By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

LAPLACE – The St. John public school system has struggled with an image problem for years, partly due to previously low state test scores that have slowly been improving in recent years under Superintendent Michael Coburn.

But in the middle of that situation has stood an odd situation, if you will.

John L. Ory Magnet School in LaPlace, using the same curriculum as the other public schools, has consistently ranked so high above other local schools in the many state tests that they have a waiting list for parents wanting to send their students there. As a Magnet school, they can take students not in their own district.

How can that be in a parish where so much seems similar, from population to faculty to parents?

Ory Principal Teri Noel, who began heading the Magnet school program in 1999, believes she knows what is different, and why her school ranked far ahead of most other St. John schools in the most recent School Performance Scores (SPS) as reported by the Louisiana Department of Education.

&#8220The people and the teachers here are the key. We have the parents, students and teachers sign a contract that promises they will commit their very best,” she said. &#8220Then we hold them to it. If they don’t score high enough, they lose the opportunity to remain here at this school.”

Ory currently offers kindergarten through eighth grades at the school, and had a score of 120 on the SPS report from the state, which ranks higher than the number one school district in the state. While they are not the only strong scoring school in the St. John system, they stand head and shoulders above most of the others. Only LaPlace Elementary with a score of 90, and West St. John with a score of 82.4 approach e near the Ory numbers.

That also compares with the statewide scores of schools, which shows St. Tammany number one overall with a composite mark of 110, while St. John Parish ranks 59th out of the 66 state districts with a score of 72. However even though St. John has not upgraded their rank statewide very much in recent years, the good news is that overall scores have improved steadily along with most of the other state schools since the &#8220No Child Left Behind” program was instituted by President George Bush.

Noel continually tried to not suggest other schools did not have good parents or teachers, since she acknowledged there are committed individuals throughout St. John.

But focusing on her own school, she said the level of commitment to all that goes on is insisted upon from the top down, and seems to be working.

&#8220We have a philosophy to meet every need there is for our students, no matter what it is,” she explained. &#8220And once students get admitted, I believe their parents know that if they don’t stay involved, their student might not get to stay. You can tell the difference at our parent-teacher meetings, where we have as many as 250 parents there.”

Additionally, Noel established something called the C.A.M. system, which has every student earning points each day of school for meeting certain goals. Falling short in those totals can get a student moved to another school.

Every student gets five points to start each day, but can lose them if they don’t fulfill any of the following things:

1) Come to school prepared.

2) Complete the day’s work.

3) Homework all completed.

4) Follow Class Rules.

5) Follow the St. John school code of discipline.

Students must keep at least 90 percent of their points to remain in school, and that requires parents to work harder with their children to make sure that happens, Noel said.

St. John Superintendent Michael Coburn agreed that even though he sees a lot of good educators in his system, Noel is something special.

&#8220It all starts with the principal at any school. They have to demand high expectations, and that means from the teachers and parents as well as the children,” he noted. &#8220They have great parental involvement there since Teri seems to know how to get them involved. She expects nothing less and I think you see the results.

&#8220We have a lot of good administrators in our system, but they are not all putting out the effort Teri does,” he added. &#8220I know some people won’t like hearing that, but it’s the truth.”

When pressed more about the parental involvement, Noel made it clear how important that is when trying to get children to succeed in school.

&#8220When parents show support at home for their children in school, it communicates a message to the kids that education is important and valued,” she said. &#8220But our society in general has so many more distractions now, and it takes away from parents and students emphasizing school. There are so many more interests the parents have now, and it has brought about a diminished support from parents.”

Just some of the unusual programs she holds to keep parents involved is a Muffins for Mom day, Donuts for Dad, and Goodies for Grandparents. Each Friday for a month, moms, dads and grandparents bring their children to school and meet together in the morning, allowing parents and teachers to talk.

&#8220This gives us a chance to talk to other parents and teachers, and shows the faculty cares about the children. Miss Noel wants the teachers to be their best here, and her commitment level is better than any school I’ve seen,” said mom Sonji Williams during the Muffins for Mom day.

&#8220This is more like a private school where the principal knows every student,” said Arlene Mince, mother of three. &#8220The CAM points forces the parents to be involved, and that is why the academics are phenomenal here.”

Noel started teaching in Jefferson Parish, and moved to LaPlace in 1979, starting at LaPlace Elementary. She moved up to assistant principal at the former Glade Elementary school, then was named Director of Administration for a year. But she said she missed being involved with the kids and jumped at the chance to be principal of the Ory school when it was reopened.

She admitted that the smaller school size of 400 makes it easier to stay on top of everything, as compared to some parish schools of 1,000 or more. But she still believes today’s society, and the way parents have embraced it, have taken a terrible toll on the education for children.

&#8220The media, from music to video games, has distracted kids so much, and the new MySpace thing should be completely closed down,” she added. &#8220MySpace has become the venue for bullies, and has made bullying and name calling the number one problem we now deal with. Parents are just letting their kids be on the computer and with other forms of media too much, and it has led to so much less supervision.”

Noel will be entering her 30th year of teaching next year, and coincidentally has been married for 29 years. She has two children, ages 19 and 23.