Lower School Loves the Earth!

Lower School Teacher Pam Brierre reports that, "today was paperless day. This week we also have a natural light day, planting day, recycling day and green day (wear green and think green)."  Along with her students, Pam is collecting plastic grocery bags to create a large, fused, plastic bag "Earth" that will have a motto along the lines of "There are some things we need to last forever."  This Earth is a companion piece to the paper Earth Lower Schoolers created last year from one day's paper waste.

Pam Brierre featured on TWILA

Pam Brierre - LA Ag in the Classroom Teacher 2010

Follow the link above to watch a video clip of Louisiana Farm Bureau Teacher of the Year, Pam Brierre, talk about her approach to teaching, what she values, and what she loves to share with her students.

Louisiana 2010 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year - Pam Brierre

St. Martin's Lower School Science teacher Pam Brierre has been named Louisiana's 2010 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. Pam developed a rich suite of lesson plans that "revolved on sugar as a Louisiana crop, its various forms and how it is used, how to identify sugar in our foods, our body’s use for sugar – its benefits and harmful effects, measuring the sugar in our foods and reading food labels." Her lessons teach her lower school students all about sugar, its place in our economy and culture, and its impact on our bodies. Pam will be attending the National Conference on Ag in the Classroom in Baltimore, where she will be Louisiana's applicant for the USDA Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award for 2011.

Louisiana Ag in the Classroom

National Ag in the Classroom

Laura Nussdorf, freshman, wins 1st place in Read One Write One Writing Contest

One Book One New Orleans, a project of New Orleans' Young Leadership Council, recently announced the winner of the Read One Write One contest, and it is St. Martin's freshman, Laura Nussdorf. This year's contest was inspired by the community book, Gumbo Tales by Sarah Roahen. Students from around the New Orleans area were encouraged to write their own chapter for the book (thus the "Read One Write One" title). Laura's entry into the contest was entitled "Crawfish Tales" and explored the ways she and her family, transplants to New Orleans from Louisville, KY, have adapted to the local food culture. In her writing, Laura acknowledges that food gives her a sense of place and belonging, and that New Orleans' food culture anchors her here. Sarah Roahen had this to say of Laura's work: "This essay was not only extremely well-written, but Laura used humor at the perfect moments (and not too much of it) to engage the reader. The humor also keeps her sympathetic to the reader -- keeps her from sounding snooty while insulting Louisville. She is a keen observer of human behavior and a fine writer, employing the show-don't-tell principle of writing throughout the essay. Bravo, and keep it up!" Laura's prize, $600, is sponsored by Shell.
2010 Read One Write One
One Book One New Orleans

Senior Spencer Schlesinger takes 1st in Environmental Science at District Literary Rally

On March 20, hundreds of high school students from all over Louisiana came together to compete in academic knowledge in a multitude of disciplines. St. Martin's students showed their talent and knowledge in disciplines as varied as Environmental Science, Journalism, Algebra, Latin, French, and English among others. We are proud of all of our students who competed! Spencer Schlesinger, a senior, was a star for StM at State Rally, taking first in the District in Environmental Science. This is Spencer's first class in Environmental Science (taught by Stacey Richards) and the first time St. Martin's has competed in this category, so her win is especially thrilling. Spencer will advance to the next level of Rally competition on April 17, where she will compete at the State level. Louisiana High School Rally Association