School Board Brings Lessons Learned at National School Boards Association’s Annual Conference Back to Zachary

Zachary Community School Board Members Carl Kelley, Jannie Rogers, Sharon Samuel, Gaynell Young and Hubie Owen joined Superintendent Warren Drake and more than 5,000 school board and state school boards association leaders in attending the 2010 National School Boards Association (NSBA) Annual Conference recently in Chicago.

The event focused on helping school board leaders make the tough decisions regarding education they face every day.

NSBA’s Annual Conference offered school board members leadership development and opportunities for collaboration from a nationwide network of colleagues. With a focus on workable solutions for school districts, the conference featured current national topics affecting local education leaders, including school district implementation of the stimulus package. The conference also served as the host of one of the largest expositions of education products and services in the country.

Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association www.nsba.org is a not-for-profit organization representing state associations of school boards and their 95,000 local school board members throughout the United States. Its mission is to work with and through all its State Association members to foster excellence and equity in public education through school board leadership. NSBA achieves that mission by representing the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.

Zachary Elementary Students Participate in LSU Coastal Roots Planting Project

Students at Zachary Elementary recently planted bitter panicum nodes and cypress tree seeds as part of the LSU Coastal Roots program. Students also installed a nursery where they will nurture and maintain the seedlings until the fall planting season. Throughout the year, the students will learn about coastal erosion issues throughout Louisiana, while overseeing the entire growth cycle of the plants. Next fall, the students will take the seedlings to Grand Isle, where they will have the opportunity to actually plant the grasses on the beaches of the eroding barrier island. LSU Coastal Roots establishes school-based nurseries at schools within the coastal zone of Louisiana. These nurseries are student managed and are capable of producing native wetland plants for use in habitat restoration. Each school is partnered with a long term restoration site, which they are able to revisit each year for planting trips. There are currently over 40 schools in eighteen parishes participating in the program. Since 2000, 3,573 students have planted more than 29,000 student-produced seedlings in Louisiana. Students from grades 3-12 across 18 parishes of south Louisiana are taking part in this project by establishing wetland plant nurseries at their schools. Students are growing native plant seedlings that they will plant in a coastal habitat restoration project in south Louisiana.

Students are working with a variety of seeds, including the water oak, southern baldcypress, southern wax myrtle, black mangrove, red mulberry, and Spartina alterniflora grass - just to name a few.

ZHS Career Day set for April 23

More than 75 area professionals will be on hand at Zachary High Friday, April 23 to participate in the school's annual Career Day. Participants represent a wide array of career opportunities in fields including medicine, law enforcement, accounting, engineering, the arts and media. This wonderful event will provide students the opportunity to meet individuals from various industries who will help them start to see the future possibilities that education creates for them. Area professionals will address students regarding their workplace, education and training, career path, skills needed for jobs as well as share personal stories from their time in their profession.

Two Zachary Teachers Selected to Attend 2010 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy

Lisa Redmon of Copper Mill Elementary and Bianca Deliberto of Zachary Elementary were recently selected from more than 1,200 teachers nationwide to attend the 2010 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J. Lisa Redmon is one of 200 highly-qualified third- through fifth-grade teachers from around the country selected to attend the intensive one-week, all-expense paid professional development program this summer.

Redmon teaches fifth grade while Deliberto teaches second and third grade students.

A panel of educators from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) selected Lisa Redmon to attend the Academy. The panel based their decision on her qualifications, dedication to inspiring students at an early age and her overall commitment to enhancing the teaching profession.

During the Academy, scheduled for July 18 – 23, teachers will discover new ways to excite students using experiments that demonstrate various math and science concepts including force, gravity and probability. The Academy curriculum works to deepen teachers’ understanding of these principles by conducting hands-on experiments that teachers can share with their students in the classroom.

"Lisa Redmon is an excellent teacher. She was also honored as the Teacher of The Year at Copper Mill Elementary, and is the recipient of Muriel Green Award," according to Principal Dewey Davis. This award is given to one teacher nationally and recognizes young science teachers with a passion for teaching and inspiring science in students.

District officials are proud to have two teachers selected to participate in this wonderful opportunity.

Through www.sendmyteacher.com, teachers from all 50 states had the opportunity to apply for this development opportunity with more than 1,200 teachers applying for the 2010 Academy. Parents and teachers also nominated their teacher to apply for the opportunity by sending an e-card or printing a teacher appreciation certificate from the site. The application process for the 2011 Academy is now open on www.sendmyteacher.com.

ExxonMobil partnered with Phil and Amy Mickelson, and developed in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions to found the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy in 2005. The Academy is designed to engage students in math and science at an early age engage to retain their interest in these subjects through college and into their careers.

“Amy and I are proud to work with our partners, ExxonMobil, the NSTA and Math Solutions to create a hands-on curriculum for teachers looking to deepen their understanding of math and science,” said PGA golfer Phil Mickelson. “Based on the overwhelming response to Send My Teacher, the Academy will offer the program again later this spring, and we encourage all teachers to apply for this incredible opportunity.”

This year, more than 600 teachers will attend one of the three Academies scheduled in New Jersey, Louisiana and Texas. To date, more than 2,000 teachers have attended the Academy, impacting more than 30,000 students from across the country with the lessons and skills they learned.

To nominate local teachers for the 2011 Academy, please visit www.sendmyteacher.com.

FMA Live! Comes to Northwestern Middle

FMA Live will host 2 performances at Northwestern Middle School Tuesday, March 22 at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.

This innovative, traveling hip-hop science concert will reach more than 17,000 middle-school aged students during its 10-week, 20 city tour of the United States. Named for Sir Isaac Newtons's second law of motion (force = mass x acceleration) FMA Live! uses professional actors, original songs, music videos and interactive science demonstrations to teach middle school students Newton's three laws of motion and universal law of gravity.

Created in 2004, FMA Live! is a collaboration between NASA and Honeywell International of Morristown, N.J. It is the only nationally touring, multi-media, science-education production of its kind.

During each FMA Live! performance, students, teachers and school administrators interact with three professional actors in front of a live audience to experience Newton's laws firsthand. A giant sticky wall is used to demonstrate inertia; go-carts driven across the stage illustrate action and reaction; and "extreme" wrestling and a huge soccer ball show that force is determined by mass multiplied by acceleration.

All three of Newton's laws are demonstrated simultaneously when a futuristic hover chair collides with a gigantic cream pie

For more information about the program visit: http://www.fmalive.com

ZHS to Celebrate Final Game in Gym

Come and join former players and Zachary High supporters on Wednesday, February 17 as the basketball team plays the final regular season game in the existing ZHS gymnasium. All former boys and girls basketball players, wrestlers and volleyball players will be recognized before the Broncos take on Walker High in the Varsity game. A reception will be held for former players from 6-6:45 p.m. in the commmons area in front of the Zachary High library. Former athletes are encouraged to wear lettermen jackets or sweaters in celebration of the evening's theme of "Throwback Night." Members of the 1958-59 teams are encouraged to contact Athletic Director Joey Sanchez at 654-2776 ext 529 as they will be recognized at the game.

ZHS French Students Attend Convention

Last week 27 ZHS students attended the annual French Convention (ALCFES) in New Orleans and represented Zachary High very well. Several ZHS students had a large hand in planning the convention including State Secretary/Treasurer Morgan Landry, Ashlee Trahan and Grace Melson. ZHS also took home several awards from the convention. The award winners were: Matthew Stansbury-Third Place in Spelling Bee, Ashton Gauff, Whitney Davis, Hannah Selbach-Third Place Creative Writing Team, Whitney Davis-elected Region III Representative for the Executive Council, Morgan Landry-elected State President of ALCFES for 2011 AND received a full scholarship to study in a 5 week summer French Immersion program at Saint Anne's University in Church Point, Nova Scotia Canada.


Ashton Gauff(last year's scholarship recipient to St Anne's) and Morgan Landry are pictured above with Saint Anne's University Dean Mr. Jean-Douglas Comeau when he came to speak to Mrs. Broussard's French students at Zachary High.