Mari Walker

As Education and Community sections editor, I wrote pages pages 14-21 and page 26 of the March 2021 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine. See the web layout on the magazine's website.

First published in the March 2021 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine and on its website . Amazing kids run in the Iyer family. Recently named the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System’s elementary student of the year, Dev, a fifth grader at Buchanan Elementary, is following in the footsteps of his brother, Jay, now a high school senior who was also honored as a fifth grader. Dev excels academically. “I’m particularly proud of getting principal’s list in all my years in elementary school,” he says. He’s already planning a bright future. “I want to become an architectural engineer when I grow up,” he says. The career, which would follow in the engineering footsteps of his dad and grandfather, combines Dev’s love of math, science and art. A multisport athlete, Dev participates in swimming, taekwondo, basketball, baseball and soccer. He’s also an accomplished pianist and artist. Dev’s artwork was chosen as the EBR school system’s annual holiday card three years i...

First published in the March 2021 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine and its website . Kindness is the keyword for eight-year-old Tiva Thyssen, and she’s involved in several efforts to spread it. Specifically, since losing her older brother Traeh to suicide in 2019, Tiva works to bring awareness to and prevent bullying and suicide Rosalynn Thyssen, mother of Tiva, Traeh, and their siblings Theodore, Trinitee, and Chloe, started the Traeh Thyssen Have A hearT Foundation, which provides information, resources, and support to combat bullying and prevent youth suicide. Tiva plays an active role in the foundation and bringing its message to more people in the hopes of saving other children who are hurting like Traeh. The foundation’s marketing efforts include a focus on hearts and the number 13. Traeh is heart spelled backward, and he was 13 when he died. “The foundation just tells people that you should always have a heart,” Tiva says.  For Random Acts of Kindness ...

 First published on Baton Rouge Parents magazine's website. Our family is almost ready to say goodbye to our stroller, and looking back, it might be my most beloved piece of baby gear (after my DSLR camera perhaps). Our orange BabyJogger CityMini has served us well, hauling two girls around the neighborhood and around the world. In the last year, it hasn’t seen much use, of course. Mostly because of the pandemic and not really going anywhere. If we walked around the neighborhood together as a family, the girls could motor on their own legs or ride their bikes or scooters. Having a nine-year-old and almost five-year-old negates the need for a stroller, pandemic or not. I can feel sentimental about most anything, especially things relating to my girls. Folding onesies into a box for donating or passing down, dropping off the giant, loud, plastic toys and other accoutrements of toddler life, and sorting through board books all make me feel my feelings. How I feel about...

First published in the February 2021 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine and on the magazine's website. After she experienced bullying, Holli A. Holland wanted to help other children navigate through the experience. The slower pace during the pandemic provided time for the eight year old from Baker to write and publish her first book, You Are Enough! She also created an accompanying workbook, You Are Enough: You are Beautiful, For You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made . In a few short months, she’s already sold more than 250 copies. Holli wrote to inspire others. “You don’t have to change your ways. You can be yourself, and you can accomplish things by being yourself,” she says. In the book, Holli shares her story of being bullied about her shoes. “I took it and I turned it into something positive,” Holli explains. Holli learned a life lesson early when the child who picked on her would not apologize to her even when the principal told him to.  “At an early age, ...

First published in the February 2021 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine and on the magazine's website . A Guinness World Record holder for her basketball skills, Zaila Avant-Garde is also a successful speller, winning the first-ever Kaplan Online Spelling Bee. Zaila, 14, won $10,000 and free Kaplan pre-college test prep courses. The Kaplan Bee was developed after the 2020 Scripps National Spelling Bee was canceled due to COVID-19. “I have always been interested in reading, so spelling was more or less a natural progression,” Zaila says. She spends a lot of time studying spelling words and she was also the 2019 New Orleans regional spelling champion.  An eighth grade homeschooler from Harvey, Zaila’s opportunities to compete have diminished. “Most spelling bees you can’t participate after your eighth grade year.” Zaila’s interest in achieving a world record began when she received a Guinness Book for her eighth birthday and she put her plan into action when she t...

As Education and Community sections editor, I wrote pages pages 14-21 and page 26 of the February 2021 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine. See the web layout on the magazine's website.