Livingston Parish Recognizes Top School Performers
Students, Teachers, Principals and Support Staff Honored
LIVINGSTON, La. – School leaders with Livingston Parish Public Schools recently held a district-wide ceremony of celebration to honor those students, teachers, principals, and staff workers who have been recognized as top performers in their respective categories. At the same time, those schools receiving academic achievement awards from the Louisiana Department of Education were also recognized.
“This event is always a wonderful occasion to showcase some of our district’s top-performing professionals and top-performing students. These are the people who are leading the push for excellence in our district,” Superintendent Joe Murphy said.
The top awards included the following:
Livingston Parish Student of the Year winners -- Elementary Student of the Year Adeline Wolfe, Juban Parc Elementary; Middle School Student of the Year Sadie Foster, Southside Junior High; and High School Student of the Year Sylvia White, Live Oak High School.
Livingston Parish Teacher of the Year winners -- Elementary Teacher of the Year Brice Larson, Northside Elementary; Middle School Teacher of the Year Tara Hymel, North Corbin Junior High; and High School Teacher of the Year Yvette Hill, Springfield High School.
Livingston Parish New Teacher of the Year winners – Middle School New Teacher of the Year Phoenix LeBlanc, Albany Middle School, and Elementary New Teacher of the Year Payton O’Nellion, Albany Lower Elementary.
Livingston Parish Support Staff Worker of the Year winner -- Ernie Thornton, North Corbin Junior High.
Livingston Parish Principal of the Year winners -- Elementary Principal of the Year Lauren Kennedy, Juban Parc Elementary; Middle School Principal of the Year Brian Gunter, Westside Junior High School; and High School Principal of the Year Jason St. Pierre, Walker High School.
Those nominees from each individual campus were also recognized, along with noted academic achievement awards earned by each school. Those awards were called out by district and introduced school-by-school. The following is a list of all schools in the districts and those honors that were bestowed to the schools and/or their employees and students:
District 1 –
Doyle Elementary -- Student of the Year Landry Benesta, Support Staff Worker of the Year Sierra Austin and Teacher of the Year Jacqueline Chavers.
Doyle High School -- Student of the Year Kaicyn Spier, Student of the Year RaeAnna Morales, Support Staff Worker of the Year Trishia Mizell, and Teacher of the Year Chadwick McElveen. The school also earned honors as a Louisiana Comeback Campus in the subject of English/Language Arts.
Holden School -- Student of the Year Cale Courtney, Student of the Year Presley McKinney, Student of the Year Brooke Foster, Support Staff Worker of the Year Nora “Melissa” Torres, Teacher of the Year Jill Hutchinson and Teacher of the Year Hope Seal. Holden School also received
recognition as a Top Gains Honoree, Opportunity Honoree and recipient of the Highest Assessment Index for High Schools (86.9 points), Highest Progress Index for High Schools (106.5 points), and a Louisiana Comeback Campus in the subject of English/Language Arts.
District 2 –
Live Oak Elementary -- Support Staff Worker of the Year Tammy Dodd, and Teacher of the Year Amy O’Neal. The school received an Excellence for Pre-K Honor Roll.
Live Oak High School -- Student of the Year Sylvia White, Support Staff Worker of the Year Cindi Ellison, and Teacher of the Year Melissa Giering. The school was recognized as a Top Gains Honoree, Opportunity Honoree, and recipient of the Highest Graduation Cohort Rate (141.5 points).
Live Oak Junior High -- Student of the Year McKenna Cook, Support Staff Worker of the Year Nyeshia Gant, and Teacher of the Year Brooke Beard. The school was recognized as a Top Gains Honoree and for receiving the Highest DCAI Index (145.9 points).
Live Oak Middle School -- Student of the Year Mia Rhodes, Support Staff Worker of the Year Kayla Herring, and Teacher of the Year Victoria Williams.
North Live Oak Elementary -- Support Staff Worker of the Year Melissa Zito, and Teacher of the Year Raven Dunaway. The school was recognized for Excellence for its Pre-K Honor Roll, and a Top Gains Honoree.
South Live Oak Elementary -- Support Staff Worker of the Year Carolyn Russell and Teacher of the Year Ashley Bond. The school was recognized for Excellence for its Pre-K Honor Roll.
Districts 3, 4 and 5 –
Denham Springs Elementary – Student of the Year Hudson Burge, Support Staff Worker of the Year Julie May, and Teacher of the Year Brittany Bouligny. The school was recognized for Excellence of its Pre-K Honor Roll, and as a Top Gains Honoree and Opportunity Honoree.
Denham Springs Freshman High – Support Staff Worker of the Year Becki Shirley and Teacher of the Year Jenna Guy.
Denham Springs High School – Student of the Year Fiona Hu, Support Staff Worker of the Year Michelle Hester, and Teacher of the Year John Lombardi. The school is an Opportunity Honoree recipient.
Denham Springs Junior High – Student of the Year Lily LaBauve, Support Staff Worker of the Year Kristin McClendon, and Teacher of the Year Justin Rayburn.
Eastside Elementary – Student of the Year Isabelle Wolverton, Support Staff Worker of the Year Angie Brandt, and Teacher of the Year Theresa Callicott. The school was recognized for Excellence in its Pre-K Honor Roll and as a Top Gains Honoree.
Freshwater Elementary – Student of the Year Campbell Jones, Support Staff Worker of the Year Becky Taff, and Teacher of the Year Sarah Hodges. The school received Excellence for its Pre-K Honor Roll, was named a Top Gains Honoree and Opportunity Honoree, and earned the Highest Assessment Index for K to 8 (85.3 points).
Gray’s Creek Elementary – Student of the Year Carson Waguespack, Support Staff Worker of the Year Tommy Bell, and Teacher of the Year Kristy Pope. The school was named a Top Gains Honoree.
Juban Parc Elementary – Student of the Year Adeline Wolfe, Support Staff Worker of the Year Tammy Chauvin, and Teacher of the Year Angela Crain. The school is a Top Gains Honoree and Louisiana Comeback Campus in the subject of math.
Juban Parc Junior High – Student of the Year Owen Waguespack, Support Staff Worker of the Year Vanessa Nevels, and Teacher of the Year Anna Williams.
Lewis Vincent Elementary – Student of the Year Winter Lloyd, Support Staff Worker of the Year Amber Miller, and Teacher of the Year Kalynn Deslatte. The school is a Top Gains Honoree.
Northside Elementary – Student of the Year Benjamin Neal, Support Staff Worker of the Year Missy Miller, and Teacher of the Year Brice Larson. The school was honored for Excellence in its Pre-K Honor Roll.
Seventh Ward Elementary – Student of the Year Graham Rogers, Support Staff Worker of the Year Heather Kalenda, and Teacher of the Year Madison Millet. The school was honored for Excellence in its Pre-K Honor Roll.
Southside Elementary – Student of the Year Jocelyn Zelaya-Gonzalez, Support Staff Worker of the Year Debby Bond, and Teacher of the Year Carolyn Martin. The school was recognized as an Opportunity Honoree and Louisiana Comeback Campus in the subject of English/Language Arts.
Southside Junior High – Student of the Year Sadie Foster, Support Staff Worker of the Year Sandra Taylor, and Teacher of the Year Jessalyn Revelle.
Districts 6 and 7 –
Levi Milton Elementary – Student of the Year Cohen Peterson, Support Staff Worker of the Year Tina Stevenson, and Teacher of the Year Heather Richard. The school earned Excellence in its Pre-K Honor Roll and was named a Top Gains Honoree.
North Corbin Elementary – Student of the Year Payton Robinson, Support Staff Worker of the Year Briauna Granger, and Teacher of the Year Kimberly Ferachi.
North Corbin Junior High – Student of the Year Evelyn Artieta, Support Staff Worker of the Year Ernie Thornton, and Teacher of the Year Tara Hymel. The school is a Top Gains Honoree.
South Fork Elementary – Student of the Year Isabella Easley, Support Staff Worker of the Year Ashton King, and Teacher of the Year Sandra Anderson. The school was recognized for Excellence in its Pre-K Honor Roll and earned a Top Gains Honoree designation.
South Walker Elementary – Student of the Year Carley Taylor, Support Staff Worker of the Year Kayla Shiflet, and Teacher of the Year William Hibbard. The school is a Top Gains Honoree.
Walker Elementary – Student of the Year Makayla Vance, Support Staff Worker of the Year Megan Harrell, and Teacher of the Year Stephanie Watts. The school is a Top Gains Honoree.
Walker High School – Student of the Year Autumn Herring, Support Staff Worker of the Year Cyndie Branch and Teacher of the Year Andre Sylvester. The school is a Top Gains Honoree and Opportunity Honoree.
Walker Junior High – Student of the Year Ashlynn Stafford, Support Staff Worker of the Year Mike Wong, and Teacher of the Year Lori Thompson.
Westside Junior High – Student of the Year Camille Hirst, Support Staff of the Year Tammy Swain, and Teacher of the Year Meghan Pisani.
District 8 –
French Settlement Elementary – Student of the Year Finley Balfantz, Support Staff Worker of the Year Sedona “Michelle” Dedon, and Teacher of the Year Sarah Elliott.
French Settlement High School – Student of the Year Laney Wilson, Student of the Year Emma Gaudet, Support Staff Worker of the Year Tijuana Martinez, and Teacher of the Year Daniel Brown. The school is an Opportunity Honoree and was recognized as the Highest Strength of Diploma Index (132.6 points), and a Louisiana Comeback Campus in the subject of math.
Frost Elementary – Student of the Year Emma Grace Hardy, Student of the Year Rylie Lenz, Support Staff Worker of the Year Olga Lidia Carlisle, and Teacher of the Year: JC Adam. The school is a Top Gains Honoree and Opportunity Honoree.
Maurepas School – Student of the Year Sidney Lauzervich, Student of the Year Gus Breithaupt, Student of the Year Christopher Picou, Support Staff Worker of the Year Tina Thonn, and Teacher of the Year Haylee Fannaly. The school is a Top Gains Honoree and recipient of the Highest ACT Index Award (93.7 points).
Springfield Elementary – Support Staff Worker of the Year Cheryl Quamme, and Teacher of the Year Charli Owens. The school was recognized as a Top Gains Honoree.
Springfield High School – Student of the Year Katie Riddle, Support Staff Worker of the Year Amy Sanders, and Teacher of the Year Yvette Hill. The school is an Opportunity Honoree.
Springfield Middle School – Student of the Year Cali Crawford, Student of the Year Riley Jones, Support Staff Worker of the Year Alexandria Sharp, and Teacher of the Year Beatriz Acosta. The school is a Top Gains Honoree and a Louisiana Comeback Campus in the subject of English/Language Arts.
District 9 --
Albany High School – Student of the Year Lathan Whiddon, Support Staff Worker of the Year Penny Thompson, and Teacher of the Year Louis Sansovich. The school was recognized as an Opportunity Honoree.
Albany Lower Elementary – Support Staff Worker of the Year Tessa Alexander, and Teacher of the Year Shelby Allen. The school earned an award of Excellence for its Pre-K Honor Roll and was named a Top Gains Honoree.
Albany Middle School – Student of the Year Virginia Lutsch, Student of the Year Catherine Willie, Support Staff Worker of the Year Angie Foster, and Teacher of the Year Jessica Dees. The school is a Top Gains Honoree.
Albany Upper Elementary – Support Staff Worker of the Year Melissa Dickerson and Teacher of the Year Shelby Nickens. The school is a Top Gains Honoree and Opportunity Honoree, and it received the award for the Highest Progress Index for K to 8 (131.8 points).
Pictured, from left to right, are Livingston Parish’s 2023 Elementary Student of the Year Adeline Wolfe, Juban Parc Elementary; Middle School Student of the Year Sadie Foster, Southside Junior High; High School Student of the Year Sylvia White, Live Oak High School; and Superintendent Joe Murphy.
Pictured, from left to right, are Livingston Parish’s Elementary Principal of the Year Lauren Kennedy, Juban Parc Elementary; Superintendent Joe Murphy; Middle School Principal of the Year Brian Gunter, Westside Junior High School; and High School Principal of the Year Jason St. Pierre, Walker High School.
Pictured, from left to right, are Livingston Parish’s Middle School Teacher of the Year Tara Hymel, North Corbin Junior High; High School Teacher of the Year Yvette Hill, Springfield High School; Superintendent Joe Murphy, and Elementary Teacher of the Year Brice Larson, Northside Elementary.
Pictured with Superintendent Joe Murphy are this year’s New Teacher of the Year winners, Phoenix LeBlanc, Albany Middle School, left, and Payton O’Nellion, Albany Lower Elementary, right.