E.D. White program gets boost from Cenac

Administrators at a Bayou Region high school say a project to help better meet the needs of students who require alternative learning tools could be up and running by this summer, as part of an overall school-wide expansion of options and services for all.

Boyd Hebert, advancement director at E.D. White Catholic High in Thibodaux, said the school’s special Academic Enhancement program will have additional space.

Its purpose is to accommodate seating arrangements, equipment and other additions that will aid an estimated 25 percent of the student body who learn better with extra help, such as special provisions of notes. The program recognizes that different students require different approaches to maximize learning potential. Use of computers, small clusters of seating arrangements for group approaches and other tools, administrators say, can make a big difference when it comes to academic success.

The program is designed to better assist students with learning differences that include ADHD, dyslexia, and math challenges.

Boyd said Thibodaux as a whole has been stepping up to the plate to aid this and other programs now under expansion, including improvements to laboratories, that are all part of the school’s 50th anniversary celebration.

For the Academic Enhancement program, Boyd said, a big kick-start came from the charitable arm of one local business.

Tugboat magnate Arlen “Benny” Cenac donated $150,000 through the A.B. Cenac Jr. Foundation, to be parceled out donations of $50,000 per year for three years.

“Many of these students don’t need to be sitting in a classroom setting,” said Boyd. “This donation was crucial to get us to kick off the program,” Boyd said.

The building currently housing the Academic Enhancement Program is 1,500 square feet. Tim Robichaux, President of E.D. White, plans to expand the building to 3,000 square feet.

“Mr. Benny’s donation will provide a solid foundation in order for the program to meet its goal to open this updated and newly renovated facility by summer 2017,” Robichaux said.

The new facility will provide all necessary tools for those students with learning differences. Plans involve lighting, interactive areas and non-structured learning that will provide each student with their own unique experience tailored to their needs. There are currently 160 students enrolled in the program. Robichaux hopes to expand enrollment once renovations are complete.

Benny Cenac said he feels this type of learning environment is an imperative service for this area.

“There are very few options for parents who have children with learning disabilities in the Houma-Thibodaux area,” Cenac said. “I just hope this donation assists to provide more access to this type of learning environment for those seeking such services.”

For more information on E.D. White’s Academic Enhancement Program, please visit the school’s website. •

E.D. White donation