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Jayla Reaux, a senior at Abbeville School, made history in Vermilion Parish on Wednesday.
Reaux signed a letter of intent to attend Midland University in Nebraska and be part of its female powerlifting team.
She becomes the first female from the parish to sign a powerlifting scholarship.
Midland University, a small private university in Nebraska, is one of the few colleges that offer scholarships in powerlifting.
Most universities, such as UL-Lafayette, look at powerlifting as club sport and do not offer club sport scholarships.
She will join former AHS powerlifter Chuck Shufford, who is considered the best collegiate lifter in his weight class at Midland University.
Reaux said she began powerlifting as something to do. She never thought it would lead to two state titles (her sophomore and senior year) and a college scholarship.
“My first two years of lifting, I just went through the motions and did not take it seriously,” said Reaux. “After I won state my sophomore year, I began thinking I could enjoy doing this for a long time.”
The summer before her freshman year, she developed a passion for the sport. She has always looked forward to going into the weight room to lift. She saw the progress and how she could get stronger and stronger because of the work she put into lifting.
Thanks to Chuck signing a scholarship, she was aware that Midland University offers scholarships. Not long ago, she went on Midland’s website and filled out a recruiting form. She entered her high school accomplishments and powerlfting weight total into the website.
It caught the coaches’ attention, and they contacted her.
Reaux said she is ready to move and go live in another state and meet new people.
“I am excited,” she said. “I know the environment and weight room are nice at the university. I ready to get started training and see what I can do on the college level.”
The man who helped make her into collegiate powerlifter is AHS powerlifting coach Travis Werner. Werner said Reaux’s approach to training is first class.
“Her approach to training is so intelligent,” said Werner. “Every lift is thought out. She has adjusted her form without coaching. She is a student of the game.”
She is the daughter of Chrystal Reaux and Jerath Bessard.

The 6th Annual Gumbo for Meaux Elementary was recently held on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at The Red Barn in Abbeville.
The annual event is a family fun day which included over 20 gumbo cooking teams, live & silent auctions, raffles, drinks, concessions, bake sale treats, fun jumps, kids games, silly string fight & live entertainment performed by local musicians. Our band & musical line up included: The Bayou Beats, The Envies, Aaron Jay & Alligator Blue.
After six years of organizing & hosting this event, and then in the midst of a pandemic, we weren’t sure of the future of our event, but our team still rallied together & got it done!
On behalf of the Gumbo for Meaux committee, I’m so excited to announce that all of the numbers have been tallied up & the GRAND TOTAL raised is our biggest year to date, for our 6th Annual event it comes to: $29,866.29. Also, one last donation check came in after the event in the amount of $133.71 which helps to bring the total to $30K!
Thank you again so much to all our event volunteers which includes parents, family, teachers, staff & students! Without your help, none of this would be possible! Thank you also to all of our sponsors, donors, cooking teams, judges, auctioneers & musicians for all of your donations & time! It is truly a team effort and we couldn’t do it without you!
The committee is currently gathering estimates, doing research & looking into ways to spend the funds in the most beneficial way to the school & students.
With some of last years’ funds we will soon be installing a new car rider line system! We also purchased a brand new rug for Mrs. Laura & the students to use in the library for next school year!
We would also like to add more items needed for the playground, such as finishing the white privacy fence, replacing any broken basketball goals, purchasing new P.E. toys & equipment for each class & adding more picnic tables & benches, etc.
One final thank you to all who came out & supported our event, our kids, Meaux Elementary School & our Team Meaux community! Our committee plans & organizes this event year round and puts so much time, effort, blood, sweat & tears into the event! To have such a beautiful day & such an amazing turnout made it so worth it. See y’all next year!

Article & Photos submitted by: Brook Stelly
Gumbo for Meaux Committee Member

We developed the habit of looking down as young children when we were upset, angry, embarrassed, frustrated, or dejected. We stared at the ground as we walked around sulking. We were withdrawn and unresponsive. We used this behavior as an escape rather than trying to remedy a situation.
This early conditioning influences your behavior throughout life. It becomes a default response to dealing with adversity. Even though this approach is devoid of any positive results, it’s used repeatedly.
When faced with challenges or problems, where you look, figuratively and literally, makes a big difference. People with hope, determination, and drive look up to the future. Those who have given up, are down trodden, or believe there is no solution, constantly look down.
Just as smiling causes you to feel better, looking up also improves your emotional state. Your physical and mental states are interconnected. Positive body language sparks positive emotions. So, acting better leads to you feeling better.
Even without the negative emotional connection, looking down adversely impacts your wellbeing. For example, observe people who are constantly looking down at their phone while walking. They are prone to tripping, falling, walking into objects or traffic. These people suffer easily avoidable injuries.
Looking down is dangerous. You won’t see potential hazards. Looking down blocks the world around you. You are less likely to see and hear what’s going on. You are much more accident prone when staring at the ground.
People searching for answers tend to look up. Ask someone a question and watch their eyes shift upward. Conversely, people look down when trying to avoid dealing with a problem. Knowing this, you can intentionally look up when confronting an obstacle.
Looking up provides an awareness of what lies ahead. Unexpected situations arise. Circumstances change without warning. Dealing with adversity is challenging enough when you are paying attention. When you are looking down, you’ll be blindsided due to your inattention.
It’s just like driving a car. Paying attention to the road ahead provides the ability to safely take corrective action to avoid having an accident. The farther down the road you are looking, the more warning you’ll have. Drivers who focus their attention to something in the car are much more prone to a mishap. That’s why distracted driving is so hazardous.
Looking up should be a way of life during both good times and challenging times. Whenever you find yourself looking down, pick up your head. Don’t shy away from problems. Ignoring them won’t make them go away. In fact, uncorrected problems tend to get worse.
Looking up enables you to evaluate various scenarios. This type of projection is in fact mental modeling. You get to run through various strategies and their possible outcomes. The more you analyze your options before acting, the greater the chances for making the right decision.
Looking up let’s you know whether you are on your chosen path. You are able to observe changes in circumstances. You are also in touch with changes within yourself which necessitate a change in direction.
The situational awareness you gain by looking up permits you to plan for what is up ahead. You can take advantage of new opportunities which appear, while resolving problems before they become unmanageable.
Take responsibility for your life by looking up. Looking down is a woe is me victim mentality which cries for attention. It’s your life. Do more of what makes you happy. Eliminate those actions which create problems.
Maintain self-awareness. Be cognizant of where you are looking. As soon as you catch yourself looking down, look right back up instead.

July 10, 1946 ~ March 18, 2021

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, April 3, 2021, at Faith Hope Baptist Church, 407 Duroq St., Abbeville. Dr. Warren Milson will officiate the services. He will be laid to rest at Prairie Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be Jeremy Fontnette, William B. Dixon, Jalen B. Dixon, Governor W. Dixon, and Eric A. Stellky. Honorary pallbearers are as follows; Henry “Boo Boo” Dixon, Charles Brannon, Peter Reaux, Markell Callahan, Austin Fontnette, Mykal Dixon, Malcolm Dixon, and Ja’Lil Dixon.
Mr. Wesley Dixon Jr. entered into this life on July 10, 1946 in Odessa, Texas.  He was born to Wesley Dixon Sr. and Josephine H. Dixon.  Mr. Wesley Dixon departed this life on March 18, 2021 in Austell, Georgia.
Mr. Wesley lived his life as a loving person who always thought about others and was always fast to offer a helping hand. He will be dearly missed by everyone who he loved and those who loved him. His absence from this earthly life has been, and will continue, to be felt.
He leaves to mourn and cherish his precious memories one biological daughter, Deanna F. Dixon; one biological granddaughter, Alicia M. Fontnette (Jeremy); one biological great-grandson, Austin A. Fontnette; two daughters, Latronica Dixon-Lewis (Derrick), Sharandae Brannon; four grandchildren, Malcolm Dixon, Manika Dixon, Mykal Dixon, and Makendra (Christopher) Dixon-Wallace, D’Karion Lewis; two great-grandchildren, Z. Dixon and Ja’Lil Dixon; two step great-grandchildren, Christian Wallace and Niana Wallace; one brother, Henry (Laura) Dixon; one sister, Christine Levy; three nieces, Josephine Dixon, Jody Jolly and Katrina Jolly; one nephew, LaDerrick Winters; two sisters-in-law, Mildred Dixon and Laura Dixon, as well as a host of relatives and friends.
Mr. Dixon was preceded in death by his parents, Wesley Dixon Sr. and Josephine H. Dixon; his grandparents, Richard Hawthorne and Mary Hawthorne; and one brother, Richard Dixon.
The family would like to give a special thank you to Faith Hope Baptist Church, Bishop B.K. Stevens and Dr. Warren Milson. We will also like to thank Roy Davis Funeral Home in Austell, Georgia and Vincent Funeral Home in Abbeville, Louisiana for all of your services. You all have been so kind and helpful during this difficult time for us. Also, thank you Ashley Thibodeaux for your help. Thank you to Soulfull Eats. Lastly, we want to thank everyone who called, helped prepare services, prayed for us, as well as those who simply thought about and loved on us near and far.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Faith Hope Baptist Church, Saturday, April 3, 2021, from 9:00am until time of services at 11:00am.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.