St. Mary custodian wins support personnel award

The St. Mary Parish School Board on Thursday welcomed three administrators to new posts and praised the state’s Outstanding Support Personnel of the Year winner.
That would be Donella Wagner, the head custodian at Raintree Elementary in Baldwin.
“Her work goes even far beyond her work as head custodian,” Human Resources Director Kristina Estay told the board.
In addition to keeping the school clean and her 24 years with the school system, Wagner is the go-to expert for popcorn and slushes for special school events, and for decorating the school.
She also organizes the uniform closet “to make sure kids have them when they need it,” Estay said.
Wagner was chosen from among 10 finalists from across the state, three of whom do custodial work.
Assuming new positions for the school system are:
•Alicia Morris is the human resources manager, a newly created post.
Morris joined the school system in 2014 and has held a variety of roles: pre-K paraprofessional, clerk typist and human resources administrative assistant.
She plays “a key part in maintaining teacher certifications, managing personnel processes and supporting administration of HR systems,” the system said in a Facebook post.
Morris has a bachelor’s degree in human resource management.
•Kendra Thomas has been named assistant principal at Raintree Elementary.
Thomas holds a master’s degree in educational leadership.
She has completed her 30-plus hours at Nicholls State to become a reading specialist.
She has worked for the school system for 22 years, serving as elementary teacher, librarian and dean of students at LaGrange Elementary.
She recently completed the Louisiana Department of Education Aspiring Principal Fellowship.
•Sarah Olivier is the new dean of students at LaGrange Elementary.
Olivier has a master’s degree in educational leadership from UL Lafayette.
She has taught middle and high school English, served as district literacy coach and worked as an elementary master teacher.
She most recently served as the secondary ELA specialist for St. Mary public schools.