The Plaquemines Parish School Board met on May 2 at Belle Chasse Middle School, where the Board held a ribbon cutting ceremony in honor of the newly opened wing. The School Board also recognized the achievements of several student artists, and presented the Teacher of the Year awards for the parish.

Ribbon Cutting:
On May 2, the newly opened wing of Belle Chasse Middle School was revealed to the public.

The ribbon cutting ceremony included members of the School Board, FEMA, The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), and the contractors and architects who worked on the building.

“Right before Hurricane Katrina, the plans for this building went before the School Board,” Principal Joseph Williamson said. “The day after Katrina was when everything was supposed to go to bid.”

So the Middle School addition is a long time coming for Plaquemines. The Acting Executive Director for Louisiana Recovery Office, Joe Threat, was also on hand to comment. Threat said the money for the school may have been allocated by FEMA, but it is all about putting the community’s money back into the community.

“Your tax dollars moved to FEMA, to my office, and my service is to give the brick and mortar back to you. I work for you.”

Student Artists Recognized:
Students Megan Barbazon, Cameron Lartigue, and Kristen Rodriguez were recognized as the winners of the Louisiana School Board Association Artwork Contest. Megan, a student at Belle Chasse Primary, won for her entry, “The Peaceful Pelican.” Cameron Latrigue from Belle Chasse Middle was recognized for “Midnight Shadow.” Finally, Kristen Rodriguez of South Plaquemines High for her painting entitled “Boiled Goodness.”

Alex St. Ann, also of South Plaquemines High School, was acknowledged by the Council for being the over-all winner of the Louisiana Fairs and Festivals Poster Competition.

Photographs of the students and their work on B-1.

Teaching Awards:
The 2011 Teacher of the Year Awards were distributed at the last School Board meeting. An award was given at the Elementary, Middle, and High School level. This year’s elementary school teacher award went to Sarah Burnett of South Plaquemines Elementary. The Middle School Award went to James Saik of South Plaquemines High. And the High School Teacher of the Year Award was given to Christina Gros from Belle Chasse High.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) recognized Frank Jimenez as the Teacher of the Year for Post #6708. Cmdr. Mitchell Cota was on hand from the VFW to present Jimenez with the certificate.

Photographs of the teachers and their awards on B-1.

Items of Interest:
William Mertz, School Board President, announced the Council’s unanimous agreement in proclaiming the New South Plaquemines Elementary School Library the, “Theresita S. Ancar Media Center.” Ancar had dedicated her life to education, and had secured a Laura Bush Foundation grant for the South Plaquemines Elementary Library. Theresita S. Ancar passed away on April 8, 2011.

The Council also discussed a policy that requires all Head Start teachers to have their certification by this coming school year. The federal guideline gives these teachers until October. However, the Board agreed with presenter Janel Mumme, that it was in the students best interest to only have the same teacher for the entire school year. So those teachers who do not have the proper credentials by August will lose their spot on the staff.

A special meeting of the School Board will take place on Wednesday, May 11 at 4 p.m. regarding the condition of the school system and the budgets for the remainder of the current 2010-2011 school year.