Local Students Receive Yes I Can! Awards
LIVINGSTON, La. – Thirty-four Livingston Parish students were recently honored by Livingston Parish School leaders at a Special Education “Yes I Can!” Awards ceremony at the First Pentecostal Church in Denham Springs, with six winners selected from the group.
The nominees were selected by their SPED teachers in the categories of academics, art, school/community, self-advocacy, technology, and transition. A winner was selected from each category to advance to the national level competition.
The district’s six “Yes I Can!” Award winners include:
- Roman Diaz of North Live Oak Elementary in the Academics category. He was nominated by SPED Teacher Rachel Bradley.
- Carson Aucoin of Walker Junior High in the Art category. He was nominated by SPED Teacher Lori Thompson.
- Blayson Miller of Northside Elementary in the School/Community category. He was nominated by SPED Teacher Brice Larson.
- Jared Peters of the Livingston Parish Virtual School in the Self-Advocacy category. He was nominated by School Administrator Lorna Ott.
- Alex Parrish of Seventh Ward Elementary School in the Technology category. He was nominated by SPED Teacher Kim Pickett.
- Brent Gardiner of Albany High School in the Transition category. He was nominated by Transition Specialist Krystal Pauli.
All the parish’s “Yes I Can!” Award nominees include:
- Academics: Ashton Bardwell, Albany Lower Middle School; Timothy Hoover, Denham Springs Junior High; Brent Lawless, French Settlement Elementary; Isabella Maggio, French Settlement High School; Layla Bentley, Levi Milton Elementary; Maisy Melancon, Live Oak Middle School; Destin Clark, Maurepas High School; Zoe Graham, North Corbin Elementary School; Roman Diaz, North Live Oak Elementary; Bracelyn Nicolosi, Springfield Middle School; Zacharias Graham, Southside Elementary; and Collin Eppinett, Walker Elementary.
- Art: David "Beau" Everitt, Live Oak Elementary; Hank Gremillion, South Live Oak Elementary; Duvontre Battie, Southside Junior High; and Carson Aucoin, Walker Junior High.
- School/Community: Olivia Rimes, Doyle Elementary; Zach Ruiz, Doyle High School; Katie Meyers, Denham Springs High School; Adalind Nevels, Fresh Water Elementary; Marie Garciam, Gray’s Creek Elementary; Ella Barnett, Holden High School; Blayson Miller, Northside Elementary; and Lance Swindle, Springfield Elementary.
- Self Advocacy: Galen Simon, Juban Parc Elementary; Sophia Lee, Live Oak Junior High; Jared Peters, Livingston Parish Virtual School; Izaic Kirby, Lewis Vincent Elementary; Victoria Tripp, Walker High School; and Colton Jackson, Westside Junior High.
- Technology: Alex Parrish, Seventh Ward Elementary;
- Transition: Brent Gardiner, Albany High School; Daniel Dupont, Live Oak High School; and Andrew Roache, Springfield High School.
The awards program is sponsored by the National Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), which honors children and youth with disabilities who have excelled in their selected category.
“This awards program offers our system a wonderful opportunity to showcase our students and their abilities. We are very proud of our winners and wish them the best as they are given consideration at the national level,” LPPS Special Education Director Eric Penalber said.