Landing a spot in the finals

Evangeline Parish teachers throughout the past school year have been referred to as star teachers who rock. This saying refers to super terrific amazingly resourceful teachers who reach out to cultivate knowledge.
One of these illuminaries, for her efforts, has now been named a state finalist for Louisiana Middle School Teacher of the Year, making her one of three middle school teachers in the entire state who could become the overall winner. That finalist is Lisa Celestine Jack who is an 8th grade ELA (English-Language Arts) teacher at Vidrine Elementary.
Jack received word of her accomplishment at a ceremony held at the Governor’s Mansion Thursday. “I was fiddling with my purse because a lady was standing behind it,” she said about when she heard the news. “It was about to fall, so I reached over. When they said Evangeline, I looked at Superintendant (Darwan) Lazard, and he looked at me. I was like ‘That’s me,’ and he said ‘That’s you.’”
She continued, “I want to give a special thank you to our superintendant. I want to thank Ms. Grace (Vidrine Sibley) for being so supportive throughout the whole process. I want to thank my students, parents, families, and the community.”
Vidrine Elementary’s Principal Anita West commented, “Walking through the hallways, you could hear Lisa teaching. She does a phenomenal job. It doesn’t matter what the lesson is on. Her students are 100 percent engaged, and she uses the most current things like Chromebooks in her classroom. She also has her walls full of everything for resources that her students can use.”
“This is a gigantic honor for the Evangeline Parish School District to have one of the top teachers to be recognized in the state of Louisiana,” said Superintendant Darwan Lazard. “To have one of these teachers be from Evangeline Parish says a whole lot about our district. I want to congratulate Lisa for her outstanding accomplishments and for the great work she does every day. She is a great representation of the excellence that we have throughout the district, and we couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s done an excellent job.”
The superintendant concluded, “We’re very happy, and we’re looking forward to being with Lisa at the recognition ceremony in July in Baton Rouge where the winner will be announced. I’m optimistic and hopeful she will be that person.”