St. Edmund launches academic programs

St. Edmund Catholic School’s principal said a new program, Senior Legacy Project, will help the school develop new curriculum and help students leave a lasting impact.
Laurie Doucet, who was announced as principal in May, said the Senior Legacy Project allows seniors to investigate careers.
The 40-plus seniors are to select projects that include working 20 hours with a mentor. The projects include writing a argumentative proposal that includes developing an elective course for the next school year, she said.
In May, students will present the projects to a committee of judges who select the best project, she said.
“The seniors are really fired up about it right now,” she said in a presentation to the Eunice Kiwanis Club on Thursday.
“We have proposal from someone who wants to be a dogcatcher,” she said. “He has a wonderful plan because he doesn’t just want to catch dogs, he wants to create homes for the dogs.”
Docuet said David Pulling heads the projects as well as the school’s literacy programs, which is one of two key focus areas for the school.
The other focus is on numeracy headed by Angelle Manuel.
Literacy includes courses such as language arts and sciences while numeracy includes math and physics.
“Everything we do is about cognitive engagement,” she said. “How do I think about it? How am I learning it? How do I apply it? And, how am I going to use it?”
Doucet said enrollment increased from a first-day figure of 403 to 434.
A committee system is helping guide the school, she said. Committees include Safety, Behavior, Pupil Progression, Health, Curriculum and Senior Legacy.
Doucet, who said she spent 35 years in public schools before coming to St. Edmund, noted the school is attracting teacher applicants from public schools.
“We don’t have positions for them right now, but in the past everything I ever heard about private school was that it is hard to get teachers there because the pay is not real great,” she said. “I can contradict that. I get applicants every week. St Eds is a place they want to be. That’s so much to say for this community and for the school community.”
Doucet indicated she is pleased with her new job.
“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but I’m pretty sure I died and God sent me to St. Ed’s,” she said.