Fall Frenzy provides school options

• By MARSHA SILLS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Nov 7, 2009 - Page: 1BA

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LAFAYETTE — Students in Lafayette Parish will have an opportunity to eye their options for the next school year during today’s Fall Frenzy.

The event showcases the Lafayette Parish School System’s schools of choice programs. It’s also the first opportunity that parents and students will have to apply for a spot in a program.

Applications will be accepted through Jan. 31. Because of limited space in the programs, students are selected by a computerized lottery process. The lottery will be held Feb. 23.

The programs offer students the choice to apply to specialty programs that may be offered within their school zone or in other school zones.

The programs have a waiting list each year and students interested in a program are encouraged to apply before the deadline passes, said Angie Simoneaux, Lafayette Parish Schools marketing and recruitment director.

“The chances of getting in after the lottery are not good,” Simoneaux said. “Every single one of our programs has a waiting list.”

At the event, students and parents can explore the numerous specialty academies available at the middle school and high school level. The choice programs also include all Pre-K classes and language immersion programs.

This year, the district added Mandarin Chinese immersion to its World Languages Academy at Alice Boucher Elementary.

Other languages opportunities in French and Spanish are also available.

New additions to the schools of choice programming include eCampus, online courses for high school students, and a new pilot program at J.W. Faulk Elementary that may begin next fall.

Faulk is in the process of applying to become an International Baccalaureate school. The program incorporates best practices from education systems across the globe. It stresses critical thinking and hands-on learning to prepare students for a global marketplace.

Interested students will be able to apply for the chance to be “pioneers” in the program, Simoneaux said.

The school won’t learn until June 2010 if it’s been accepted as a candidate IB school.