Every teacher at West St. John High School serves as a personal advisor to a small group of students who they follow from eighth through 12th grade.

Teachers and staff members instill the expectation to all students that they will graduate and go to college from the moment they step on campus. This is accomplished by exposing all grade levels to ACT prep questions each morning and through weekly assessments.

A given is solid instruction that requires students complete rigorous class instruction daily, orchestrated by teachers expected to “teach from their feet and not from their seat,” engaging students from bell to bell.

Also developed is a strong parental support system, where expectations are set that students will graduate on time.

Officials with St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools say these are the standards executed daily at West St. John High School.

It’s the type of action that caught the attention of Newsweek, which began the school year lauding West St. John as the 50th ranked school in the nation for school leaders’ efforts propelling low-income students to score at or above average on state assessments.

The article, titled “Beating The Odds 2014 — Top Schools For Low-Income Students,” recognized “schools that beat the odds, performing better than statistically expected for their level of poverty.”

The hype matched the numbers this month as School District officials announced West St. John High School’s cohort graduation rate in 2014 was 94.9 percent, a 6.4-point improvement from the year before.

Superintendent Kevin George said the state average is 74.6 percent.

“It is a total team effort, from our counselors, who advise our students on the appropriate courses; to our teachers, who go the extra mile to assist our students; to our administrators, who create an atmosphere and vision that states that all of our students will be successful,” George said. “This means long hours of planning and working with our students, but it is so satisfying to see these results.”

West St. John High School Principal Erica Merrick admits she has students, like other high schools, not as motivated to graduate, but she has no problem meeting with parents and making sure her students know WSJ will not let them quit.

The results speak for themselves.

They are worth celebrating, and come next week, they will be celebrated.

Mary Johnson said the West St. John Civic Association would host its Sixth Annual Honors Banquet at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the West St. John High School gym, where all West Bank students in grades first through 12th who have a 3.0 or above grade point average are invited to participate with their parents.

Attendees will be treated to a meal, entertainment, guest speaker and will help honor retired educators who set the foundation for the success West St. John is experiencing today.

Johnson, co-chairwoman for the Banquet, said her organization wants to instill in the children that hard work pays off and education is the key to everything.

“The kids are very excited about it,” she said. “A lot of time, you will have kids tell us, ‘I didn’t make it this time, but I bet you next year I will be there.’”

Once an educator, always an educator — Johnson is the embodiment of that mantra, and her work and that of the entire West St. John education community is paying off big time in the results of our students.

“I think that it is very important to have the kids recognize they need to make the best of their education, make the best of their days in school so they can become the best that they can be,” Johnson said.

It’s a community example worth applauding. Better yet, it’s an example worth repeating.

Stephen Hemelt is general manager and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545 or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.