Trosclair earns national honor

The turnaround at South Crowley in the past few years is getting another national honor, this time, with Principal Irma Trosclair being named one of seven national winners of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.
“I’m very honored and happy to receive it,” said Trosclair. “It may come in my name, but so many other names of people doing the hard work — in the classroom, at home — deserve it.
“It’s a reflection of everyone’s hard work — the teachers, the support staff, the parents, the students, everyone.”
Trosclair was more than gracious Wednesday as the announcement came from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. And, quickly, Trosclair, took the time to point to the Acadia community, as well, for helping her put the right people in place to help South Crowley Elementary grow.
The seven principals from the 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored with the Terrel H. Bell Award at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Nov. 9, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
“Great principals shape a school’s culture and nurture, retain, and empower teachers and serve as the catalyst for significant school improvement,” Duncan said. “These principals inspire their teachers and have a positive impact on instructional practices that lead to improved learning outcomes. The Bell Award is recognition for the essential work they do every day.”
Locally, it’s a proud moment for Acadia Parish Superintendent John Bourque.
“It’s hard to imagine that kind of honor,” he said. “The magnitude of it is unbelievable.”
That magnitude is hard to put into a proper scope.
When South Crowley and Martin Petitjean elementary schools were recognized as National Blue Ribbon School nominees, the schools were among only nine total schools to be recognized in the state. Three of those schools were private/parochial, two were magnet schools, one was a lab school and three were traditional public schools, including South Crowley and Martin Petitjean.
Those nine were recognized from a field of over 2,000 schools in the state of Louisiana.
Then when they officially received the designation this year, it meant that South Crowley and Martin Petitjean were two schools recognized among 335 in the U.S.
So, for Trosclair to be recognized puts her in an elite group this year.
“It speaks volumes for what she’s done and what the community has done,” said Bourque. “It’s something everyone should strive for.
“It’s honestly hard to put into words.”
The students of South Crowley have taken the push to heart despite facing social, economic, and academic challenges at school and at home. Despite that, the students are not only achieving, now, they’re starting to thrive and flourish. Students want to go to school.
Every morning at South Crowley, the school recites its creed: “I am somebody. I was somebody when I came, I’ll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful. I am strong. I deserve the education I get here. I have things to do, people to impress and places to go.”
The students are now living that creed, according to accounts from both Bourque and Trosclair. And, they’re doing this against daunting demographics.
South Crowley Elementary is comprised of several different races and has a staggering 87 percent of its population fall as “economically disadvantaged.” In fact the poverty level of South Crowley Elementary families is actually 113.2 percent greater than the national average.
It’s no wonder the turn around at South Crowley has gotten national recognition.
“We believe that people, not programs, make the difference,” read South Crowley Elementary’s application for National Blue Ribbon status. “Teachers utilize a variety of resources. Students are held to very high academic standards.
“We love our students, but are careful to not love them into failure by dropping our expectations of them.”
Named for the second Secretary of Education, the award honors school leaders who are committed to education as a powerful and liberating force in people’s lives. They are principals who do “whatever it takes” to foster successful teaching and learning and help their students meet high standards.
The Bell Award is part of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, and principals are nominated by their school communities during the final stages of the program’s application process. At South Crowley, it was one of the staff members that took it upon herself to nominate Trosclair.
The U.S. Department of Education, together with the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Association for Middle Level Education and the National Association of Secondary School Principals present the Terrel H. Bell Awards to principals of National Blue Ribbon Schools for their outstanding work and the vital role they play in guiding their students and schools to excellence, frequently under challenging circumstances.
Other 2015 recipients are:
• Jon Cerny, Bancroft-Rosalie Elementary School, Bancroft, Nebraska
• Edna Coia, Francis J. Varieur School, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• James Heater, Esther F. Garrison School of Visual and Performing Arts, Savannah, Georgia
• Rosalba De Hoyos, Achieve Early College High School, McAllen, Texas
• Heidi Smith, Frank L. Huff Elementary School, Mountain View, California
• Janell Uerkwitz, Murdock Elementary School, Lafayette, Indiana