Students of the Year, NBCT faculty honored

The Ascension Parish School Board recognized its 2008-09 Students of the Year and its National Board Certified Teachers Tuesday night at East Ascension High School.

Students were selected from every parish school to represent three levels: a fifth-grade student for the elementary level, an eighth-grade student for the middle school level and a senior for the high school level. From each of the three groups, one student was selected as the Student of the Year for the level.

The top student in the high school level was Jeff Boudreaux of Dutchtown High. Selected from the other three parish high schools were: Chantell Landry of Donaldsonville High, Arienne Ferchaud of East Ascension High and Michelle Krieger of St. Amant High.

Elizabeth Prejean of Dutchtown Middle was chosen as the winner of the middle school level. The winners from the other schools were: Baylee Owens of St. Amant Middle, Alaina Williams of Prairieville Middle, Carly Harris of Donaldsonville High, Anthony Smith Jr.  of Gonzales Middle, Kevin Murrell of Central Elementary, Natalie Caruso of Galvez Middle and Laken Morris of Lake Elementary.

In the elementary school level, Christopher Bourgeois of Galvez Middle took the top honor. Winning from the other schools were: Camille LeBlanc of St. Amant Middle, Lacey Bowman of Prairieville Primary, Kelly LeBlanc of Pecan Grove Primary, Lauren Bercegeay of Oak Grove Primary, Frank Calvey III of Lowery Intermediate and Kelsey Lavigne of Lake Elementary; bottom row: Donovan Batiste of Gonzales Primary, Sarah Robert of Dutchtown Primary, Joseph Stassi of Duplessis Primary, Courtnay Hotard of Central Elementary and Brea Aikens and G.W. Carver Primary.

The School Board also honored its eight National Board Certified Teachers who achieved their certification Nov. 21. Their certification will remain valid for a decade.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nonprofit organization formed in 1987 to advance the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards.

The teachers honored were: Deborah Porche of Dutchtown Middle, Mathematics/Early Adolescence; Shannon Parent of Lake Elementary  Generalist/Early Childhood; Lisa Morgan of St. Amant High, World Languages Other than English/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood; Lisa Gradney of Lowery Elementary, Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood; Pamela Gautreau of Lake Elementary; Generalist/Early Childhood; Hope Gautreau of Gonzales Primary, Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood; Angela Boudreaux of St. Amant High, English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood; and Stacey Hughes of Dutchtown Middle, English Language Arts/Early Adolescence.

In other business, the board is looking into a program that would replace textbooks with computers.

Each student would work on a personal computer in a one-to-one environment during the school day and at home to utilize “anytime and anywhere” learning, according to One-to-One Institute, a Lansing, Mich.-based not-for-profit.

In another matter, Monica Ford, computer forensic examiner for the Attorney General’s Office, will give an Internet safety presentation Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. in the East Ascension High School Cafeteria.

The presentation is open to all parents and the community. It will include information on identity theft, cyber bullying, social-networking sites, online solicitiation of minors, child pornography and other advice on keeping children safe online.

Ascension Parish Schools, EATEL and Sylvester’s Business Center are sponsors.