Staff Report
After entering the United States in 2020 during Hurricane Laura, Ville Platte Elementary French Immersion teacher Jessica Capseta and her family from the South of France were displaced after arriving in the country and learning she would not be able to teach French as planned at a school in Lake Charles. A native of Carcassonne, a small village of about 500 people in the South of France, Capseta was an elementary school teacher at a school back home. She recalled, “It’s a really tiny school. There are just two classrooms. So I taught 15 students from the 2nd grade to the 5th grade.”
Her desire of discovering new people and culture made Capseta want to experience life abroad. “My husband and I thought it would be a great experience for our family to apply to the French immersion program in Louisiana,” she said. They chose Louisiana because “it is a multicultural state and for history, it’s interesting to discover it, the relationships between my culture and yours.” At the time, the family had no idea the journey they were about to take. In addition to the hurricane, Capseta and her husband found coming to the United States a bit difficult because of all the red tape they had to go through because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was a bit difficult because of all the papers and administrative steps we had to do, with the pandemic, it’s less easy. But it’s everywhere the same situation. We were not very worried because the pandemic is all over the world, including in France. We just have to respect the security measures and adapt our daily habits,” she said at the time.
Superintendent Mike Lombas recalled the Capseta family arrived at the Houston airport shortly after Hurricane Laura passed through southwest Louisiana. As a result, teaching in Lake Charles that school year would not be possible. He shared the family then rented a car, drove to Louisiana, and contacted CODOFIL which found them a place to stay. “Then it was a matter of finding a place for her to teach, and they knew we were short a teacher,” he said. “We had one who was supposed to come from Belgium, but right before she was supposed to come, she backed out because Covid-19 was on the upswing again, so we didn’t have a teacher. CODOFIL asked if we would have Capseta, and we said, ‘Absolutely! Absolutely we’ll be happy to have her!’”
When the Capseta family was finally settled in Evangeline Parish, Lombas said they needed their apartment furnished, so there was a call-to-action put in place, asking for donations of home furnishings. Capseta thanked the people of Evangeline Parish, saying, “People in Ville Platte and the area helped us a lot, and I would like to take the advantage of this interview to thank them for their generosity. It has really helped us a lot. I am aware we are lucky to have had this amazing welcome. Now we are okay and our house is a cozy home thanks to the community.”
Now, four years later, Capseta has been an inspirational French teacher, educating young minds at Ville Platte Elementary about not only the French language and culture, but other cultures as well, such as African traditions. When she first arrived, Capseta said, “I plan to get them (students) excited about French by showing the link between Louisiana and France, giving them positive parallels between the two. I hope it will produce the desire to discover new culture and new people in their future life. For me, it’s an important value to be a good citizen of the world,” she said, adding, “I have a good group of students who are really interested by French language.”
Capseta’s educational journey is as diverse as the global perspectives she brings to her classroom. Her background includes working with the World Tourism Organization in Spain and spearheading projects in Africa, focusing on Sustainable Tourism and Eliminating Poverty. She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Montpellier in the South of France,
As a result of her successful efforts in reaching students and supporting them in many different ways in and out of the classroom, Capseta has been honored as a state finalist in New Orleans on May 27, and will now compete as one of nine finalists in all categories and one of three finalists for Louisiana Middle School Teacher of the Year. Capseta’s remarkable journey to this prestigious recognition is characterized by her six-word mantra: “Instill hope, ignite and inspire change.”
Superintendent Darwan Lazard remarked, “Evangeline Parish is indeed proud of Ms. Capseta’s nomination as a Louisiana Teacher of the Year finalist. The team spirit displayed by the Evangeline Parish community of our wonderful candidate during opening session and supporting each other in workshops are truly inspiring. Together, we stand as a demonstration to the district’s power of collaboration and the pursuit of educational excellence.”
The Teacher of the Year winner will be announced on Saturday, July 27, during the Educator Excellence Awards Gala, which will take place at the iconic World War II Museum in New Orleans.
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