St. Tammany Parish School Board Covington, LA

COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE HUMAN RESOURCES AND EDUCATION

May 11, 2017

The St. Tammany Parish School Board met as a Committee As A Whole on May 11, 2017, at the C. J. Schoen Administrative Complex in Covington, Louisiana.

There were present: Elizabeth B. Heintz, Chairperson, Neal M. Hennegan, Michael J. Dirmann, Stephen J. “Jack” Loup, III, Charles T. Harrell, Michael C. Nation, Willie B. Jeter, Peggy H. Seeley, Sharon Lo Drucker, Ronald “Ron” Bettencourtt, Robert R. “Bob” Womack, Richard “Rickey” Hursey, Jr., Robin P. Mullett, Dennis S. Cousin, and Mary K. Bellisario.

Absent: None

Invocation was led by Mrs. Drucker followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

No one requested time on the agenda.

The minutes from the Committee As A Whole meeting held on April 6, 2017, were approved as presented with abstentions from Mr. Harrell and Mrs. Seeley.

Mrs. Heintz called on Dr. Wagner for the National Merit report. Dr. Wagner stated the National Merit Scholarship Program was an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students entered the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Of the 1.5 million students who took the qualifying test, 50,000 students with the highest scores qualified for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Approximately 16,000 high scorers qualified as Semifinalists; these students were the highest scoring entrants in each state. Roughly 15,000 semifinalists received notification of being a finalist and received a Merit Scholarship award. From the pool of finalists, 7,500 were selected to receive National Merit Scholarships and were recognized as National Merit Scholars. Dr. Wagner stated St. Tammany was pleased to announce the district had 15 National Merit Finalists and 1 Scholar for the 2016-17 school year. Dr. Wagner recognized the following Finalists and Scholar and highlighted their accomplishments:

Fontainebleau High School

Andre Migliore - will attend the University of North Texas and major in Music

Lakeshore High School

Sarah English - will attend Texas A & M University and major in Chemical Engineering

Northshore High School

Laura Carrasquilla - will attend the University of Alabama and major in Biology

Abigail Clark - will attend the University of Oklahoma and major in English Literature

Jade Grimes - will attend Duke University and major in Civil Engineering.

Mark Hidalgo – will attend Louisiana Tech University and major in Electrical Engineering

Julian Reidenauer - will attend Texas A & M University and major in Mechanical Engineering

Laurie Roark - will attend Yale University and major in Sociology

Mandeville High School

Chase Colbert - will attend Texas A & M University and major in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics

Ryan Ehrlicher - will attend Fordham University and major in Biology 1 Amin Izadpanah –recognized as a National Merit Scholar will attend Tulane University and major in Cell and Molecular Biology

Lydia Rewerts - will attend Louisiana State University and major in Biological Engineering

Salmen High School

Brian Redmond - will attend Mississippi State University and major in Electrical Engineering

Mark Legendre - will attend the University of Notre Dame and major in Aerospace Engineering

Slidell High School

Logan Ward - will attend the University of Texas at Dallas and major in Computer Engineering

Mrs. Heintz, on behalf of the Board, congratulated the students for their amazing accomplishments.

There were no further comments or questions.

Mrs. Heintz called Mrs. Strata-Burger for the CTE Spring Competition Highlights. Mrs. Strata-Burger stated St. Tammany Career Technical Education, also known as CTE, programs provided rigorous and relevant coursework that prepared the workforce of tomorrow for high-wage and high- demand careers. Mrs. Strata-Burger highlighted some of the recent accomplishments of the high school students enrolled in CTE programs. A video prepared by Channel 13 was shown. Mrs. Strata- Burger stated on March 22 in Baton Rouge, the Fontainebleau High School welding team competed in the FFA State Welding Competition after qualifying at both the District 12 and the Area 4 regional competitions. The Louisiana state competition consisted of the top 16 teams in the state. The Fontainebleau High School students were Austin Guy and Nick Mascari, along with their welding instructor, John O’Bryant, who placed 3rd overall at the FFA State Welding Competition, besting their 4th place team finish last year. Additionally, Austin and Nick tied for 4th place in the individual competition. Two days later they competed at the Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Welding Competition in St. Rose. This competition was hosted by business and industry and afforded students the opportunity to showcase their advanced craft level welding skills to industry leaders. Mrs. Strata- Burger recognized Fontainebleau High School student Logan Anderson who placed first in the state at this competition. The Welding Team at Covington High School also competed at the March 22 FFA State Welding Competition. Mrs. Strata-Burger recognized students Scott Quigley and Dalton Bridges, along with their welding instructor, Payton Monteleone, who placed 4th overall at the FFA State Welding Competition.

On March 30 and 31, the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation hosted the 16th Annual Louisiana Seafood ProStart Student Invitational at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. Seventeen schools from across the state participated in this rigorous competition that included Culinary and Management components. Mrs. Strata-Burger recognized the Lakeshore High School ProStart team of Mackenzie Fomby, Leighanne Lachney, Sherran Marx, Olivia Salazar, and Victoria Schaff led by instructor Ms. Judy Achary, who placed first in the ProStart Culinary Competition and third in the ProStart Management Competition at the 16th Louisiana Seafood ProStart Student Invitational. The teams earned awards for Best Appetizer and Best Dessert. Each student on the Culinary Team received a $130,000 scholarship to attend culinary school. Each student on the Management Team received a $74,000 scholarship. The team traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, on April 28-30 for the National Competition where this all-girl powered team placed 20th out of 49 teams. Their award winning menu included an appetizer of seared scallops, an entrée of seared lamb loin and polenta, and a dessert of fresh basil ice cream. This accomplishment was bitter sweet for Lakeshore as Ms. Achary plans to retire. Mrs. Strata-Burger stated Ms. Achary leaves a legacy of excellence at Lakeshore and St. Tammany Parish Public Schools and recognized her for inspiring and training the next generation of chefs and restaurateurs. Mrs. Strata-Burger congratulated the CTE students for their accomplishments and asked their parents to stand and be recognized. Mrs. Strata- Burger stated St. Tammany Parish was committed to prepare the district’s students for successful future careers.

Mrs. Heintz congratulated the students and stated both welding and culinary arts involved art, science, and skill.

There were no further comments or questions.

2 Mrs. Heintz called on Mrs. DiCarlo for the Monteleone Technology Award. Mrs. DiCarlo stated the 2016-2017 Leonard P. Monteleone Technology Award recipient was a middle/ junior high school chorus teacher from Clearwood Jr. High, Ms. Pamela Hotard. Ms. Hotard’s winning proposal was called “Interactive Music Theory”. The $1,000 grant will be used to purchase elementary and middle school interactive music lessons entitled Introduction to Music, Music Jam, and Play Up. These materials enabled the students to sing, play instruments, and compose while utilizing an interactive white board. It made lessons engaging and fun for the students. Through listening to a wide variety of music in the units, students were able to identify purpose and meaning in music and discover how the elements of music were used to convey meanings. Mrs. DiCarlo stated Ms. Hotard’s name will be placed on the Leonard P. Monteleone Technology Award plaque displayed at the Treen Technology Center. Ms. Hotard was not present for the presentation as she was directing a concert at Clearwood Jr. High. Mr. Alan Bennett, Principal at Clearwood Jr. High, accepted the award for Ms. Hotard.

Mrs. Heintz, on behalf of the Board, congratulated Ms. Hotard.

Mrs. Mullett stated every time she visited Clearwood for a music presentation, Ms. Hotard was always excited to showcase the students. She has a love for music and teaching music to others.

There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 7:29 p.m.

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