By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The excitement on the faces of the students at Emily C. Watkins Elementary School Thursday morning told the tale.

They lined the walls leading to the school’s library, wide-eyed and expectant. Then sudden cries of “She’s here!” broke the calm for a moment, causing teachers to remind the children of their purpose.

Their purpose on this morning — a first for the school — was to welcome Louisiana’s first lady, Supriya Jindal, to their facility.

Jindal visited the elementary school because her charitable foundation, the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children, together with partner Marathon Oil, funded the installation of five interactive whiteboard systems in the school’s first- and second-grade classrooms.

To demonstrate the usefulness of the technology, Jindal played a game using the board with the school’s second-graders, but not before trying to impress upon the youngsters the importance of education.

“Math and science is everywhere,” she said, referring to the subjects she had identified as her favorites. “Do you think Drew Brees needs to know math and science?”

She went on to explain how the Saints quarterback must use math and science to calculate the speed, velocity and trajectory of his passes. She added that much science goes into making the protective gear worn by football players.

After crystallizing the children’s attention, Jindal played a Jeopardy-style game with the children using the board. With topics including money, math, matter and Louisiana, the children were able to use interactive controllers to answer questions. The board automatically recorded the students’ answers and tallied results.

As the children sat with rapt attention, it was clear this new tool is leaps and bounds beyond the chalkboards of their parents’ classrooms.

Addressing the educators in the audience, Jindal said, “The reality is that Louisiana loses so many quality teachers each year. This technology will instantly modernize Louisiana’s classrooms.”

She said the decision to push for such technology in the classrooms was based on observations of students’ out-of-class activities, which often include cell phones, iPods or other forms of mobile technology.

She added, “Through education we are creating the next generation of workers.”

Since her husband took office in 2008, Jindal has visited dozens of schools throughout the state to promote the power of technology in the classroom as well as the importance of math and science in the real world.

For more information on her foundation visit www.jindalfoundation.org.