Lafourche Parish School District launched an innovative Community of Practice (CoP) in partnership with Southeastern Louisiana University's Energize Project this past Saturday, October 4th, in order to boost computer science education across the parish. This first-of-its-kind initiative is designed to ensure that 17 local educators are prepared and certified to teach computer science in line with new state graduation requirements.
The CoP aims to provide the specialized training necessary for all participating teachers to not only pass the Computer Science Praxis exam but to also gain skills in computational thinking, coding, and networking. The cohort is organized by the Energize Project and led jointly by Katy McCarthy, LPSD Instructional Technology Coordinator, Emily Plaisance, Teacher at Golden Meadow Middle School and former Energize participant, and Courtney Cenac, LPSD Science Curriculum Specialist.
In the inaugural session, participants were introduced to the program's expectations and immediately jumped into hands-on learning with simple coding exercises using Dash robots. Nerves quickly turned into excitement as participants began to engage with the material, and teachers are now enthusiastic about learning these crucial skills and eager to bring them back to their students. The CoP will meet periodically from October to March to complete eight comprehensive modules crafted and fully supported by the SELU Energize Project.
LPSD extends its sincere gratitude to the SELU team for their partnership in building this specialized CoP. We specifically thank Dr. Bonnie Achee, Dean of Computer Science, Marissa Muldoon, Energize Coordinator, and teaching assistant, Sujana Mehta, for attending the launch, bringing program swag, and working closely with the district to make this collaborative professional development opportunity a reality.
This collaborative effort represents a significant investment in our goal to equip every student with essential computational thinking and digital literacy skills, preparing them for the demands of the modern workforce. The district is proud to be a leader in establishing a practical, localized model for meeting Louisiana’s educational mandates.