Central High School Welcomes Troop E to Campus  2.2.2010 - Tia Neal

During school on Wednesday, January 27 CHS was visited by the Troop E State Troopers and Sheriff James Glen Kelly.  The Troopers and Sheriff Kelly spent time with each grade level, to discuss issues that pertain to their age group.  The students were thrilled with their visit, and would like to share some of what they learned. Read More

The 7th grade students at Harrisonburg Junior High are enjoying their DARE class with Officer Oscar Smith.  Officer Smith is presenting a new program this year - complete with technology to use the school's new Smart boards.  In these pictures, he is presenting the lesson "Agree to Disagree". Yes, Officer Smith is Smart board Savvy!

Block High School   Basketball teams have started district. Girls are 4 - 0 and boys are 3 - 1.  The 2009 Class 1A State Champion Lady Bears were recognized in a ceremony on the 15th. Lady Bear legend Barbara Henderson's jersey will be retired in a ceremony at half-time of the girls' game on February 5th (game time 6:00).

Harrisonburg Elementary School  Mrs. Christy  and Mrs. Shelly from the Catahoula Parish Library (Harrisonburg Branch) came to read to K-2 at HES. The students really enjoyed the treat"!

Get Healthy Cenla Program at CHS Kicks into High Gear 1/31/2010 - Tia Neal

The CHS Panthers have really been busy lately making sure that their campus is tobacco free.  Key students have been advocating the fact that students and adults should refrain from using tobacco products.  CHS has had two events lately that have showcased their commitment to the Get Healthy Cenla program. 

Friday, January 22, 2010 was the night that CHS hosted their tobacco "Spit Out".  During the basketball game against Sicily Island, students and adults were encouraged to sign a pledge promising to be tobacco free.  After signing, they received a kit containing floss, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and information that can help tobacco users break their addiction.

During school on Thursday, January 28, 2010, Kourtney, Lacee, and Sunni gave a presentation to grades 4 and 5 called "Tar Wars".  During this presentation, students were informed about the harmful effects of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.  They were made aware of some of the chemicals added to these products, why the tobacco industries target the youth, how to "read between the lines" of tobacco advertising, and how to "just say no". 

The Get Healthy Cenla program seems to making an impact on the students of CHS.  We are anticipating future events made possible by this program to keep students informed and aware, so that they are capable of making choices that lead to a healthy life style.

Proudly, Sicily Island Elementary School was named among the Louisiana Department of Education's list of High Performing, High Poverty Schools. I commend SIES for their hard work and am proud of this accomplishment.  I encourage them to keep up the great work! 

Dr. Gwile P. Freeman, Superintendent

Read the press release

Congratulations, Sicily Island High School who ranked among "America's Best High Schools."

31 Louisiana high schools have been named among "America's Best High Schools" by U.S. News and World Report. The schools were recognized with gold, silver, or bronze medal rankings. Louisiana high schools overall ranked 30th in the nationwide survey. The survey conducted by U.S. News and World report employed methodology developed by School Evaluation Services, a K-12 education data research company. The report analyzed more than 21,000 public high schools using data from the 2007-2008 school year. A three-step process determined the best high schools. The first two steps ensured the schools serve all students well, using state proficiency standards as the measuring benchmarks. For the schools that cleared the first two steps, a third step assessed the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work. The top-performing high schools were categorized into two groups - gold and silver - based on their college readiness index, which measures the extent to which students are exposed to and master some college-level material while in high school. The gold high schools are the top 100 high schools in the country. The silver high schools are the remaining top-performing high schools identified nationwide. A bronze high school is one that demonstrated commendable performance on state tests, but did not perform well enough on the college readiness index to merit identification as a top-performing high school. 25 Louisiana high schools were awarded bronze medals.  Proudly, for the second consecutive year, Sicily Island High School was one of those high schools.  Dr. Gwile Paul Freeman, Superintendent, commends the faculty, staff, students, and parents of SIHS for their hard work and pursuit of academic excellence.