Pinac chosen as Children's Parade Marshal for Rice Festival

CROWLEY - William Bryan Pinac is the Children’s Parade Marshal for the 78th International Rice Festival slated for the weekend of Oct. 16 through 19 in downtown Crowley.
The Children’s Parade will roll along Parkerson Avenue beginning at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
A question posed stated, “What do teachers make?” A teacher’s immediate response, “Well, teachers make … a difference.”
Pinac is in his eighth year of teaching mathematics at Crowley High School. Financial math is his favorite course to teach because “it is real life math. Everybody needs to know that kind of math.”
Pinac credits his mother, Pat Pinac, with instilling in him the “teaching bug.” Her dedication to the kids in her classes showed me that “teachers touch lives.”
For 16 years, Bill served as a community volunteer for the LEAP-UP gifted program directed by Mrs. Pinac. He taught algebra concepts to fifth graders during that time. Pinac said, “seeing these elementary kids eager to learn and anxious to investigate math” was enthralling.
Pinac was named Teacher of the Year by his colleagues at Crowley High in 2013. In addition to his teaching duties, he serves as Student Council sponsor where the leaders of the next generation are created. He also co-sponsors the Veterans Day program, homecoming, and Junior Ring Ceremony.
Pinac served on the Positive Behavior Support Committee as well as the Leadership team. He is also a member of the Acadia Parish Pupil Progression Committee and the Insurance Committee.
He currently serves as Cohort Coordinator for the Acadia Parish School Board. In this capacity, Pinac works with at risk youth to develop pathways to graduation. “This program is designed to mitigate factors which contribute to student failure and to create an atmosphere of opportunity and success,” Pinac explained.
Pinac is the administrator and coordinator of the Virtual Academy at Crowley High. The Academy provides students with flexibility in scheduling in addition to credit recovery. He credits this particular program with reducing the dropout rate.
Pinac served on the Acadia Parish School Board from 1999 through 2002 representing District 2. He also served on the Crowley City Council in 1996, where he was on the Finance and Public Works Committees.
Pinac has served on the Acadia Parish Library Board of Control from 1991 to present. He served as president of the board from 1995 to 2011. A member of the board of directors of the Crowley Chamber of Commerce from 1992 until 1998, he served as both chairman and vice chairman. He was selected Outstanding Board Member in 1998.