Zachary Community School District officials welcomed State Superintendent of Education John White, BESE Board member Chas Roemer, Senator Bodi White and State Representatives Steve Carter and Kenny Havard to Louisiana's number one academic performing school district on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Zachary Superintendent Warren Drake, School Board President Jannie Rogers and board member David Dayton, as well as several ZCSB personnel, hosted the group for a brief tour through the Zachary School Board main offices.

The group also watched a ZCSD video and discussed several educational issues such as the Head Start program for early childhood development and the LA4 program for pre-k.

Currently, there are 16 school districts that are operating Head Start programs and which are being federally funded. "Another 13 districts are now elegible for Head Start funds," White said. "But I'd like to get to a place where there are more, and you [Zachary] can become a Head Start recipient in your district."

White also told the group that there aren't enough state funds to expand the LA4 program but that Governor Bobby Jindal would like to combine funding sources.

Following the tour of the ZCSB offices, the group convoyed to Northwestern Middle School where they visited with eighth-graders in Reading teacher Michelle Powell's classroom.

"This is a very bright class, they are deep thinkers, very abstract," said Powell. "They are called 'The Thinkers'."

Later that evening, the Zachary School Board met and approved the facility committee's choice for the name of the new first- and second-grade school currently under construction in the district.

The name 'Rollins Place Elementary School' was chosen over names sent in by teachers, principals and the community.

"Former mayors and property owners were suggested as names, plus we threw around a few names including Zachary Primary," said Scott Devillier, operations director. "We felt this was the best choice."

The new school is estimated to be completed in January 2013 and is located on the same 62-acre tract of land as the Zachary Early Learning Center for pre-kindergarten classes. The tract is located between Rollins Road and Rollins Place.

The board also recognized four teachers who earned National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.

Teachers honored were: Heather Williams, Northwestern Elementary; Bianca Deliberto, Zachary Elementary; and Lisa Smothers and Megan Southall, Zachary High School.

Teachers Breigh Rainey and Kristy Gilpin, along with their combination second- and third-grade class from Zachary Elementary, were the grand prize winners of last year's Disney Planet Challenge, an environmental and science competition for third through eighth grade students.

The winning group's project “Zachary Elementary Wetland Warriors - Fighting to Save Our Coast" built a school nursery, grew hundreds of grass plants and replanted them along the coastal beach area of Grand Isle.

Drake said the entire group is now being featured in an illustrated drawing in several editions of Marvel Comics.