Northwestern Elementary School has been selected as a 2012 recipient of The School Surprise Program from the Supriya Jindal Foundation For Louisiana's Children and the AT&T Foundation.

The School Surprise Program was created based on input from teachers about how to enhance the classroom environment.

Kindergarten classroom centers may need books for a reading center, 10-frame charts and counters for a math center or magnets and weather charts for a science center.

The Program seeks to provide kindergarten students with hands-on interactive tools that teachers identify as integral to their kindergarten classrooms and their students’ success.

Each NES kindergarten teacher received a $500 grant to purchase hands-on tools for their classroom centers from the foundations. There are 374 kindergartners at NES.

Last Thursday, Sept. 6, Mrs. Jindal visited Kamille Joubert's classroom to see how her pupils were getting along with the new supplies. The First Lady of Louisiana interacted with the kids and read to them the book "Corduroy" by Don Freeman.

"We're very excited. We've received these great new educational tools for the kids, and not long ago, Smartboards in the classrooms...we're moving up in the world," joked NES Principal Martha Davis.

Jindal told the kids that she has daughter, 10, in 6th-grade, a son, 8, in 3rd-grade, and a son 6, in Kindergarten.

"When my kids get home from school, they give me a hug, grab a snack and I ask them a million questions about their day," Jindal told the Kindergartners. "I ask them about the books they read, the games they played, what they ate, who they talked to and about what the learned and wished they had learned."

Next, Mrs. Jindal asked Joubert's class about their favorite part of the day and said her's, while in school, was playing in the centers in her classroom. "It's a good idea to read every day," added the Governor's wife.

The Supriya Jindal Foundation partnered with the AT&T Foundation to purchase the items for the centers in all the Kindergarten classrooms at Northwestern.

"Building a strong foundation for our students to build upon is so very important--we all want to ensure our kindergartners master the basics of reading, writing and math. Thus, the Foundation has awarded the classrooms with these hands-on tools to further aid in our students' mastery of core subjects," said Mrs. Jindal. "The Foundation is proud to have launched this program with AT&T, who helped make this award possible for Northwestern Elementary. With hard work, we believe we have the opportunity to make a lasting and positive difference in education."

AT&T said it's ongoing commitment to education and effort to help students gain academic achievements, is why it supports Jindal's Foundation.

Zachary Mayor David Amrhein, Metro 1 Councilman Trae Welch, City Councilman Brandon Noel, Police Chief David McDavid and interim Superintendent Gordon Robertson also interacted with the kids.

NES students from Joubert's classroom who visited with Mrs. Jindal Sept. 6 were: Andrew Barton, Cordell Blanks, Brynnan Brown, Dalton Brumfield, Lola Granger, Hayden Guidry, Caleb Hilton, Sophia Hogan, Jadyn Hughes, Elizabeth Kleinpeter, Gracie Landreneau, Jasmine Maxwell, Chloe McKenzie, Alyssa Oakley, Toria Patin, Luke Robertson, Owen Sanders, Destanie Stewart, Na'Ty Thomas, Reya Thomas, Mallory Van Der Weide, Cole Walters, Jacob Walters and Zaniya Wilson.