How did you become involved with this charter school?
I became involved with Young Audiences Charter School (YACA) through my work on the Board of Directors of Young Audiences of Louisiana.  I was part of the team that worked on the initial concept of a Young Audiences 
Charter School.   
 
Why did you say yes when asked to serve?
I agreed to serve on the YACA board because I truly believe in the core mission of Young Audiences. During my tenure on the Young Audiences board I had the chance to witness the impact of the arts on the lives of young children.  I think that our team is laying a strong foundation for children in this community that will result in a life long appreciation of arts and culture. 
 
A walk through the halls of YACA will leave you smiling and full of hope. The school is amazing and will be life changing for all of us.

Lusher Charter School students in grades 7-12 received 145 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards at in the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Southeast Louisiana Region-at-Large Competition, earning more awards than any other school in Louisiana. The awards included 98 Creative Writing and 51 Media and Visual Arts wins.                     

Lusher received 18 Gold Keys (the competition’s highest award), 15 for Creative Writing, two for Media Arts and one for Visual Arts.  In Creative Writing, these included two Gold Keys for Senior Portfolio and Poetry to Peyton Brunet, along with a Silver Key for senior portfolio; Marisa Clogher, who won three Gold Keys in the Poetry, Personal Essay/Memoir and Short Story categories; Helene Lovett, who earned an award for Personal Essay/Memoir; Aja Becker for Poetry and Flash Fiction; and Madeleine LeCesne, Madeline Sintes, Morgan Ruoss, Kate Stubbs, Diego Oldenburg, Kelly Yu and Piper Howard for Poetry.  Emelie Oppman won a Gold Key for Visual Arts, Elliott Blunk won for Design and Aili Francis for photography in Media Arts. See photo.

How did you become involved with this charter school?
I am a parent of three children currently twelve, ten and eight years of age. We were homeschooling them seven years ago.  It was challenging but we were not satisfied with our other school options.  We couldn’t afford private school and we felt our local public schools could be better.  At the same time a group of clergy approached me with the idea of starting a new private 
Christian School but I thought to myself, “We don’t need another private school.” Later I was speaking to a good friend and educator, Dr. Jim Barr, and he asked a powerful question, “Bill, why not a charter school?”  Seven years later Bayou Community Academy is in its third year of operation in large part because of that conversation and my desire to have affordable school choice.
 
Why did you go to all the effort to gather a team who designed BCA and why are you still involved seven years later?
I am involved because of the children.  I’m involved not just because of my children anymore but all the children out there in our community; especially those who are less fortunate, who had no hope of a truly rigorous college prep education, who could not afford a school of their choice.  I am convinced that often school choice is a matter of finances, even homeschooling is expensive, but with a public charter school we provide school choice to every child regardless of their financial situation.  That’s a powerful motivator; that’s changing lives one school year at a time.

The 5th annual Young Audiences Dancing for the Arts Gala will be held Saturday, March 22th at 6:30 PM at Harrah’s Casino Theatre. The event will include an open bar, hors d’oeuvres and dinner by Harrah’s Casino.             

The one-night event is modeled after the popular reality television program Dancing with the Stars, and will feature local community leaders competing on the dance floor with Young Audiences’ performing artists. Tracy Stewart and Joan Zaslow co-chair the event. Competitors include community activist Cathy Bart, actor/musician Dave Davis, clay artist and philanthropist Marla Donovan, arts advocate Crystal Valteau-Morgan, and David Silvers, MD, President of Metairie Gastroenterology. 

Einstein Charter School student Ngan Nguyen displays her "French Quarter in the Jackson" painting.

Einstein Charter School congratulates 8th grade student Ngan Nguyen for taking first place at Louisiana School Boards Association Content and Exhibit. Nguyen was honored for her achievement at the February Orleans Parish School Board’s meeting  

At only 13 years old, Nguyen is already an accomplished artist.  She started her career drawing, which soon carried over to a love for painting. When asked what she does in her free time, Nguyen vastly states, “I paint”.  

How did you become involved with this charter school?
At a recent LAPCS conference I met Ronicka Briscoe, the current Assistant Principal at Andrew Wilson Charter School. We sparked up a conversation about restorative practices and she invited me to come visit her school 
when we returned to New Orleans from Baton Rouge. When I visited, I was very appreciative of the school and staff culture, including the wraparound services available for students and families. A few weeks later, when I was invited to interview for the board, I was already familiar with the school.
 
Why did you say yes when asked to serve?
I accepted the call to serve on the board because I really believed in the potential of the school, and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to directly support them.
 
What was compelling about the opportunity?
As I mentioned, Wilson is a school that truly takes a holistic approach to education. It is a community school, in the realest sense, and the comprehensive support available for students, families, and members of the broader neighborhood. 
 
What leadership roles have you had while serving on the board?
I serve as Board Secretary and Chair of the Academic Excellence Committee.

New York, NY (February 17, 2014, 10 a.m. EST) — Congresswoman Slaughter has introduced a Resolution to the House of Representatives designating the week of March 16-22, 2014 as National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week. This week will honor the contributions Young Audiences Arts for Learning (YA) has made to schools nationwide through its arts-in-education programs and to encourage Americans to recognize the important contribution the arts make to society.  

The House resolution, introduced by Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY 25th District) co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus states “arts education, comprising a rich array of disciplines… is a core academic subject and an essential element of a complete and balanced education for all students”. The House resolution also emphasizes that “arts education enables students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills… which supports academic success nationwide as well as personal growth outside the classroom.”

Churches, pastors and leaders of faith-based organizations who are providing supports of any kind to those caring for children, adults with disabilities or older adults in their homes are invited to attend a free webinar/teleconference on Feb. 27, 10 to 11 a.m., sponsored by the Louisiana Lifespan Respite Coalition.

Participants may pre-register for a webinar “telespot” by reserving their seat at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/717073335, or participants may call in at (877) 336-1828, access code 5040791.  Smart phones and/or computers with Windows 8 or Mac OS X 10.6 are required.