Albany Teacher Named State Teacher of the Year

Livingston Parish Teacher
Named Louisiana Teacher of the Year
State Department of Education Honors Albany Middle School Teacher Joni Smith
 
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Education announced at a special ceremony tonight (July 15) that Livingston Parish teacher Joni Smith is the overall 2017 Teacher of the Year.
Smith, who is a 7^th grade science teacher at Albany Middle School, was selected as the state’s top teacher from among 24 elementary, middle and high school teachers from across the state who advanced to the state department’s final-round of competition for the award.  The announcement was made at the 10^th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Symposium, which was presented by Dream Teachers.
“We are overjoyed with Ms. Smith’s selection as the top overall teacher in Louisiana.  She is a dedicated educator who not only works hard to ensure all her students learn and understand the material taught in her class, but she also encourages her students to become community leaders and to actively engage in serving those in need,” Superintendent Rick Wentzel said.
“Ms. Smith is most deserving of this recognition and she is a prime example of why Livingston Parish Public Schools continues to provide its students with a quality education,” Wentzel said.
 The state department noted that Smith’s students rank first in Livingston Parish and fourth in the state for test scores in life sciences.
As part of Smith’s award, she was presented with a one-year lease on a new Mercedes, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge.