around the airport,” White said. “They need to be airport adjacent. Unfortunately, we have rented a lot of properties for pennies on the dollar over the years, which kind of landlocks our airport. We are trying to free up space to allow business growth adjacent to the airport. That means better-paying jobs and a better impact on our community.
“That means more revenue coming in for the airport, so that we can continue to put money back into the airport, and grow it as its own economic driver for the city.”
Currently, businesses and industries that utilize the airport include:
• Aviation Academy of Louisiana
• JBI Helicopter Services
• Westwind
• Valour Air
• Vector Aviation
• Omega Protein
• engineering firms
• hunting and outdoor industry
“There is a lot of interest in commercial activity out there,” Groh said. “I don’t mean commercial like Delta {Airlines} or Southwest {Airlines}. I mean industrial helicopter, agriculture, and so forth.”
Groh said, while nothing is imminent, plans are being discussed to potentially facilitate that kind of commercial growth.
Plans are also in place for the Louisiana National Guard to construct a new defense readiness center near the airport.
“They are going to build up a nearly $30 million defense readiness center,” Councilman Brady Broussard Jr. said. “They will need electricity, fuel and gasoline.
“We look forward to the groundbreaking of that in the near future.”
Councilman Carlton Campbell had a request of Groh regarding what the runway could possibly look like.
“Could you find us any money to stretch the runway?” Campbell asked. “That would allow bigger plans to land.”
Groh said that would require the acquisition of more land and obtaining further FAA clearances.
“That is one of the activities that the master plan will look at,” Groh said, “and is there a justification for that. The FAA will fund runway projects; we just have to give them the right justification.”
Accommodating larger planes is not simply an issue of runway length.
“One of the common things that people think is that the length of the runway is the problem,” White said. “That is part of it, but it’s also a weight issue. The existing runway cannot support the weight of the larger planes.”
As it stands, Chris Crusta Memorial Airport is seeing plenty of activity.
“It’s one of the busier general aviation airports in the state,” Groh said. “A lot of that has to do with Omega Protein and their fish-spotting operations, but also the helicopter operations that are taking place on the north side of the airport. There is a lot of activity happening here. Talking to DOTD and LED (Louisiana Economic Development), they recognize the airport’s potential.
“It’s an exciting time.”
White agreed, adding that the city needs to capitalize on that momentum.
“I’ve always believed the airport is one of the city’s greatest assets,” White said. “This report (impact study) reinforces that with data. We need to be strategic about the future of our airport. We are looking for opportunities to help strengthen growing businesses that will increase utilization, create jobs or net healthy returns that can be reinvested in future improvements.”