EDUCATORS AND SUPPORT STAFF
Sandrine Pouzache, Kindergarten
Mme. Pouzache was born near Paris and moved to Grenoble when she was a teenager. After getting her bachelor's degree in Modern Literature, she earned her teacher's certification in 2000. She has been teaching children between the ages of 3 and 7 for 21 years. Now that her three children are grown, she has come to discover Louisiana.
Ibrahima Sarr, Kindergarten
M Ibrahima was born in Senegal, West Africa. He completed his entire educational career, from elementary through university, in his native country. In 2012 he passed the Elementary French teaching competition and obtained his teaching aptitude certificate the following year. Over the last nine years, he has taught all elementary grades in several regions of Senegal.
1st Grade
%20(1)_JPG.jpg)
Emilie Bonnot, Kindergarten
Mme Emilie is from Aube, to the east of Paris. All her life she wanted to be a teacher, so she followed a very direct path of study after high school. After earning a degree in History she got her teaching certificate in 2017, then worked in different schools teaching everything from Pre-K 3 to 4th Grade. She then spent four years working as the Principal of a tiny rural school with only one class, in which 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades are all together.
Sylvie Collodel, 1st Grade
Originally from Agen in the south of France, Mme. Collodel comes to École Saint-Landry with 15 years of experience in education at the elementary, middle, high school, and university levels. She received a Master’s in French as a Foreign Language from UPPA French University and has taught in various countries since 2009.
Yaëlle Pecher, 1st Grade
Mme Yaëlle comes to us from Caen, in Normandy, France. She has a Bachelor's in English and a Master's in Primary Education. Since getting her teaching certificate in 2017, she has taught different elementary grades, mainly in rural areas, which she loves. She enjoys cooking, she's a genealogy enthusiast, and she loves traveling and learning more about foreign languages and cultures.
Florence Crespo, 1st Grade
Mme Florence is 29 years old and has been teaching elementary school in France for five years now. She is originally from Clermont-Ferrand, in the center of France, but now lives in Lyon with her husband and their cat. She loves all sports and outdoor activities, but especially enjoys hiking. She loves to travel and discover new terrains and landscapes, as well as culinary habits and cultures.
Lainey Pickett, 2nd Grade
Mme Lainey was born and raised in Arnaudville, LA. She has spent the past ten years living away from home, but she couldn't be happier to be back and teaching at a French immersion school in the area where she grew up. Mme Lainey has worked in education for five years and has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In August 2022, she will graduate with her master's in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in reading and literacy from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Mme Lainey is passionate about preserving everything that makes our Louisiana culture special, especially our languages! She also enjoys cooking, traveling, camping, kayaking, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family, friends, and husband.
Adil Baskar, 2nd Grade
M. Adil is from Choisy-le-roi in France. He has been working with children for 23 years already, and teaching for five now. He has a Master's in Primary Education and has taught mostly in very socially diverse areas, which he loves. He enjoys creating theatre projects with his students, playing sports, and photography.
Kirby Jambon, 3rd Grade
M. Kirby is from Lafourche Parish in Southeast Louisiana and was raised by Cajun parents who were very proud of our French Louisiana culture. He has been a teacher for 37 years and has taught Elementary French Immersion classes for 28 years, as well as adult Louisiana French classes for over 20 years. He also loves the performing arts and teaches classes in youth theatre and directs plays in both French and English with Theatre Acadie
and Wonderland Academy. He has performed as an actor in both languages, and is currently the voice of Boudini in the Louisiana French animated series, Boudini et ses amis. He is also a poet and an award-winning author of three books of Louisiana French poetry.
M. Kirby loves working with young people and making people laugh, watching and reading Science Fiction and mysteries, food, festivals, and run. He lives in Lafayette with his loving wife, Jen, and their sweet little Maltipoo, Winnie.
Connie Bowen, Kindergarten ELA Teacher
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.
Wendy Thibodeaux, 1st Grade ELA Teacher
Mrs. Wendy–variable like the wind. Loves family and travel. Beaches and mountains are her thing. Enjoys quiet mornings with her coffee and tranquil evenings with her teacher's manual. A teacher at heart ❤. If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.
Shelly David, 2nd and 3rd Grade ELA Teacher
Mrs. Shelly's journey in education began 11 years ago as a paraprofessional. After a couple of years she realized she'd found her passion, so he enrolled in school to further her education. Upon completion, she taught Special Education, and now she will be teaching 2nd and 3rd Grade ELA at École! She lives in Opelousas with her husband, Anthony, their four children, and their son-in-law. They love camping, cooking, and spending time together.
Elizabeth Robinson, Teaching/Office Assistant
Mme Elizabeth was born and raised in the small town of Cookeville, TN. After working for years in a handful of jobs, she decided to try an entirely different career path and became a Title I teaching assistant at a local middle school. Mme Elizabeth has had many jobs in her 35 years, but being a teacher assistant makes her heart the happiest. She ended up in South Louisiana because she met the most wonderful human on the planet, he asked her to marry him and said yes! So she packed up her house, said goodbye to the life she’d known in Cookeville, and started a new adventure in Acadiana. Working in a school like École is an incredible opportunity for a small-town Tennessee girl, and she couldn’t be happier to be a part of this family!
Luz Cazarez, Lion Care Teacher
Mrs. Luz is originally from Michoacán, Mexico, and moved to Sunset when she was 7. She began working with children at Grand Coteau Head Start in 2020 and joined the École team in early 2023 as our Lion Care Coordinator, where she's been loving on each and every one of our kiddos ever since!
