We've had a very unusual school year around these parts, more than probably any other Parish or state. The COVID pandemic was bad enough, but families are still dealing with the effects of Hurricane's Laura and Delta. The struggle has been real, but the following folks rose to the occasion, fought past the discomfort and went the extra, extra mile all year long.

These are students, teachers, faculty and Principals that were selected out of more than 27,000 students and 4,000 Calcasieu Parish School Board employees that performed with excellence. We join the School Board, their family, friends and peers in congratulating them all for being outstanding all year long.

Here are the 2021-2022 “Of the Year” winners for the district.

Students of the Year
Anna Alcock – T.S. Cooley Elementary School
Kennedi Brown – S.P. Arnett Middle School
Alonnie Celestine(Louisiana Student of the Year finalist)– Barbe High School

Teachers of the Year
Madeline Toups – Barbe Elementary School
Zaner Delafosse – Vinton Middle School
Andrea McFarlain – Sulphur High School
New Teachers of the Year
Jamie Young (Louisiana New Teacher of the Year Finalist) – W.W. Lewis Middle School
Elizabeth Barron - Vinton High School

Principals of the Year
Adam Caldwell (Louisiana Principal of the Year semifinalist) – Nelson Elementary School
Michelle LeBlanc – W.W. Lewis Middle School
Eric Heinen – Vinton High School

Librarians of the Year
Katie Stone – Vincent Settlement Elementary
Shelly Ellender – S.P. Arnett Middle School
Vickie Barto – Sam Houston High School

Counselors of the Year
Amy Pourciau – R.W. Vincent Elementary
Ryan White – LeBlanc Middle School
Stacey Blanchard – Sulphur High School

Why do cats have whiskers? Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? And answers to 47 other kitty questions:

Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? Why do they have whiskers? Cats, and their undeniably adorable babies known as kittens, are mysterious creatures. Their larger relatives, after all, are some of the most mystical and lethal animals on the planet. Many questions related to domestic felines, however, have perfectly logical answers. Here’s a look at some of the most common questions related to kittens and cats, and the answers cat lovers are looking for.

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