Behind every good student is a great teacher

Question: What qualifies a teacher to hold the title of Terrebonne’s top teacher?

Is it his or her approach to everyday classroom tasks, the amount of time spent preparing lesson plans, or the hours spent after school helping a child who needs it the most?

Answer: All of the above, according to the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence.

That’s why the organization applauds the parish public school educators annually.

TFAE also applauds the community for its generous financial resources, which make the grant awards possible.

The TFAE Teacher Awards annual gala will be held Aug. 23, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

Now in its eighth year, the foundation’s celebration honors the top public elementary, junior high and high school teachers in Terrebonne Parish. This year’s Teacher of the Year receipents are Mulberry Elementary School teacher Kayla Boudreaux, Houma Junior High School’s Glynn Dagenhardt and Terrebonne High School’s Evett Detiveaux.

At the event, TFAE will announce this year’s Inspirational Teacher of the Year, a traditional award, as well as the 2007-2008 TFAE education grant recipients.

“Due in part to the fact that we will receive our fifth and final year of matching funds from the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the foundation will award the largest grant pool since the program began seven years ago,” said Sharon Bergeron, TFAE grant chairperson.

This year, TFAE will give out nearly $100,000 in school impact grants at a maximum of $10,000 per grant, as well as a maximum of $1,000 per grant for teachers. The foundation money provides educators with the necessary resources to make the learning process more exciting for the students.

Children in every academic discipline and at every grade level are the beneficiaries of the grants, but the citizens and business leaders of Terrebonne Parish reap the real benefits.

“Our foundation board of directors is wholeheartedly committed to the idea that providing additional resources to our classroom teachers and schools will improve the educational outcome for our students,” Bergeron remarked.

General admission to the ceremony is $25 per person. Tickets can be purchased between Aug. 7-22 at Whitney National Bank, 7910 Main St. Educators can purchase a maximum of two $15 tickets at the central office of the Terrebonne Parish School Board.

Corporate table sponsors are available. Contact the foundation office for sponsorship information at (985) 868-5881.