School board approves changes to 2018-19 calendar

The Evangeline Parish School Board spent Wednesday recognizing students and its Teacher of the Year state semifinalist during its regular meeting.
Along with these recognitions, Superintendent of Schools Darwan Lazard presented several proposed changes to the 2018-19 district calendar, which were all approved by the board.
The changes are as follows:
•Monday, May 20, 2019 will be a staff development day. There will be no school for students. All eighth grade students at Basile High, Bayou Chicot Elementary, Chataignier Elementary, Vidrine Elementary and Ville Platte High will participate in their end of the year recognition ceremonies. Parents and family members will be invited to attend.
•All other end of the year ceremonies will be held on May 23 or May 24.
•Tuesday, May 21, 2019, through Friday, May 24, 2019, all schools will dismiss students at 1:00 p.m.
•All employees will be dismissed at their regular departure times on May 20 through May 24.
•Teachers and administrators will begin their record day activities during the afternoons of May 21 through May 24, unless they are otherwise assigned.
•Last instructional day for students is May 24.
•All schools and district offices will be closed on May 27 for Memorial Day.
•Record Day, Professional Development and End of the Year Appreciation Ceremony for all employees will take place on May 28. A crawfish boil will be hosted at Mamou Elementary for all employees.
The Basile High wrestling team, which earned a state title this year in Division III, was the first to be honored during the meeting. The team and coaches were introduced to the board and audience by the school’s principal Tony Bertrand, who also shared a little about the team’s impressive accomplishment.
“One thing we are very very proud of at our school is winning the LHSAA Division III Wrestling Championship,” said Bertrand. “This happened back in February, but we are still on a high because of the achievement that these young men brought to our school and community.”
Bertrand continued, “Division III sounds like the lower division, and it is, but I am going to tell you how it is brought together.”
The BHS principal went on to explain that Class 1A, 2A and 3A all compete against one another in Division III. Therefore, Basile was the smallest school competing in Division III and was the only 1A school competing.
Bertrand gave props to its feeder school for playing a major role in preparing these wrestlers to compete once reaching high school. He also thanked Basile’s school board member Bobby “Doc” Deshotel for his support, and for having the team and coaches recognized at the school board meeting on May 1, 2019.
Bertrand also recognized senior Gavin Christ who has had stellar performances as a wrestler at Basile High. According to Bertrand, Christ has not lost a match since his sophomore year of high school and is a four time state champion. His overall wrestling record during his high school career is 175 and 3.
Christ has signed a letter of intent to go wrestle at Campbell University in North Carolina.
Overall, the Bearcats had five state champions on the team, which was the most BHS has ever had.
Even with losing three seniors, Bertrand said, “We are excited about the future of wrestling at Basile High.”
This year’s Teacher of the Year state semifinalist, Vidrine Elementary’s Lisa Celestine Jack, was then recognized. Jack is one of eight teachers across the state of Louisiana to be named as a semifinalist.
During her recognition, TOY Coordinator Grace Vdrine Sibley also took the time to invite board members to a special event Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m., where all school teachers of the year will be recognized. The event will take place at the Ville Platte High auditorium. The public is also invited.
Sibley then introduced Jack to the board members before showing a one minutes video the VE teacher had to create as a state semifinalist. For the video, Jack was required to describe herself as a teacher.
In the video, Jack said, “The theme for my classroom is Star Students Rock. They are super terrific amazingly resourceful students who rock research and cultivate knowledge.
She slugged her most significant accomplishment as an educator as her ability to teach her students to “turn on their individual light bulbs.”
Jack continued, “I established a rapport with my students to make learning real for them to make them think in ways unimaginable.”
The eighth grade teacher isn’t the only one who has been doing the teaching though. She has also been learning as well. “I learned to listen more to my students, and I use parents, families and our community as a vehicle to help them become successful,” said Jack. “My FBI (Full Brain Investigators) accomplish greatness by deeply analyzing and synthesizing through cooperative group settings and whole class discussions.”
Jack then ended her one minute clip on a bright note. She said, “If you know the way, light it for others.”