By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

Top educators are an asset to communities, and St. Charles Parish had more than one honored in 2006.

Two local principals made it to the state finals in the annual principal of the year competition.

On the elementary level, Tresa Webre, Principal of Luling Elementary, was named a state finalist in the competition in December.

Webre said the nominations were based on leadership qualities and nominations by a board of district peers.

District 1, in which St. Charles Parish is part of, is composed of five parishes.

Requirements to be nominated were that principals be active in professional organizations, and that they be practicing principals for at least three years.

&#8220We were required to submit essays and portfolios that demonstrated how we personalized our leadership in the schools through our efforts as principals,” Webre said.

&#8220It has been an honor, privilege and challenge to be principal of the largest elementary school in the district and the support form the district has been phenomenal in helping Luling Elementary achieve success, ”she said.

&#8220I am really proud of how the staff has worked to support the children over the last two years to help up with our academic growth. Our school performance scores have been up for the last two years,” she said.

On the high school level, Barbara Fuselier also competed at state competition.

Fuselier is principal of Hahnville High School.

Two other St. Charles educators competed in the regional competition at the Louisiana Association for Computer-Using Educators conference.

Julian Surla, a psychology teacher at Destrehan High School has implemented a comprehensive technology component into his classes.

&#8220We use Powerpoint in all our presentations in class. Students are also required to use Excel to from a graph and construct tables from their research of a topic I choose for them. They have learned to put the presentations into FrontPage and Powerpoint to create a final slide show on all research,” Surla said.

His background in technology is what gives him the motivation to use technology so well in his classes.

&#8220I think books should be supplemental. I even ask my students to video their interviews with people as part of the projects. We live in a technological world, and if the funds are available to provide technology, we should use them,” he said.

Deborah Barrette is a math teacher at Harry Hurst Middle School, and while she has faced some challenges into implementing computers into her classes, overall she has been successful.

&#8220In my classes I came across some students who were frustrated with using the computers because they were having a hard time getting used to using the programs, but most of them like it a lot,” Barette said.

Barrette uses Blackboard in her middle school classes by having them log on to an Internet platform for assignments and then using Excel to create graphs and posting them.

&#8220It is part of Louisiana requirements to integrate computers and I chose Blackboard because I was familiar with using it in my Master’s Degree program.