School system names four new principals

Four St Mary Parish public schools, three of them in Morgan City, will start the next school year with new principals.

The school system has announced the appointments of Lacie H. Quintanilla as principal at Morgan City High; Amber Monceaux at Morgan City Junior High; and Celeste Pipes at
Wyandotte Elementary.

Toney Linn Jr. has been named the new principal for Berwick High.

Quintanilla steps up from assistant principal at Morgan City High, where she graduated in 2008.

She began her teacher career in 2018 as an English teacher at Morgan City High. She has since served as an assistant volleyball and softball coach, a mentor for Nicholls State teachers and on leadership teams at MCHS.

Quintanilla said in a school system Facebook post that she is "grateful to be able to give back to the school and community that have given so much to me. I will do my best to be what Morgan City High School deserves and will strive for success for every student, every day."

Monceaux moves to the principal post at Morgan City Junior High from an acting principal role at Berwick Junior High.

She has been an educator since 2006. She has been the St. Mary social studies program manager since 2014.

Monceaux was the Nicholls State Outstanding Student Teacher in 2005, the Berwick Junior High Teacher of the Year in 2008 and the Louisiana Council for Social Studies Outstanding Teacher in 2009.

She has served on regional and state committees on social studies education and best practices.

Linn is another principal who will lead the school where he graduated. He received his Berwick High diploma in 1998.

He began his education career as a physical education teacher in 2005 in Lafourche Parish. He also worked in Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes, including Berwick High, where he has served as assistant and head coach.

Linn has served on the leadership, positive behavior and incentive teams. He is the Berwick High Teacher of the Year for 2022-23.

"Our job as an educator is hard," he said in the School Board Facebook post, "but it is our job to inquire and meeting the needs of all our students. We must strive for greatness."

Pipes moves up to principal from acting principal at Wyandotte. Previously, she was assistant principal at Hattie Watts Elementary in Patterson for 1-1/2 years.

She holds a master's degree in educational leadership from Nicholls State and has been in elementary education for 18 years. She also has a certificate in English as a second language and is an English learner coach.