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A Lafourche Parish middle school principal has been recognized as one of the leading educators in the state.
Sixth Ward Middle School Principal Kenny Delcambre received the 2017 Middle School Principal of the Year award from the Louisiana Department of Education on July 15.
Delcambre, in his fourth year leading Sixth Ward, said the award is a testament to the work of the school’s entire team.
“It’s just a recognition that the teachers at my school, the staff at my school, have really been doing a good job the last couple of years to get a lot of growth from our students. And I think people started to take notice,” Delcambre said.
Karen Gisclair, supervisor of middle school education for the Lafourche Parish School District, said Sixth Ward has emphasized student success and treating each student as an individual. She said Delcambre has built capacity in his teachers to be able to reach students that need help.
“The reason Sixth Ward Middle has come out on top is because they have a principal with a strong vision, and he’s able to communicate his vision to his faculty. And his faculty buys into the vision, so they had a strong focus on school improvement and student success, and it’s worked,” Gisclair said.
Dr. Holly Boffy, vice president of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the annual awards are a way to highlight the tedious and impressive work put in by educators across the state.
“Celebrating the efforts of Louisiana’s outstanding educators through the Teacher and Principal of the Year program is just a small way of acknowledging the exceptional work and long hours these individuals put in every day to prepare our students for their future. This year’s finalists represent the top of our profession in our state, and on behalf of BESE I wish to thank them for their commitment and congratulate them on the honor.”
According to Delcambre, a critical factor in Sixth Ward’s strides has been an emphasis on reading and discussing topics each day to ensure student comprehension.
“That’s been our major focus every year for the past four years – reading, writing and discussing the content. You can apply that to any class; it just doesn’t have to be your English class. That can be your focus in any subject area,” Delcambre said.
The Sixth Ward principal said his school will find out in September if it is recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. In the meantime, Sixth Ward faculty will not rest on any laurels the team receives, according to Delcambre.
“We’re going to keep the same focus and continue to work with our teachers. There’s always more to do,” Delcambre said. •
