By Monique Roth

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – When Teri Noel, an educator with St. John the Baptist Parish Schools for the past 36 years, walked through the doors of John L. Ory last Friday it was with the knowledge it would be her last day as principal of the school.

Noel has been the chief administrator at John L. Ory since the school’s very first school year, which was 19 years ago. She was able to hire the staff of the school from the very beginning and said that her goal from the start has been to create a place where children are eager to learn.

“I’ve worked with parents to create a place where kids love to come,” said Noel.

Noel studied elementary education at Louisiana Tech and earned a master’s plus 30 from Southeastern Louisiana University. She said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher, and grew up assisting in vacation Bible school and the preschool choir at her church.

Noel said she never thought she’d be a principal. That all changed one year when she was teaching and one of her student’s parents was B.C. DeSpain, the superintendent of schools.

“He saw something in me I didn’t know I had,” Noel said.

She said DeSpain encouraged her to get certified to become a principal.

In a letter to the parents of John L. Ory, Noel wrote that she is leaving the school at the height of excellence, having just regained the coveted

“A” rating this year. Noel wrote that it has been an honor and privilege to lead John L. Ory.

Noel said that over the summer she told the superintendent of her plans to retire, and by October she had begun to set a date. Her staff started finding out at the time, and the children of the school were told in December.

Noel said she made plans for an easy transition, and she didn’t want “ to impact school performance or improvements.”

As far as what she plans to do in retirement, Noel said she is certified to mentor principals through the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Noel said she loves the process of mentoring and she will do that on the side, along with traveling with her husband.

When asked what she’ll miss the most, Noel immediately said she’d miss the children.

“Seeing success and kids turned onto learning – that’s what lights my fire,” Noel said.

Noel said she believes the transition to a new principal will be seamless, and the new principal carries all of the characteristics that others saw in her.

“I’m grateful I can turn the reigns over to Crystal Sylvain,” Noel said. “She carries all of the characteristics that others saw in me.”

Sylvain, the former assistant principal under Noel, will now be principal and Monica Brown, the former master teacher, will serve as assistant principal.