ST. LANDRY PRINCIPAL SELECTED AS A LOUISIANA PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR SEMI-FINALIST
The Louisiana Principal of the Year is the highest honor the state can bestow upon a principal. Each year, the Principal of the Year Program recognizes and rewards an elementary, middle, and high school principal who has demonstrated outstanding school leadership. St. Landry Parish School District (SLPSD) is pleased to announce that Kellie Rabalais, principal at Palmetto Elementary School, has claimed a spot on the Louisiana Principal of the Year Semi-Finalist list.
Mrs. Rabalais was born in Opelousas but grew in Plaisance, Louisiana. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from The American College of Education. She is married to Matt Rabalais and has two children; Jaze (Age 19) and Reeves (Age 9). Jaze is a sophomore at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette studying civil engineering, and Reeves is in 4th grade.
Mrs. Rabalais started her teaching career at Grand Coteau Elementary in 2000, teaching second grade. At Grand Coteau, she taught second grade for eight years, 3rd grade for a year, and 4th grade for a year and was the administrative assistant. In August of 2011, Mrs. Rabalais moved to Plaisance Elementary as the assistant principal until October of 2012. She became the principal at Palmetto Elementary school in October of 2012 and continues to serve as the administrator to date.
When asked about her inspiration for becoming an educator, Mrs. Rabalais replied, “From as far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a teacher. I attribute this to having had many great educators during my school career and my love of children!”
Mrs. Rabalais attributes her success to a mentor who believed she had what it takes to be an effective leader. Reflecting on how she got to this point, Rabalais says, “Although I have always wanted to be a teacher, I never set out to be a school administrator. I enrolled in a Master’s program with no intention of ever becoming a principal. I was teaching 2nd grade at Grand Coteau Elementary, and apparently, my principal, Mr. Kent Auzenne, saw something in me that I never saw in myself. He asked me to be his administrative assistant while completing my Educational Leadership degree. He molded me into the administrator I am today. I attribute my success to his mentoring.”
All of us at SLPSD would like Mrs. Rabalais to know how proud we are of her accomplishments and we wish her luck moving on to the next round.
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