RESERVE – St. John the Baptist Parish held its Student of the Year Competition in recently.

The 12th grade Student of the Year for St. John Parish is East St. John High School’s Kwadernica Rhea. Rhea is a resident of LaPlace and is the daughter of Larry Rhea and Pamela Allen. She has a cumulative GPA of 3.85 and scored three Mastery scores on the GEE. She is the senior class secretary, a freshman mentor in the Ignition program and the lieutenant of the Sugarettes dance team. She has also completed numerous community service hours at River Parishes Hospital, St. John Parish Public Library and John L. Ory Magnet School. She participated in the State Literary Rally in Civics and received an “Excellent” rating at the FBLA competition. Rhea is planning to attend Spellman University to study to become a obstetrician/gynecologist.

The eighth grade Student of the Year for St. John Parish is John L. Ory Magnet School’s Cheyenne Ortiz. Ortiz is a resident of LaPlace and is the daughter of Victor and Eneliza Ortiz. She has a cumulative GPA of 3.88 and scored four Advanced scores on the four sections of the seventh grade iLEAP. She is a member of 4-H and the Jr. Beta Club and is a producer for the WJLO Broadcast Studio. Her recognitions and awards include top three prizes at school, district and regional science and social studies fairs. She also placed first and second at the Riverside Academy Math Tournament in Pre-Algebra. Cheyenne hopes to attend Yale University and eventually become a neurosurgeion.

The fifth grade Student of the Year for St. John Parish is LaPlace Elementary School’s Gabriella Villavicencio. Villavicencio is a resident of LaPlace and is the daughter of Gabriel and Angela Villavicencio. She has a cumulative GPA of 3.85 and scored three Advanced scores and one Mastery score on the four sections of the fourth grade LEAP. She likes to draw, paint, dance, sing and participate in sports. She is a member of the 4-H Club and plays soccer and softball. Gabriella has been recognized for being on the Honor Roll every year since 2005 and has received awards for reading, good behavior and good character. Her future aspirations include becoming either a veterinarian or graphic artist.

Each school in the district chose a student to represent the school based on the state’s Student of the Year criteria. The school winners then competed at the parish level using the same criteria. Fifth grade criteria included a portfolio of activities, community service, and recognitions, a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for third through fifth grades, an impromptu writing sample and an interview. Eighth grade criteria were similar to that of fifth grade; however, leadership was added to the portfolio and a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for grades six, seven, and eight. The 12th grade criteria included the portfolio (illustrating school involvement, community involvement, and recognitions), a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for ninth through 12th grades, an impromptu writing sample and the interview.

Individual school winners include the following:

Fifth Grade School-Level Student of the Year Winners

East St. John Elementary Kirsten Cases

Emily C. Watkins Elementary Neya Smith

Fifth Ward Elementary Rayshaad Lennix

Garyville/Mt. Airy Magnet Tyjonae Raymond

John L. Ory Magnet Brittany White

Lake Pontchartrain Elementary Monteja James

LaPlace Elementary Gabriella Villavicencio

West St. John Elementary Kasia Lewis

Eighth Grade School-Level Student of the Year Winners

East St. John Elementary Elisha Jones

Fifth Ward Elementary Caylan Williams

Garyville/Mt. Airy Magnet Derek Simoneaux

John L. Ory Magnet Cheyenne Ortiz

Lake Pontchartrain Elementary Leonard Harris

LaPlace Elementary Sarah Fryoux

12th Grade School-Level Student of the Year Winners

East St. John High Kwadernica Rhea

West St. John High Rasheda Gros

All school-level and parish-level winners will be recognized by the School Board members and the competition’s sponsor, Reserve Telephone Company, at the School Board meeting to be held Thursday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m.

Rhea, Ortiz and Villavicencio will represent St. John the Baptist Parish at the Region V competition to be held Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the St. Mary Parish School Board Central Office Complex. Regional Students of the Year will then compete in the state competition held in Baton Rouge on March 16 and 17.