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St. Martin Parish board honors students headed to national EdRising, Cecilia band wins first sweepstakes
Summary
St. Martin Parish School Board recognized EdRising students who placed at the state conference and qualified for nationals, named Jayla Lane a state ambassador, celebrated Cecilia High School’s first sweepstakes at the LMBA festival, and honored an employee of the month; the board also handled routine consent and moved into executive session.
St. Martin Parish School Board members on May 8 recognized multiple student and staff achievements, including several Education Rising students who qualified for the national conference in Portland, Oregon, and Cecilia High School’s concert band earning its first sweepstakes at the LMBA festival.
The board heard from Ms. Shawn, who said 34 St. Martin Parish students attended the state Education Rising conference at Louisiana Christian University; 15 competed and placed and seven qualified for nationals. She named students and placements and said vouchers from the Louisiana Department of Education will cover national conference registration for qualifiers. "We're doing great things," she said in praise of the students.
Ms. Shawn highlighted Jayla Lane, naming her a state ambassador for the Louisiana Association of Future Educators and saying Lane will represent St. Martin Parish and Region 4 at the national conference in Portland. Several other students were recognized for placing in categories such as interactive bulletin board, ethical dilemma, creative lecture and job interview.
Jakira Johnson, introduced as a first-year Education Rising student at Cecilia High School, read a reflective essay to the board about choosing teaching. "Teaching is not about letting students work hard teaching a lesson. It is about being understanding and being useful," she said, adding she plans to take freshman courses at the University of Louisiana this summer and hopes to return in four years for a job in the district.
Board members also congratulated Cecilia High School’s concert band for receiving a sweepstakes at the LMBA concert band festival, a distinction the presenter said had never before been awarded to a St. Martin Parish school. The presenter explained that a sweepstakes requires a top score in both stage performance and sight-reading.
The board honored Reggie Hill as Southern Strings Employee of the Month. Dr. Phillips, the district’s food service area manager, praised Hill for his work providing nutritious meals and driving a school bus, quoting him as saying, "the children must learn."
On routine business, the board moved and seconded approval of the consent agenda and accepted the finance committee’s recommendation; both motions were put to a vote during the meeting (the transcript records the votes being held but does not include individual vote tallies). Later in the session a motion to enter executive session to discuss an unspecified matter was made and supported by members.
The meeting included a public comment in which a participant raised concerns about communication delays and referenced correspondence with district staff; the participant said requested documents were later located. The board also added item 5D to new business during agenda adjustments.
The board recognized one additional student, Megan Perry, for placing 15th in creative lecture at the state conference. The meeting then proceeded toward executive session.
