St. Mary schools see slight dip in first-day enrollment

CENTERVILLE — St. Mary Parish School Board heard Thursday about a successful first day of public school Aug. 7, although with fewer students to experience it.
The first-day head count was 7,021, Superintendent Dr. Buffy Fegenbush told the board at the regular second-Thursday meeting. That’s down 153 from this point last year, she said.
The numbers reflect an enrollment decline that has lasted more than a decade.
In February 2015, as the School Board prepared to close M.D. Shannon Elementary in Morgan City and J.A. Hernandez Elementary, parishwide enrollment stood at 8,914, according to state Department of Education data.
The enrollment decline mirrors a decrease in population. The St. Mary population was over 54,000 in the 2010 Census but was down to 49,406 in 2020. The 2024 Census Bureau estimate says St. Mary’s population continued to fall to 46,799 by last summer.
The official enrollment figure will be determined in October. State aid to schools is based on enrollment as well as other factors.
Fegenbush said she’s grateful to staff members who pulled off a successful opening day.
“We’re excited about the new year and what it will bring,” she said.
Much of Thursday’s meeting was devoted to student and teacher accomplishments:
•Stephanie Gautreaux has been named assistant principal at Berwick Junior High.
Gautreaux’s career in education began in 1997, when she was an English and science teacher in Lafourche Parish. She served as a science teacher in middle and high school, academic success coordinator and ACT tutor, and some of that work was in St. Mary.
She holds a Master’s in Administration and Supervision from Nicholls State and has worked as an assistant principal at two Lafayette Parish schools since 2017.
•The board was introduced to the Red Ribbon Art Contest winners. They are Bayou Vista first-grader Khloe Lucore, Hattie Watts second-grader Jazlynn Scott, Hattie Watts third-grader Rease Fuselier, Bayou Vista fifth-grader Abilene Bourque, Berwick Junior High eighth-grader Macy Hartley, Patterson Junior High eighth-grader Adaline Marcotte, Morgan City High freshman Maria Cortes-Aguillar, Morgan City High freshman Sherlly Bardales, Morgan City High sophomore Astrid Sanchez, Morgan City High junior Silas Hastings, Patterson High junior Alicea Franklin and Morgan City High senior Ja’Layiah Smith.
The grand champion is a teacher. Lori Buteau, a gifted and talented teacher, will see her work on the official Red Ribbon T-shirt and the cover of the Red Ribbon calendar.
Stanley Aucoin of Berwick submitted the winning Red Ribbon slogan, “Life is a canvas; paint it with dreams.”
•Nicholas Adams, the vocational and agriculture teacher at Franklin High, was recognized for having been named a Teacher of Teachers at the Louisiana Agriscience Teachers Association Conference.
The board also adopted resolutions of respect for four teachers and staffers who died recently. They are:
•Rebecca Bowles, retired speech therapist.
•Larry Henderson, retired special education teacher and driver education instructor.
•Retired teacher Laura Larive.
•Retired School Board member Joseph Oswald “J.O.” Melancon.