59 teachers retire from school district

St. Charles Parish’s retiring educators celebrated their careers with the school system last Wednesday night before the June school board meeting.

Debbie Suffrin, wife of School Board President Al Suffrin, was one of the retirees. Suffrin taught throughout Louisiana for 37 years including stints at Lafourche Parish, Iberville Parish before ending her career in St. Charles Parish where she spent 21 years. Suffrin started off in family consumer science home economics then went into teaching science before finishing her career as a career development facilitator at Destrehan High School.

"St. Charles parish is by far, in my opinion, the best school district in the state, if not the nation," Suffrin said. "My students were great. They were all willing to learn and we really prepare them for the real world."

Superintendent Rodney Lafon said the 59 retirees of 2012 had spent an accumulated 1,646.5 years in the school system with an average career span of 28 years.

"You all set the bar high," Lafon said.