NBR Classic to unite community

Scotlandville Magnet High School and Madison Preparatory Academy will come together on Friday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. for the inaugural North Baton Rouge Classic. The rivalry game will follow the theme of last year's Scotlandville homecoming, "One Scotlandville," to unite alumni, faculty, and staff. In addition, the event presented by Project 70805 and Capital City Collision will bring together the communities from both schools.

"The idea for the NBR Classic goes back to last year's homecoming. I wanted to be more involved in my high school and unite the school's two alum bases. After having a conversation with Principal Jackson about being more involved while promoting our successful alumni, it made sense to do a game," said Jason Hughes, owner and founder of Project 70805 and Capital City Collision. Hughes is a graduate of Scotlandville Magnet High School. 

Scotlandville High School changed in the 80s, going from a traditional high school to a magnet school focusing on engineering. The class of 1982-83 was the first class with the Eagles mascot with blue and gray school colors. After the 2008-09 school year, Scotlandville moved to a dual program incorporating the non-magnet track. They returned to being the Hornets, and the school colors returned to black and gold. 

Over the years, the two alumni bases (Hornets and Eagles) have been separated, but last year the administration began building the bridge to unite as "One Scotlandville."

"Whether you are an Eagle or a Hornet, if your colors were blue and gray or black and gold, it's still Scotlandville," said Paul Jackson, Scotlandville Magnet High principal. Jackson graduated from Scotlandville as an Eagle but grew up in a house full of Hornets. "We are all Scotlandville, and we want to show that unity to the high school that has graduated alumni who have gone on to do tremendous things! All should be acknowledged and celebrated."

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The NBR Classic will be this year's "Eagle Night," where the colors and mascot that existed for some 26 years will be acknowledged and celebrated.

Outside of reconnecting as "One Scotlandville," The NBR Classic will bring together two great schools with a few connections. Scotlandville's new head coach Ryan Cook, formerly Madison Prep defensive coordinator, is in his first season as a Hornet. Cook will go up against his mentor and former boss, Madison Prep head football coach Landry Williams. 

Alisa Welsh, principal at Madison Preparatory Academy, said the game is the coming together of two great schools in the community. "Scotlandville Magnet High School is the cornerstone of the community; built on a tradition of pride and excellence. Madison Preparatory Academy has risen to be the standard for all charter schools, excelling in academics and athletics. Both schools represent our city well," said Welsh. 

The NBR Classic will kick off Thursday night with an alumni mixer at Main Lobby from 6-9 p.m. During Friday’s game, Scotlandville will welcome back former Hornet’s cornerback Kelvin Joseph to retire his jersey. Joseph was the 2021 second-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys.

EBRPL hosts Scotlandville Branch open house

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library invites the public to an open house at the Scotlandville Branch Library on Tuesday, September 20 between the hours of 2-4 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m. to learn about renovation plans for the branch.

Members of the architectural team, as well as Library staff, will be on hand to present the new, expanded, and updated design. All ages are welcome to study the design and ask questions or make comments. This is an excellent opportunity to see what is in store for the Scotlandville Branch! Renovations are slated to begin in spring 2023.

Beginning on Monday, September 19, the community can visit the Capital Improvements page online at ebrpl.com to view fast facts about the project, a proposed timeline, plus floorplans and renderings.

This renovation/expansion is a Pay-As-You-Go project in conjunction with the Library’s Capital Improvements Plan.

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Vote for more exciting times in Scotlandville

From Sept 12-22, organizers of Scotland Saturdays have launched a campaign to bring a 3-year outdoor music series to the Scotlandville plaza. As a result, it is a #LevittAMP finalist and is now one step closer to receiving $90,000 grant in matching funds for the free outdoor music series. Now, the community has to vote forv ScotlandSaturdays by Wed., Sept. 21, at levitt.org/vote today or text BEROUGE to 866-267-2023.

The September market will be Saturday, Sept. 24, in the Scotlandville plaza, 10am-2pm featuring lively music, local businesses, vendors, and health and wellness professionals to help with vaccines, blood drives, sickle cell awareness, and more. To participate, email Scotlandsaturdays@gmail.com