Zachary school enrollment up 400

• By JAMES MINTON
• Advocate Baker - Zachary bureau
• Published: Aug 7, 2008 - Page: 8B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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ZACHARY — Enrollment in the Zachary Community School District shows no sign of falling off, Superintendent Warren Drake said at the conclusion of an opening-day assembly for employees Wednesday.

“We may see the largest percentage increase we’ve ever had,” Drake said.

Drake said he had thought the slowdown in the economy and the second year of operation for the Central school district would slow Zachary’s growth in student population.

“But in the last two weeks, it just exploded with new people coming in,” he said.

On Tuesday, a total of 4,611 students were registered, or about 400 more than were registered when the 2007-08 session ended in May.

“It was unexpected, but we’ll deal with it. We’re adding temporary buildings, but they’re new temporary buildings and they’ll be nice,” he said.

Students begin classes Monday, while teachers began the year with a motivational assembly Wednesday at a church auditorium and continues today with training sessions at their schools.

School Board President Carl Snowden and Drake introduced employees to the district’s five “Teachers of the Year,” one from each school. Three of the five will compete for regional and state honors in the fall.

Introduced were Jessica Gafford, Northwestern Elementary School; Angela Cassard, Zachary Elementary; Donna Black, Copper Mill Elementary; Janelle Young, Northwestern Middle School; and Tonya Jackson, Zachary High School.

Zachary split from the parish school system in 2003 and has had the state’s top performance ranking for three straight years.

“Welcome to the ‘Greatest Show on Earth,’ ” Snowden told new employees, adding that board members from other parishes often ask him the secret of Zachary’s success.

“I tell them we recruit great people, we allow them to do their job and we pay them to stay,” he said.

Drake challenged teachers and other employees to “dig a little deeper,” look for the potential in people and look for the reasons they may not be reaching their potential.