Property Donated to Livingston Parish Schools for Future School Campus Site

The Livingston Parish School Board recently accepted a donation of nearly 16 acres of land off 4-H Club Road, located south of Denham Springs, to be used as a potential site for a future elementary or middle school in the Denham Springs School District. The property, which consists of 15.981 acres, is located adjacent to the future site of Nickens Lake Subdivision off 4-H Club Road.

“This donation will provide the Denham Springs district with the land it needs to build a new campus in an area where we are anticipating future growth,” School Board Member Buddy Mincey, Jr., said.  “While we do not have a projection on when a new campus will be needed, we want to prepare for what appears to be an inevitable need to help us manage our growth.”

Mincey said the donation agreement will stipulate that the Livingston Parish School System has 25 years to build a school on the property or the land could revert back to the original owner.  The agreement includes an additional five-year period to purchase the land at the appraised value if the school system had not begun construction on the property within the first 25 years.  Mincey noted that the agreement gives the school system a full 30-year option on the property.

Livingston Parish Schools Rank 5^th for ACT Scores

The latest ACT scores released by the Louisiana Department of Education confirm that Livingston Parish students continue to be among the highest performing students in the state.

The Livingston Parish School District ranks 5th in the state with a composite ACT score of 20.5. The state average is 19.4. At the same time, more students within the parish are achieving “college-going” scores of 18 or higher on the ACT, which is allowing more graduates to enter college without needing to take remedial courses. The number of Livingston Parish seniors who scored an 18 or higher on the ACT during the 2014-2015 school year increased by 319 over those achieving the same mark in the 2011-2012 school year.

According to the state’s latest report, those district with the highest composite ACT scores are St. Tammany Parish, 21.5; Central Community Schools, 21.1; Zachary Community Schools, 20.7; Ascension Parish, 20.6; Livingston Parish, 20.5; West Feliciana Parish, 20.5.

Livingston Parish Students Continue to Perform on Advanced Placement Exams

Livingston Parish students continue to be among the state’s top performers in Advanced Placement (AP) exams, according to a recent report by the Louisiana Department of Education.

According to the report, 368 students in the 2014-15 school year earned an AP exam score that resulted in college credit, which is a 50-percent increase from the previous year, when 243 students earned college credit.

AP courses in high school offer students the opportunity to earn college credit in the same subject, depending on the outcome of an end-of-course exam.  Those students who score a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam can earn college credit and have those credits transferred to nearly any college in the nation and all colleges in Louisiana.

The largest increase in participation occurred at Albany High School, where participation grew from approximately 30 students taking AP courses in 2014 to 120 taking AP courses in 2015.  Holden High increased its count from about 20 students taking AP courses in 2014 to 66 taking AP courses in 2015. Walker Freshman High, which offered AP courses for the first time last year, led the parish with a 70.8 percent rate in the number of students who scored a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam.  More than 57 percent of Walker High School’s AP students earned a qualifying score for college credit last year, while nearly 54 percent of Live Oak High School’s AP students earned a qualifying score for college credit.

Assessor Sponsors 15^th Year of Parish-Wide School Supply Drive

Livingston Parish Assessor Jeff Taylor and his team of volunteers recently completed their 15^th year of providing needy children in Livingston Parish, from pre-kindergarten to 12^th grade, with the school supplies they need to be successful in the classroom.  This year’s Assess the Need campaign collected more than $46,000 to benefit more than 2,600 students.  The supplies were distributed to all the parish’s schools.  Donations were collected outside the parish’s Wal-Mart stores and through business sponsors.

“It’s hard to believe that we started this program 15 years ago.  In many ways it seems like yesterday that my wife and I were sitting at our breakfast table with some of our teacher friends discussing the need in our schools and putting a plan of action together,” Taylor said.

Taylor noted that he will once again sponsor the Chef’s Showcase, which will feature the parish’s restaurants and their top dishes, along with a live and silent auction, on Oct. 15, with proceeds benefitting Assess the Need. Tickets are available at the Livingston Parish Assessor’s Office.

Industry Helps Livingston School Teach Construction Skills

Superintendent of Schools John Watson accepts a check for $59,630 from Pelican Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors Alvin Bargas to support welding and electrical training classes at parish high schools. Attending the presentation are (front row, from left) ABC Board member Troy Allen, Bargas, Watson, Board member Glenn Redd and parish schools Career and Technical Education Coordinator Staci Polozola. On the back row are instructors Josh Murphy, Billy Doiron, Glenn Miller, Gary Jones and Darrell Posey. (photo and information provided by the Livingston Parish News)

The Livingston Parish School System recently received a $59,630 check from private industry to support a program that taught welding and electrical construction skills to dozens of students last semester.

Stacy Polozola, the district’s career and technical education coordinator, said the after-hours classes at the campuses of Denham Springs, Live Oak and Walker High schools will help provide the state and region with workers ready to fill a growing number of highly technical jobs. The Associated Builders and Contractors Pelican Chapter sponsored the grant through the Louisiana Construction Education Foundation.  The grant paid for materials and supplies that were needed and paid for all the instructors’ time after hours.

Polozola said Denham Springs High School signed up 34 students in its after-school classes – half in welding and half in electrical instruction; Pathways in Walker had 18 welding students and Live Oak High School enrolled 13.

LIVINGSTON PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM HONORS TOP PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS

Livingston Parish Public Schools recently recognized the winners of this year’s Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year awards.  Teacher nominees from each school were awarded certificates and top winners were presented with plaques and their portfolios were advanced to the state’s regional competitions.

“Our greatest asset in Livingston Parish are our educators, and these professionals are at the top of the list,” Superintendent John Watson said.  “We can’t say enough about their commitment to excellence and their dedication to the children of this parish.”

The Livingston Parish Principal of the Year winners were honored by the district this month. Pictured left to right are: Middle School Principal of the Year Bryan Tyler Wax, principal of Denham Springs Junior High; Elementary School Principal of the Year Debbie Tate, principal of Albany Upper Elementary; and High School Principal of the Year Jason St. Pierre, principal of Walker High School.

The Livingston Parish Teacher of the Year winners were honored by the district this month. Pictured left to right are: High School Teacher of the Year Delanea Gates, Live Oak High School; Elementary Teacher of the Year Amanda Robinson, Doyle Elementary; and Middle School Teacher of the Year Troy Glorioso, Springfield Middle School.

For the names of all those teachers who were nominated for the top award by their respective schools, click here to visit our website at www.lpsb.org.

A+PEL RECOGNIZES 2015 VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR

The Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana (A+PEL) recently honored 38 education volunteers from across the state for their dedication to students and teachers in Louisiana’s public schools.  Livingston Parish had two honorees – Jessica Alman, a volunteer at North Live Oak Elementary; and Jeffrey Maruschak, a volunteer at Walker High School.

Alman is currently serving her fourth year as a public school volunteer.  She serves as a substitute teacher when needed, and this past year, hosted an Operation Christmas Child packing party for her Fellowship of Christian Athlete students, packing more than 100 boxes for the cause.

Maruschak volunteers more than 90 minutes each day to teach students in grades 10-12 about heating ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration.  After working in the HVAC field for more than 35 years,  he said he wanted to share his knowledge with those students who sought career options that didn’t require traditional college.

WALKER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP

Walker High School graduate Ryan Miller was recently granted a $500 scholarship award from Pelican State Credit Union.  Miller is a member of Pelican State Credit Union, and he is one of 13 college-bound students across the state to receive this award from Pelican, which grants up to $6,500 in scholarships each year.

While at Walker High School, Miller was a member of Beta Club, Ambassador Club, Open Door Baptist Church Teen Group and several other scholastic and service organizations.  He earned several awards throughout high school, including being recognized as the 2015 Walker High School Student of the Year.  He plans to attend Southeastern Louisiana University and pursue a career as a licensed nurse practitioner.

Ryan Miller accepts his scholarship award from Pelican State Credit Union Denham Springs Branch Manager Dawn Matthews