By BROOKE GOLDMAN

LAPLACE -St. Joan of Arc seventh-graders in Julie Abreo’s Louisiana Studies class had a Louisiana Food Festival recently.

As part of the exciting school event, each student brought in a Louisiana food dish for a grade.

“This was a culminating activity,” said Abreo. “Everyone had a contribution.”

This was the first time the school had done something like this, but Abreo got the idea from other schools which had already participated in a similar event.

Natalie Temple brought in Cajun music for the students to dance to.

Members of the Louisiana Historic Collection will be coming in to speak to the class sometime this semester to give a history on the foods of the state.

They will also be collecting the students’ recipes to put some of them into their cookbook.

Abreo also held the celebration to lighten up the mood from the Sept. 11 tragic events in New York City, the Washington, D.C. area and Pennsylvania.

Parents helped with the cooking, but the students set up the festival. They put out all of the food and utensils and decorated the tables.

Students had a little bit of everything, ranging from jambalaya to red beans and rice to various delectable desserts.

The students lined up to get their share of food.

Leigh Ann Plauche brought in couche couche.

This recipe was handed down from her great-, great-grandfather who did not have much money and lived on a farm. The recipe includes corn meal, eggs and baking soda. Once mixed together, milk is added.

Ryan Dornier brought in sugar cane. His family planted the seeds three years ago and let it grow 15 to 20 feet.

Once it reached this height, they chopped it down, skinned it and chipped it. Then they let it grow again and dug it out from the ground.

Rekha Wadhwa made bayou brownies. She made them herself with pecans, cake mix and cream cheese. Then she layered them.

This sweet recipe took her about 40 to 50 minutes to complete.

Once the students sat down and finished eating, they got up and danced to the Cajun music.

The aroma of the food spread throughout the hallways bringing in teachers and students.

As the period came to an end, the students cleaned up and invited the other students and teachers to come in and enjoy their recipes.

Each one of Abreo’s classes throughout the day brought in food as well to have their own festival.

Helen Banquer, the development director at the school, also joined the festival to take pictures of the students enjoying themselves.