Roux's first day, less scary

Sixty-four kindergartners at Highland Elementary started the school year with a little extra armor against first-day jitters, courtesy of a hometown author and a squad of local changemakers.

Julie Gerdes Becnel, who wrote Roux's First Day, teamed up with the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students and CHANGEMAKERS alumni—Crystal Ellis, Adrian Owen Jones, Danielle Brown and Dr. Melvin Hollins—to hand every kid a free copy of the book, plus hygiene kits and readiness goodies: math counters, Play-Doh, bead kits and crayons. Three more copies landed in the school library.

Kindergarten teachers at Westdale Heights Academic Magnet contributed readiness guides for parents, and illustrator Cullen Bernard provided coloring sheets tied to the story.

It's the kind of quiet, get-it-done generosity Baton Rouge runs on: no press conference, just 64 kids walking into kindergarten a little more ready—and a little less scared—than they might've been otherwise.