For Immediate Release – April 7, 2009

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

More than 100 Livingston Parish Students

Recognized for Test Scores on ACT

LIVINGSTON, La. – One hundred eight high school students in Livingston Parish have received the “Louisiana Student Achievement Award” from the Louisiana ACT Council for their performance on the PLAN (Pre-ACT) Assessment. 

These students are on target to meet or exceed ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks by graduation. ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks are empirically-based and identify the level of achievement necessary in English, mathematics, reading and science to have a successful college freshman experience.

“We are proud of these students’ achievements and the potential they possess to be successful in continuing their education beyond high school, at a college or university,” said Livingston Parish School Superintendent Bill Spear.

Those local students receiving recognition from the Louisiana ACT Council this year included the following:

Albany High School – Jenna Carpenter, Kyle Sharp, Katie Stewart and Lelia Tate.

Denham Springs High School – Hailey Bennett, Zachary Breaux, Garrett Brumfield, Colton Bujol, Russell Cascio, Phillip Chandler, Victoria Chapman, Jordan Chiquet, Scott Davis, Splendid Galloway, Kortlyn Garrett, Angela Gourdon, Lisa Hamilton, Austin Hardin, Christian Harris, Alexander Hosse, Tara Hymel, Chelsea Jagot, Cameron Jones, Megan Jozwiak, Jacob Lawson, Kevin Lee, Alysha Meadors, Tyler Nesmith, Anna Pardue, Shane Rauh, Joel Reid, Shannon Roberts, Cory Smith, Jacob Steed, Eugene Stewart, Ryan Stogner, Brittanie Wallace, Breigh Williams, and Sarah Williams.

Doyle High School – Trent Boudreaux, Megan Dawkins, Logan Jones, Sara Martin, Joseph McAllister, Renee Picou, James Ray, Austin Roddy, Madison Smith, Adam Stacey, Jacob Stewart and Jared Young.

French Settlement High School – Courtney Aydell, Bryce Boudreaux, Dale Boudreaux, Danielle Hebert, Madalynn Martin, Sydney May, Laci Naquin, Leah Pearson, Kayla Price, Bradley Vansickel, Brenden Verbois, Taylor Wick and Cody Wilson.

Holden High School – Jessi Boudreaux, Kadie McDonald, Blake Ray, and Jacqueline Smith.

Live Oak High School – Blake Andrews, Jacob Bagwell, Brook Crain, Hannah Dees, Dennis Delee, Steven Douglass, Richard Erwin, Robert Fletcher, Brody Fontenot, Alexandre Franklin, Jamie Hatchell, Nicholas Jones, Dylan Leblanc, Ryan Manuel, Tyler Melancon, Dylan Ott, Lindsay Penton, Amanda Robin, Madison Stringer, Ashley Welch and Andrew Wilson.

Maurepas High School – Justin Cowart and Victoria Hunt.

Springfield High School – Cody Scott and Kristin Theriot.

Walker High School – Aaron Bailey, Aaron Brown, Ashley Collier, Ryann Green, William Gurzynski, Nicholas Horton, Christopher Landry, Keith Luther, Kayla Miller, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Norred, Lauren O’Neal, Devyn Rabalais, Joshua Shelton, and Kyle Toups.

“The Louisiana ACT Council recognizes those students who are making significant strides to prepare themselves for college by taking rigorous courses and meeting the PLAN (Pre-ACT) College Readiness Benchmarks.  We also want to recognize that student PLAN (Pre-ACT) achievement is the result of a strong commitment by those teachers, staff, administrators and parents in Livingston Parish to increase college readiness for all students,” said ACT Assistant Vice President and Southwest Regional Manager Karen Pennell.

Pennell noted that those students who meet all the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks prior to graduation from high school are more likely to have a successful college freshman experience, and they have a greater rate of success for earning a college degree.

The Louisiana ACT Council is made up of secondary and post-secondary educators who advise ACT, Inc., of the utilization of ACT programs and services in Louisiana schools and colleges.  ACT, Inc,. is the not-for-profit organization that provides assessment, research, information and program management services in the broad areas of education and workforce development and the publisher of the ACT Assessment.  The ACT Assessment is the college admissions test that is accepted by all colleges nationwide.