The recent retirement of Mildred Butler, the former director of the Head Start program for St. Charles Parish, set a series of changes into motion for area schools.
On Nov. 16, Sylvia Zeno left her position as principal at Albert Cammon Middle School to become the new director of Head Start.
Tamika Green was then moved from being the principal at R.J. Vial Elementary School to fill the position of principal at Cammon.
Jackie Sperier, an administrative assistant at Norco 4-6, then became the new principal at R.J. Vial.
For Zeno, this move has brought her career full-circle.
“My very first teaching experience was with Head Start when it was only a summer program,” Zeno said. “I’ve moved from teacher to principal and now director. I’m very excited.”
Zeno said her plans for the program include making it a model of success for other programs in the district.
Parent and teacher involvement is something that Zeno is particularly looking forward to seeing more of with the Head Start program.
“I’ve found lots of parent involvement, like the Thanksgiving Feast at both schools, and that’s been a rewarding experience just to watch the parents come in and check on their children and meet the teachers,” Zeno said.
She said that the biggest difference between Cammon students and Head Start students is the energy level.
“It’s a different type of energy with middle school students. They’re a lot more active whereas the younger kids will come in and tell me they are playing a quiet game,” Zeno said.
Green, who took over Zeno’s previous job, said that the differences between her new school, Cammon, and her last school, R.J. Vial, were harder to see than the similarities.
“As an instructional leader, I am grateful to St. Charles Parish Public Schools for having so many elements in place that it made the transition from one school to another a smooth one,” Green said. She said that both schools are student-centered organizations with a family atmosphere of support.
Green plans to continue the things that are already in place at Cammon, such as making decisions focused on students and their increased academic achievement.
Sperier, who took over as principal at R.J. Vial, said that she also plans to continue with the traditions that were in place when she arrived.
“I definitely want to continue the traditions of the school and continue to focus on teaching and learning as Ms. Green did in the past,” Sperier said. “I want to continue to focus on where we can improve and to look ahead.”
Sperier said that being a principal has been one of her career goals and that she is very excited about her new position.
“I’m loving every second of it,” she said.
Like Green, Sperier hasn’t noticed many differences between Norco 4-6 and R.J. Vial.
“There really aren’t any differences. Kids are kids; teachers are teachers. They’re both amazing schools,” she said. “The difference is the level of responsibility as principal. As an assistant, there was always a person to go to. Now the buck stops here.”
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