Bayou Vista Elementary School - Morgan City, LA

Bayou Vista Elementary is a rural, neighborhood PreK-5th grade school located in southeastern Louisiana. Our school is one of ten elementary schools located in St. Mary Parish and has an enrollment of 351 students, of which 19% are special education students. The diverse student population is comprised of 76.6% white, 9.5% black, 12.1% Hispanic, 1.5% Asian, and .3% American Indian. Bayou Vista's total population is 5,103 with an average household income slightly below poverty level. As a result, 70% of our student population receives free or reduced lunch.

Bayou Vista Elementary School's vision is to provide opportunities for all students to achieve their personal best and embrace lifelong learning in a safe and positive environment. There is not one individual practice or strategy that can make a school successful. It takes a quality faculty and multi-faceted approach to ensure that each student is challenged academically and thrives socially. Individual learner needs are met through differentiation and addressing various learning styles during lesson delivery. The students are actively involved in learning due to student engagement strategies and hands-on tasks being incorporated into daily lessons across all subjects. Furthermore, our teachers employ explicit, scaffolded instruction that challenges all learners to apply higher-level, critical-thinking skills during lessons. Students are expected to reflect on their own learning and set realistic, but challenging goals on a daily basis. Because all members of the school share the vision of an academically successful school, they work together like a "well-oiled machine." This creates a positive environment for both faculty and students. Everyone feels as if they are a part of something larger than themselves.