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LAPLACE — Clarence Triche has announced that he is seeking re-election for St. John the Baptist Parish School Board in District 11. A retired teacher and businessman; owner and operator of Triche Buildings, Triche became an educator in 1964, and he has served on the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board since 1987.

A couple of his reasons for running for School Board include improving test scores by hiring and retaining quality teachers. He is continuing to give the students the incentive to make better grades by providing the very effective Gold and Silver Awards Program.

Triche has enjoyed all the handshakes and hugs that have come from operating the St. John the Baptist Parish Gold & Silver Program for the past 30+ years, but the biggest motivation is knowing that he has made a difference in the education of generations of students.

“I didn’t have the education I needed when I went to Southeastern to run track. I decided I was going to try to encourage the kids to do a little bit more work in school. What seemed to be the only way to encourage them was to give them something for working hard,” Triche said.

The Gold and Silver program was founded on the idea of rewarding students for their academic success. Offered to all public and private schools across St. John the Baptist Parish, the program gives students access to freebies and discounts at participating local businesses. All ‘A’s qualifies a student for “gold” level rewards, while all ‘A’s and ‘B’s qualifies a student for silver rewards. Over 11,000 students have received the card since its inception.

Triche was voted Best School Board member in the Best of the River Parishes 2021 contest.

Additionally, he was involved in restoring the ARC of St. John building after it flooded in 2012. He helped identify funding to build the ninth grade wing at East St. John High School and Emily C. Watkins without creating additional taxes.

Triche, a strong community supporter, believes in giving freely of his time and finances without expecting anything in return. Some examples include providing materials for fundraising efforts, donating sausage to help AOL Knights of Columbus feed the hungry and sending water after several disasters.