For the second year in a row a Lafayette Parish School System teacher has taken the top honor as the state's best educator.
For the second year in a row a Lafayette Parish School System teacher has taken the top honor as the state's best educator.
Photo by Terri Fensel
Julia Williams, a math teacher at Lafayette High, was named the 2011 Teacher of the Year at a ceremony Friday in Baton Rouge. She inherits the coveted mortarboard from 2010 honoree Holly Boffy of Paul Breaux Middle. According the LPSS, this is the first time in a decade and only the third time in more than 20 years that one parish has been home to consecutive Teachers of the Year.
Also at the Friday ceremony, Dr. Debbie Reed of Broussard Middle was named the state's Middle School Teacher of the Year.
From the LPSS:
"We certainly congratulate Julia and Debbie on their accomplishments," said Superintendent Burnell Lemoine. "I think these recognitions are reflective of the quality of teachers we have in Lafayette Parish. We're thrilled that the Louisiana Department of Education has recognized this high quality of Lafayette teachers for the second year in a row."
Williams has been teaching for seven years. She teaches 9th through 11th grade gifted Algebra and Geometry at LHS. Williams also is an adjunct instructor at UL, where she teaches secondary and middle school math methods. She is a member of the LHS leadership team and a certified Teacher Leader, and serves as a Team House Leader at her school.
Reed has been a teacher for 11 years. She has taught 8th grade English at BMS since 2007. Reed completed her doctorate in 2006 at LSU. In addition to teaching at BMS, she is an adjunct professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at UL. She is in the process of seeking National Board Certification. Reed was a lead teacher for LPSS from 2004 until 2007, when she decided that she needed to return to the classroom.