It was awards night at the May 30 special session of the Webster Parish School Board. Awards were given to the Students of the Year, Support Persons of the Year, and Teachers of the Year. Awards for Principals of the Year will be given at the regular meeting on June 12.
Speaking of the process for becoming a Student of the Year, Personnel Director Robin Tucker said, “It’s a very intensive process. Parents who helped their students complete that portfolio and application know how much work their students put into that. We’re just super proud of those students who took their time and participated in that, and we want to recognize all of those students from their schools tonight as well as those who went on to compete and represent Webster Parish at the Regional Student of the Year.”
In the 5th grade division, Grey Meeker of Richardson Elementary, Brayleigh Lewis of Central Elementary, Brady Mixon of Doyline Elementary, Jordan Thomas of Brown Upper Elementary, and Mason Neal of North Webster Upper Elementary were named Students of the Year for their schools. Mason Neal was selected as the Webster Parish Student of the Year for 5th grade.
In the 8th grade division, Reese Miller of Webster Jr High, Madison Franklin of Lakeside Jr High, Mikyah White of North Webster Jr High, and Lanie Gates of Doyline Jr High were named Students of the Year for their schools. Madison Franklin was selected as Webster Parish Student of the Year for the 8th grade.
And in the 12th grade division, Jonathan Nguyen of Minden High, Melanie Anderson of Doyline High, Brittany Odom of Lakeside High, and Lily Everett of North Webster High were named Students of the Years for their schools. Jonathan Nguyen was selected as Webster Parish Student of the Year for the 12th grade.
Only students in 5th, 8th, or 12th grade are eligible for the Student of the Year Award. At the award ceremony, winners from each school received a certificate. Students who were selected as Webster Parish Students of the Year received a plaque.
Awards were also given to the Support Persons of the Year, which includes persons such as cafeteria staff, custodians, secretaries, and paraprofessionals.
“We could not do our jobs that we do everyday without these individuals,” said Tucker. “They are truly the backbones of our schools and the unsung heroes.”
School awards were given to Brenda Willis, a paraprofessional at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; Paulesta Gilbert, a paraprofessional at Central Elementary; Laraven Coleman, a secretary at Brown Upper Elementary; Jennifer Scott, a paraprofessional at Browning Elementary; Pam McGill, a custodian at North Webster Jr High; Haley Stewart, a paraprofessional at Richardson Elementary; Shaun Houston, a behavior interventionist at Webster Jr High; Kelsey Morris, a paraprofessional at Doyline High; Tokia Whiting, SRO at Minden High (now deputy chief for the Minden Police Department); Kimberly Winkler, a paraprofessional at North Webster Upper Elementary; Jessica Gavin, a paraprofessional at Jones Elementary; Tammy Guice, a secretary at Phillips Elementary; Jennifer Hanson, a paraprofessional at North Webster Lower Elementary; and Stacey Martin, a secretary at North Webster High.
The Webster Parish Support Persons of the Year are Paulesta Gilbert for elementary, Shaun Houston for junior high, and Stacey Martin for high school.
The Teachers of the Year for their schools were Aubrey Lee, an ELA teacher at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; Will Gray, a math teacher at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; Brittany Lewis, a 2nd grade teacher at Central Elementary; Martha Edens, a 4th grade teacher at Brown Upper Elementary; Tanya Pesses-Cole, a 1st grade teacher at Browning Elementary; Tina Hughes, an ELA teacher at North Webster Jr High; Amy Lee, a special education teacher at Richardson Elementary; Christina Chester, a physical education teacher at Webster Jr High; Megan Pearce, a 4th grade teacher at Doyline Elementary; Nancy Griffith, an ELA teacher at Doyline Jr High; Megan James, a math teacher at Doyline High; Rebecca Carraway, an ELA teacher at Minden High; Raven Berry, a 5th grade teacher at North Webster Upper Elementary; Jamie Lewis, a 2nd grade teacher at Jones Elementary; Tori McKinney, a pre-K teacher at Phillips Elementary; Jessica Newsom, a 2nd grade teacher at North Webster Lower Elementary; and Terri Orr, a special education teacher at North Webster High.
The Webster Parish Teachers of the Year are Brittany Lewis for elementary, Tina Hughes for junior high, and Will Gray for high school.
Congratulations to all of you for all your hard work.
The school board will meet again on June 12 at 6 PM. The public is welcome to attend.