RSS Feed

The Vermilion Parish School Board voted against a charter school entering Vermilion Parish for the second time in two years.
By a vote of 5-3, the school board said they were not in favor of a new charter school in the Maurice area.
Voting against the charter school were school board members Laura LeBeouf, Kibbie Pillette, Dale Stelly, and Charlotte Detraz.
Voting for the charter school were Christy Hebert, Chris Gautreaux and Jason Roy.
With “No” vote from the local board, the charter school now has to take it the state level. The board has to make a presentation to the BESE Board in hopes it approves their application.
The school wants to be a kindergarten through sixth grade school and then expand to the eighth grade in the future. The charter school would house 615 students.
The “no” vote also means that the Vermilion Charter Academy will become a Type 2 charter school instead of a Type 1 charter school, if BESE approves it on the state level.
A Type 2 charter school will be run by its charter board members and it will accept students throughout the Acadiana area.
Students from Lafayette Parish and Acadia Parish and other parishes can enroll in the school.
Had the school board accepted the charter school, the charter school would have only been able to accept Vermilion Parish students, and the public school board also would have had a say as to what areas of the parish the charter school could draw students from.
Before voting, LeBeouf explained her reason as to why she was voting no. She said the parish would lose close to $6 million in MFP funding from the state, along with having to lay off school employees because of the loss of state funding.
LeBeouf pleaded with the school board to first fill the empty school buildings by rezoning. “We have all these empty buildings and space,” said LeBeouf. “I am responsible for the students and teachers.”
Dupuis explained why he voted no. He said he keeps hearing that 600 students will be enrolling in the Maurice area in the next four years. He said he has a hard time believing there will be that many new students in four years.
School board member Jason Roy said the school board “keeps kicking the can” when it comes to fixing the overcrowding problem in the North Vermilion area. He added that former school boards failed to resolve the overcrowding problem in the northern part of the parish.
The charter school will help with the overcrowding at Maurice Elementary, Roy added. He said a charter school being built in the Maurice area would not cost the parish taxpayers any money, because it will be built and paid for by the Charter USA School.

Travin Moore has one of the most stressful and dangerous jobs in America, but he still has managed to keep his head above water, stay married for 11 years and raise two children.
Moore, 40, is married to Starya Moore, and they have two teenagers; Travin, who is 16 and Marley, who is 13.
Moore has been a member of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office for 11 years. He is a Lieutenant for the Task Force. The Task Force is responsible for slowing down the drug activity in the parish, which makes it a very dangerous job.
Being a member of the Task Force meant he had to juggle his job and his family at the same time.
“It can be difficult due to working crazy hours, but I find the time on the weekends to relax and watch movies or just sit around the house,” Moore said.
He said the best things about working for the Sheriff’s Office are the camaraderie and the family atmosphere.
“Even though we may not all work the same way, the goal is the same, which is to make Vermilion Parish a safer place.”
He and other members of law enforcement constantly balance having a family and the dangers of work. But when the shift is over, Moore enjoys coming home to his family. When he takes off his uniform at home, he becomes Travin Moore, the father and husband.
His favorite part about being a dad is, “I can be silly with the children and tell jokes, and they laugh knowing it’s not funny.”
Being a father was in his long-term plan after high school. He graduated from Abbeville High in 2000 and signed a football scholarship to play for the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). He started three out of the four years and finished with just over 110 solo tackles.
Moore had a father in his life, which he credits for making him a great dad. Larry Moore is Travin’s father and he attended all of his school and sporting events even though they did not live in the same house.
“Many may not know that my mother and father didn’t get married, but I cannot remember any day or night that my dad was not around as a child or as an adult,” said Moore. “My dad always held us accountable and taught us at a young age right from wrong. I remember my dad would come to my college games and drive back sometimes by himself. I knew that if I could get off of work early or had to use a vacation day, I was not going to miss my children’s activities.”
Today, Moore uses his football knowledge to coach his son, Travin, at Vermilion Catholic High School. The younger Moore plays running back for the Eagles. Because they both share the love of football, the older Travin is not afraid to give the younger Travin advice.
“We sit and talk like father and son and to witness him carry out some of the things we talked about means that he is listening and it warms me up,” Moore said. “He’s very respectable, and I see some of me inside of him.
“I’m blessed to be able to coach and watch him play at the same time. As a parent, it’s hard to see your child get hit but that’s the game. I explained to him when he was young that if you wanted to play collegiate sports, you must have the grades. You have to do what other athletes won’t or are not doing, he must be dedicated to your craft and he understands that.”
Moore shared a moment where being a dad and coach came at a good time. It was a playoff game, and Travin (Tiki) fumbled the ball on the one-yard line.
“I walked over to him, and he looked at me and said, ‘Have amnesia.’ I walked away smiling. In football, I tell him that you have to have amnesia, meaning if you do good or bad, forget about it and move on to the next play. He remembered our patio father/son talk.”
The Moore family is very competitive. Everyone wants to win. If the older Travin tells a joke, the younger Travin has a better one. It is forbidden to play Monopoly or UNO at the Moore house because the loser gets too upset. The two Moore men have to be on the same team for corn hole because an argument will break out during the game if they are competing against one another.
He is also not afraid to be ‘Daddy’s Girl.” For example, Moore is not afraid to take his daughter to get her nails or feet done at a nail salon.
For the Moore children, the go-to person is mom. Moore said the only time the children go to Moore is for him to buy them something.
“The only time the children come to me is for me to bring them to the store,” said Moore. “I overheard them talking two weeks ago about getting me to bring them to the store for some summer workout gear because momma watches the prices, and daddy does not like being in the store long, so he doesn’t pay attention to the price.”
Moore would not have it any other way.

Mitchel Cormier couldn’t be happier right about now.
Along with the love of his family, Cormier is happily seeing his new career takeoff. In is former career, happily seeing takeoffs was of the utmost importance.
Cormier, an Abbeville native, is now in real estate after previously working as a helicopter mechanic.
“Just over a year ago, I earned my Real Estate license,” Cormier said, “this has always been a dream of mine.”
Even with the prospect of a dream career path, Cormier did not want to completely give up on his old one. Cormier worked on helicopters for more than 12 years. He continued to do so, while his other job began to get off the ground.
“I was very successful in my fist year,” Cormier said proudly. “It wasn’t easy juggling real estate and be a helicopter mechanic at the same time. While working as a mechanic you often work very late into the night and this was very hard on me with a family at home.
“I felt I was missing so much of my kids’ life and being with my wife.”
Amy and his children, Abram and Nora Jean, factored 100% into an important decision for Cormier.
“One day a light switch went off and I knew I had enough,” Cormier said. “I talked it over with my wife and went into real estate full time. I definitely made the right choice, my wife and my kids are so much happier with me home every evening as it should be.
“It was not an easy decision, I had a very good and successful career working on helicopters, but doing what was right for the family was more important to me.”
No matter what Cormier does for a living, it will pale in comparison to what it means to him to be a husband and father.
“The short answer is, it means the world to me,” Cormier said.
The two go hand in hand, but require different set of skills. I am married to Amy, she is a beautiful and wonderful person. As a Registered Nurse at Lafayette General she works very hard as well. Being a husband to me means always being accountable, it means being dependable and just being the best version of yourself and giving that to your significant other. It means being strong yet loving and understanding. I am a father of two, my oldest is four, his name is Abram and my daughter Nora Jean is two. Our third child God willing will be here in September and we will find out the gender the old fashion way.
“As a father, you must be the corner post for the family; you are the one everyone looks to when times are tough.”
As his family grows, so will Cormier’s responsibilities. However, his approach to being a father will not change.
“Being a father means always being there for everything,” Cormier said, “no matter how small it may seem. I don’t think anyone can be a perfect father, you just have to be one. Being a father means showing your children how to become a good person and have the Lord in their hearts. Jordan Peterson said a person can not fully mature until they have had children of their own and understand having to sacrifice yourself and time for their benefit. Definitely true words with kids but the reward is worth it everyday.
“We must not forget to love our children and make time for them everyday, but also to be a husband first, then a father.”
Today is Father’s Day. Cormier has a pretty good idea of what a perfect one would be for him.
“A perfect Father’s Day to me would be being with family,” Probably, at my folks house telling my dad happy fathers day as he tells me I’m barbecuing the wrong way and watching my kids play with their cousins and stealing a kiss from my beautiful wife every now and then.”

February 22, 1942 - June 9, 2021

ABBEVILLE— A memorial service will be held at Abbeville United Methodist Church, 213 N. State St., Abbeville, on Saturday, June 26, 2021 with visitation beginning at 10:00 AM, and a service to follow at 11:00 AM.  Frances McPherson Dickson, 79, passed away on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston, TX surrounded by family.
Frances was born on February 22, 1942 in Baton Rouge, LA to Daniel and Hattie McPherson. Having lived most of her life in Abbeville, she graduated from Abbeville High School in 1960. After briefly attending LSU and Touro Medical School for Nursing, she met the love of her life, Larry G. Dickson of Mansfield, OH. They were happily married until his untimely death in 2016. After several generations of McPherson’s that lived in Abbeville, she was the last remaining.
After returning to Abbeville in 1979, she became very involved in her community. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Confederacy, Fortnightly, United Methodist Women, and became an honorary member of the Woman’s Club Abbeville Louisiana, after 35 years of service. She also held numerous leadership positions at her church.  Fran was one of the founding members of the Abbeville Volunteer Tour Guides which provides tours of the downtown Abbeville area.
Fran’s love of needlepoint garnered her numerous accolades and recognitions on a national level. She and her husband Larry loved ballroom and square dancing and she reigned as the Queen of Krewe de Danse. She was a very loving and inspirational wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She will be remembered fondly by all of those who knew and loved her, and will be greatly missed for many years.
She is survived by her two daughters, Elizabeth D. Bodin of Abbeville, and Erin D. Landry (Randy Landry) of Lafayette; and four grandchildren, Hattie A. Bodin (R.J. Toal), Amelia B. Adams (Taylor Adams), Abby E. Landry, and Anna C. Landry; as well as other extended family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Daniel and Hattie McPherson of Abbeville, LA; and her husband of 54 years, Larry G. Dickson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Frances M. Dickson’s name to Abbeville United Methodist Church, 213 N. State St. Abbeville, LA 70510.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.