A peek into the future

Evangeline Parish was given a sneak peak into the future Thursday night as the parish’s Students of the Year were honored at the Northside Civic Center in Ville Platte. Among the honorees were district winners Prisha Makey of Ville Platte High, Ethan Bergeron of Basile High, and Cort Fuller of Pine Prairie High.
Leadership of the school system expressed how proud they were of all the nominees. “These students represent the best that Evangeline Parish has to offer, and we are extremely proud,” said Assistant Superintendent Mike Lombas.
Evangeline Parish School Board Superintendent Darwan Lazard said, “This is certainly one of the highlights of being superintendent when we can recognize our outstanding students for the great achievements that they have realized in their lives as a part of the Evangeline Parish school system. We’re extremely proud of our students. They are the best of the best, and we look forward to the wonderful things that they’re going to do as they move forward with their lives.”
Students in fifth, eighth and twelfth grade are eligible for the Student of the Year award, and the students must have a 3.2 to 4.0 average. Students are selected by a committee that is set by state guidelines. Committee members include a teacher that instructs at the indicated level, a school administrator, a central office administrator and two to three community members.
Prisha Makey, whose favorite color is teal, got the nod in the fifth-grade division. She is the daughter of Deepthi and Prem Makey and is the granddaughter of Dr. Makey Shadrack and Satyavedan and the late Mr. Nalli D. Das and Vijaya. Her favorite subject while at Ville Platte High is math, and she enjoys playing softball. After her time in school, she plans on becoming a pediatrician.
Her hobbies include coloring, painting, dancing, and cooking. She also enjoys the Wimpy Kid collection and playing Cool Math on the computer.
Also nominated in the fifth-grade division were Paisley Wilson, daughter of Ashlyn LeBlanc of Basile; Jael Murphy, son of Kevin and Charlotte Murphy of Bayou Chicot; Chad Anderson, son of Chad and Christy Anderson of Chataignier; Jada Simone Richard, daughter of Brandy Dugas and Chad Richard of James Stephens Montessori; Aubree Rose Guillory, daughter of Troy and Maggie Guillory of Mamou; and Lairian Grace Breaux, daughter of Brandon and Raconda Breaux of Vidrine.
The eighth-grade Student of the Year was Ethan Joshua Bergeron, who is the son of Tracy Veillon and Adam Bergeron. He is the grandson of Toni and Joel Veillon and Susan and John Bergeron. His favorite subject is reading, and he enjoys playing in the band. Upon graduating high school, he plans on attending LSU to become a veterinarian.
Bergeron, whose favorite color is cyan, enjoys reading Harry Potter books, playing video games, and listening to music.
Also nominated as eighth graders were Ainsley Dutton, daughter of Amy and Lance Dutton of Bayou Chicot; Lucan Ori Doucet, son of Jacob and Elizabeth Doucet of Chataignier; Alayna Charles, daughter of LaKeishia and Christopher Ford and Bryan Charles of Mamou; Emily Deshotel, daughter of Vince and Emily Deshotel of Vidrine; and Leslie Anthony Foreman, son of Kimberlie Leger and Shanendoah Foreman of Ville Platte.
Cort Fuller, the son of Brandon Fuller and Kelly Guillory and the grandson of Teryl and Deborah Guillory and Martin and Geneva Fuller, is a twelfth-grade student at Pine Prairie High School. History is his favorite subject, and golf is his favorite sport. After school he aspires to become a pilot.
His hobbies include genealogy research. His favorite color is blue, and he enjoys playing Hearts of Iron IV on the computer.
Jada Wilson of Ville Platte High was also nominated. She is the daughter of Margaret and Daniel Wilson.
District Student of the Year Awards were also presented to Carlondus Xavier-Malik Ardoin of the Work-Based Learning Program and to Tareek T. Seriale of the JAG Program.
Ardoin, an eleventh-grader at Mamou High, is the son of Christa and Kawaski Ardoin and the grandson of Mae Dora and the late Howard Noel and Margaret Ardoin and Floyd Thomas. While in school, his favorite subject is social studies, and he enjoys football.
His favorite color is red, and he enjoys Blade. His hobbies include volunteering with local non-profits, playing video games like War Thunder, hanging out with friends, and exploring new culinary skills that he will use as a culinary artist or chef.
Seriale is in the twelfth grade at Ville Platte High School. He is the son of Dalton and Angela Seriale and the grandson of Janice Doucet and Geniva Seriale. His favorite subject is English.
Singing and cooking are his hobbies, and his favorite color is blue. He enjoys Romeo and Juliet and aspires to make a career in performing arts and music.
All students were presented with a certificate of recognition, and the winner in each category received plaques, Fire 7 tablets with Alexa from Daniel LeMoine of Horace Mann, and a $20.00 gift card from Amazon. The overall winners will next compete at the Regional Student of the Year event.
Superintendent Lazard further encouraged the students to continue to strive. “Appreciate your parents, appreciate your teachers, and those who work along with you because, when you do those things, it’ll take you to even higher and higher heights,” he commented.
“Strive to be the very best that you can be,” he continued. “Be determined to make this world a better place and to leave it better than the way that you found it. All of us have a big responsibility, and we are counting on you because you are our future. Not only are you our future, you are also our present.”