In this issue
Winter 2024-2025 
Louisiana Assistant Principal of the Year
Rick Bryant, assistant principal at Elm Grove Middle School, was selected as the 2024-2025 Louisiana Assistant Principal of the Year. Mr. Bryant has served at Elm Grove for the past 6 years. With 29 years of experience in education, Rick has worn many hats throughout his career, including roles as a teacher, coach, athletic director, and assistant principal. His extensive background has allowed him to positively impact students and staff alike, fostering an environment of growth, discipline, and achievement.
Over the years, Rick has garnered numerous accolades for his leadership and contributions to education. He is a three-time District Coach of the Year and was honored as the Shreveport/Bossier City Coach of the Year in 1998. His commitment to education and leadership was further recognized in 2023 when he was named the Bossier Association of Principals' Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year.
Outside of his professional life, Rick enjoys a fulfilling personal life. He is married to his wife, Susan, and together they have two children: Brittany and Ricky. In his free time, Rick enjoys playing golf and taking on woodworking projects, where he finds relaxation and creativity.
Rick Bryant continues to inspire those around him with his dedication, experience, and passion for education.
The Louisiana Association of Principals is proud to recognize Rick Bryant as the 2024-2025 Louisiana Assistant Principal of the Year! Mr. Bryant will be honored at the Assistant Principal of the Year luncheon that is being held on Monday, February 24, 2025.
Congratulations, Mr. Rick Bryant!
President's Message
Stella Arabie
Greetings and Blessings for you fellow Louisiana school administrators and colleagues!
I hope this message finds each of you and your families well, having enjoyed a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Here at the Louisiana Association of Principals, we have had a busy Fall semester curating topics that are important and relevant to principals today and advocating for all Louisiana schools at the state and national levels. School safety and finding ways to support every student and teacher to grow towards success in an ever-demanding environment are among the leading areas of emphasis.
I am excited to share that the focus of LAP remains on providing to you high quality professional development, networking/support, access and advocacy regarding current and proposed legislative and LDOE changes (including HR 281 Study Group, BESE Meetings, Task Force representation, etc.), local and national advocacy and training, brainstorming partners, and much more. The $1,000,000.00 liability insurance and access to legal counsel on retainer also continues to be a staple of our LAP membership benefits.
As your LAP President, along with our Executive Director and Board of Directors, I am eager to support you with the challenges of being an administrator today; please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or areas that we can advocate for you or your schools. We look forward to seeing many of you at our Spring Conference on February 23 & 24 in Lake Charles! Click here to register.
From The Desk of The Executive Director
Karen Triche
Dear LAP Community,
As I think about this journey since my arrival on October 1st, I want to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for the support and challenges posed as the executive director of this great organization. I am happy to share that we have been in attendance at BESE, The Board of Regents, and Legislative meetings, as well as the Regional NAESP and NASSP meetings. These experiences have been informative and will help us as we work to plan our path forward as education becomes more difficult to maneuver in this ever changing environment. Support for education in many ways is being reconstructed, safety challenges are continuous as we deal with yet another school shooting, funding seems to be dwindling as ESSA funding ends and even the way success is measured, through our School's Performance Scores and the observation tools are changing rapidly. But our continued commitment to grow teaching, learning and leading remains unaltered.
I am very pleased to share that LAP's Annual Fall Conference in October, along with the Clerical Conference and New Principals Conference in December in Lafayette were excellent. We have heard from attendees who said that the conferences met and exceeded expectations and were impactful. I truly appreciate the insightful collaborations we've fostered, particularly with our Principals of the Year and board members that have been in attendance. Special thanks to Jeanine Ford, Barabara Stainback, Mona Miller and Stella Arabie and those working to make sure that our conferences were all well planned and executed. Thank you Martin Guillory and Kelli Oertling for taking the time to be in attendance at the Regional Conferences and I appreciate the very positive way LAP was represented. The relationships being nurtured now will pave the way for thought partnerships, continued networking and advocacy opportunities, and continued professional development into 2025.
Moving forward, I am excited about the new partnerships blossoming with Varsity Brands, alongside our ongoing collaborations with EDGEAR, LDOE and other valued partners. With our collective efforts, LAP remains committed to advocating and ensuring that we support teaching and learning and continue to support and empower the administrators that lead the charge. Together, we will keep this mission at the forefront of all our initiatives.
In closing, thank you for your dedication and hard work that this organization gives daily, and please continue to share the benefits of LAP with others. I look forward to what we can achieve together in 2025.
Warm regards,
Karen M. Triche
Executive Director, LAP
CELL: 504.234.1249
FAX: 318.648.2990
LAP Phone: 318.648.2999
[email protected]
Announcements
Andrea Martin (pink blouse), former LAP Executive Director, was inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Educators for Northwestern State University this fall. Andrea Martin was the Executive Director for LAP from 2000 until 2013. LAP is proud to recognize her as a Distinguished Educator. Congratulations Andrea!
Annual Conference
The Louisiana Association of Principals 73rd Annual Administrators' Conference was held in Baton Rouge at the L'auberge Casino Resort and Event Center on Sunday and Monday, October 20-21, 2024.
Will Parker
Will Parker, Founder of Principal Matters, LLC, presented 10 Reflections for Living Your Best Life. His presentation provided essential principles for personal and professional growth that combats educator burnout and promotes well-being. His session involved interactive discussions and practice strategies for self-care. School leaders were empowered to live their best life as an educator.
Kelly LaBauve
Kelly LaBauve, Educational Specialist with the Louisiana School Boards Association presented tips to effectively plan and implement the observation cycle of The Louisiana Educator Rubric in her first session. In Kelly's second session, she presented comparisons of the state's current accountability system and the state's future 2025-2026 accountability system.
The 2025 Louisiana Principals of the Year were honored at the luncheon and presented a Best Practices Panel.
2025 Principals of the Year and their Sponsors
Karen Triche, LAP Executive Director; Decina Rodriguez, Middle School Principal of the Year; Amanda Austin, 2025 Overall Louisiana Principal of the Year; Amanda LaFollette, Elementary Principal of the Year; Brandon LaGroue, High School Principal of the Year; JR Lauer, Horace Mann Representative; Ian Sorensson, JCampus Representative; Jordan Price, VIRCO Representative; and Kyle Ferguson, SREB School Improvement Representative.
A special "Thanks" to all of our sponsors! LAP could not do it without you!
LAP Board of Directors
The Louisiana Association of Principals met on Sunday, October 20, 2024, in conjunction with the 73rd Annual Conference. A special "Thanks!" to Taunya Breaux, the Lexia Learning Representative, who sponsored the Board Meeting luncheon.
Louisiana Principals of the Year
The 2025 Louisiana Principals of the Year were honored at halftime of the Oklahoma football game on Saturday, November 30, 2024. Pictured (l. to r.) are Elementary Principal of the Year: Amanda LaFollette - Mansfield Elementary, DeSoto Parish; Middle School Principal of the Year: Decina Rodriguez - Lockport Middle School, Lafourche Parish; Karen Triche, LAP Executive Director; 2025 Overall Louisiana Principal of the Year: Amanda Austin, East Iberville MSA Academy, Iberville Parish. On the second row is the High School Principal of the Year Brandon LaGroue - Central High School, Central Community School District, East Baton Rouge Parish.
LSU defeated Oklahoma 37 - 17. Go Tigers! Thank you, LSU!
New Principals' Workshop
The Louisiana Association of Principals half-day workshop was held in Lafayette on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. New principals were inspired by our 2024 Overall Louisiana Principal of the Year, Tia Trahan. New LAP members were recognized and principals discovered their own super power while making meaningful connections with other school leaders across the State! Through the New Principals' Workshop, LAP endeavors to grow new principals into extremely productive leaders. If we continue to build bridges and make connections, we as school leaders can expand our impact across Louisiana!
If you are a new principal and missed this year's New Principals' Workshop, save the date for next year's New Principals' Workshop that will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. You won't want to miss it!
Tia Trahan, 2024 Overall Louisiana Principal of the Year
Principals of the Year
Brandon LaGroue, Amanda LaFollette, Amanda Austin, Decina Rodriguez,
Karen Triche, and Tia Trahan.
Clerical Conference
The Louisiana Association of Principals 30th Annual Clerical Conference held each year in Lafayette at the Double Tree by Hilton kicked off the conference Sunday evening, December 8, 2024, with a networking reception, games and desserts.
Monday morning, Candy Whirley, nationally and internationally know speaker, taught how to get our emotions under control. This interactive, energized session introduced a new way of thinking--analyzing emotions, choosing to be proactive and not reactive, and how to recognize the emotions in others.
Curt Landry, JCampus representative, presented an afternoon session to introduce new software changes and answered questions to promote better use and understanding of the JCampus software.
Judge Sharon Wilson, Louisiana 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, closed the day inspiring secretaries to continue "holding up the arms of the school." Secretaries are vital to the effective, operation of schools.
Save the date for next year's conference - the LAP 31st Annual Clerical Conference. The conference will be held on December 7-8, 2025. Save the Date!!
Welcome New Members
LAP
Acadia Parish
Phillip Bourque, Church Point Middle School
Hubert Gautreaux, Midland High School
Allen Lee, Ross Elementary School
Diocese of Lafayette
JoLynn Dean, St. Francis School
Ascension Parish
Dawn Johnson, East Ascension High School
Bienville Parish
Malondon Mills, Ringgold Elementary
Katherine Winzer, Bienville School
Bossier Parish
Alexa Barron, Cope Middle School
Michael Gollow, Kerr Elementary School
Caddo Parish
Kathryn Ferguson, Youree Drive Middle Magnet School
Calcasieu Parish
William Clement, Starks High School
Melisa Crumpler, Frasch Elementary
Vanessa Davis, John J. Johnson Elementary
Virginia Fholer, Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy
Claiborne Parish
Alyson Perry, Homer Elementary School
Concordia Parish
Amy Gamberi, Concordia Parish Academy
Desoto Parish
Stephen Burch, Mansfield High School
Christopher Bush, Logansport High School
Anesha Ross, Mansfield High School
East Baton Rouge Parish
Kamilah Hamilton, Capitol High School
John Hayman, Tara High School
Latasha Levatino, EBR Central Office
Lakesha Reese-Penn, EBR Central Office
Vickey Silas, La. Department of Education
Office of Juvenile Justice
Billie Book, Southside Alternative High School
Evangeline Parish
Lisa Celestine, Mamou Junior High School
Carmen Faul, Ville Platte High School
Shelsy Williams, Ville Platte High School
Iberia Parish
Laine Judice, Loreauville High School
Jefferson Parish
Laura Leinhardt, Marie B. Riviere Elementary
Janet Taix, Emmett Gilbert Elementary
Jefferson Davis Parish
Debbie Marceaux, Hathaway High School
Lafayette Parish
Leshia Sorenson, Lafayette Middle School
Lafourche Parish
Bobbie Babin, St. Charles Elementary School
Decina Rodriguez, Lockport Middle School
Livingston Parish
Erica Navarre, Juban Parc Jr. High School
Orleans Parish
Alexis Long, New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy
Ouachita Parish
DJ Davis, Riser Middle School
Kory Onyemechara, West Ridge Middle School
Plaquemines Parish
Margaret Parker, Belle Chasse Academy
Pointe Coupee Parish
Tiffany Davis, Rougon Elementary
Rapides Parish
Tyronnica Mingo, Alexandria Middle Magnet School
Kelsey Simmons, Bolton Academy
Richland Parish
Christina Casey, Rayville Elementary
St. Landry Parish
Brandy Bertrand, Grand Prairie Elementary
Kristin Bullard, Park Vista Elementary
Britney Duvall, Krotz Springs Elementary
April Guidry, Grand Prairie Elementary
LaShondra Taylor, Center for Academic Programs
St. Mary Parish
Delonda Richardson, B. Edward Boudreaux Middle School
Diocese of Lafayette
Sheri Higdon, St John Elementary
St Tammany Parish
Michele Cassidy, Tchefuncte Middle School
Abbi Macmurdo, Northshore High School
Tangipahoa Parish
Susan Day, Trafton Academy
Margaret Westmoreland, Southeastern La. University
Terrebonne Parish
Jennifer Blanchard, Broadmoor Elementary
Mission Statement:
Mission Statement: To provide quality School-based Administrative Leadership for Louisiana schools through Professional Development, Legislation and Member Services.
LAP Office
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