LA Dept. of Education awards Principal/Teacher of the year

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA (KPLC) - The Louisiana Department of Education announced the overall 2016 Teacher and Principal of the Year at the 9th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Symposium and Celebration. The annual symposium is a day of professional development and recognition for Teacher and Principal of the year semi-finalists and finalists.
 
The 2016 Teacher of the Year is Kelly Stomps, a K-3 music teacher at Woodlake Elementary School in St. Tammany Parish. As a teacher, Stomps' greatest joy is opening up the doors to new possibilities, and to new experiences, and letting her students see their full potential. She is a founding member of the Redstick Orff Chapter, an organization that provides professional development for music teachers throughout Louisiana, impacting all students throughout the state. As the 2016 Teacher of the Year, Ms. Stomps drove away with a one-year lease on a new Mercedes, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge.
 
The 2016 Principal of the Year is Carolyn Bosley, principal at Rosepine Elementary School in Vernon Parish. Ms. Bosley became principal at Rosepine Elementary School in January 2013 with a goal of turning the "C" school into an "A" school, a goal her staff accomplished in just two years. In her first year, the school increased its letter grade to "B" with 81 percent of students performing at or above grade level. During her second year, Ms. Bosley credits the hard work of her staff for increasing their performance score more than 10 points to become an "A" school and achieving Top Gains status while increasing percentage of students performing at or above grade level to 88 percent.
 
Additionally, recognized during the evening were the 2016 Elementary, Middle, and High School Teacher and Principal of the Year winners. The 2016 Elementary School Teacher of the Year is Mr. Pablo Menendez Pato, Geraldine Boudreaux Elementary School, Jefferson Parish; the 2016 Middle School Teacher of the Year is Ms. Summer Skarke, Lacache Middle School, Terrebonne Parish; and, the 2016 High School Teacher of the Year is Ms. Nicole Vasquez, Captain Shreve High School, Caddo Parish.
 
The 2016 Elementary School Principal of the Year is Ms. Cheri Fontenot, James Stephens Montessori School, Evangeline Parish; the 2016 Middle School Principal of the Year is Ms. Rene Lewis-Carter, Martin Behrman Charter School Academy of Creative Arts and Sciences, Algiers Charter School Association; and, the 2016 High School Principal of the Year Mr. Jim Carroll, West Feliciana High School, West Feliciana Parish.
 
Dream Teachers, a non-profit organization founded in 2006 for the purpose of recognizing Louisiana's finest educators and education leaders and to encourage educational excellence, served as presenting sponsor of the 9th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Symposium.

Copyright 2015 KPLC. All rights reserved.