Destrehan High School announced Nicole Madere as the 2011-12 Teacher of the Year. Madere was hired at DHS in 2007 after performing her student teaching there. Madere currently teaches English II and Freshman Experience. Aside from her classroom duties, Madere serves as the St. Charles Parish Reading Council Vice-President and is a member of the St. Charles Parish Adult Learning Council. Her other duties include sponsoring Beta Club, serving as a member of the English II Data Team and representing the English department on the DHS Literacy Team. She is also an active member of the Louisiana Reading Association.

 Madere’s experiences as a student at St. Charles Catholic sparked an interest in education. She credits her own teachers with inspiring her and serving as positive role models. She also believes that without the support of her family and friends, she would not have had the strength and determination to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher.

 Madere’s goal as a teacher is to create a fun, challenging environment for her students. She strives to make her lessons creative, relevant and engaging. She credits much of her success as a teacher to the collaboration with other DHS faculty members.

 Madere’s love of DHS is evident in her support of the school. In addition to the many committees on which she serves, she can also frequently be seen at school, athletic and artistic events held at DHS. She believes this is one of the keys to her success as it allows her to build relationships with her students outside of the classroom. She states that she tries “to learn about their [her students’] interests, activities, hobbies, etc. and tries to always establish relationships with them.” Her goal is to make the students as comfortable as possible, so they have the best chances for success.