The district 2020-21 Student of the Year for elementary, middle, and high schools in Lafayette Parish were announced.
Administrators along with the principal and winner's parents, surprised each winner with the announcement that they were selected as the Student of the Year for Lafayette Parish School District.
Students surprised today include:
● Elementary School: Camille Romero
Camille is a 5th grader at J. Wallace James Elementary Arts and Technology Academy and studies theatre as her art concentration. She is the daughter of Marie Romero Foster.
Camille's motto is, "Be yourself." Every morning when she wakes up she reminds herself to be herself and no one else. That puts her mind into a positive mind set. Camille shares, "always remember that if you be yourself you will achieve your goals."
She believes in being a leader and not a follower, as modeled by the 7 Habits taught in the Leader in Me program. Along with two other students, Camille formed a confidence group to encourage fellow students who may be feeling down due to issues at school, such as bullying.
She has future aspirations to be the President of the United States and to make our country better through the use of technology.
● Middle School: Ali Habib
Ali is an 8th grader at Paul Breaux Middle with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 all of his years in school, and the son of Abir Elmaddah and Emad Habib.
He shares that his family is from Egypt and because of that, he has grown up in a world where he is unique.
His family has helped him to succeed in life and his brother is a great companion. Ali continues by saying that he is lucky to attend such a wonderful school, which has allowed him to excel in his studies and expand his horizons in many after school activities.
His journey at Paul Breaux has really helped him to develop as a person.
Ali serves as the Vice President of the Speech Team, a Golden Advisor on the Student Council, and Captain of the Soccer Team. He has always been fascinated with technology. In his free time, he practices complex programming and creates websites, apps and games.
Ali has future aspirations of becoming a computer engineer, as programming and coding are his dream job.
● High School: William Romero
William is a senior at Lafayette High School with a cumulative GPA of 4.2979, and the son of John & Karen Romero.
William says that his parents have been his rock since he was born, and his brother has been his best friend.
William has served on Student Council and currently serves as the Executive Board President. On this council, he is planning a disability awareness week, after a successful forum titled Living with a Disability.
William says, " As a high school senior, the dichotomy between fear and excitement could not be more apparent. I am eager and afraid to see where my next chapter takes me." Currently he plans to study political science, but not yet sure at which school. He has applied to nine schools, but his favorite is Vanderbilt in Nashville.
While unsure where he will continue his education, he is confident that politics is his calling. He looks forward to serving as an intern in Washington D.C. one day, and exploring his career as a politician. He hopes to use his "political career to ensure that America continues to represent all her people, including people with disabilities." He is also passionate about health care reform and criminal justice reform.
This is a high honor for outstanding students who have been nominated by their teachers, selected by their school, and evaluated by district administrators and community leaders.
LPSS congratulated each student on their achievements:
LPSS wants to congratulate each of these students and wish them well as they continue to the regional competition. LPSS would like to also congratulate each of the students who were selected as the Student of the Year at their individual school. Their photographs will be prominently displayed in the central office of the Lafayette Parish School System very soon. Finally, a special thank you to Brain Hebert who coordinated the comprehensive application process with his committee.
