School Board hears about achievements

The last St. Mary Parish School Board meeting of the year largely put aside weighty matters for some Christmastime glad tidings.
The administration on Thursday recognized achievements by students and staff members, and by the district itself.
Acting Superintendent Dr. Rachael Sanders told the board about the school accountability scores released by the state Nov. 20.
St. Mary students and teachers raised the districtwide school score to 84.6 from 82.9, maintaining a letter grade of B and beating the statewide score of 80.9.
The biggest gainers were LaGrange Elementary in Franklin, which raised its score 9.7 points, and Julia B. Maitland Elementary in Morgan City, where the score rose 8.2 points.
Nine St. Mary schools were recognized as top gainers for raising their school performance scores. Four were recognized as Opportunity Honorees for earning places in the 10% in performance among students with disabilities, those learning English as a second language and students from low-income homes.
“Our schools, with the support of our district personnel, have shown an increase in the needed grit and the fighting spirit it takes to provide an excellent learning experience across the elementary, middle and high school levels, and we should all be proud,” Sanders said.
Also recognized at Thursday’s meeting:
•The district’s Students of the Year.
The Elementary Student of the Year is Maximus Moffett of Bayou Vista Elementary School.
The Junior High Student of the Year is Hank Percle of Berwick Junior High School.
The High School Student of the Year is Lily Viator of Morgan City High School.
•The district’s Teachers of the Year.
The Elementary Teacher of the Year is Stanley Williams-Tate of W.P. Foster Elementary.
The Middle School Teacher of the Year is Emily Berry of Berwick Junior High.
The High School Teacher of the Year is Brooke Scott of Berwick High.
•The district’s Support Employees of the Year.
The Elementary School Support Employee of the Year is Olenka Pabey, ESL para-educator at M.E. Norman Elementary School.
The Middle School Support Employee of the Year is Mary Pittman, custodial care, Morgan City Junior High School.
•The School Health Provider of the Year is Kayla Guillot, school nurse, Patterson Junior High School.
•The School Board Christmas card artwork winner is Lailah Sam, a senior at Patterson High School.
•The Students of the Month are Nicole Rodriguez, a fifth-grader at J.S. Aucoin Elementary; Easlynn Honeycutt-Williams, a fifth-grader at LaGrange Elementary; and Jayvyn Banks, a senior at Franklin Senior High.
•The Employees of the Month are Heidi Williams, school nurse at J.S. Aucoin; teacher Adrienne Minor of LaGrange; and Savoid Howard, director of bands at Franklin Senior High.
•Jason McCleary, Morgan City High School, finished eighth in the Educators Rising Moments Division.
Educators Rising “is a community-based movement … in which chapters at schools feed teacher preparation programs at institutes of higher education," according to the program's website.