ADMINISTRATIVE & OFFICE TEAM
Lindsay Smythe, School Leader and Principal
Mme Lindsay Smythe taught on the elementary, secondary, and university level for 17 years, but in her last four years of teaching, she worked tirelessly to ensure the successful 2021 opening of École Saint-Landry. She has a bachelor's degree and master's degree from Louisiana State University, and she attained her Educational Leadership certification from the University of Holy Cross (New Orleans). After six years of teaching, she moved to Nova Scotia, Canada to learn French, where she completed a year-long immersion program at Université Sainte-Anne. In the near future, she hopes to finish the doctoral degree she began before opening École Saint-Landry.
Professionally, Smythe’s major honors include: Étoile filante from the Université Sainte-Anne Alumni Association, 20 Under 40 Young Leader of Acadiana Award, Lafayette Parish High School Teacher of the Year, and two-time Louisiana state high school softball coach of the year.
Smythe was selected as a member of the Leadership St. Landry Class II and Leadership Institute of Acadiana Class XXXIII. She has presented on a variety of topics at educational conferences in both United States and Canada. She has also been selected as a scholarship participant in programs including the Parlement francophone des jeunes des Amériques in Quebec City, Canada and two Wallonie-Bruxelles programs: one at the Université de Liège, Belgium and the other at Université de Mons, Belgium.
Smythe is a member of the Leadership Institute of Acadiana, Louisiana Association of Principals, American Council for the Teachers of Foreign Languages, Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers’ Association, Grand Lake High Alumni, and Krewe de Canailles. She serves as chair of the Tommy Navarre Memorial Scholarship, sits on the board of St. Luc French Immersion Center and Cultural Campus, and is the coordinator for French presenters for Festivals Acadiens et Créoles.
Mme Smythe was born and raised in Big Lake, a small community in Cameron Parish.
Connie Bowen, Assistant Principal, Primary Campus
Mrs. Bowen is originally from Rapides Parish in Central Louisiana but came to Acadiana in 2004. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Northwestern State University and a MBA from University of Louisiana at Lafayette. After years of corporate work by day and volunteering by night - first as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and then with ATRO (Acadiana Therapeutic Riding Organization – an organization that provides equine therapy to people with special needs), she discovered her heart was with working with children full time. She obtained her Master of Arts degree in teaching from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches and has been teaching at the elementary level for the past six years. She is certified in early childhood, grades 1 – 5, grades 1-5 mild/moderate, middle school English Language Arts, and business subjects 6-12. She is married to Randy Bowen and between them, they have three sons and several grandchildren. She enjoys reading, fishing, camping, and spending time with family.
Catherine Bricelj, Assistant Principal, Upper Campus
Madame Catherine is a passionate leader in bilingual and French immersion education, with experience as a principal, director, and teacher. Most recently, she served as Education Manager at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, where she expanded arts-integrated learning over the past two years. Before that, she led Myrtle Place Elementary from a “C” to an “A” rating, with strong gains in student achievement and national recognition, including the National Blue Ribbon School award and the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.
She currently serves as Vice President of the Louisiana Consortium for Immersion Schools and as a CODOFIL Board member. In 2024, she was honored to receive the Academic Palms from the French Government for my work supporting French language education.
Outside of school, she loves being with her family and on the water—paddleboarding, kayaking, and enjoying any chance to be outdoors.
Lainey Pickett, Instructional Leader
Originally from Arnaudville, Louisiana, Mme. Lainey is passionate about helping students in her community access enriching educational experiences that broaden their futures while deepening their connection to the culture, languages, and history of the place they call home. Before stepping into her current role, she taught second and third-grade immersion at the school. Mme. Lainey also worked as a language assistant in France, a transformative experience that deepened her love for languages, cultural exchange, and education. She holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Reading and Literacy from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, kayaking, traveling, and spending time with her husband, their son, and family and friends.
Sarah Savoy, Administrative Director
Sarah was born and raised in Eunice, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana. Upon graduation from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a BA in English Liberal Arts, she moved to Russia for 5 years, working as the Marketing Director for American Medical Centers in Moscow and also teaching English in an English immersion private school. She then moved to Paris, France, where she lived for 12 years, playing Cajun music around Europe and working as Executive Chef of three different restaurants in the French capital. She is a published author, an accomplished musician, and is recognized, as are the other members of her family, as an international spokesperson for Cajun culture. Her father builds accordions and has been awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, her mother is an internationally-recognized author and musician, her brothers are well-known Cajun musicians, and her sister is a popular local artist and photographer. Sarah has two children, Louis and Valentin, both born in France. She is fluent in English, French, and Russian.
At École Saint-Landry, Sarah manages admissions, fundraising, Family Engagement Team events, truancy meetings, and social media, takes care of students when they’re not feeling well, and works with the PTO for special events organization.
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Luz LaGrange, Student Services Coordinator
Mrs. Luz is first and foremost a mom of four, and two of her children attend École Saint-Landry. She was born and raised in Mexico and moved to Louisiana when she was 7 years old. She is fluent in Spanish and English, and is learning French.
Mrs. Luz began working with children at the Grand Coteau Headstart and found that she was passionate about the job, so her move to École in 2022 as Lion Care Coordinator and substitute teacher was a natural suite.
She will now be greeting parents and visitors in the main office of the elementary campus, using her multitasking skills to manage communications and logistics between the two campuses while handling phone calls, helping students with classwork they couldn't finish in class, cleaning and bandaging scraped knees, and handing out PBIS popsicles, among other things.
Anzleigh David, Administrative Assistant, Lion Care Coordinator
Anzleigh is currently a freshman in college. She will be helping out in the office and around campus in the afternoons, and she's looking forward to her job because she loves children and interacting with them.
She is a force of organization and assistance, and keeps both our campuses running smoothly.
Upon graduation, Anzleigh plans to go to college to become a nurse. Her other interests include playing volleyball and swimming.