Terrebonne moves on; Bourgeois season ends
November 7, 2006
Bad driving ends with drug arrest
November 9, 2006(Posted Nov. 7, 2006)
Terrebonne Parish teachers Melanie Boulet and Cristy Bethancourt Crispino have been named District 4 Regional Teachers of the Year.
Boulet, a Social Studies teacher at Montegut Middle School, and Crispino, a Language Arts teacher at Mulberry Elementary School, were among the state finalists for State Teacher of the Year.
This is Boulet’s first educational award. She has taught at Montegut Middle School for the past four years. The grade school teacher received her bachelor’s degree in social studies from Preston University and her master’s degree in Education from Harvard University.
Boulet said when she returned to the school after the state Teacher of the Year ceremony, the school halls were plastered with encouraging “Good Luck” signs.
Boulet is enjoying her local “star status” because she tries to motivate students by getting them excited about learning difficult concepts. She said she spends a lot of her time thinking of ways to keep her students focused.
“Teachers’ jobs are very daunting, teaching more than 100 kids a day,” she said. “Trying to get them to learn is a very strenuous task, but when they do, it is exciting to see their faces light up.”
Sixth grader Alyssa Mitchell said Boulet makes learning history fun and exciting. She said the social studies teacher makes the students feel like they’re going on trip to different countries studying different backgrounds and cultures.
“Boulet takes her classroom to a new level when it comes to teaching, giving the students a chance to engage in activities that stimulate their brains,” Montegut Principal Cathy Telford said. “She creates an environment where students are learning in alignment with the state’s standards.”
Right now, Boulet’s history classes are studying Ancient Greece, which can be a difficult subject to tackle. “All the events have happened more than 500 years ago making the some of the students’ interest level plummet,” she said.
“I really enjoy hands-on activities because it brings the textbook alive,” she said. “It gives the students a real feeling of being part of their learning process.”
Coming up with Ancient Greece activities like a Greek Olympics, Boulet said she hopes to spark an interest among her students. “I give them an opportunity to take on the role of a Greek hero,” she said. “And reluctantly, they want to learn more about it.”
This is Crispino’s second Teacher of the Year award. She was the Upper Little Caillou recipient 10 years ago.
She is a Nicholls State University graduate and has been teaching for more than 10 years in the Louisiana school system, four of which have been spent at Mulberry Elementary School. At Mulberry, she teaches more than 49 students.
Before, Crispino received the news about her regional win she was already a star in the students’ and the faculty’s eyes. The school held a reception for her when she was selected as the Terrebonne Parish Elementary top teacher.
Throughout the course of the selection process, Crispino said she would receive notes from her students telling her how proud they were to have her as their teacher. During the reception she said the joy was overwhelming.
“I can’t express in words how helpful the parents and faculty have been,” she said. “We play an important role in the development of the students.”
Crispino said she wants students to feel the joy in learning how to read. “I want them to have the feeling of not wanting to put a book down.”
Seven-year-old Bonnie Gilmore said Crispino makes learning how to read fun with all the games they play in class. She said when she is not in school she likes to read to her parents.
“Every day I see the joy of learning grow in my students, especially when I have to tell them to put their reading books away so we can move on to something else,” Crispino said.
She said she encourages her students to work together. “I do a lot of group cooperative learning exercises, which enable me to structure my lessons to meet the needs of all my students by assigning task and roles within the learning situation, I can support each learner and we all can work together for one common goal n success,” she said.
