Outstanding teachers of St. Charles

Siblings will move on to regional competition

Educators and administrators from every St. Charles Parish public school gathered on March 1 to honor those among their ranks who have gone above and beyond to teach children.

Each school chose a 2011 Teacher of the Year and those winners came together to celebrate their achievements and compete for the parish title and the chance to represent St. Charles at the regional level.

Out of 17 Teachers of the Year, elementary teacher Holly Donegan, middle school teacher Leigh Baltazar and high school teacher William “Bill” Plasse took home the prize and will go on to compete for regional Teacher of the Year in their respective school levels.

Even more unique about this year’s winners are that Baltazar and Plasse are siblings.

“We were surrounded by books from day one – I think from the womb,” said Baltazar, a gifted language arts teacher at Harry Hurst Middle School. “We were always read to. My brother was reading by the time he was two years old.

“I’m so excited to win, but to win the same night as my brother is really just the icing on the cake.”

Plasse also said he was excited to share the experience with his sister.

“Leigh and I talk a lot. She’s always been there for me,” Plasse, an English teacher at Destrehan High, said. “It’s absolutely amazing.”

Donegan said she believes that her peers are partly responsible for her success.

“I think of my peers as teachers, and excellence is surrounding me at school,” Donegan, a Lakewood Elementary 4th grade teacher, said. “I was very surprised but honored to win – I’m very excited to represent St. Charles Parish at the next level.”

During the event, each school winner and their family was honored with a dinner and gifts from the school administration and their friends and family. A video presentation showed each teacher discussing what made him or her a good teacher and who their influences were.

Diondra Reynaud, Teacher of the Year at R.K. Smith Middle School, said that she believes in St. Charles Parish because she knows what it is like to both teach and go to school here.

“I am a product of St. Charles Parish…this is the only parish where you can get a private education for a public school price,” Reynaud said.

Karol Young, Mimosa Park Elementary’s choice for 2011 Teacher of the Year, said that the opportunities for research and professional development make St. Charles a unique environment for a teacher and many other teachers agreed.

“Going into the profession you think you know everything…but you have to continuously learn,” said Misti Cunningham, the A.A. Songy  Kindergarten Center Teacher of the Year.

“I learn every day – I become a better teacher every single day,” said Luling Elementary Teacher of the Year Jennifer Durham.

When asked, many of the winners said that disappointing the children was their biggest fear when they first started teaching.

“My biggest fear when I started teaching…was whether or not I was making an impact on my students,” said Vickie Hinrichs, Norco K-3 Elementary’s Teacher of the Year.

But with the responsive classroom technique used in St. Charles public schools, most teachers said they feel they not only have the opportunity to impact their students educationally, but also socially and personally.

“St. Charles Parish really focuses on the whole package,” Hinrichs said.

Felicia Gomez, assistant superintendent, said that excelling teachers are a reminder to their peers of the joy, privilege and passion of teaching.

After the presentation, Superintendent Rodney Lafon spoke to the teachers about the important role they play in the parish and in children’s lives.

“It’s about honoring what happens every day in the classroom. Some people talk about the best of the best…we are,” Lafon said. “Most importantly, we are about one thing: children.”

Baltazar said that while she is glad to have been recognized by her peers, her biggest hope is that it is a reflection of how well she is teaching her students.

“In my classroom, I really see myself as a facilitator, not a dictator,” she said. “My job is to help the kids find their way to their own understanding.

“At the end of the day, I want them to exceed their own expectations.”