NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release – April 30, 2009  (RESEND)

Contact:  Delia A. Taylor, APR, Taylor Media Services, 225-931-0286 or taylormedia@bellsouth.net or Superintendent Bill Spear, 225-686-7044 or bill.spear@lpsb.org.

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Livingston Parish Announces Students of the Year

LIVINGSTON, La. -- The Livingston Parish School System recently selected the parish winners of the 2008-2009 Student of the Year competition, recognizing them at the March 2009 school board meeting.

The three top winners are Karolina Ellard, a senior at Denham Springs High School; Jace Hood, an eighth grader at Westside Junior High; and Cameron Forbes, a fifth grader at Eastside Elementary.

All the parish’s schools submitted nominations for the Student of the Year award in grades 5, 8 and 12.  The top three students were selected based on their academic achievement, school and community service, recognition and leadership, portfolio presentation and written and verbal communication skills.

The parish’s winners competed for regional honors, with the opportunity to advance to the state competition, which is sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Education.  At these higher levels of competition, the students are required to submit an impromptu essay and conduct a panel interview.

Ellard is the daughter of Dennis and Larisa Ellard of Denham Springs.  She is active in many service organizations and is in her school’s gifted and talented program.  Ellard also has earned 63 credit hours of college at Southeastern Louisiana University.  She is majoring in biochemistry and is fluent in several languages. She and her family moved to the United States from Russia eight years ago.

Hood is the son of Sandra Oliver Hood and Derek Hood, both of Livingston.  He has a 4.0 grade point average, is in the school’s gifted and talented program, and participates in the school’s honor/service organization LePace.  Hood also is very active in the Judson Baptist Church youth group, and he enjoys reading.

Cameron Forbes is the daughter of Jim and Sherilyn Forbes of Walker.  She is a member of several school organizations, including Young Astronauts, Junior Beta Club and 4-H.  She is particularly active in the LSU Livestock Cooperative Extension Program.  Forbes has a 4.0 grade point average and scored “Advanced” on all subjects on the 4th grade LEAP.   She is an active member of the Judson Baptist Church youth group.

Pictured from left to right:  2009 Students of the Year Cameron Forbes, Jace Hood and Karolina Ellard and Superintendent Bill Spear.