Since the April 26 school board meeting, district officials and school board members have responded to calls of concern from the community, many expressing fears over the potential financial impact of the program. “We recognize the sacrifices many of our own families make to provide their students with a first-rate education and appreciate the community’s continued financial support of our district,” Zachary Schools Superintendent Warren Drake said.

“We are mindful that there are many potential changes on the horizon in education for our state including a new teacher evaluation system and a national standards based curriculum which will be implemented in the coming school year. These factors added to the challenges of managing an average growth of more than 150 students each school year make it difficult to add anything else on our teachers.” Drake continued.

At the time of the initial vote, the board, superintendent and staff reasoned that these students, 15 in Kindergarten and 15 in first grade, would have been only 10 percent of the 300 students the district took in following Hurricane Katrina at a time when the Zachary student population was much smaller.

“In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, our teachers did not miss a beat. They provided outstanding instruction and our scores and school climate continued to reflect our commitment to excellence. Our goal in participating in the scholarship program was to spread our proven methods and best practices to impact students who may not otherwise have that opportunity. We believe our teachers are second to none and felt that as the number one district in the state we should lend a hand in even such a small way,” Superintendent Warren Drake explained.

District leaders have determined that the most appropriate course of action at this time is not to proceed with the applications to the Louisiana Department of Education. “We recognize that as public servants, our first mission is to serve the Zachary community and continue to ensure a quality education for our students. We will continue to explore ways to help students in academically unacceptable schools where possible, but at this time are responding to requests from the community not to participate in this program,” Drake said.

ZARC will accept donations of gently used adult and children’s fiction books May 12 and May 14-18. On Saturday, May 12 donations can be made at the Zachary Community Market located by City Hall between the hours of 8 a.m.-1 p.m..  Collection bins will be located at Zachary Elementary on the 39^th Street side during the hours of 7:00-5:30, Monday – Friday, May 14-18.

Come out and support this great event!

GMS scholars receive “Good through-graduation” scholarships to any college or university of their choice. Funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the GMS program honors only 1000 students each year from across the United States. Membreno and Jackson are only the second group of students from Zachary to receive the award.

According to high school counselor, Bianca Brown “Both students have overcome obstacles in their lives. They share the same goal which is to succeed no matter what stands in their path. These individuals are two of the most hard working and determined individuals that I have encountered in my profession as a school counselor. I feel they are most deserving of this award.”

The GMS program has supported 15,000 students since its inception in 1999. GMS scholars have enrolled in more than 1500 colleges and universities, and have come from all 50 states. GMS Scholars have a 79.9% graduation rate in five years or less. The program also provides graduate school support for its recipients in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.

Jackson is a member of the Interact Club and plans to pursue a Nursing degree. She scored a 21 on the ACT and holds a 3.77 GPA. She is interesting in attending Loyola, Baylor, Tulane or Xavier University.

Membreno plays for Zachary High’s soccer team and is a member of the Student Government Association. He scored a 29 on the ACT and holds a 3.58 GPA with plans to pursue a law degree. He is interested in attending Harvard, Vanderbilt, Tulane, LSU or Northwestern State University.

Review team leader Sandra Sherman celebrated the district’s outstanding community involvement and the quality of teaching and learning going on in the schools. Sherman reported her team’s findings to a special meeting of the Zachary Community School Board Wednesday saying “Your students are your best advocates.” Sherman praised the district for the protection of instructional time, quality of reading instruction and the trust between district leadership.  The district also received a commendation for exceeding the recommendations of the 2007 District Accreditation report. A strong academic atmosphere in schools and a culture of high expectations were commended by the Quality Assurance Review team members as well.

The 4 member Quality Assurance Review team, made up of educators from Louisiana and Texas, met with 234 teachers, students and community members and visited 34 classrooms during the 3 day review. Zachary Community Schools officials are proud of the outstanding review and continue to work toward the vision of a model of excellence.

Nike recycles every part of the shoe into a Nike Grind material which is then used to line athletic surfaces, such as playgrounds and tracks.  They offer a program that donates these sports surfaces to disadvantaged communities around the world.  It is an environmentally friendly solution to a growing problem and a way for these students to help make a difference outside of their community.

The students have set a goal of collecting 500 pairs of shoes.  Mrs. Noel and Ms. Scott’s 3^rd grade classes will be counting the shoes daily, and you can help them reach their goal.   Labeled drop off bins will be stationed outside of the main office from April 23-27.  The students can accept any brand of athletic style shoes as long as they are not muddy and do not contain cleats.  Visit www.nikereuseashoe.com for more details.

Game time is at 1 p.m. – no gate charge, donations will be accepted to go towards te fight against Breast Cancer. Pre-Game activities will include recognition of Breast Cancer Survivors. email cindy.booth@zacharyschools.org to participate in this celebration.

This family day event will include mid-inning activities and prizes for the kids from local sponsors.

Pastalaya lunches, sweets and snoballs will be sold.

Game day spirit shirts are available for $10 at the ZHS Academic Athletic Center.

The advanced Agriscience students have grown a variety of vegetable and flowering bedding plants, herbs, and hanging baskets to sell as one of their spring semester projects. New items include our Gardens to Go. Proceeds from the sale fund other ZHS Agriscience and FFA sponsored activities.

For more information, contact Kathy Conerly, Agriscience Teacher, at 658-7326, or zhsffa@gmail.com .

This event is sponsored by the following Zachary High School Clubs: FFA, Z-MED, HOSA, Industrial Arts, ROTC, and FBLA.

The facilities committee also investigated several funding sources including sponsorship, but elected against an outside company providing the sign to eliminate the presence of logos on the school campus.

 The new LED signs to be constructed at both Zachary High and Northwestern Middle were purchased in accordance with school board policy. “The construction of the signs will be done by our maintenance personnel, the materials are primarily donated and the masonry work will be donated by a local construction company.  The original plaque has been saved and will be placed on the new sign hopefully with a plaque from the new senior class.  I think when the new sign is up the community will be pleased,” explained Facilities Chair Scott Swilley.

 The committee also investigated the possibility of preserving the history of the structure by trying to relocate the old sign to the entrance at Ada Street which will be finished this summer, but upon inspection the foundation was found not to be substantial enough to allow a move. 

“I personally feel the High School and Middle School need a good means of communicating events and activities happening at the schools because there are many taxpaying citizens who no longer have children, but like attending these events,” Swilley said. Northwestern Middle School will also receive a new sign as part of the project.

 For more information, please contact Adonica Duggan at 658-4969.