A little unexpected rain didn’t stop Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy (SWLCA) from celebrating the end of the school year with Louisiana Day.

A classic field day with a cultural twist, Louisiana Day is an annual tradition that began 13 years ago at SWLCA’s first location on Derek Drive as a special celebration “dedicated to honoring the rich culture and heritage of our state,” said Dean of Students Natalie Johnson.

From zydeco bands to line dancing to a sauce cook-off to the historical Louisiana walking museum featuring a timeline and artifacts, students are exposed to the region’s culture, providing a fun and educational end-of-year experience.

Batrina Clark is an instructional coach at SWLCA who was there at the genesis of Louisiana Day. She and her colleagues conceived the idea in 2012. With the school’s first full celebration on the horizon, they decided to up the ante. Instead of a traditional full-field day at the end of the school year, SWLCA would host a full-blown celebration of all things Louisiana culture.

The SWLCA staff wanted to create a fun, but informative day for students who do not have much opportunity to explore what the region has to offer.

“We work with a lot of kids who are from those socioeconomic backgrounds where they don’t get to experience culture outside of small things in their home,” she said. “Traditional field days are great, but it is also good to be able to provide kids with opportunities they normally wouldn’t have.”

SWLCA also has a high Hispanic population of students who get to learn about Louisiana culture, she noted.

The day always begins with a Mardi Gras parade. This is usually held in the school’s parking lot, but this year, they moved the celebrations to the gym because of the weather. Throughout the day, students participate in hands-on activities like creating “swamp slime” and face painting, play festival-style games, go on rides, and dance to Zydeco and other cultural tunes.

Representatives with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries attend to let students meet baby alligators at the petting zoo.

Students also get to sample local dishes during a food-tasting prepared by the parents of each grade level.

Because many students started in kindergarten and attended all the way up to eighth grade, Louisiana Day has become a staple that students look forward to throughout the year. So much so that the administration receives requests of what they would like to see next year, Clark said.

But it is more than just a fun day for students, it is also a family-oriented community celebration. Parents and families get in on the fun as well, attending the parade and participating in the culinary activities.

“It’s really deeply rooted in the culture of the school.”

SWLCA went bigger this year, with more festival activities and inflatable games. Why? This is SWLCA’s final year. In the fall, the school will merge with its sister school, Lake Charles Charter Academy (LCCA), creating two specialized campuses for one school.

The current SWLCA location will house kindergarten through third grade, the current LCCA campus will house fourth through eighth grade.

Louisiana Day will continue after the merger, but it might look a little different on a new campus, Johnson said.

The day ended with a heartfelt farewell to Duke the Bulldog, who was chosen as the school’s mascot and named at the inaugural Louisiana Day. This was a full-circle moment for Clark.

With big changes on the horizon, she said they are excited to merge to work together to create an educational community that is even more connected and explorative, all while leaving a legacy in its wake.

“Although we are giving up our identity … We’ve touched so many lives and I think that all of the students along the way, this community that we’ve built and the impact that we’ve made, it’s going to forever be remembered,” she mused.