This month, the Bay St. Louis Rotary announces its 2016/2017  teacher recognition schedule, 94 OLA Students Make Top Scores and Bay High Makes an "A." 

During the meeting the principal is asked give a brief overview of the nominated teacher and why they were chosen. If the teacher desires to, they may share any additional information with the club. Each teacher is given a certificate and a gift card to one of the local restaurants as a small token of appreciation. Rotary’s motto is “Service above self” and the teachers of the community uphold that motto.

Bay St. Louis, MS, August 22, 2016– Our Lady Academy proudly recognized 94 outstanding students who scored greater than the 90th percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS).  Also recognized were students whose IOWA Standard Test scores showed improvement over last year's results.  

Principal Darnell Cuevas commented, “We are so proud to have so many of our girls achieve these remarkable test scores.  These students exemplify a strong commitment to academic excellence.”   
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These students will be rewarded to a fun-filled school day, cruising down the Mississippi River on the Steamboat Natchez in September.

Bay High School, in case you missed the good news released over the summer, received an "A" rating from the Mississippi Department of Education, the top rating a school can receive.  The district as a whole was rated High Performing or a "B" on the same scale, based on statewide testing. 

 As far as being honored for her profession, it's been a banner year for Tarah Herbert. On top of being named Bay High School's Teacher of the Year, she was awarded the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District's Teacher of the Year and now has been named with the same honor from the Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis.
 
A Bay High teacher for the past five years, Herbert received her degree from USM in 2011. Since then, she has consistently achieved certification in computer graphics programs to stay current with quickly evolving technologies and to pass that knowledge on to her students. 
 
Herbert teaches Digital Media Technology and Graphic Design courses, including overseeing the Tiger News Team. Herbert has developed the team to be an almost completely student-run club, where students write, film, produce and present news stories daily for the school. The team has recently begun expanding their reach into the community, helping document and promote non-profit events, including Rotary's Chili Cook-off fundraiser. In addition, Herbert sponsors various school clubs at Bay High and stays active and involved in campus life.  This May 2016 Shoofly Arts Alive story details some of her work. 
 
Rotary selects a Teacher of the Month from a local school based on their commitment to excellence in education and dedication to engaging students and encouraging high performance. From the monthly honorees, the Rotary Club selects one Teacher of the Year to honor each spring.

Hancock High School Class of 2016 boasts 271 Hawks ready to soar to exciting new adventures. The administrators and teachers have continued to put much focus on college prep while the guidance department and students have been diligent in their efforts to attain scholarships and their efforts have been met with much success.

Besides college scholarships, Hancock students were honored with many academic, leadership and community awards as well. Hancock High acknowledged students chosen for the prestigious Hall of Fame. Students were recognized for academic achievements such as Mississippi Scholars, Honors and Highest Honors as well as the Valedictorian and Salutatorian.

70% of the senior class received scholarships and 85% received awards. These accomplishments were honored on Night of the Scholars on April 28, and Senior Awards night, May 16 and culminated in the Graduation Ceremony on May 20.

Hancock High School also continued their tradition of a senior parade in their cap and gowns at each of the elementary schools on May 6. The long celebrated tradition of Senior Assembly was held on May 13 with the community gathering to celebrate the seniors and then the junior class moving to take their place as the seniors departed the assembly.

For some of the Hawks of the Class of 2016 the journey to college will be close as they continue their education at our own community college - Pearl River (PRCC). Others will stay in Mississippi attending Belhaven, Millsaps, Mississippi College, Mississippi State, University of Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey and others. Still others fly further from the “nest” attending Brown, Harvard, University of Melbourne, Vanderbilt and others. Three of the Class of 2016 graduates have chosen to serve our country - the community and our nation are grateful.

Parents, family, friends, faculty and staff of Hancock County School District celebrate the accomplishments of each of these students as they venture out. Each prepared for what their future holds.

Superintendent Alan Dedeaux shared, “I am grateful to the faculty and staff in Hancock County School District for preparing these students to go forth and be successful. From the moment they join us in kindergarten until they cross that stage – we are getting them ready to achieve great things!”

Hancock High School, principal, Tara Ladner, added, “I am so very proud of every student – I cannot imagine how proud their amazing parents must be. I am grateful to be a part of this community.”

Bay High School celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2016 in May's commencement ceremony.  One hundred and eleven seniors walked across the school football field to accept their hard-earned diplomas and academic honors.
 
“The Bay High School class of 2016 has a personality, work ethic, determination, poise, sense of humor and sense of self that any person would adore,” said Principal Dr. Amy Coyne. “I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of their journey through high school and cannot wait to see what each of their futures hold.”

The class overall earned $10,051,216, topping by $1.6 million  last year's school record of $8.4 million. To emphasize the increase, Dr. Coyne, Principal of Bay High,  pointed out that in 2009, total scholarship numbers were under $1 million dollars.
 
Leading the graduates were the two top academic students - Bay High 2016 valedictorian Zachary Marlow, with a 105.17 GPA; and salutatorian Juliana Cook, with a 101.71 GPA.
 
Marlow is the son of Kari and Major Reese Marlow. At Bay High, he was active in the Air Force JROTC, Interact Club, Spanish Club, Bowling and National Honor Society, where he served as Vice President. He will attend the University of South Alabama in the fall with both a Presidential and Air Force ROTC scholarship. Marlow plans to major in math and pursue a military career. Marlow's estimated four-year awards totaled $459,500.
 
Cook is the daughter of Lisa and Thomas Cook. At Bay High, she was involved in National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Spanish Club, Book Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is an active member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. Cook will attend Mississippi College, where she has received the Presidential Scholarship with Distinction and a Salutatorian scholarship. She will be pursuing an education major. Cook's estimated four-year awards totaled $389,700.
 
Mikayla Ott, daughter of Sharon and Michael Ott, is ranked third in the class and will attend Spring Hill College on academic scholarship to pursue a degree in studio art.  
 
Iris Mann, daughter of Anne and Baxter Mann of Bay St. Louis, is ranked fourth in the class and will attend the University of Mississippi on a academic scholarship, studying foreign language and English as a double major.
 
Dr. Rebecca Ladner, Superintendent, stated “The accomplishments of the class of 2016 have left a mark on the Bay St. Louis -Waveland School District, and I wish the all the graduates a bright future.”

 Fifty-eight young men received their high school diplomas during the Saint Stanislaus Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 28, at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis, MS. The conferral of diplomas and the presentation of a number of graduation awards to members of the class followed a Baccalaureate Mass, which was celebrated by Bishop Roger Morin, Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi and concelebrated by priests from the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Members of the Saint Stanislaus Class of 2016 received awards for outstanding academic achievement during the school’s 2016 Senior Recognition Ceremony, held on May 22nd, in the Saint Stanislaus College Café. The annual event recognizes seniors who have merited special awards and achievements. Members of the Class of 2016 whose fathers, grandfathers, great great-grandfathers, and older brothers were also Saint Stanislaus graduates were recognized with Family Legacy Certificates.
 
Approximately 83% of this year’s senior class has thus far earned college scholarship totaling in excess of $6.6 million dollars. Seniors were accepted into 77 colleges and universities and they will use $1,916,306 of the awarded scholarships. Of the $1,916,306 being used, $1,215,317 of the accepted scholarships is merit based and $700,989 is athletic scholarships.
Saint Stanislaus is proud to recognize Mitchell Faust Walk as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2016 and Thomas Pasquale Reeder, Michael Joseph Sandoz, and Matthew Albert Saucier the 2016 Salutatorians. Mitchell, Thomas, Michael, and Matthew were formally recognized during commencement exercises on Saturday, May 28, at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis. Mitchell graduated with a 4.61 cumulative weighted grade point average and Thomas, Michael, and Matthew graduated with a 4.60 cumulative weighted grade point average.  

Valedictorian
Mitchell Faust Walk
Mitchell, son of Mary Kay and Wesley Walk of Diamondhead, MS, was named a 2016 National Merit Finalist. He also earned the recognition as Saint Stanislaus’ 2016 STAR Student by achieving the highest ACT score, 36, of this year’s senior class.
 
Mitchell has achieved either Alpha or President’s Honor Roll every semester since the seventh grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Student Ministry Team, and is Vice-President of the Saint Stanislaus Student Council.  Mitchell will attend the University of Texas.
 
Salutatorian
Thomas Pasquale Reeder
Thomas, son of Cindy and Patrick Reeder of Kiln, MS, has achieved either Alpha or President’s Honor Roll every semester since the seventh grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Student Ministry Team, Student Council, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Thomas was a participant in the Hancock Youth Leadership Academy as both an 8th grader and a junior. He is a former retreat participant and retreat leader for the Saint Stanislaus Kairos retreat held at the St. Augustine Retreat Center. Thomas will attend the United States Naval Academy and play football for the Midshipmen. 
 
Michael Joseph Sandoz
Michael, son of Mena and Rodney Sandoz of Long Beach, MS, has achieved President’s Honor Roll every semester since the seventh grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Student Ministry Team, and was the Senior Class Representative of the Saint Stanislaus Student Council. Michael was also a member of the Saint Stanislaus SCUBA and Robotics clubs. He has twice made the Saint Stanislaus sponsored service trip to the Navajo Reservation in Klagetoh, Arizona. Michael will attend the University of Southern Mississippi.
 
Matthew Albert Saucier
Matthew, son of Georgia and Robert Saucier of Diamondhead, MS, has achieved either Alpha or President’s Honor Roll every semester since the seventh grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Student Ministry Team, Youth Legislature, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. During the summer of 2015, Matthew was invited to participate in the first Student Assembly of the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart held on the Saint Stanislaus campus. Matthew helped create the Saint Stanislaus Service Hour Team (SH0UT) his senior year. This group encouraged students to take on more service opportunities in the local area.
Matthew will attend the University of Mississippi.

Our Lady Academy hosted Graduation Ceremonies on Friday, May 27, 2016, at 6 p.m. in the Our Lady of the Gulf Church.  The graduation Mass was celebrated by Bishop Most Reverend Roger Morin.  Music for the celebration was provided by Emily Gruzinskas, vocalist, and Joy Mehrtens, pianist.  Eighth grade student, Olivia Alarcon, sang Ave Maria and was accompanied by Pianist Guy Bowering.  Seniors Rachel Muse and Sarah Vancourt also sang the duet, Need to Breathe, following the Valedictorian Speech.  Ms. Sue Goggins, OLA mathematics instructor and former OLA principal, read graduate names as Most Reverend Bishop Morin, Dr. Michael Ladner, and Principal Darnell Cuevas presented diplomas to the OLA seniors.
 
This year’s class of thirty-one graduating seniors has received offers of over $2.1 million in scholarships.  The graduating class will be attending ten different universities.  Class members are majoring in architecture, bioengineering, business, communications, education, pathology, science, and speech.
 
Valedictorian Quinn Cottone is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Cottone, Jr. of Pass Christian.  Quinn is a member of Holy Family Parish.  During her time at Our Lady Academy, Quinn has been a member of Junior National Honor Society, National Honor Society, OLA Ambassadors, National Spanish Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta.  Quinn was named as the STAR (Student-Teacher-Achieving-Recognition) Student for the 2015-2016 school year.  She was honored with the STAR recognition by achieving the highest ACT score in her class, a 31.  Academically Quinn has earned Principal’s Honor Roll for all 8 semesters of her high school career.  She has received recognition for Academic Achievement in Science, Math, History and English.
 
Quinn plans to attend Louisiana State University in the fall, where she received the Louisiana State University Academic Scholars Nonresident Award. She will major in Biological Engineering and plans to attend medical school. Quinn received the Principal’s Cup award during the graduation ceremony.
 
Diana Baroudi graduated with the distinction of Class Salutatorian.  Diana is the daughter of Dr. Bassam Baroudi and Mrs. Kinana Baroudi of Gulfport.  During her time at Our Lady Academy, Diana was an active member of several clubs and organizations, including the OLA basketball team, YMCA Junior Youth Legislature, OLA Student Council, OLA Ambassadors, and Students against Destructive Decisions.  In addition, she has been a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honor Society. 

Diana will attend Auburn University in the fall, where she will major in biological science to pursue a career in medicine. 
 

During the Senior Showcase, where Bay High soon-to-be graduates parade through all the schools in the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District, some seniors were handed special packets. Inside were individual drawings and letters for each of the students, collected during their early elementary years in Robin Craft's multi-age class.
 
Some of these students were under the guidance of the dynamic duo of Ms. Craft and her long-time assistant Elizabeth Cowles from kindergarten through 3rd grade.
 
The seniors were thrilled to receive the packets, as Craft had promised they would when they graduated. Emotions from laughter to tears flowed from the students as they unveiled their treasures. Artwork they had created, photos from classroom parties, letters they had written to themselves about their goals and dreams were discovered. There were even letters from parents, grandparents and other family members, some who have since passed away or are unable to express their pride and love due to illness or mental decline.
 
It's a tradition that Craft and Cowles began before Hurricane Katrina, taking care to preserve memories for their students. Safely stored in plastic tubs and left in the classroom, Craft says that she was relieved to find the packets had survived the storm. Despite the school being destroyed by flood and wind, Craft's classroom was one of the only ones that still had most of its contents remaining. “I cried as my family and I carried the boxes to my vehicle,” said Craft. “I knew that it was going to matter to someone.  Since then I have become more and more persistent in collecting items for my students from family members.  And since then I have also become much more protective of them.  I now keep them at home.”
 
“I'd read an article very early in my teaching career about a teacher who'd done this and knew instantly that I was going to do the same for my students. I wanted my students to feel it all come full circle when they graduated by receiving the memory packets,” Craft added.

Bay High senior Mary Adelyn Fraiser has been awarded the first Brehm Bell Future Lawyers Scholarship. The scholarship was open to both public and private high school seniors in Hancock County, MS who were planning on pursuing a career in law. An outside committee selected Fraiser from the field of applicants based on her academics, character and written essay.
 
The Brehm Bell Future Lawyers Scholarship is a $1000 one-time award. Fraiser will attend Millsaps University in the fall and is the daughter of Carole Sullivan and Jim Fraiser.
 
In her submitted essay, Fraiser said, “I want my life and career to be of advocacy, and as a lawyer I would be in a unique position to help individuals or groups of people who face social, economic, and political injustices. As a civil rights lawyer I would strive to gain a deeper understanding of systematic oppression and the way others experience the world differently than myself.”
 
A practicing attorney in downtown Bay St. Louis since 1995, Bell focuses his practice on personal injury cases and helping people who are overwhelmed or frustrated with the legal process. “Our legal system and insurance processes are hard for people to navigate sometimes,” said Bell. “We need bright, compassionate minds to enter the field of law to continue helping people have a voice. Miss Fraiser is that type of student and I'm glad to play a part in her future.”

The Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District will again offer the Summer Meals Program at Bay-Waveland Middle School this summer from May 31 – July 1, 2016.

All children in the community up to 18 years old will have access to free breakfast (8-9 AM) and lunch (11-12:30 PM) Monday-Friday. There's no fee or registration required and participants do not have to be residents of the area or students within the school district providing meals.

Bay-Waveland Middle School is located at 600 Pine Street in Bay St. Louis. For more information, please contact BWSD Office of Child Nutrition at 228-467-0405.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. For a complete non-discrimination statement in multiple languages, please go to: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns-nondiscrimination-statement

Educational Shout-outs this month:  Rotary April Teacher of the Month, Mrs. Audrey Mayer; Chamber's Senior Breakfast honors 500 grads; U.S. News and World Report awards Bay High a bronze medal – again!  Hancock Excel By 5 honors childhood champions; St. Stanislaus's Walk recognized as a National Merit finalist