On Friday, August 10, 2018, the students of Jefferson Davis Parish will return to school for the 2018 - 2019 school session.  This will be my second opening of school as the Superintendent of Jefferson Davis Parish Schools and I am very excited about what we have been able to accomplish in the previous year and what opportunities remain to be seized in the future.   Last year we experienced an unprecedented combination of academic and athletic successes.  We celebrated our District “A” designation from the state based on overall student academic achievement as well as two state championship titles, one from the Welsh Football Team and the other one from the Lady Cardinals Golf Team.  We also experienced two state runner up titles, one from the Welsh Baseball Team and the other one from the Lake Arthur Lady Tigers Basketball Team. 

Because of less and less financial support from the state, we have worked extremely hard to improve the efficiencies of all operational aspects of our school system and have made difficult but necessary decisions that have led to a significantly improved current financial position.  We have completed the 2017-18 financial year in a better financial position than we have been in in quite some time and we will continue to persevere to operate efficiently.

Every summer we gather school personnel and work on improving our professionalism and understanding of curriculum matters and our effectiveness as educators. These improvements always include a review and refinement in dozens of processes and procedures that we regularly implement.  A sample of some of the changes for next school year include additional choices to the school uniform garments, a teacher social media policy, improvements in the quarterly bench mark examinations, and improvements in our disciplinary procedures. 

We would like to congratulate and welcome several new school administrators to new leadership roles.  Ms. Amy Treme will take over as the new principal of Welsh Elementary School and Ms. Rory Myers will be the new principal of Jennings Elementary. 

Many of our communities have recently completed or will soon experience construction and facility improvement projects.  Lacassine High has finished Phase I and II projects and the school facility will open the doors this fall utilizing every aspect of the new additions.   The Welsh, Elton and Jennings school communities will soon initiate discussions about the direction and extent of potential improvement projects.

For the last three years Jeff Davis Parish has participated in the Federal CEP (Community Eligibility Program) through our school nutrition program at a great benefit to students, parents, and the district.   This is the program that allows the state to use prequalifying information to determine all students at a particular school site eligible for free breakfast and lunches.  The following schools are eligible to participate for the coming school year Jennings High, Welsh Roanoke, Lake Arthur High School, Jennings Elementary, Ward Elementary, Elton Elementary, Welsh Elementary and Lake Arthur Elementary.

 Our teachers and support staff are among the best in the state, and we are very fortunate to have each and every one of them.  We accept the challenge of elevating an already great system and improving it to the best of our abilities.  Good luck to all of our students as the new year begins and we look forward to assisting all to achieve their goals and beyond.

For the 2018-19 school year we are pleased to announce that the School Board has approved additional choices for parents regarding school uniforms. While nothing was removed from the long- standing uniform policy, the School Board did provide parents with additional uniform color and clothing choices.
The additional color choice for uniform polo shirts is Navy Blue, and each community was allowed to choose an additional school pride color worn at the principal’s discretion. Lacassine, Lake Arthur, and the Welsh communities have chosen the color red; Hathaway and Fenton have chosen royal blue while the communities of Elton and Jennings have chosen maroon. Additional uniform colors were added to socks, belts, undershirts, sweatshirts and jackets.
Additional clothing choices include ¼ zip jackets and leggings, both in uniform colors.
Students will be allowed to wear stud earrings, and hair styles must be of naturally occurring colors and shall not draw undue attention.
We hope these changes excite our students and provide our parents with choices that prove to be beneficial.

Jeff Davis Parish students completed the AHEC of a Summer (AHOS) program Friday, June 8th. This summer program is offered to students to provide an opportunity for high school students to experience career opportunities in health care by taking part in volunteer work at health care facilities in their community, and shadowing health care professionals.

Participants go behind the scenes in hospitals and other clinical facilities to learn about current health issues, patient care, career opportunities, volunteer service, post-secondary education requirements for various health professions and more. Participants must commit to a two week time span during the summer and can earn 1/2 credit toward their Louisiana high school diploma if successfully completing the program.

Rising 10th graders from Hathaway High School, Elton High School, Lacassine High School, Jennings High School, and Welsh High School participated in Jeff Davis Parish's very first JUMPSTART SUMMERS program at SOWELA Technical Community College--Jennings Campus. This program is a 5 week summer session designed for Rising 10th graders. The program is free of charge to participants and provides an opportunity for students to explore future career paths.

While participating in this program, students:
1. Gain direct instruction in NCCER CORE from a certified instructor with the opportunity to earn NCCER Core credential and 2 complimentary credentials: Osha-10 and CPR
2. Experience industry-related Job shadowing opportunities
3. Meet new people and build new friendships
4. Experience life on a community/technical college campus
5. Earn up to 2 carnegie credits towards high school graduation requirements
6. Earn a $400 stipend