Jefferson Parish Schools (JP Schools) named its district winners for the Louisiana Department of Education’s Students of the Year program. These individuals are now eligible to compete at the state-level to become the 2022 Louisiana Student of the Year.

This year’s honorees for JP Schools Students of the Year include: Corinne Batiste, Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies; Hannah Wen, Haynes Academy School for Advanced Studies; and Allie Johnson, Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy.

“Congratulations to our Student of the Year Award recipients. Their exceptional academic achievements, passion to help others, and desire to make the world a better place are a testament to how deserving they are of this award. These students have a promising future, and I’m proud that they are recipients of this award,” said Superintendent Dr. James Gray. 

JP Schools Students of the Year:

• JP Schools Elementary Student of the Year Corinne Batiste is a fifth grade student at Ray St. Pierre Elementary. She is a middle child and appreciates being the middle child, as she enjoys having someone she can look up to as well as someone who can look up to her. In her spare time, Corinne enjoys helping people in need, particularly people experiencing homelessness. To demonstrate her passion for helping others, for her birthday, Corinne asked for her family to donate items that would be useful to those without basic necessities such as food, water, or shelter. Corinne is also passionate about the environment and hopes to one day learn how to compost food s. In her spare time, Batiste enjoys reading mystery books, making rubber brand bracelets with friends, and playing piano. Corinne also enjoys learning math and tutoring her peers and would one day like to become a math teacher. 

• JP Schools Middle School Student of the Year Hannah Wen is an eighth grade student at Haynes Academy. She is a proud daughter of two first-generation Chinese immigrants and credits her Chinese heritage and cultural values to her success in life. Hannah has made several academic achievements such as maintaining straight A’s since first grade and representing her school in local, statewide, and national academic competitions such as Academic Games, Quiz Bowls, and Math Counts. Hannah also has a passion for the arts and is an award winning piano player, having placed 1st or 2nd place in piano for four consecutive years in the New Orleans District Rally held by the Louisiana Music Teachers Association. Wen also enjoys volunteering and has led a program at the Jefferson Parish Public Library where she told stories in both Chinese and English and taught children how to make paper crafts. Wen says that “each experience she has encountered both positive and negative, has shaped her into who has become and she is grateful for all moments and memories of the past.” 

• JP Schools High School Student of the Year Allie Johnson is a senior at Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy where she serves as the student body president. She is passionate about environmental preservation and has organized over 20 volunteer activities for students to beautify parks and outdoor areas. Johnson wants to someday learn how to preserve New Orleans’ culture  while developing and implementing ecological solutions. She also hopes to design architecture that improves people’s quality of life by reducing solid waste footprints and promoting environmental stewardship. Johnsons says that she hopes her sense of leadership and altruism will help her forge a career where she can help to preserve the Gulf Coast through the development of sustainable architectural designs. Although she acknowledges that there are obstacles ahead that she will face, she says she is  “unfettered and is committed to revolutionizing  her community one house at a time.”