CLUBS

NewspaperFebruary 16, 1997 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)

Page: 11H2 | Section: PICAYUNE

Republican Women's Club

Slidell Republican Women's Club members recently were addressed by Judith Kloepfer, president of Community Affiliation for Reform in Education (CARE), an organization seeking to establish a charter school system in St. Tammany; Kathy McDowell, resource helping teacher at Bayou Woods Elementary; and Dorothy Strickland, literacy chairwoman for the SRWC.

Delgates and alternates were elected to represent the club at the Biennial Convention of the Louisiana Federation of Republican Women, which will be held in Lafayette in early March.

The 30th anniversary gala of the SRWC will be held Feb. 28. For information, call 643-2827, 643-7617 or 641-8162.

LUCK OF DRAW SAVES SPELLERS

NewspaperMay 22, 1997 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)

Author: CARL WOLFRAM | Page: 1H2 | Section: PICAYUNE | Column: TAMMANY TALK

540 Words | Readability: Lexile: 1330, grade level(s): >12

I'd love to gloat.

I'd love to brag that I was not in the least surprised when, after several attempts, Shalmali Pal, Ron Thibodeaux and I stomped all the other contenders in the seventh annual spelling bee benefiting the St. Tammany Literacy Foundation to bring the crown - OK, engraved pens - home to The Times-Picayune.

It would be nice to boast that we only use Old Faithful, a.k.a. Webster's, to double-check flawless spelling and that we never, ever engage our computer's spell-check function, but that would be a lie.

The truth, to which anyone who has attended the city spelling bee can attest, is we were just plain lucky to beat the previously indomitable Jerry Chauffe, Dolores Calkins and Anne Flotte of the Slidell Symphony Society and Carol Gillio, Catherine Palmer and Dorothy Strickland of Slidell Women's Republican Club, who also were hoping to oust the long-standing champs.

*** Luck of the draw ***

Davis Electric's Bob Brandt and Laura LeBell Simoneaux had the worst luck of all. They were the first to falter, misspelling mischievous.

Hibernia team members Raymond Brinson, Debra Nix and Ruth Strickland followed quickly, knocked out by a miscue on etiquette. They had the right number of "t's" but put them in the wrong order. It could happen to anyone.

Plagiarize eliminated LaSalle University, represented by Angela Brown, Sheryl Raybon and Earleen Broussard.

First NBC's team, manned by Alton Elementary School staffers Beth Arthur, Michelle Martin and Joyce Smith, was knocked out by puncheon.

Temerarious, opuscule and botryoidal struck out the next three teams: St. Margaret Mary, composed of Charlotte Cooper, Gay Knock and Robyn Thibodeaux; SlidellNorthshore Rotary, Gene Byrd, George Cry and Gil Ganucheau; and the SlidellPolice Department, sponsored by Lowry-Dunham, Case and Vivien Insurance and represented by Mark Cranford, Patrick Matthews and P.J. Record.

NorthShore Regional Medical Center's Lisa Galatas, Elaine Starns and Sandra Tomaszewski were stumped by hircine, Slidell Rotary-sponsored Slidell High Interact duo of Julie Matranga and Jessica Baggetta tripped up on accumbent, and the Slidell Sentry-News crew of Kevin Chiri, Debbie Stanford and Debbie Simmons were thwarted by bathysphere.

*** Right place, right time ***

If the truth be told, if we'd drawn about half the above words we too would have been among those watching the spell-off from the sidelines. Instead our draws were tourniquet, lieutenant, scintillate, alveolate, albescent, perquisite, gauche, inchoate and acerb to make it to the championship round.

We also were in the right place at the right time during the final round.

Had enunciator Sister Donna Baker, assistant principal at host school St. Margaret Mary, asked our team, rather than the Slidell Symphony Society, to spell beadledom, we too would have struck a sour note. The same holds true for aciniform, the word that knocked the Republic Women's Club out of contention.

We got juggernaut and aced it, dodging the bee bullet - this year.

Can you spell, "Whew!"

Send information about Slidell, Pearl River and Lacombe people, places and events to Carol Wolfram, community news editor, The Times-Picayune, 1508 Gause Blvd., Suite 104, Slidell, La. 70458; or call 645-2857 or 645-2850. All submissions become the property of The Times-Picayune and will not be returned; submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium.

COMMUNITY REPORT

Newspaper August 24, 1997 | Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)

Page: 11H2 | Section: PICAYUNE

*** McKeithen in Slidell ***

Secretary of State Fox McKeithen will be the guest speaker Friday at a meeting of the Slidell Republican Women's Club.

Lunch will follow at the Marina Cafe on Harbor Drive in Slidell.

For information or reservations call 646-2848 or 641-8162.